ENDANGERED SPECIES

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
By
Jack Darby
Steven Clapham
Stephen Garvani
Tim Thirtle
Richard Hutchinson
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ENDANGERED SPECIES
What is an Endangered Species?

• An endangered species is any plant or animal
  species that is in danger of extinction in the
  near future, either because its populations have
  fallen to very low levels, or because it only
  occurs naturally in very few, rare habitats.

• An endangered species has been put under
  pressure by different factors within the
  surrounding environment, such as deforestation
  (the destruction of habitat) and poaching (for
  sport, etc.). It is these factors and more which
  make an endangered species, endangered.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
The stages of depletion
1.) VULNERABLE SPECIES
A species particularly at risk because of low or
declining numbers or small range, but not a
threatened species.
2.) THREATENED SPECIES
A species whose population is not yet low enough
to be in immediate danger of extinction, but who
certainly faces serious problems. If the problems
affecting these species arent resolved, it is
probable that the species will become endangered.
The eastern indigo snake and the red kangaroo are
examples of threatened species.
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ENDANGERED SPECIES
The stages of depletion
3.) ENDANGERED SPECIES
A specie, plant or animal, that is in immediate
danger of becoming extinct. Its numbers are
usually low, and it needs protection in order to
survive. The Siberian tiger, the southern sea
otter, the snow leopard, the green pitcher plant,
and thousands of other plants and animals are
endangered worldwide.
4.) EXTINCT SPECIES
An extinct species is one that is no longer
living. The passenger pigeon, the dodo, and the
Stegosaurus are examples of extinct species.
These animals no longer exist on the earth.
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ENDANGERED SPECIES
The hard facts

• According to scientists, more than one and
  a half million species exist on the earth today.
  However, recent estimates state that at least 20
  times that many species inhabit the planet.

• In the United States, 735 species of
  plants and 496 species of animals are listed as
  threatened or endangered.

• 266 of these listed species have recovery
  plans currently under development.

• There are more than 1,000 animal species
  endangered worldwide.

• There are more than 3,500 protected areas
  in existence worldwide. These areas include
  parks, wildlife refuges and other reserves. They
  cover a total of nearly 2 million square miles (5
  million square km), or 3 of our total land area.

• Aquatic species, which are often
  overlooked, are facing serious trouble. One third
  of the United States fish species, two-thirds of
  its crayfish species, and almost three-quarters
  of its mussel species are in trouble.

• The current global extinction rate is
  estimated at 20,000 species per year.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Current affairs
The following current affairs have recently been
on the news
Monarch butterflies in Mexico

• Mexico is currently cracking down on illegal
  logging to save migrating Monarch butterflies.

• Police and environmental inspectors have
  already closed down 17 saw mills to protect
  forests in Michoacan state, where the butterflies
  spend the winter.

• They have confiscated more than 300
  truckloads of wood from illegally felled trees,
  and arrested 28 people.

• Details of the authorities latest effort to
  curve the threat were disclosed at a news
  conference in Mexico City.

• Mexicos top environmental prosecutor, Jose
  Luis Luege Tamargo, said illegal loggers faced
  jail sentences of three to five years.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Current affairs
Annual Red List of endangered species

• Another 2000 species have been added to this
  list.

• Since AD 1500, IUCN says 762 plants and
  animals have vanished, with another 58 known only
  in cultivation or captivity.

• IUCN says that island wildlife is being lost
  through the effects of invasive alien species.
  Examples of these islands are Tristan da Cunha,
  St. Helena and the Falkland Islands, which are
  facing unrelenting pressure from invaders,
  grazing animals and habitat loss.

• Hawaiis plant life is not looking too good,
  as of the 125 endemic plants added to the Red
  List this year, 85 are threatened.

• Among the countries with the highest numbers
  of threatened birds and animals are Indonesia,
  India, Brazil, China and Peru. Plants are
  declining fast in Ecuador, Malaysia, Indonesia,
  Brazil and Sri Lanka.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Examples of endangered species

• Pacific Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys Olivacea)

• Grizzly bear (Ursos arctos hornbilis)

• Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus canibou)

• Columbian white-tailed deer (Odocoileus
  virginianus leucurus)

• Black footed ferret (Mustela nigrepes)

• Jaguar (Panthera onca)

• Fresno kangaroo rat (Dipodomis nitratoides)

• Alabama Beach Mouse (Peromyscus polionotus
  ammobates

• New Mexican ridge-nosed rattlesnake (Crotalus
  willard obscurus)

