Endangered Species and Biodiversity

One issue that is rising due to deforestation is the loss of biodiversity in the deciduous forest. Biodiversity is defined as: the degree of

The place of the activities should be planned in consideration of the desired outcome. Outdoor environment should be considered whenever possible if the type of the activity and the weather allows it.

Many species vital to ensuring that today’s environment will thrive are becoming extinct. If a species is slowly dwindling, and in imminent danger of becoming nonexistent, this species is considered to be endangered. “One in four mammals, one in eight birds, one third of all amphibians and 70% of the world’s assessed plants on the… IUCN Red List are in jeopardy” (IUCN, 2016). According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, upwards of 16,000 species are threatened with extinction, including both plants and animals (IUCN, 2016). Before becoming endangered, a species will show warning signs, either by starting to lose biological diversity or by losing the habitats for that species to flourish in, or in the worst case, both. The word endangered can sometimes be confused with threatened, extirpated, or extinct. Extirpated refers to the state of a species where its population has died out in a certain area or range, but other populations of said species still exist elsewhere (Olden, Julian D., 2008). When a species is considered threatened, or vulnerable, this refers to the state of the species being susceptible to endangerment and extinction (“Extinction crisis escalates”). So if a species is threatened, the first signs of endangerment come along, which are similar signs to that of a species in danger of becoming threatened, including lack of genetic diversity, or overhunting may be evident. (“Extinction crisis escalates”). When a species is labelled

Biodiversity creates an interconnected system where each part builds off of one another to create a functional ecosystem. For example, a small insect such as a bee is critical for survival of many other species because it pollinates so many plants. Currently, the population of bees is dramatically decreasing due to anthropogenic actions such as using harmful pesticides. If the population of bees go extinct, so many species would follow because they would not get pollinated. This is problematic because humans do not have the time or the funds to replicate the vital work of the bee.

The word “crisis” can be defined as any of the following definitions; “an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person's life; the decisive moment during an event; or an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending, especially: one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome.” (Crisis).

The three levels of biodiversity are as follows: diversity of the ecosystems, diversity of species within the communities and diversity within species. The loss of species within the ecosystems and within the community can cause a catastrophic result, as species live and feed on other species. Species close to extinction are endangered species, therefore protecting them from predators and offering the chance to reproduce and repopulate. Unfortunately, with little support within the environment, a species can become extinct due to population density. Proper monitoring of an endangered species is required in order to keep species actively reproducing and changing with the environment around them.

The Outdoor Campus-West has programs that get you and your family involved in all these activities plus more. If you are having a hard time choosing just one of these great activities you can participate in the Outdoor University on July 20, 2013. This event gives you hands-on experience in all these activities plus: BB Gun Shooting, Geology Digs, Gardening (Sprouts Corner), Fish & Wildlife Mgt, Fossils, Nature Photography and many more. Best of all its free for all ages!! For more information visit www.outdoorcampus.org or call (605)

“The impacts of biodiversity loss include clearly into fewer new cures, greater vulnerability to natural disasters and greater effects from global warming.”(Why to protect biodiversity and save endangered species) Biodiversity provides us with much benefits including medicine, Air Purification, fishing, agriculture, ranching, oxygen production, and climate moderation “By losing biodiversity we are losing the chance to discover new medicines…” (Why to protect biodiversity and save endangered species) Biodiversity has many great causes in

Since the beginning of life itself, some species have lived and prospered while other species have gone extinct never to be seen again by mankind. Because of this, some would claim that extinction is natural and not significantly problematic to the world that we live in. Others, however, understand that due to climate change, habitat loss, and poaching, more and more species are becoming endangered which leads to a chain reaction that can be devastating to ecosystems. Species such as the Chinook salmon, gorillas, tropical sharks, and polar bears are all directly affected by climate change, species such as northern spotted owls, Sumatran tigers, and lemurs are greatly harmed due to habitat loss, and species such as the sea turtle, Javan rhinoceros, African elephant, and the Red-Fronted Macaw are all affected by poaching driving them all closer and closer to becoming extinct.

Biodiversity is makes life on Earth decent for our species. By dousing hotbeds of biodiversity like the Amazon rainforest we are pulverizing a piece of ourselves. Biodiversity will recuperate after humankind is gone, yet meanwhile, the proceeding with loss of our kindred species will make Earth a dreadfully swarmed, however forlorn place.Past annihilations have demonstrated to it takes no less

It could be the loss of someone through death or separation, the loss of health through illness or accident, or the loss of something such as a house or a job.

The importance of conservation of biodiversity is of fundamental importance, as if the situation won’t be meliorated,

Biodiversity is a measure of the diversity among organisms in different ecosystems. "Diversity" in this definition includes diversity within a species and among species, and among ecosystems.’

Simultaneously, thousands of other species across the globe face the same threat: extinction. Biodiversity is an essential part of our world, our global ecosystem. As Planet Earth?s resources diminish and its creatures vanish, those who recognize the need to preserve what is disappearing look to international politics to accomplish what individuals cannot. The most important instrument for implementation of international policy has been the Convention On International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which went into effect in 1975.

As mentioned prior, the most significant cause of loss of biodiversity is due to animal agriculture. To be more specific, it is due to, again, habitat destruction by deforestation for livestock, overgrazing (and compaction and erosion), which makes the land unable to be utilized afterward, and overfishing. To continue with the topic of deforestation and overall land use, it has been found that forty-five percent of the Earth’s total land is taken up by livestock. With all this land use comes detriments to soil fertility, which means one third of land in general ends up desertified due to the raising of livestock. The demand for more land for livestock use has also had direct disadvantages for wildlife in that, like with the orangutans in the rainforests, they are seen as in the way; they are deemed obstacles and ultimately blamed for their own deaths. This has a fairly obvious connection to the loss of biodiversity. To clarify, for example, according to Deniz Bolbol of the American Wild Horses Preservation Campaign, the government has been rounding up wild horses and burros, so that there are more wild horses (fifty thousand) in government holding facilities in the United States than there are free on the range. This is because ranchers are getting land which the government then divides up giving what they deem the appropriate amount of land for forage, water, “wildlife,” and the wild horses and burros. What has been found is that the government is giving a large share to