Scientists trying to protect wildlife from extinction as climate change raises risk to species around the globe

From clean air and water to healthy soils and medicines, our survival and prosperity depend heavily on the rich diversity of plants and animals that make up our world. One UN 2019 report I discovered that around 1 million plant and animal species may be threatened with extinction worldwide. But new research findings Climate change could lead to the extinction of up to 6 million different species over the next 50 years, including in communities in the United States.

CBS News and Stations explored how a planet warming and uncontrolled development are leading to significant species population declines, why this is bad for humanity and how far some scientists will heroically go to protect life on Earth.

For some species, it is already too late. For others, there are innovative ways to help rehabilitate a species decimated by climate change. Scientists are using a range of tools protect species in creative and unique ways and anticipate future changes.

In Bisbee, Arizona, a scientist who has spent his career studying evolutionary biology and ecology is monitoring a 3-million-year-old population of lizards that are dying at one of the fastest rates ever recorded.

Another group is trying save the puerto rican parrotone of the most critically endangered birds in the world, as the most destructive hurricanes compromise the parrot ecosystem.

See more reports about how groups are trying to save certain species

More stories will be added above as they are published.

Threatened species in numbers

The US Endangered Species Act was created in 1973 and provides federal protection for endangered wildlife of becoming extinct.

The primary agency responsible for enforcing the act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, lists about 1,700 endangered or threatened species from April 1st. Almost 1,400 species on the list have active recovery plans. New species are added every year.

A Estimated 2019 Study the Endangered Species Act prevented the extinction of almost 300 species since his passing.

But not all endangered species are listed. A 2016 study found that species normally expected 12 years to receive protection, for those reviewed between 1973 and 2014. Time limits included in the law state that it should only take two years when initiated by a third party.

Still, almost every county in the US has at least one species in danger of disappearing from the planet.

Number of endangered or threatened species by county in the US

Hover or click on a municipality below to see more information about species in the region.

Of all US states, Hawaii has the largest number of species listed as threatened or endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service – estimated at nearly 500 species.

Threatened or Endangered Species in Hawaii

By group:

The number is driven primarily by flowering plants, including the iconic state flower, the ma’o hau hele, or native yellow hibiscus flower.

California has the second highest number listed, with nearly 300 threatened or endangered species. This includes the Saint Joaquin Kit Fox and the Butterfly with metallic Lange mark. As in Hawaii, the high number is driven by the approximately 170 species of flowering plants. There are higher numbers in coastal, central and southern counties.

Number of Endangered Threatened Species by County in California