Interactive map identifies areas of imminent extinction

Researchers have identified 595 sites for species protection in a new interactive map. Representing more than a dozen major conservation groups, collaborators on the map were able to pinpoint areas where extinction is a question of when, not if.

Each spot on the map represents either the only place an endangered species is found or a spot where 95 percent of the species’ population is found. Almost 800 endangered species are listed with the map’s danger spots, though they include only birds, mammals, amphibians, conifers, and some reptiles, as others have yet to be studied or identified.

The map appears to be the first major project of the Alliance for Zero Extinction, a global coalition of biodiversity-minded organizations.