endangered birds and plants essay 100 words
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Should more be done to protect and preserve endangered animals? The reasons for saving endangered species might seem obvious to many people, but many question why we should save a species from dying out. Isn 't this part of the process of natural selection? Is there any environmental benefit to preserving a dying species? For some it 's a question with an obvious answer, for others... it requires some thought. What benefit is there to saving an endangered species from dying out? This article outlines some of the arguments both for—and against—conservation of endangered species. Before we begin, a little background. A species is considered endangered if it is at a risk of becoming extinct, which can be due to a number of reasons, from climate change to human influence to even arguably natural causes. So, whether a species is considered endangered or not is not just looking at the current number of specimens existing, but also at the overall trend of species growth or decline and the reasons why.
Of course, there are a number of technical criteria relating to the conservation status of the species, from extinct the wild yet living in captivity to one of absolute least concern. Many of the arguments for—and against—saving endangered species work every bit as well for other species, regardless of their conservation status.
Endangerment is a broad issue, one that involves the animals as well as the environments where they live and interact with one another. In order to solve or even slightly elevate this problem, every aspect must be studied. So exactly what could cause the endangerment of animals? There are several factors of which only a few will be discussed.
One of the main aspects is that of habitat destruction. Of course our planet is continually changing, causing habitats to be altered and modified, but these tend to happen at a gradual pace. This allows most species to adapt to the changing environment, where only a slight impact may take place. However, when changes occur at a fast pace, there is little or no time for …show more content…
Due to this moratorium, some whale species, such as the Grey whale, have made a remarkable comeback, while others still remain endangered (Reichhardt p. 322).
Disease, pollution, and limited distribution are more factors that threaten various plant and animal species. If a species does not have the natural genetic protection against particular pathogens, an introduced disease can have severe effects on that specie. For example, rabies and canine distemper viruses are presently destroying carnivore populations in East Africa (Campbell). Domestic animals often transmit the diseases that affect wild populations; demonstrating again how human activities lie at the root of most causes of endangerment. Pollution has seriously affected multiple terrestrial and aquatic species, and limited distributions are frequently a consequence of other threats; populations confined to few small areas due to of habitat loss, for example, may be disastrously affected by random factors.
The benefits of saving endangered species are great in numbers. Many plants and animals hold medicinal, agricultural, commercial and recreational values.