“Species reduced to fewer than 50 individuals in the wild are not automatically doomed to extinction, according to a major study co-authored by researchers at the Zoological Society of London and Monash University.

The findings, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, challenge long-standing ecological theories that severely bottlenecked animal populations inevitably collapse due to inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity.

By reviewing every bird and mammal species known to have fallen below 50 wild individuals since 1950, researchers found that active, targeted conservation can successfully turn the tide for species on the very edge of survival…

The study evaluated 141 bird and mammal species with sufficient tracked history. Of the 51 species that received direct conservation action, such as invasive predator control, habitat restoration, captive breeding or translocations, 61 per cent recovered to at least 100 individuals. In contrast, 37 per cent of species that received no direct support went extinct, and only two per cent to at least 100 individuals.”

From Monash University.