International species

Causes of decline
The first step in helping a species that is heading towards extinction is to diagnose what the problem is. Sometimes the threats are obvious. For example, Sao Tomé’s three critically endangered species are endemic to a small island whose forests are disappearing rapidly.

Often, however, assessing what the problem is can take years of research. Such was the case for the sociable lapwing, whose main threats were eventually found not to be changes in steppe management in central Asia, as initially thought, but rather hunting along its migratory flyways.

We are still far from understanding why so many of Europe’s migrants are declining, but have a team of scientists working to solve this mystery.

Testing solutions and action
The work of our scientists does not end once the problems faced by a threatened species have been diagnosed. The results of the research must then be turned into conservation actions, which may themselves require further research.

Carrying out conservation actions such as eradicating rats from an island, implementing intensive first aid to species like the spoon-billed sandpiper or monitoring the levels of contamination in cattle carcasses across India to guide the conservation of vultures, all require significant input from scientists.

All of our species conservation work is heavily underpinned by intensive research.