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AnimalsThreatenedwithExtinction:HowtoProtectand
Conserve
HannahFeldstein
April18,2016

Aworldwithoutbiodiversitywouldbeastrangeone.Alandwithnosquirrels,noapples,
nobutterflies,nobirds,andnofishwouldcertainlyseemforeign.However,thiscouldbecome
thenewreality.Eachday,numerousanimalsaroundtheworldgrowclosertoextinction.This
trendcanbeclearlyseeninthearctic,jungles,savannas,andevenareassuchasatypical
backyard.Animalsallacrosstheglobearebeingthreatenedwithextinctionduetoavarietyof
humaninducedactions.Biodiversityisessentialtosustaininglifeonthisplanet,soitis
imperativethatnewpoliciesbeenactedtoprotectspecies.
Beforegettingintodetailofhowtosolvethisissue,itisnecessarytodiscusspertinent
termsandbackground.
TheInternationalUnionforConservationofNature(IUCN)mayassignaspeciestoone
ofsevenmajorcategoriesregardingconservationstatus.ThesecategoriesconsistofLeast
Concern,NearThreatened,VulnerableSpecies,EndangeredSpecies,Critically
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Endangered,ExtinctintheWild,andExtinct.

However,federallaws,suchastheEndangeredSpeciesActof1973,groupanimalswith
loworpreviouslylowpopulationsorintofourbroadclassifications.Thesecategoriesconsistof
extinct,endangered(whichindicatesareasonablechanceofextinctionwithinthe
foreseeablefuture),threatened(whichindicatesthatananimalisclosetobecoming

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endangered),anddelistedinwhichaspeciesusedtobelowinnumbers,buthasimproved
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since.

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Figure1:AtablesummarizesthesevencategoriesoftheIUCN.

Itisestimatedthatathirdofamphibians,onequarterofmammals,and16,306speciesin
totalfallundertheendangeredcategoryandfacearealisticpossibilityofdisappearingfrom
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thefaceoftheplanetwithinthenearfuture.

Thereareamultitudeofreasonsastowhyananimalmaybethreatenedorendangered.It
isgenerallyacceptedthathabitatlossisthelargestcontributortothedeclineofcountlessanimal
populations.Amongthreatenedandendangeredanimals,habitatlosshasbeencitedasamajor
contributorto85%ofthesespecies.Humanscontributetohabitatlossinseveralways.Animals
losesuitablehabitatashousingisdeveloped,citiesareurbanized,andlandgetsconvertedfor

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agriculturaluseornaturalresourceconsumption.Asaresultofrainforestdestruction,itis
estimatedthatover120outofthe620primatespecieslivingtherewillbeextinctwithinthenext
tentotwentyyears.Waterhabitatsarebeingexcessivelyharmedaswell.Chemicalspillsand
deepseaboatsdestroyaquaticplantsandhabitatsessentialtosupportingmarinelife.Otherless
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significantcontributorstothehighextinctionrateincludepollution,hunting,anddisease.

WhyitMatters
Somemayarguethatextinctionisanaturalprocess.Evenwithouthumaninterference,
noteveryspeciescanthrive.However,thecurrentextinctionrateissignificantlyhigherthanthe
naturalrateofextinction.Infact,astudypublishedin
ScienceAdvances
foundthatthecurrent
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extinctionrateisahundredtimeshigherthanthebackgroundrate.

Biodiversityisabsolutelyessentialtosustaininglifeasweknowit.Avastrangeof
speciesisvitalinordertosupporttheworldsecosystems,whichmaintainclimatestability,soil
fertilization,pollutioncontrol,recyclingofmaterials,andmore.Biodiversityitselfisalsokeyto
avarietyoffood,medicalresources,materialforbuildingsandclothing,andcountlesseconomic
goods.Infact,itisestimatedthat40percentoftheglobaleconomyisobtainedfrombiological
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resources.
Asidefromtheintrinsicvaluesofkeepingaspeciesonthisplanet,biodiversity

directlyimpactsthewellbeingofhumans.

