00:00To the uninitiated, most giraffes probably look the same.
00:06But researchers now say there were evolutionary differences between Africa's giraffe populations, resulting in four distinct species.
00:16So through our assessment, we've described, we've recognized four species for the IUCN red list.
00:23The northern giraffe, the reticulated giraffe, the Maasai giraffe, and the southern giraffe.
00:27Each species has different population sizes, different threats, and different conservation needs.
00:35By identifying the different species, scientists can now pinpoint their different needs and target their conservation strategy.
00:46This report is about changing taxonomy, or the nomenclature of the giraffe, giraffes and okapi.
00:53And it's, obviously, taxonomy is very important.
00:59It tells us about specific species.
01:02So for conservation, the work that we do, it's imperative.
01:06It's very key that when we say, this is the Maasai giraffe, everyone in conservation means that.
01:13It can be identified, threats to it can be identified,
01:17and what needs to be identified, and what needs to be done to avert those threats, can be identified specific to that species.
01:23There are still an estimated 117,000 giraffes in the wild, but their numbers have fallen by about 40% in the last 30 years.
01:34The new taxonomy can help protect them.
01:38When you've got the separate species and the analysis that has gone into this,
01:43this may invoke more attention and more urgent action.
01:49So, for example, if a particular species was a subspecies of a larger group that was not critically endangered,
01:57but, say, of special attention or special concern, action was not specifically targeted to that subspecies.
02:06Now that it has full species status and a revision of what is causing endangerment,
02:12then more action will be taken quickly.
02:14The main threats to giraffes in Africa are habitat loss, poaching and disease.
02:21Conservationists hope that by better understanding the differences between giraffe species,
02:26they can target those threats and eliminate them more efficiently.
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