The main driver of the extinction of plant and wildlife species around the world is habitat loss. In the U.S. alone, approximately 650 species have become extinct or are “missing in action,” according to the National Wildlife Federation.

This week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) removed 21 species from the Endangered Species Act (ESA)’s list of threatened and endangered species due to extinction. Delisting was based on “the best available science” for each species, a press release from USFWS said.

Most of the species were listed in the 1970s and 80s and had low numbers or were likely to have already been extinct at the time they were listed.

“My heart breaks over the loss of these 21 species,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a press release. “These plants and animals can never be brought back. We absolutely must do everything we can to avert the loss of even more threads in our web of life.”

USFWS proposed the delisting of 23 species due to extinction in September of 2021. However, USFWS removed the delisting of the Hawaiian plant Phyllostegia glabra var. Lanaiensis, an herb that is part of the mint family, following public comment, the USFWS press release said. Recent surveys identified new habitats that were potentially suitable for the species, which has no common name. The delisting proposal also included another species, the ivory-billed woodpecker, whose extinction status has been the subject of scientific debate.

The newly delisted 21 species emphasize the ESA’s importance in trying to protect species before their declines become irreversible. Human activity is the number one driver of species decline and extinction due to habitat loss, overuse, invasive species and diseases.

“Federal protection came too late to reverse these species’ decline, and it’s a wake-up call on the importance of conserving imperiled species before it’s too late,” said USFWS Director Martha Williams in the USFWS press release. “As we commemorate 50 years of the Endangered Species Act this year, we are reminded of the Act’s purpose to be a safety net that stops the journey toward extinction. The ultimate goal is to recover these species, so they no longer need the Act’s protection.”

The ESA has been credited with preserving 99 percent of species that are listed from extinction. More than 100 species have been delisted or reclassified to threatened due to recovery or improved conservation status. Because of the collaborative efforts of Tribes; conservation organizations; governments at the federal, state and local level; and private citizens, hundreds more are stable or improving.

However, around one million species could be lost if action is not taken quickly to protect habitats, curb the use of fossil fuels, reduce pollution and halt the exploitation of species and the spread of invasive species.

The Hawaiian birds that were delisted and declared extinct experienced decline due to the decimation of their forest habitats to make way for agriculture and development, and were directly affected by the introduction of mosquitos carrying avian diseases.

“Few people realize the extent to which the crises of extinction and climate change are deeply intertwined,” Greenwald said in the Center for Biological Diversity press release. “Both threaten to undo our very way of life, leaving our children with a considerably poorer planet. One silver lining to this sad situation is that protecting and restoring forests, grasslands and other natural habitats will help address both.”

Plants and animals are the cornerstones of healthy ecosystems, which provide all the sustenance and most of the medicines humans rely on.

“It’s not too late to stop more plants and animals from going extinct, but we have to act fast,” Greenwald said.

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