O texto seguinte servirá de base para responder
à questão.
(1º§) The ivory-billed woodpecker, along with 22
other species of birds, fish, mussels and other
wildlife, is set to be declared extinct and removed
from the endangered species list, US wildlife
officials announced Wednesday.
(2º§) "For the species proposed for delisting today,
the protections of the (Endangered Species Act)
came too late, with most either extinct, functionally
extinct, or in steep decline at the timing of listing,"
the US Fish and Wildlife Service said.
(3º§) "The circumstances of each also underscore
how human activity can drive species decline and
extinction, by contributing to habitat loss, overuse
and the introduction of invasive species and
disease. The growing impacts of climate change are
anticipated to further exacerbate these threats and
their interactions," the wildlife agency said.
(4º§) Interior Secretary Deb Haaland underscored
that while a variety of specific factors contributed to
each species' demise, "the story arc is essentially
the same - humans altered their habitat in a
significant way, and we couldn't or didn't do enough
to ultimately change the trajectory before it was too
late."
(5º§) But the interior secretary suggested the
extinction of these species can be a "wake-up call"
for humans to take action to prevent extinction and
protect biodiversity.
(6º§) "With climate change and natural area loss
pushing more and more species to the brink, now is
the time to lift up proactive, collaborative, and
innovative efforts to save America's wildlife,"
Haaland said Wednesday in a statement. "The
Endangered Species Act has been incredibly
effective at preventing species from going extinct
and has also inspired action to conserve at-risk
species and their habitat before they need to be
listed as endangered or threatened.
(7º§) "We will continue to ensure that states, Tribes,
private landowners, and federal agencies have the
tools they need to conserve America's biodiversity
and natural heritage."
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/29/us/extinct-animals-2021-list-scn-trnd/index.htm
In the sentence (4º§) "[...] the story arc is essentially
the same - humans altered their habitat in a
significant way, and we couldn't or didn't do enough
to ultimately change the trajectory before it was too
late.", the underlined word means:
