Background Info
When a species becomes endangered, it means that the species is being threatened with extinction. Since the beginning of time, numerous species have gone extinct due to naturally changing physical and biological conditions. Human factors such as pollution, commercial overexploitation, poaching and deforestation have all contributed to the increase in the rate of extinction of animal species.
It is important to preserve endangered species since their extinction leads to an inequity in the food chain, which could lead to an imbalance in population. The extinction of animal species increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, hence worsening the greenhouse effect.
As species become extinct, out options for future discovery and advancement are also lost. Animal research has played an important part in mainly every medical breakthrough over the last decade.
Benefits of Animals
Plants and animals have many agricultural, commercial, medicinal and ecological benefits to human beings. Threatened and endangered species should be protected for future generations to be able to experience their existence and necessity.
Animals are beneficial to the agricultural needs of humans. The wild relatives of common crops such as: corn and wheat, contain vital disease-resistant material. They also could be used to create new crops that can grow in insufficient lands
Background Info
When a species becomes endangered, it means that the species is being threatened with extinction. Since the beginning of time, numerous species have gone extinct due to naturally changing physical and biological conditions. Human factors such as pollution, commercial overexploitation, poaching and deforestation have all contributed to the ...
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... plants, animal parts and mineral remedies. Due to the increasing demand for these medicines, the number of plant and animal species that are being used are at risk of endangerment and extinction. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses roughly 1,000 plant species and 36 animal species, such as the tiger, rhinoceros, sea horse, black bear and musk deer; the rhino, tiger and sea horse in which are threatened and endangered.
Pollution through water, air and the ground, for example: acid rain, water pollution and oil spills have all proved very harmful for numerous species of birds and fish. Toxic chemicals and substances in areas containing wood could destroy the soil along with the species that inhibit that area, for example: from bacteria to insects and then to birds and then to animals which will eat them and will also consequently get into the groundwater below it.
Pollution is causing the destruction of environments and habits resulting in many adverse affects. The types of environments that are heavily damaged by pollution is normally freshwater ones. Polluting factors such as untreated sewage, mining waste, acid rain, fertilizers and pesticides
Long-term survival of a species depends on its ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions (Murphy, 1994). Genetic diversity within a species, which has taken 3.5 billion years to evolve, makes adaptations to these changing environments possible. Unfortunately, the rate of extinction of genetically diverse organisms is rapidly increasing, thus reducing this needed biodiversity, largely due to the human impacts of development and expansion. What was an average of one extinction per year before is now one extinction per hour and extinct species numbers are expected to reach approximately one million by the year 2000 (WWW site, Bio 65). As a result governmental and societal action must be taken immediately!
...the world. Eventually the use of cone snail venom may relieve many people of the pain they suffer as a result of cancer, arthritis, and other diseases. Leeches, a well known medicinal animal, will now be more widely used because of their approval by the FDA. Also, with more research, the arctic ground squirrel may lead scientists to the discovery of how to prolong the life of organs outside of the body before transplantation and to prevent tissue loss in stroke victims. With more and more research being done on medicinal uses of animals there may someday be a cure for many fatal and painful diseases.
Modern-day genetic technology has granted mankind with the opportunity to bring back extinct species from the dead. If humans have come to possess the DNA from an extinct animal population, it is possible to create an identical clone of the animal in question, effectively “bringing it back from the dead”. Many ethical dilemmas surround the practice of de-extinction, and rightfully so. Recreating an extinct species could produce groundbreaking scientific breakthroughs, generating exciting opportunities for future genetics-based research. However, there could also be monumental consequences: the newly revived, once-extinct species might destroy the ecological equilibrium of modern Earth
In the year 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was instituted in order to bring attention to the issue of species that are in danger of extinction as well as to provide conservation of species that are endangered or threatened. Currently, there are around 2,245 species that the Endangered Species Act lists as either endangered or threatened throughout the world, many of which are found in the United States ecosystems and a handful that are only found in foreign ecosystems (Ehrlich 12). Because of the considerable number of endangered species, people should be aware of endangered species and help to protect these creatures society, as their unnatural extinction due to our actions and neglect will affect ecosystems and the environment (“Why
Think of a world with no adorable red pandas or no grizzly bears. What a world that would be like? Everyday an animal gets hurt or dies because of illegal hunting or habitat loss. Endangered species are when an animal is close to extinction because of over hunting, over fishing, or even habitat loss. Hunting is not okay and it has to stop. Although animals are nice to see and very friendly, nevertheless, killing species is detrimental because it's very bad harming one specie because it can throw off other animals food chain and once a species is gone, there is no way of ever bringing it back.