WhatCanBeDone?
TheU.S.governmenthastakenseveralactionstoprotectendangeredspecies.Oneofthe
mostsignificantstepstowardsanimalprotectionwastheEndangeredSpeciesAct.Implemented

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in1973,itforbidskilling,taking,ortradingendangeredanimals,alongwithotherpoliciesto
conservelistedspecies.Therearestillothercriticalactionswhichcanbetakentosignificantly
slowtheextinctionrate.ThiscanbedonethroughimprovingupontheEndangeredSpeciesAct,
creatingmoresuitableanimalhabitatsandlivingareas,andinformingthegeneralpublicofthe
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problemandthesignificanceofbiodiversity.
Together,theseactionswillbeabletosave

countlessspeciesandanddramaticallyimprovetheconditionsofEarthsecosystems.

RefinetheEndangeredSpeciesActof1973
ThereisnoquestionthattheEndangeredSpeciesAct(ESA)washelpfulinpreventing
theextinctionofnumerousanimals.However,thislegislationcanstillbeimproveduponin
severalways.
Endangeredspeciesrecoveryplansholdthepotentialtobringaspeciesbackfromthe
brinkofextinction.Sincenumerousspeciesareendangered,rehabilitationeffortswillproveto
beessential.RecoveryplansarepartoftheESA,buttheyhavenotbeenstronglyimplemented.
TheESAcurrentlyhasrecoveryplansfor85percentoflistedspecies,butmanyoftheseplans
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areneverexecuted.
WhileitisexcellentthattheESAhasalreadyestablishedmanyrecovery

plans,theyshouldbemoreforcefulinimplementingthesecoursesofaction.Ithasbeenshown
inmanyinstancesthatrehabilitationofanendangeredspeciescanbeimmenselysuccessful.One
ofmanyoccurrencesistheCaliforniaCondor.Thismassivebirdwashunted,itseggswere
stolen,anditwasharmedthroughleadpoisoning.By1987,thespecieswasextinctinthewild
withonly27individualsincaptivity.Throughrehabilitationefforts,thenumbershaveincreased
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dramatically.Today,thereareover400CaliforniaCondors,andover200liveinthewild.

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Figure2:Rehabilitationeffortscanincreasepopulationby14%eveninonlyfiveyears.

TheESAstatesthatitwilldesignatecriticalhabitatsforendangeredspecies.Acritical
habitatisonespecificallychosentomeettheneedsofaparticularendangeredspecies.However,
withinthepasttwentyyears,criticalhabitatshaveonlybeensetupfor45%ofendangered
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species.
Habitatlosscontinuestobetheleadingcauseofendangeredspecies,soitisessential

thattheESAsetupmorecriticalhabitats.
Bothoftheseactionswillbeextremelybeneficialtoincreasingthesurvivalrateof
threatenedandendangeredspecies.However,themajordrawbackofrecoveryplansandcritical
habitatsistheexpenserequiredtoimplementthem.Tocombatthisissue,theESAshould
attempttoacquiremorefundingfromCongress.Thiscanbedonethroughspreadingawareness
ofissuesrelatedtobiodiversityandendangeredspecies.

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EstablishMoreAdequateAnimalHabitats
Sinceoneoftheleadingcausesoftheabnormallyhighextinctionrateishabitatloss,the
nextlogicalstepistoincreasetheamountofsuitablehabitatforavarietyofplantsandanimals
tothrivein.Thiscanbeimplementedthroughestablishingbiodiversityparksandpromoting
ecotourism.
Biodiversityparkscanprotectendangeredanimalsandgivethemachancetoflourish
amongavarietyofotherspecies.Theydifferfromcriticalhabitatsinthattheyaredesignedfora
widerangeofspeciestoliveinasopposedtobeingchosenforonespecificspecies.Asidefrom
providingasafehavenforanimalswheretheycouldnotbeaccidentlyhunted,trapped,or
harmedbypesticidesandtoxicwaste,biodiversityparkswouldbebeneficialinanumberof
ways.Comparedtourbanizedareas,biodiversityparkswouldbefarmoreefficientinregulating
airquality,nutrients,recycling,andmore.Bycreatingjusttwentyfivebiodiversityparks,itis
estimatedthat44%ofplantsand35%ofvertebratespecieswillbehaveasignificantlygreater
chanceatsurvival.Thiswouldcostapproximately$500millionannually,whichissignificantly
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lessexpensivethanothercausesthattheU.S.governmentfunds.

