A rare wildflower once found in the scrublands of Las Vegas has not been reliably recorded in the area for nearly a century, highlighting growing concerns about species that may be disappearing before scientists can determine whether they are extinct.
uncertain
they → find → species
The plant, Oreocarya insolita, is believed to exist nowhere else in the world.
asserted
plant → believe → world
Now, researchers are documenting such missing plants and animals through a new scientific publication, the Journal of Lost Species, co-edited by University of Nevada, Reno entomologist Matthew Forister.
asserted
researchers → document → Forister
The initiative aims to track species not observed for a decade or more and encourage efforts to find them before they vanish unnoticed.
asserted
they → aim → them
Scientists seek to document species in limbo
Forister and an international team of scientists are focusing on species described as “lost” - those that have not been seen for years but cannot yet be declared extinct.
asserted
that → seek → years
The journal aims to give these plants and animals greater scientific attention and encourage researchers to investigate whether they still survive.
asserted
they → aim → researchers
“Nevada is a state where so much exploration still needs to be done for biodiversity,” Forister said.
asserted
Forister → need → biodiversity
“We really don't know the status of Nevada's biodiversity in terms of which species are stable or extinct or lost.”
asserted
species → know → terms
The initiative comes amid wider concerns about biodiversity loss.
asserted
initiative → come → loss
According to conservation organisation Re, more than 4,300 species worldwide have not been documented for at least a decade.
uncertain
species → accord → decade
“Everything deserves a memory,” Forister said, explaining why the team wants to create a record of species whose status remains uncertain.
asserted
status → deserve → species
The journal is intended to address a gap between established categories such as endangered and extinct.
asserted
journal → intend → categories
Species that have not been observed for years are often classified as “data deficient”, a designation that can make it harder to generate public attention or motivate searches.
asserted
it → observe → searches
“It's really different in terms of motivation and communication in calling something ‘data deficient’ than to call it ‘lost,’” Forister said.
asserted
Forister → call → it
“If it's lost it's like, ‘Holy cow, let's go look for it.’
asserted
's → lose → it
He added that documenting a species matters even if it is eventually confirmed extinct, because it ensures its disappearance is not overlooked.
asserted
disappearance → add → species
Nevada faces growing biodiversity concerns
asserted
Nevada → face → concerns
Nevada is home to a wide range of plants and animals, but many face shrinking populations, habitat loss and other environmental pressures.
asserted
many → face → populations
According to the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage, the state ranks 11th nationally for total species diversity and has the third-highest number of species considered at risk, with more than 1,100 plants and animals facing a high risk of disappearing from the state.
uncertain
plants → accord → state
The state's biodiversity challenges extend beyond species already listed as endangered.
asserted
challenges → extend → species
Nearly 50 additional plants and animals are federally listed as endangered or recognised as threatened, while hundreds more have six or fewer population groupings in Nevada.
asserted
hundreds → list → Nevada
Matthew Forister has warned that much remains unknown about the status of the state's wildlife.
asserted
much → warn → wildlife
Scientists may not know whether some species are declining, surviving in small numbers or have disappeared entirely.
uncertain
species → know → numbers
“Scientists from around the world are warning we're in an extinction crisis,” Noah Greenwald, endangered species co-director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said.
asserted
Greenwald → warn → Diversity
The Journal of Lost Species seeks to make these uncertain cases more visible and provide a clearer record for future conservation work.
asserted
cases → seek → work
The launch of the journal comes as the US Fish and Wildlife Service faces scrutiny over the number of species receiving federal protection and a significant reduction in staffing.
asserted
Service → come → staffing
The agency is responsible for determining which plants and animals are added to the federal endangered species list.
asserted
plants → determine → list
According to data obtained through a public records request by the Center for Biological Diversity and shared with The Nevada Independent, the agency's Nevada workforce fell from 134 employees in 2024 to 85 in 2026, a decline of about 38%.
uncertain
workforce → accord → %
Nationwide, its staffing dropped from 9,957 to 6,333 over the same period, according to the centre's records.
uncertain
staffing → drop → records
Greenwald said the slowdown in adding species to the endangered list could leave vulnerable plants and animals without the protections they need.
uncertain
they → say → protections
Since the Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973 under President Richard Nixon, the Fish and Wildlife Service has listed an average of 34 species annually.
asserted
Service → enact → species
According to the report, the Trump administration had added only three species to the list during the period covered by the investigation, all in the southeastern United States.
uncertain
administration → accord → States
During Donald Trump's first term, his administration protected 22 species.
asserted
administration → protect → species
“Only listing three species in almost two years is just drastically lower than any other administration,” Greenwald said.
asserted
Greenwald → list → administration
For comparison, the report noted that the Clinton administration listed well over 500 species over eight years, while the George W. Bush administration listed 62 during its two terms.
asserted
administration → note → terms
Jamey McClinton, administrator of the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage, said delays in the listing process can leave species in an uncertain position.
asserted
delays → say → position
“The process of having listings be so significantly slowed down, I think it is leaving room for a lot more ambiguity, and that's something that's not good for industry or for conservation,” McClinton said.
asserted
McClinton → have → conservation
“That increases the imperilment for a lot of species that are being petitioned because they're living in limbo.
asserted
they → increase → limbo
Nationally, about 400 species are awaiting listing, including more than two dozen in Nevada, according to the report.
uncertain
species → await → report
Habitat changes add to the threat
Policy changes affecting endangered species protections have also raised concerns among conservationists.
asserted
changes → add → conservationists
…and 34 more, not listed.
The Aporia
