Endangered Animal/Species

ENDANGERED ANIMALS/SPECIES

What is an endangered species

An endangered species is a population of an animal which is at risk of becoming extinct/disappear from the planet forever as its number is very small or is threatened by changing environment.International treaties and national laws provide protection to threatened species like forbidding hunting, restricting land development or creating preserves.Only a few of the many species at risk of extinction actually make it to the lists and obtain legal protection. A large number of species become extinct, or potentially will become extinct, without gaining any public notice.

There are now 41,415 species on the IUCN Red List and 16,306 of them are threatened with extinction, up from 16,118 last year.This includes both endangered animals and endangered plants.One in four mammals, one in eight birds, one third of all amphibians and 70% of the world’s assessed plants on the 2007 IUCN Red List are in jeopardy.(source-IUCN).Our national heritage of biological diversity is an invaluable and irreplaceable resource and qality of our life depends on preservation of plant and animal species.

What are the reasons for the species becoming endangered and ultimately extinct. Worldwide Habitat loss is the most significant cause of species endangerment When the habitat or we may say the home of animals is destroyed by ever soaring human needs and greeds animals/plants lose their homes and have no option but either forced to adapt to new surroundings or perish.The diversity of life has been substantially reduced in most parts of the world due to the human exploitation of the land,natural resorces for the greeds.Pollution is other cause for species extinction.We may say humans are the most significant reason for extinction of species.

Though natural changes occur but their pace is very slow usually causing only a slight impact on individual species.However,when changes occur at a fast pace, there is no time for individual species to react and adjust to new circumstances. This can create disastrous results and ultimately led to species extinction.It is interesting that a species that comes into existence after the evolution of thousand years gets destroyed due to human indifference.At the current rate of forest loss,huge quantities of plant and animal species will disappear.Other cause may be the introduction on exotic species which may disrupt delicate ecological balances and may prove to be disastrous.Human greed generally led to the overexploitation of a particular species that ultimately led to extinction

WHY TO SAVE THE SPECIES

All palnts and animals have medicinal, agricultural, ecological, commercial and aesthetic/recreational value.Out of estimated 80,000 edible plants in the world humans depend on only 20 species of these plants, such as wheat and corn, to provide 90% of the world's food. Wild relatives of these common crops contain essential disease-resistant material.The benefits are so immense that the conservation of our rich biodiversity is must.About forty percent of all prescriptions written today are composed from the natural compounds of different species.These species not only save lives, but they contribute to a prospering pharmaceutical industry worth over $40 billion annually. Unfortunately, only 5% of known plant species have been screened for their medicinal values, although we continue to lose up to 100 species daily.Plant and animal species are the foundation of healthy ecosystems and their presence and disappearnce are the reflection of the health of an ecosystem.The plants and animals have immense commercial value as a large number of human population depends on these.

STEPS TO BE TAKEN

First of all conserve habitat as if we protect the home of an animal the chances of its survival soars. One of the most important ways to help threatened plants and animals survive is to protect their habitats permanently in national parks, nature reserves or wilderness areas.If you have friends who live on farms, encourage them to keep patches of bush as wildlife habitats and to leave old trees standing, especially those with hollows suitable for nesting animals.Create educational groups to create awareness about the socio-economic benefits of wild species.There they can live without too much interference from humans.Secondly,we must know the causes of the decline in number of a particular species and this can be done by a scientifical study.Ecologists have proposed biological corridors, biosphere reserves, ecosystem management, and ecoregional planning as approaches to integrate biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic development.Eotic species and weeds should be removed that might adversely affect the species.If we reduce our energy consumption and conrol our needs,this will definitely help these species.Plant native plants instead of non-native if possible. Native grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees are more likely to attract native birds, butterflies and other insects, and maybe even some threatened species.