Many believe that de-extinction is a good and beneficial idea for the earth, while opponents argue the opposite. Today, many scientists and medical researchers are closer than ever to bringing back deceased species. So the
Some of the species being threatened by pollution include: dolphins, porpoises, penguins, sharks, and polar bears.
Biodiversity loss can lead to extinction, and hurt human life. It is our responsibility to take care of the environment. We bring in machines that harm the environment and destroy animal life. We need to limit ourselves on how much land and resources we consume. There are major issues that are causing species to become extinct and hurt our way of life and other animals do to the change in food chain.
Pollution from human activities brings forth danger to the different species of animals and plants to become extinct. There are five threats examined in the authors’ researches; habitat destruction, pollution, alien species, farms, and disease. Over time, pollution, destruction, diseases have destroyed the natural habitats and homes of species such as birds, fish, plants, and animals. The science of how species become extinct come from the over harvesting of crops, which places a threat on our birds and plants due to the pesticide pollution. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 was enacted by Congress to minimize treats and protect the endangered species. The United States face a dilemma when it comes to protecting the listed endangered species. Animals such as the bald eagle, Florida panther, gray wolf, grizzly bear, red-cockaded woodpecker, are just a few of the listed endangered species. Overview of threats is categorized in five types; habitat destruction, the spread of alien species, overharvest of farms, pollution and disease.
Various plant and animal species depend on each other for what each offers and these diverse species ensures natural sustainability for all life forms. A healthy and solid biodiversity can recover itself from a variety of disasters. It is estimated that the current species extinction rate is between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than it would naturally be. Therefore, there is an urgent need, not only to manage and conserve the biotic wealth, but also restore the degraded ecosystems. c) Captivity breeding species can again be reintroduced into the wild.
The Earth is far and away the most biodiverse planet in our solar system, with about 8.7 million more unique species than the other 8 planets (UNEP). However, the Earth’s commanding lead is shrinking; not because the other planets are increasing biodiversity, but because Earth’s is decreasing. According to the World Wildlife Fund, we as a planet are losing 1,000 to 10,000 more species than the natural rate. Since the total number of species is hard to pin down, this can mean anywhere from 200 to 10,000 species going extinct per year (World Wildlife Fund). This obscenely high extinction rate is dangerous not just to ecosystems directly affected by the loss, but also creates a domino effect that circles around the globe and up and down the food
Animal protection and conservation acts began to appear in the 1900's following the near extinction of the bison and the passenger pigeon. Ignorance regarding the idea of extinction combined with the popularity of hunting, severely hurt these species. Hunters and naturalists killed wildlife for game and study without much thought for the species’ survival. In addition the rapid industrialization threatened the natural habitats of thousands of species. The first major piece of animal legislation was the Lacey Act of 1900 which prohibited interstate commerce of animals killed in violation of state gaming laws. Other laws of the era included the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 and the Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940 (Klyza). In the 1960's legislation moved from regulation to preservation. The Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 was the first real attempt at preservation. When designating 78 animals to the 1996 list, Secretary of the Interior Mark Udall said that “an informed public will act to help reduce the dangers threatening these rare animals” (AP). The goal was to inform the public that certain species were in danger and to protect the species before major damage could occur.
In our world today we have approximately 26,021 endangered species. Endangered species are organisms that may possible become extinct. The term 'endangered species' refers to all species that fits this description. However some conservation biologists and scientists normally use the term ‘endangered species’ to refer to species that are put on the IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature)Red List. Many factors can be looked at when considering the conservation status of a species. Factors such as human threats or environmental threats can cause a species to become endangered.
Loss of biodiversity is an environmental issue that is causing a lot of global concern. Some of the main causes for loss in biodiversity are alteration of habitats, increasing levels of pollution and human population growth. There are measures that are being taken worldwide to prevent loss of biodiversity. Many wildlife sanctuaries have been built worldwide to preserve the lives of various endangered species. However, it is important to remember that every individual has a role in the protection of wildlife and biodiversity. Every human being should play his part of the role by following simple rules such as stopping others from the hunting of endangered species, preventing deforestation, encouraging reforestation and creating awareness among fellow human beings.