Ecotourismisanexcellentwayforanimallifetobesupported,whilealsobringingin
moneytohelpsustaintheenvironment.Theideabehindecotourismisthatpeoplewilltravelto
naturalareas(thiscouldincludeabiodiversitypark),whileminimizingdamagetothe
environment.Livingaccommodationsinecotourismareasaremadefromrecycledmaterials,and
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visitorsareeducatedonhowtominimizeimpactontheenvironmentduringtheirstay.
This

methodoftourismeducatespeopleaboutwildlifeandbringsinasignificantamountofmoney
thatcanbeusedtofurtherimproveanimalhabitats.InRwanda,gorillawatchingisoneofthe

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largestmarkets,and40percentofBonairesgrossdomesticproductcomesfrom
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environmentallyfriendlytourism.
Ecotourismnotonlyhelpssustainwildlife,butalsobringsin

aprofitwhichcancompensateforthecostsspentpromotingandmaintainingthetourismsites.
Biodiversityparksandecotourismarebothexcellentwaystohelpendangeredspecies
throughprovidinganimalswithsafeandsuitablehabitat.IftheUnitedStatesgovernmentfunds
andpromotesbiodiversityparksandecotourism,lessspecieswillcomeclosetoextinctiondueto
habitatloss.

EducatethePublicoftheIssueandtheImportanceofSavingEndangered
Species
Itisfairlywellknownamongthegeneralpublicthathabitatisbeingdestroyed,andthat
thereareendangeredanimalsintheworld.However,manypeopleareunawareofhowgreatthe
problemis,orhowbigofathreatitposesonhumanity.Ifthepublicismoreawareoftheissues,
theyarefarmorelikelytochangetheirlifestylesinordertosupportwildlifeandcontributeto
causesthatpreserveendangeredanimals.Thisspreadofawarenesscanbeeffectivelycarriedout
inseveralways.
Onemethodofimprovingunderstandingofendangeredspeciesandbiodiversityis
ecotourism.Aspreviouslydescribed,touristswillgetthechancetoviewecosystemsandthe
animalsthatsupportit.Allowingvisitorstoseewildanimalsinpersonisaneffectivewayto
makethemfeelconnectedwithnature,andtoeducatethemabouttheimportanceof
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biodiversity.

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Anothermodeinwhichawarenesscanbespreadisthroughpubliceducation.
Organizationswhodeterminethecurriculuminpublicschools,suchastheCommonCore,ought
tomakeitarequirementtoemphasizetheabnormallyhighextinctionrateandtheimportanceof
biodiversity.Thiscaneasilybeincorporatedintothesciencecoursestaughtinelementaryand
middleschools.Furthermore,mosthighschoolstudentstakeacourseingeneralbiology(which
coverstopicssuchasecology),soitshouldbeverystraightforwardtoemphasizetheproblem
anditsimportance.Asidefromremindingstudentsoftheissue,teachingaboutthistopicin
publicschoolswillalsoimprovethepublicsunderstandingofitscauses,itsimplications,and
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howtoenactpositivechange.

Eachyear,thereisanationalEndangeredSpeciesDayandaninternationalBiodiversity
Day,whicharebothcelebratedinMayHowever,theseannualcelebrationsareratherunknown.
IfEndangeredSpeciesDayandBiodiversityDaygainmoreattention,theycouldhavetheability
tostronglyeducateandinfluencethepublic.
Inthe1970,muchofthepublicwasntinformedaboutenvironmentalproblems.In
response,SenatorGaylordNelsonestablishedEarthDayandarrangedeventstospread
awarenessoftheissue.EarthDaybecameanationaleventthatyear.Asaresultofitswidespread
success,Americancitizensgrewmoreeducated,andtheiropinionsshiftedtowards
environmentalconservation.EarthDayalsohelpedpushthecreationofseverallawstoprotect
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theenvironment,includingTheCleanAirActandTheToxicSubstancesControlAct.

Similarly,iftheUnitedStatesgovernmentiswillingtopromoteEndangeredSpeciesDayand
BiodiversityDay,therewillbeanimprovementinawarenessanditislikelythatmore
endangeredspecieslawswillbepassed.

