According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), more than 42,100 species are currently threatened with extinction. About one of these species goes extinct every five minutes. The primary cause of this crisis: humans.
Human activities—habitat destruction, exploitation of wildlife for commercial purposes, the introduction of invasive species, and pollution—have contributed to the decimation of the environment and wildlife. Some defend these activities, claiming that efforts to preserve endangered species are costly and trivial compared to other issues on the policy agenda. However, these species play critical roles in the ecosystem, and protecting them should be a priority.
Although safeguarding endangered species clearly benefits future generations, dissenters hold that extinction is part of evolution because it allows natural selection to eradicate the poorly adapted. Although over 95% of all species that have ever lived are extinct, the current extinction rate is 1,000 to 10,000 times faster. This accelerated pace is attributed almost entirely to human activities and the exploitation of Earth far beyond what is sustainable. It also demonstrates that current policies are inadequate at combating this calamity. Rather than condemn evolutionary mechanisms and natural selection for the thousands of endangered species, it is essential to curtail the activities damaging the environment.
Additionally, it is necessary to defend endangered species as they are critical to discovering new medicines. The Endangered Species Coalition (ESC), a national network of activists fighting to protect endangered species, explains, “over 50% of the 150 most prescribed medicines were originally derived from a plant [and] thousands of Americans die every year from illnesses for which there is no known cure.” Safeguarding these potentially beneficial species is imperative to ensure that cures for deadly diseases are not lost.
Further, while it is unquestionably necessary to guard species with medicinal qualities, all species—not only those well-known—should be protected. The term “endangered species” has become synonymous with tigers, elephants, and pandas. These charismatic animals—which television often portrays—receive the bulk of the already minimal funding dedicated to endangered species. What about small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects? Society should care for all species, not solely those the television popularized.
Renee Cho, a contributor to Columbia University’s State of the Planet, states, “While it may seem unimportant if we lose one salamander or rat species, it matters because all species are connected through their interactions in a web of life.” Losing a single species could have a domino effect, making ecosystems prone to disruptions. Society should not neglect species with less popular appeal since all species are indispensable to preserving biodiversity.
Healthy ecosystems depend on diversity in plant and animal species. The ESC describes that “when a species becomes endangered, it is a sign that the ecosystem is slowly falling apart. Each species that is lost triggers the loss of other species within its ecosystem.” Robust ecosystems provide food and nutrients, preserving animal and human health and sustaining economies. Contaminating the environment and allowing species to disappear would be disastrous.
In the last 50 years, species such as the Spix’s macaw, northern white rhinoceros, Yangtze River dolphin, and passenger pigeon have perished. What’s next? Turtles? Gorillas? Polar bears? Is sacrificing any species—both those which are well-known and those that are less popular—and plundering the biodiversity of complex ecosystems worth the grave and abiding risks?
Written by Riya Khatri of Sherwood High School
Image courtesy of Flickr