What Do We Want? Zero Extinction! When Do We Want It? Now!

The Alliance for Zero Extinction has identified 595 key sites that are the last remaining habitat for one or more species listed as "Endangered" or "Critically Endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

To qualify, a site must meet all of 3 criteria (from the AZE report):

1. Endangerment. An AZE site must contain at least one Endangered (EN) or Critically Endangered (CR)species, as listed on the IUCN Red List.

2. Irreplaceability. An AZE site should only be designated if it is the sole area where an EN or CR species occurs, contains the overwhelmingly significant known resident population of the EN or CR species, or contains the overwhelmingly significant known population for one life history segment (e.g. breeding or wintering) of the EN or CR species.

3. Discreteness. The area must have a definable boundary within which the character of habitats, biological communities, and/or management issues have more in common with each other than they do with those in adjacent areas.

The AZE has a time-sensitive approach to biodiversity:

The purpose of the Alliance is to identify sites in most urgent need of conservation, and to act together to prevent species extinctions. Because time is running out for many important sites, our science must be iterative: it must begin with the crises we know about, and expand its focus as new information emerges on the status of species and their habitats.

• The country with the most AZE sites? Mexico. Number of sites in the US? 18. These and other important facts can be found in the AZE "Pinpointing and Preventing Imminent Extinctions" report.


• Learn more about the most endangered species on the planet. Search the AZE database by country, species name, or by location using the interactive map.


• Want to learn more, or support the AZE? Check out the long list of participating organizations to see how you can get involved. The AZE puts it best: "Unless we stem the tide, our descendants will inherit a biologically impoverished world, look back with regret, and wonder why their parents and grandparents did not act while they still could."