A first-of-its-kind study shows conservation is worth investing in, researchers say
Cuban crocodiles at a breeding sanctuary - one of a number of conservation actions studied.
Conservation actions are effective at reducing global biodiversity loss, according to a major study.
In the first study of its kind, published in the journal Science, scientists from dozens of research institutes reviewed 665 trials of conservation measures, some from as far back as 1890, in different countries and oceans and across species types, and found they had had a positive effect in two out of every three of cases.
Dr Langhammer said: "One of the most interesting findings was that even when a conservation intervention didn't work for the species that is was intended, other species unintentionally benefited.
It is normal for species diversity and populations to fluctuate - but the rate of extinction is now 100-1,000 times faster than scientists would expect.
Climate change, habitat loss and the spread of invasive species are believed to be driving this.
So if conservation was working, co-author Dr Joseph Bull, University of Oxford associate professor in climate-change biology, told BBC News, "these measures are clearly not being funded at a sufficient scale to actually start to reverse global declines in biodiversity".
Only an estimated $121bn a year is currently being invested in conservation worldwide.
The saiga-antelope was critically endangered 20 years ago - but after conservation efforts, in 2023, they were confirmed to be off the red list.
University of Sussex environmental-biology professor Dr Fiona Matthews, who was not involved in the research, said it showed "conservation interventions can and do work".