What Is An Endangered Species?

A species being threatened means that the species could soon become and endangered species without help. The Endangered Species Act is important because it protects the animals we have

An endangered species is a species of either plant or animal that is in serious risk of becoming extinct. This name became connected with the Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in 1994 after being petitioned to be put on the list for nine years (NOAA). There are two main reasons behind the endangerment of the Chinook salmon: over exploration, and dams. Since the times of the Native Americans, Chinook salmon have been highly sought after as a food source. Since then the salmon have experienced great amounts of overfishing. Along with water demands which has resulted in overuse of water and diversion of water had affected spawning sites and loss of habitat putting further strain on their habitats (National Wildlife Federation).

The categories that they get on the endangered list are: population reduction, restricted geographic range, small population size and decline, very small or restricted population, and quantitative analysis

By the definition of the Endangered Species Act, a species covered by the legislation is either classified “Endangered” if threatened with

It is our duty as humans to ensure the vitality of biodiversity in the world around us, because without biodiversity we could not survive. One of the main problems seen today is the loss of biodiversity in our oceans. Pavan Sukhdev of the UN Environmental Program was quoted as saying "We are in the situation where 40 years down the line we, effectively, are out of fish." (Save our Seas, 2014) Although this quote is both powerful and grim, this is only a future we could meet if we were to continue the mass commercial fishing of stock fish. An essential cornerstone to securing biodiversity, species protection is of the utmost importance when it comes to environmental issues. In the Pacific Northwest there are few species

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

Most keystone species are not widely known, which makes an endangered keystone species all the more concerning. Most endangered species, such as the Gray Wolf, gain the status because of overhunting, (whether the hunting be for food, sport, or prejudice), habitat destruction, and invasive species. Humans almost always are involved in these factors. However, humans are beginning to take steps to protect endangered species. This can be noted in the United States’ Endangered Species Act, passed in 1973. This act was established in order to give federal protection to endangered animals and their habitats in the U.S and to help set up programs that would help said animals to repopulate, thus eventually ending their endangerment. According to the Endangered Species Act, an endangered species is a “species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range”(sec.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was created to protect individual plant and animal species as well as their ecosystems. The act creates two separate groups: the endangered species and the threatened species categories. Endangered species are species that are close to extinction and threatened species are those that have a potential to move onto the endangered list. The Endangered Species Act does not account for how quickly any species can become endangered or extinct if it is not placed on one of the lists and nothing is done to protect it. This is compounded by the assertion that lobbyists also have an undue influence on which species are put on or removed from the endangered

The Endangered Species Act was signed by President Richard Nixon and approved by the 93rd Congress on December 28, 1973. The overall purpose of the act is for the federal government to protect and recover species that are in jeopardy and the ecosystems upon which they depend on to survive and reproduce successfully. Protecting the 2,245 species that are either endangered or threatened and preventing future possible species from becoming endangered are the two main goals of the Endangered Species Act. Equally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service administrate and enforce the Act so that the

Over the past decade, permitted by the Species at Risk Act (“SARA”), the former Conservative Government of Canada made a series of decisions that raise troubling ques-tions with regard to the conservation of endangered species in Canada. This essay exam-ines how the lenient wording of SARA permitted the Federal Government to circumvent the intent of the Act and to inadequately protect the country’s endangered species.

An endangered species is a plant or an animal at risk of becoming extinct. Scientists have estimated that up to one-third of species in the U.S. are at a high risk of extinction. In addition to donating millions of acres of land, this is essential to the recovery and survival of the endangered; the Act has shown a ninety percent recovery rate for species in the U.S. The main causes of endangerment include loss of habitat, excessive hunting, and pollution.

Since the beginning of life itself, some species have lived and prospered while other species have gone extinct never to be seen again by mankind. Because of this, some would claim that extinction is natural and not significantly problematic to the world that we live in. Others, however, understand that due to climate change, habitat loss, and poaching, more and more species are becoming endangered which leads to a chain reaction that can be devastating to ecosystems. Species such as the Chinook salmon, gorillas, tropical sharks, and polar bears are all directly affected by climate change, species such as northern spotted owls, Sumatran tigers, and lemurs are greatly harmed due to habitat loss, and species such as the sea turtle, Javan rhinoceros, African elephant, and the Red-Fronted Macaw are all affected by poaching driving them all closer and closer to becoming extinct.

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

Sea turtles have been a big help in maintaining the health of the world's ocean for more than 100 million years. They help by keeping up coral reefs all the way to transporting nutrients to beaches. Major changes have occurred in oceans everywhere due to the decline of the sea turtle population. Oceans are unhealthy because of this. It is time for us to protect the sea turtles and rebuild their population to ensure healthy oceans in the future. According to oceana.org, there are seven species of sea turtles that roam the world, six of which inhabit U.S. waters, and have been listed as either endangered, or threatened. Up until now, all six of these species are not at a healthy level despite protection measures from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Some populations even continue to decline. Even at a diminished population, sea turtles play an important role in ecosystems. They are also extremely important to humans because they keep oceans healthy, and we use the ocean as a food source. They keep up the health of the ocean in many different ways, all of which, are very important.

Species that are considered to be near extinction throughout either a portion or all of it habit range are considered endangered. Species that are considered to become endangered in the future throughout a portion or all of it habitat range are considered threatened. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service share the task of administering the ESA. Species that live in marine environments fall under the National Marine Fisheries Service and species that live on land environment fall under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The importation and exportation of endangered species is overseen by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. (How does a species get listed as an endangered or threatened species?) Other key aspects of the act included funding for the land acquisition, prohibited federals agencies from actions that would jeopardize listed species and their habitats, and prohibited the taking of endangered species and special regulation for threatened species in regards to taking. (A History of the Endangered Species Act of