• Red Hills Salamander (Phaeognathus hubricht)

• Harp Seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus)

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Why does this happen?
The primary causes of species extinction or
endangerment are

• Habitat destruction, e.g. - deforestation

• Commercial exploitation, e.g. - plant
  collecting, hunting and various other trades

• Damage caused by non-native plants and
  animals introduced into an area

• Pollution, e.g. oil spills and air
  pollution.

and
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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Why does this happen?
Destruction of habitat

• Species become extinct or endangered for a
  number of reasons, but the primary cause is the
  destruction of habitat by human activities. As
  species evolve, most adapt to a specific habitat
  or environment that best meets their survival
  needs. Without this habitat the species may not
  survive.

• Pollution, drainage of wetlands, conversion
  of shrub-lands to grazing lands, cutting and
  clearing of forests, urbanisation, coral-reef
  destruction, and road and dam construction have
  destroyed or seriously damaged and fragmented
  available habitats.

• Habitat fragmentation, the isolation and
  division of habitats into smaller areas, has
  caused plant and animal species in the remaining
  islands of habitat to lose contact with other
  populations of their own kind. This reduces their
  genetic diversity, and makes them less adaptable
  to environmental or climatic change. These small
  populations are highly vulnerable to extinction.
  For some species, the fragmented habitats become
  too small, to support a sustainable population.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Why does this happen?
Commercial (over)exploitation

• A species that faces overexploitation is one
  that may become severely endangered or even
  extinct due to the rate in which the species is
  being used. Unrestricted whaling during the 20th
  century is an example of overexploitation.

• Worldwide commercial exploitation of animals
  for food and other products has caused many
  species to become extinct or endangered. The
  whaling industry in which whales are slaughtered
  for oil and meat, for example, has lead many
  whale species to the brink of extinction. The
  African black rhinoceros, killed for its horn,
  which is prized as a medicine and an
  aphrodisiac, is also critically endangered.

• Over-hunting has lead to the extinction of
  the great auk, and the passenger pigeon, and puts
  many other species under great pressure.

• Virtually the entire families of plants,
  such as cacti, orchids, and cycads, are
  considered threatened or endangered, because of
  over-collection, for commercial purposes.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Why does this happen?
Introduction of non-native species

• Non-native species introduced into a new
  ecosystem have caused serious native species
  declines. The non-native, or exotic, species may
  be introduced either accidentally or
  intentionally, and either out-compete the native
  species, or prey on them.

• Native plants and animals may have no
  defences against these invaders, which can
  exterminate, or greatly reduce, the populations
  of many native species. The damaging effects are
  generally irreversible, and there is often no way
  to keep the damage from spreading.

• For example, in 1959 British colonists
  introduced the Nile perch (fish) into Lake
  Victoria, in eastern Africa, as a sport fish.
  This large predator drastically reduced native
  fish populations, and caused the extinction of as
  many as 200 endemic species of cichlid fish.
  Because the cichlids are important algae-feeding
  fish, the lake has since become choked with
  decomposing aquatic vegetation, depleting the
  oxygen in the water, and leading to further
  species declines.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Why does this happen?
Pollution

• Pollution is another importance cause of
  extinction. Toxic chemicals, especially
  chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as
  dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and
  polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), have become
  concentrated in food webs, the inter-connected
  food chains that circulate energy through an
  ecosystem. These toxic chemicals strongly affect
  species towards the top of the food chain.

• Both DDT and PCBs interfere with the Calcium
  metabolism of birds, causing soft-shelled eggs
  and malformed young. PCBs also impair
  reproduction in some carnivorous animals.

• Water pollution and increased water
  temperatures have wiped out endemic species of
  fish in many habitats. Oil spills destroy birds,
  fish and mammals, and may contaminate the ocean
  floor for many years after the event.

• Acid rain, the toxic result of extreme air
  pollution, has been known to kill organisms in
  fresh water lakes, and destroy large tracts of
  forested land.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Attitudes

• Many people are against the encouraged
  endangerment of species throughout the world.

• Many people are supportive of the attempts
  to preserve endangered species, or prevent them
  from becoming endangered, as many people donate
  money towards certain charities (mentioned later).

