Officials celebrate remarkable rebound of species that only exists in tiny US area: 'Over half of its range is unprotected'

It's not every day that a species makes it off the endangered list — but the Colorado hookless cactus is having a good year.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recently reported that the hookless cactus has been removed from the federal List of Endangered and Threatened Plants, due to a remarkable rebound in the species' population numbers.

"This decision is based on the best available scientific and commercial information and reflects ongoing conservation efforts and improved scientific data on the species," the FWS explained.

The department credited joint efforts of several organizations in helping to monitor and conserve the cactus, including the Bureau of Land Management, the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, and the Denver Botanic Gardens.

The Colorado hookless cactus, which is endemic to semi-arid river basins and canyons in the western part of the state, was placed on the federal endangered species list in 1979, where it has remained for over four decades.

And while it's a relatively small species in terms of distribution — the plant only exists in the state — the recent delisting is still a major victory for conservationists. Endemic and native species do a great deal to preserve an ecosystem's biodiversity and healthy natural function by supporting pollinators, providing wildlife food and habitat, and keeping invasive species at bay.

According to the official report on the Federal Register, some opponents of the action did express concern when the species' delisting was opened to public comment.

"The entire population is subject to oil and gas leasing, there are producing wells throughout its range, and over half of its range is unprotected from development," one person pointed out, arguing that the delisting may be premature.

But while there will be threats to continue monitoring, the report explained that years of thorough and peer-reviewed research went into the decision — and that the cactus is even more resilient than previously known.

"There are substantially more Colorado hookless cactus plants on the landscape than were known at the time of listing," the report noted, "and [we] have changed our understanding of the degree to which the species are resilient to the threats apparent at the time of listing."

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In other words, it seems that the hookless cactus — and the species that depend upon it to live — have a bright future.

Similar conservation efforts are underway around the world, and many of them are finding success.

For example, the Iberian lynx in Spain has made a remarkable comeback after conservationists focused on increasing prey numbers, restoring habitat, reducing human-caused deaths, and other related efforts, Euronews reported.

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