This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: In 1987, biologists captured the last free-flying condor to transfer it to captivity, and the largest flying North American bird species was officially declared extinct in the wild. Today, after decades of coordinated efforts and millions of dollars spent on captive breeding and reintroduction efforts, more than 300 condors have been restored to their natural environment.
It was a victory for the species' survival, yet this triumph was contested at nearly every step of the way. Conservationists fought bitterly over whether trapping every bird should be considered rescue or surrender. Critics argued that the money would be better spent on other threatened species.
Rural communities in Utah and Arizona raised concerns about federal land-use restrictions. Hunting groups such as the National Rifle Association opposed bans on lead ammunition, a leading cause of condor deaths. The condor's comeback illustrates several questions that governments and conservation organizations grapple with today, including which species get funded and who bears the costs.
These are some of the questions being discussed at the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity conference, being held Oct. 19–30, 2026, in Yerevan, Armenia. In 2022, countries worldwide adopted an agreement at that year's biodiversity conference to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, known as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
It includes goals to raise $200 billion a year from public and private sources around the world by 2030 to conserve and manage at least 30% of the world's land, coastal areas and oceans, stop human-caused extinctions and help struggling species survive. The agreement itself doesn't choose which species to save, but its rules are designed to shape national conservation priorities and guide the funds that pay for conservation. Saving a species like the condor affects local communities and businesses whose activities have put those species at risk.
Without local buy-in, pouring money into recovery efforts can fail, yet local communities are often left out of the discussions. An estimated 1 million species are currently threatened with extinction worldwide, and early assessments suggest the world is falling short on most of the agreement's global biodiversity targets. Because resources are limited, conservationists must weigh trade-offs in deciding which species to protect and how.
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