"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it."
Animals hold ecological, commercial and aesthetic/recreational value. Endangered species must be protected and saved so that future generations can experience their presence and value. Unfortunately, numerous species of wildlife are now on the brink of extinction. Man has only himself to blame for this sad state of affairs. Through his negligence, he has allowed many species of wildlife to perish or disappear into oblivion.
Within the last century, population growth and industrial development have increased by leaps and bounds. In the name of development, man has bull-dozed forests to make way for cities and industries and driven animals from their natural habitants. Like pollution off the coast of Florida is killing the coral reefs along the Florida Keys, which serve as habitat for hundreds of species of fish. Commercial fish species have begun to decline, causing a threat to the multi-million dollar tourism industry, which depends on the quality of the environment.
Within the last century, population growth and industrial development have increased by leaps and bounds. In the name of development, man has bull-dozed forests to make way for cities and industries and driven animals from their natural habitants. Like pollution off the coast of Florida is killing the coral reefs along the Florida Keys, which serve as habitat for hundreds of species of fish. Commercial fish species have begun to decline, causing a threat to the multi-million dollar tourism industry, which depends on the quality of the environment.
Hunting by poachers has become more rampant because of the high demand for wildlife products that fetch lucrative returns. These include the horns of the rhinos, elephant tusks, alligator skins and the coats of the cheetah and the snow leopard. While prehistoric men hunted for food, modern man hunts for spot. As a result of his bloodthirsty needs, man has been responsible for leading many species to the brink of extinction.
Wildlife meat is considered a delicacy. Wildlife meat like the flying fox, python, deer are sold at restaurants and eateries. Commercial and recreational salmon fishing in the Pacific Northwest provides 60,000 jobs and $1 billion annually in personal income. Freshwater mussels which are harvested, cut into beads, and used to stimulate pearl construction in oysters form the basis of a thriving industry. Unfortunately, 43% of the freshwater mussel species in North America are currently endangered or extinct.
In 1961, WWF has worked toward the protection of endangered species. For more than 30 years, the Endangered Species Act also helped prevent the extinction of our nation's wildlife treasures including beloved symbols of America such as the bald eagle, the Florida manatee and the California condor.
Nowa
days, many nations have laws offering protection to conservation species: for example, forbidding hunting, restricting land development or creating preserves. Internationally, 199 countries have signed an accord agreeing to create Biodiversity Action Plans to protect endangered and other threatened species.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has calculated the percentage of endangered species as 40 percent of all organisms based on the sample of species that have been evaluated through 2006. The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that endangered species not living. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation status of a species; not simply the number remaining, but the overall increase or decrease in the population over time, breeding success rates, known threats, and so on.
The IUCN categories include:
- Extinct: Examples: Javan Tiger, Dodo, Passenger Pigeon, and Dusky Seaside Sparrow etc.
- Critically endangered: faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future. Examples: Mountain Gorilla, Arakan Forest Turtle, Darwin’s Fox, and Vaquita Philippine Eagle etc.
- Endangered: faces a very high risk of extinction in the near future. Examples: Dhole, Blue Whale, Giant Panda, and Snow Leopard etc.
- Vulnerable: faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term. Examples: Polar Bear, African Golden Cat, Komodo dragon, and Golden hamster etc.
- Conservation dependent: The following animals are not severely threatened, but must depend on conservation programs. Examples: Spotted Hyena, Leopard Shark, Black Caiman, and Killer whale etc.
- Near threatened: may be considered threatened in the near future. Examples: Blue-billed Duck
Another way to help preserve endangered species is to create a new professional society dedicated to ecological ethics. This could help ecologists make ethical decisions in their research and management of biodiversity. Also, creating more awareness on environmental ethics can help encourage species preservation. One example of a federal mandated conservation zone is the Northwest Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, the largest marine protected area in the world. The monument is essential to the preservation of underwater communities and overfished regions. Only researchers working in the area are permitted to fish, no corals may be removed, and the Department of Homeland Security will enforce restrictions on vessels passing through the waters via satellite imaging.
Captive breeding is the process of breeding rare or endangered species in human controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife preserves, zoos and other conservation facilities. It is supposed to stabilize the population of the species so it is no longer at risk for disappearing. This technique has been used with success for many species for some time. However, captive breeding techniques are usually difficult to implement for highly mobile species like some migratory birds (e.g. cranes) and fishes (e.g. Hilsa). Additionally, if the captive breeding population is too small, inbreeding may occur due to a reduced gene pool; this may lead to the population lacking immunity to diseases.
There are many conservation organizations working to protect endangered animals and habitats. Organizations like Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund have dedicated themselves to preserve the earth and its ecology. Many volunteers join organizations like these and work for the environment. We can find some international/local organizations like these and join them.
See more in WWF website: http://www.wwf.org.my/
See more in WWF website: http://www.wwf.org.my/
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