• However, some people are not supportive, and
  instead would rather destroy habitats and poach
  for their own benefits.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Laws

• There are many different laws protecting
  the Earths endangered species from becoming
  extinct. Just a select few of these laws are
  listed below

Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C.,
668-668C) This act makes it illegal to import,
export or take bald or golden eagles, or to sell,
purchase or barter their parts, or products made
from them, including their nests or eggs.
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C.,
703-712) Except as allowed by implementing
organisations, this Act makes it unlawful to
pursue, hunt, kill, capture, possess, buy, sell,
purchase or barter any migratory bird. This
includes the feathers or other parts, nests, eggs
or migratory bird products.
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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Laws
Marine Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C.,
1361-1407) This Act establishes a moratorium,
concerning the taking and importation of marine
animals, including parts and products, as usual,
and defines Federal responsibility for the
conservation of such animals. Management is
vested within the Department of the Interior for
the sea otter, walrus, polar bear, dugong and
manatee.
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C.,
1531-1543) This act prohibits the importation,
exportation, taking and commercialisation in
interstate or foreign commerce of fish and
wildlife, and plants that are listed as
threatened or endangered species. The Act also
implements the provisions of the Convention on
International Trade In Endangered Species
(CITIES) of Wild Fauna and Flora.
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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Laws
Endangered Species Act (1973) In the United
States this Act, a legislation enacted to protect
endangered species and the habitats on which they
depend, established two degrees of endangerment.
A further two were to be added later on.
Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (16 U.S.C.
4901) The act promotes the conservation of exotic
birds by encouraging wild bird conservation and
management programs in countries of origin by
ensuring that all trade in such species involving
the United States is biologically sustainable,
and to the benefit of the species and by
limiting or prohibiting imports of exotic birds
when necessary to ensure that exotic wild
populations are not by removal for the trade.
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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Organisations

• WWF is the worlds greatest, largest and
  most experienced independent conservation
  organisation.

WWF

• It is a total global network, spanning
  across more than 90 countries, with
  52 main offices.

• It is a challenging, constructive,
  science-based organisation that addresses issues
  from the survival of species and habitats to
  climate change, sustainable business and
  environmental education.

• Has 5 million supporters worldwide - some
  90 of our income derives from voluntary sources
  such as people and the business community.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Organisations
WWF's panda logo is recognised worldwide as a
symbol of conservation and sustainable
development.

• The mission of WWF is to stop the
  degradation of the planets natural environment,
  and to build a future in which humans live in
  harmony with nature.

They do this by

• Conserving the worlds biological diversity,

• ensuring that the use of renewable, natural
  resources is sustainable,

and

• promoting the reduction of pollution and
  wasteful consumption.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Organisations

• This stands for the Convention on
  International Trade In Endangered Species.

CITIES

• CITES regulates international trade in
  over 30,000 species, of which approximately
  25,000 are plants.

• The UK government sees CITES as an
  essential element for helping to safeguard which
  are threatened by international trade, and
  supports them strongly.

• The trouble is that not every country
  belongs to this organisation, and many of the
  regions which sign the CITIES treaty do not
  properly enforce its rules.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
Organisations
PLANTLIFE INTERNATIONAL

• This charitable organisation is dedicated
  exclusively to conserving all forms of plant-life
  in its natural habitat. Plant-life International
  is unique within the UK and Europe, and possibly
  the world.

• They act directly to stop common wildlife
  plants from becoming rare, or rarer, in the wild,
  to rescue plants on the brink of extinction, and
  to protect sites of exceptional botanical
  importance. This is their one and only goal.

• The charity carries out practical,
  conservational work, influences relevant policy
  and legislation, and collaborates widely to
  promote the cause of wild plant conservation.

• Plant-life International is currently the
  worlds leading membership charity dedicated to
  this type of work.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
What can we do?

• Dont buy anything that has been poached
  upon. If enough people refrain from demanding
  such goods, then there is less profit for the
  poachers. Therefore, they will hunt less, and so
  some endangered species will be saved. For
  example, the rhino or elephant.

• Do not litter, and frequently recycle, as
  this will help to reduce the intoxication of our
  endangered species. For example, dumping toxic
  waste into rivers pollutes the ecosystem and
  kills billions of rare sea creatures a year.

• Protest and argue against things that may
  destroy a particular species. For example,
  deforestation, which obviously destroys
  endangered species habitats.

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ENDANGERED SPECIES
What can we do?

• Sponsor animals. For example, elephants.
  This means that the money you donate towards that
  animal will be spent on keeping that animal safe
  and secure.

• Donate to charities involved with helping
  with the preservation of endangered species. For
  example, WWF, mentioned earlier.

• Participate in charitable projects. For
  example, a recent project, involving famous
  people drawing squirrels, which were then
  auctioned off. The money from this auction then
  went towards the preservation of the red
  squirrels.