Saving the Endangered Species

Vicky Vassileva, Staff Writer|December 12, 2017


As we know it, more and more species are classified as vulnerable, endangered, or on the verge of extinction. In order for a species to be labeled as endangered, their birth rate must be significantly lower than their death rate, causing the species’ population to dwindle drastically. These plants and animals are vital for global ecosystems and environments, and if they lost, there would be devastating consequences towards the animals in their niches and the natural environment around them. The ICUN (the International Union for the Conservation of Nature) determines the severeness of species endangerment on criteria including decline, population size, the degree of population, and distribution fragmentation. This organization has listed hundreds of species as threatened, vulnerable, endangered, or in the worst case scenario, extinct. In addition, all of the species on the list are protected under the Endangered Species Act and are in need of protection and revitalization to save their species. With this in mind, everyone around the world can help protect these precious animals from becoming endangered and can contribute to protecting them.
The preservation of plants and animals is also fundamental to every ecosystem all over the world. Scientists have claimed there are close to forty million different species that inhabit the world, of which many have characteristics and values that have not yet been discovered. Only about two million are ever described, meaning there are millions and millions of other species that are unaccounted for and could have significant aspects that could benefit humans. If some of these species were to be endangered and potentially go extinct, potential cures for diseases and discoveries of antibiotics would not be possible. Through explorations, antibiotics have been discovered in plants and in the soils of farms, such as the New Jersey Pine Barrens Natural Area. Some insects have been found to have extraordinary qualities, ones such that create insect-repelling chemicals or are resistant to other chemicals. These diverse species provide us with essential materials and perform actions such as cleaning the air, regulating water conditions, controlling diseases and crop pests, and provide us with a colossal genetic library which is beneficial in many aspects. Without many of these plants and animals, life on Earth would be uninhabitable, and the human race simply would not exist.
There is a multitude of factors that are responsible for putting numerous species in an endangered state such as human interference and disturbance, exploitation, and habitat loss. Humans halt the development of many ecosystems by polluting these areas with pesticides and other chemicals which contaminate the environments they live in. Not only this, but as the days go by, humans are destroying more and more habitats and ecosystems in many other ways such as building houses, clearing forests, draining rivers, and paving meadows to construct roads. Humans typically utilize machines to perform these acts, which in turn cause many animals to abandon their habitats. One prime example is the golden eagle, in which many of these eagles have had to leave their areas because these disturbances are harmful to their critical nesting periods. Every organism needs a shelter to live in and raise their young for future generations, but with the increase of human encroachment, the lives of these species are put at a tremendous risk. Another responsible factor for these endangered species is exploitation of many of these species. Direct exploitation has been occurring for an incredibly extended period, way before many enaction and enforcement of conservation laws. Because of this, population numbers have drastically dwindled. People primarily exploited animals for furs, which led some species to extinction, such as Audubon’s sheep. Other animals, like the grizzly bear, are still being hunted in many areas in North America, and are quickly diminishing. Another factor of species endangerment is habitat loss. This element is usually the most common cause of a myriad of different populations of species. Various species are incredibly dependent on the type of environment they live in and have great difficulty adapting to new habitats. For example, a small shorebird called the piping plover thrives only on bare sand and gravel on islands of rivers or the shores of alkaline lakes. These requirements are particular, and if their habitat becomes uninhabitable or destroyed, they would face extreme endangerment since they would face a significant challenge trying to adapt to new surroundings. Habitat loss, of course, is usually caused by humans by damaging the natural environment, which ultimately causes many species to struggle to withhold themselves and survive.

Sea turtle by Viktoriya Vassileva


Luckily, there are some possible solutions to saving these endangered species from extinction. Habitat protection is the utmost key to conserving and protecting these diverse species. The priority is ensuring that the animals’ habitats stay intact and preserved. Many conservation organizations and federal agencies are accomplishing this by discovering where these endangered species’ habitats are located and doing everything they can to preserve these environments. Protection and management organizations ensure that these species can continue to live in a healthy environment, and are putting in maximum effort to save these animals from extinction successfully.