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Itisessentialtoeducatethepublicaboutissueswithbiodiversity.Notonlydoesthe
generalpublichavetheabilitytoinfluencelegislationthroughvoting,buttherearealsoseveral
lifestylechangesthatanyonecanmakeinordertohelpendangeredspecies.

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Figure3:Therearesimplewaystohelpendangeredspeciesinoneseverydaylife.

Asseenwithotherissuessuchasenvironmentalawareness,educatingthepublicis
simplyessentialtosuccess.Itisthroughspreadingawarenessthatrecoveryplans,critical
habitats,biodiversityparks,andecotourismwillbesupportedandreceivefunding.

Summary
Theissueofendangeredspeciesisapparent,yetnotenoughisbeingdonetofixthe
problem.Astudypublishedin
Nature
predictedthatwithinfiftyyears,aquarterofallland

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1
animals(approximatelyonemillionspecies)willbeextinct.
Thisdoesnotevenaccountforall

thespeciesthatwillbecomeendangered.Thefateofcountlessplantandanimalspeciesliesin
thehandsofpeople.Ifcurrentpracticesareupheld,theextinctionrateandbiodiversitylosswill
bedevastating.Asthealarminglylargenumberofendangeredspeciespresentsacriticalissue,
policymakersandthegeneralpublicmuststepupandtakeactionforthegoodofeveryone.
Throughimprovementoflegislation,providingmoresuitableanimalhabitat,andspreading
awareness,thereishopethatbiodiversityandnumerousendangeredspeciescanliveon.

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Notes
1. MichaelEvans,EndangeredSpecies,TheEarthTimes,29May2011,12Apr.2016
<http://www.earthtimes.org/encyclopaedia/environmentalissues/endangeredspecies/>
2. EndangeredSpeciesGlossary,U.S.FishandWildlifeService,14Apr.2015,12Apr.
2016<http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/endangered/glossary/index.html>
3. MaryCrooks,EndangeredSpeciesCategoriesandCriteria,NationalGeographic,12
Apr.2016<http://education.nationalgeographic.org/media/endangered/>
4. EndangeredSpecies,WildscreenArkive,12Apr.2016,
<http://www.arkive.org/endangeredspecies/>
5. EndangeredEarth,12Apr.2016,<http://www.endangeredearth.com>
6. GerardoCeballosetal.,Acceleratedmodernhumaninducedspecieslosses:Enteringthe
sixthmassextinction,ScienceAdvances19Jun.2015
7. AnupShah,WhyisBiodiversityImportant?WhoCares?,GlobalIssues,19Jan.2014,
12Apr.2016,
<http://www.globalissues.org/article/170/whyisbiodiversityimportantwhocares>
8. EndangeredSpeciesAct,NationalWildlifeFederation,12Apr.2016,
<https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/WildlifeConservation/EndangeredSpeciesAct.aspx>
9. CenterforBiologicalDiversity,AFutureForAll:ABlueprintforStrengtheningthe
EndangeredSpeciesAct,Oct.2011,12Apr.2016
10. CaliforniaCondor,CaliforniaDepartmentofFishandWildlife,Apr.2014,12Apr.
2016<http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/t_e_spp/condor/>

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11. CaliforniaCondorRecoveryProgram,UnitedStatesDepartmentoftheInteriorFish
andWildlifeService,31Dec.2014,12Apr.2016
12. JoeRomanetal.,FacingExtinction:NineStepstoSaveBiodiversity,TheSolutions
JournalFeb.2009
13. EcoTripsandTravel,TheNatureConservancy,12Apr.2016
<http://www.nature.org/greenliving/whatisecotourism.xml>
14. AnthonyCody,WhoDecidesWhatisTaughtinOurSchools?,EducationWeek,13
Dec.2013,12Apr.2016
<http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/livingindialogue/2013/12/who_decides_what_is_taug
ht_in_.html>
15. TheHistoryofEarthDay,EarthDay,12Apr.2016
<http://www.earthday.org/about/thehistoryofearthday/>
16. EarthDay,History,2009,12Apr.2016
<http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/earthday>
17. 10EasyThingsYouCanDotoSaveEndangeredSpecies,EndangeredSpecies
Coalition,12Apr.2016,
<http://www.endangered.org/10easythingsyoucandotosaveendangeredspecies/>