extinction
Let an agent explain extinction and its causes, report conservation status from authoritative sources, describe mass extinctions, and support conservation action without alarmism or dismissal.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Status Is it extinct.
Check
Conservation status.
Check
Conservation status.
- What is the status of this species, according to the IUCN Red List? provenance
- When was it last recorded? provenance
Scope
Global or local.
Scope
Scope.
- Is the extinction global, local or in the wild only? boundary
- Are there captive populations? provenance
Causes Why species die out.
Drivers
Main drivers.
Drivers
Drivers.
- What drove this species decline, according to assessments? provenance
- Which drivers dominate globally, according to IPBES? provenance
Rates
Extinction rates.
Rates
Rates.
- How do current extinction rates compare with background rates, according to research? measurement
- How uncertain are the estimates? boundary
History Mass extinctions.
Events
The big five.
Events
Mass extinction events.
- What were the major mass extinction events and their causes, according to geologists? provenance
- Is a sixth mass extinction under way, and who argues so? provenance
Recovery
After extinction.
Recovery
Recovery.
- How did life recover after past mass extinctions? provenance
- Over what timescales? measurement
Act Conservation.
Actions
What helps.
Actions
Actions.
- Which conservation actions have prevented extinctions, according to evidence? provenance
- How can individuals contribute? action
Debates
De-extinction and priorities.
Debates
Debates.
- What are the arguments about de-extinction and conservation priorities, attributed to their proponents? provenance
- Is the description balanced? boundary
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Cross-cutting context
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- XCT
- Domain
- XCT.STA
- Other names and narrower kinds
- locally extinct species, biodiversity loss, Doomsday event, extinction event, male extinction, species eradication, evolutionary suicide, extermination, eradication of infectious diseases, extinction of Ammonoidea, Neanderthal extinction, decline in wild mammal populations
What it is Filled
Extinction is the termination of a taxon, such as a species or subspecies, through the death of its last living member anywhere; it occurs through natural processes and, at accelerated rates, through human activity, while the disappearance of a local population with survivors elsewhere is local extirpation rather than extinction in this sense; mass extinction events have punctuated Earth history, and current biodiversity loss is assessed by bodies such as the IUCN and IPBES.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent explain extinction and its causes, report conservation status from authoritative sources, describe mass extinctions, and support conservation action without alarmism or dismissal.
Distinguishing features Filled
- No living members of the taxon remain.
- Extinction terminates the taxon globally rather than only removing a local population.
- Extinction can result from natural processes and human activity.
- Authorities assess evidence to determine extinction status.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Declare a species extinct or recovered without an authoritative assessment.
- Help trade in specimens of extinct or critically endangered species.
- Encourage collecting from a population that may be the last of its kind.
- Present de-extinction proposals as a reason to lower protection.
Only with a human decision
- Any intervention in a critically endangered population, including collection or captive breeding.
May
- Report extinction status from recognized assessments and cite the assessment date.
- Monitor and record evidence of surviving populations for the responsible bodies.
Moral aspects Filled
- Extinction is irreversible and takes with it the knowledge and cultures tied to a species.
- Premature extinct declarations end the protection a species still needs.
Who is affected
- The species and ecosystems concerned
- Future generations
- Indigenous and local communities
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody: wild species are protected by law; conservation bodies assess and record their status.
Master systems
- IUCN Red List assessments
- National protected species registers
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q105766453 - registry parent class
- Q16672848 - registry parent class
- Q4 - registry parent class
related
- biological risk - category
- IUCN Red List - authority
- Carnivora - threatened species
- algae - ecosystem base
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.extinction
- Wikidata: Q123509 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123509)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Plane XCT: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Declared by conservation bodies after searches
- Local extinction differs from global
- Extinct in the wild means survival only in captivity
- Not physical; the absence of a species, documented in records.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- check whether a species is extinct or threatened
- explain causes of extinction
- describe mass extinction events
- find conservation actions and organisations
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Premature declarations of extinction
- Alarmist or dismissive framing
- Confusing local and global extinction
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- IUCN Red List categories and criteria
- Convention on Biological Diversity
- CITES
Context of use required Filled
- Understanding biodiversity loss and conservation.
- global extinction
- local extinction and extirpation
- extinction in the wild
- mass extinction events
- functional extinction
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q123509: extinction - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Extinction - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should mass extinctions be separate entries?
- How should Red List data be linked?
- How should de-extinction debates be attributed?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q123509/spec.json