The Conservation Of Endangered Animals

Since earth was created, there has been a natural phenomenon of species across the globe appearing and disappearing. However, in the past century, many species of animals have been disappearing at an alarming rate. Mainly, this rapidly occurring issue is caused by humans. Humans that contribute to the harmful actions that cause side effects such a pollution, deforestation, habitat loss and poaching. The natural rate of extinction pales in comparison to the extinction rate caused by all of these. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the current rate of extinction is 11,000 times greater than the natural extinction rate. Several different efforts have been made in order to stop or slow down the extinction of earth’s species. The Endangered Species Act is possibly the most successful example of these efforts. It’s main purpose is to get a commitment from the American people that they will work hand in hand to help save species that are at risk of becoming extinct and never returning. This act was put in place in 1973 and since then, no other law about the disappearance of wildlife has been quite as accomplished. Many different species that are protected under this law are either fully recovered or on their way to becoming safer. Laws like these are helping many different creatures left and right, however, at the alarming rate that they are disappearing, something else needs to be done. What people don’t seem to realize is that we depend on many of the animals that we are

a. There is many different types of endangered species in Alaska because of all of the hunting going on one of the endangered birds is the blue tailed albatross and the Right Whale these are very endangered animals. There are many other endangered animals in Alaska. If you kill one of these endangered animals you could have ruined their species for the rest of their life and you could go to jail or you could never be able to hunt ever again and you would get fined a lot of money because there is only a few left of that

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

Conservation of our biodiversity not only demonstrates foresight, it protects the natural resources so vital to our own continued existence. The value of any single species to an ecosystem is immeasurable; the environment will not endure without its species, despite size or niche. These animals are not dispensable. And, they are apt to face extinction in the not too distant future, unless a resolve for their preservation is insisted by the public and enforced by governments internationally.

According to Greek and Roman mythology, the salamander is a spirit that lives in fire. Not only is the salamander said to live in fire, but it is also said to be born in fire. A common belief in regards to the origin of this myth comes from the fact that many salamanders live in wood chips.

The National Wildlife Institute has published “Conservation Under the Endangered Species Act: A Promise Broken”. Their critique of the Act includes questioning the programs undertaken as a result of the Act have played sufficient roles in the recovery of species that were delisted, as well as questioning the allocation of funding to programs intended to aid listed species.

Could the Endangered Species Act itself become endangered with the current debates? Recently, many conservation advocates and government officials think so, pointing to the proposed policy change that could make it harder for wildlife to receive protection under the Act. So, what does the future hold for the Endangered Species Act? With more than 40 years since the passage of the ESA in 1973, politicians and environmentalists alike have analyzed the realities of the Act, creating an interesting current state of debate regarding conservation. With poor administration and provisions designed to promote good science and good sense flouted, the Act needs to change and improve to find the best middle available between the suppression of economic activity and the preservation of species within the United States. The Act now more than ever is in need of political cooperation that can both revive and reform it to best protect against future challenges and obstacles otherwise the act will eventually be rendered useless due to it ineffectiveness, falsified science, and lack of consistency.

Amphibian specialist Mark Mandia went on a backwoods expedition in southeastern Georgia, in hopes to find two endangered species backwoods salamander larvae. Flatwoods are very rare, from 2000 their population has made a huge decline in the U.S southeast. There are many reasons and causes for the decline of the flatwood salamanders. With that, many of the Flatwoods habitats are being destroyed, and there longleaf pines are their only natural territory that remains. Mostly Flatwoods hibernate underground but during the winter, humans are setting fire and burning the species homes, and killing them.

A report from Recovering America’s Wildlife Crisis states, “More than 150 species have already gone extinct and about 40% of freshwater fish species are imperiled.” Animals are being killed off by the minute. Now the wildlife species are going to abolished from Earth.

This species habitat is the longleaf pine-wiregrass flatwoods. The adult salamanders eat earthworms, insects, and are likely to eat other invertebrates as well. The larvae eat a variety of aquatic invertebrates, especially crustaceans. The Flatwood Salamander’s population is roughly several thousand, and is decreasing. Part of the community that the salamanders live in consists of decaying logs, vegetation, earthworms, and insects. Part of the ecosystem that they live in consists of decaying logs, vegetation, earthworms, insects, crayfish burrows, forest fires, and shallow ponds.

In a summary, Kolbert explains the extinctions of a variety of different major animal species that became extinct. She also explains that if trends in the environment continue that the biggest extinction in history will occur soon. If global warming, deforestation, and glaciers continue to melt she says that more and more species will continue to become extinct. She explains how humans need to be more conservative and careful with what they’re doing to prevent extinction.

The Austin Blind Salamander are found no where else in the world than in Austin, Texas. How did this strange animal get its name you might ask? Well it got its name because it has no image-forming eyes. Its habbitat is the Barton Springs, and that is its only habbitat. The Austin Blind Salamander is endangered because of the ever-increasing human impact on their habbitat. (www.austintexas.gov)

Geckos live in a variety of habitats, while Salamanders choose to thrive in “swampy” areas. In addition, Geckos are carnivores and herbivores, and Salamanders are only carnivores. Finally, Geckos are mostly vibrant/tropical colors, Salamander are more dark or murky colors. However, Geckos and Salamanders both have hidden talents. Geckos clean their eyes with their tounge. Equally as amazing, Salamanders have tongues up to 10x their body! As you can see, Salamanders and Geckos have different habitats, diets, and colors. However, they still have some (little) traits in

Extinction is nothing new to animal and plant species around the earth. Over the course of time on the earth there have been five mass extinctions, with many predicting that a sixth has already begun due to human fault. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was designed to save both animal and plant life from these great feat. The ESA has seen only a 2% recovery rate since it enactment (Why is U.S. Recovery Rate (2%) for Endangered Species So Low?). Many critics and politicians have been calling for a reformation of the act for years. The ESA is in need of a change in the following areas funding distribution, time it takes to list a species on the endangered species list, and habitats on private land.

Bill Freedmen, author of “Endangered Species—Human Causes Of Extinction and Endangerment” notes, “scientists approximate that present extinction rates are 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than the average natural extinction rate.” These distressing numbers should be acted upon to save the endangered species and avoid the catastrophic change to this planet if these species were to become extinct. In order to produce change, people need to recognize that habitat loss, climate change, and poaching are all factors in why our animal species are going extinct.