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Endangered Species: Information, Lists And Laws
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Published: April 23, 2007
Environmental concerns have become a hot topic for both media pundits and political leaders. The current debate concerns the cause or reality of global warming and if, as claimed by many, the human population is the most detrimental contributor. Unfortunately, because global warming has become such an explosive political issue, many other environmental concerns have seen their time in the media spotlight dwindle drastically.
One such issue is that of Endangered Species.
The attention to Endangered Species seems to have taken a back seat to that of global warming—one obvious reason for this is the attack on global warming is often more of a political concern. The problem with discussing endangerment, like many other environmental issues, is the vast number of potential causes and the amount of government intervention necessary to prevent it. The causes for species to be placed on the Endangered Species list are as varied as the number of animals already said to be endangered. The most common causes of endangerment are: Habitat loss, over exploitation, pollution, alien species, and the most contentious of all—global climate change.
With such an expansive agenda, protecting Endangered Species becomes quite a formidable task. Because the reasons for pushing animals into endangerment are so plenty, attempting to rectify the situation evolves into a cultural, political, and economic obstacle course. In order to protect the habitats of endangered species, the environmental movement must confront the financially well-endowed developers.
But if that isn't enough, endangered species activists must then do battle with the fishing and agricultural industries, foreign governments, poachers, farmers, and most disheartening of all, the developed world and its contributions to global warming. Endangered species, then, are simply part of the greater environmental movement, but because of this connection, they don't often get the necessary amount of recognition.
As a way to protect endangered species Congress passed the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Although it wasn't the first attempt by the government to protect endangered species, it was definitely the most comprehensive. The act sought to protect both the threatened species and the ecosystems on which they depend for their survival. By doing so, the protection of endangered species was moved beyond the traditional, band-aid approaches of previous laws that sought only to protect the species itself. Although the protection of endangered species still has a formidable amount of work to do, a number of animals have seen their population increase since the introduction of the Endangered Species Act.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization devoted to environmental protection. The IUCN publishes an endangered species list every year that tracks the populations of threatened species. According the IUCN the most common reason why most animals are in danger is the loss or degradation of their habitat. With a world population that continues to grow, some species are finding their precious and fragile ecosystems being destroyed or polluted—or both. These are some of the concerns the IUCN—an excellent, non-partisan source of information on endangered species—seeks to confront.
Endangerment can be viewed as merely a symptom of a biologically sick system. It should be obvious to business leaders that if we continue to promote a national and international economic system that repeatedly pushes species to extinction, then we may one day do the same to ourselves. The lesson to be learned from watching the increase in the number of species facing exctinction should be carefully noted. If our way of life promotes the degradation of vital ecosystems, at what point will this begin to drastically harm our way of life?
World leaders are continually looking to pass laws and regulations that promote the protection and support of endangered species. But it seems that for every positive action, there are many negative and harmful activities being implemented by various other political and business leaders. Endangered species are another part of the greater environmental movement that seeks to find harmonious methods of business and development. But all the laws in the world are useless if people don't understand the necessary functions that these animals have in the greater ecosystem of the world. Endangerment will continue to be a problem until we learn the importance of this harmony.
Sources:
About IUCN. The International Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. 2007. 20 April 2007.
http://www.iucn.org/en/about.
Kurpis, Lauren. “Causes of Endangerment.” EndangeredSpecie.com. 1997-2002. 20 April 2007.
http://www.endangeredspecie.com/causes_of_endang erment.htm.
Pickrell, John. “Instant Expert: Endangered Species.” New Scientist. 4 Sept. 2006. 20 April 2007.
www.newscientist.com/channel/life/endangered-spe cies/dn9961
The attention to Endangered Species seems to have taken a back seat to that of global warming—one obvious reason for this is the attack on global warming is often more of a political concern. The problem with discussing endangerment, like many other environmental issues, is the vast number of potential causes and the amount of government intervention necessary to prevent it. The causes for species to be placed on the Endangered Species list are as varied as the number of animals already said to be endangered. The most common causes of endangerment are: Habitat loss, over exploitation, pollution, alien species, and the most contentious of all—global climate change.
With such an expansive agenda, protecting Endangered Species becomes quite a formidable task. Because the reasons for pushing animals into endangerment are so plenty, attempting to rectify the situation evolves into a cultural, political, and economic obstacle course. In order to protect the habitats of endangered species, the environmental movement must confront the financially well-endowed developers.
But if that isn't enough, endangered species activists must then do battle with the fishing and agricultural industries, foreign governments, poachers, farmers, and most disheartening of all, the developed world and its contributions to global warming. Endangered species, then, are simply part of the greater environmental movement, but because of this connection, they don't often get the necessary amount of recognition.
As a way to protect endangered species Congress passed the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Although it wasn't the first attempt by the government to protect endangered species, it was definitely the most comprehensive. The act sought to protect both the threatened species and the ecosystems on which they depend for their survival. By doing so, the protection of endangered species was moved beyond the traditional, band-aid approaches of previous laws that sought only to protect the species itself. Although the protection of endangered species still has a formidable amount of work to do, a number of animals have seen their population increase since the introduction of the Endangered Species Act.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization devoted to environmental protection. The IUCN publishes an endangered species list every year that tracks the populations of threatened species. According the IUCN the most common reason why most animals are in danger is the loss or degradation of their habitat. With a world population that continues to grow, some species are finding their precious and fragile ecosystems being destroyed or polluted—or both. These are some of the concerns the IUCN—an excellent, non-partisan source of information on endangered species—seeks to confront.
Endangerment can be viewed as merely a symptom of a biologically sick system. It should be obvious to business leaders that if we continue to promote a national and international economic system that repeatedly pushes species to extinction, then we may one day do the same to ourselves. The lesson to be learned from watching the increase in the number of species facing exctinction should be carefully noted. If our way of life promotes the degradation of vital ecosystems, at what point will this begin to drastically harm our way of life?
World leaders are continually looking to pass laws and regulations that promote the protection and support of endangered species. But it seems that for every positive action, there are many negative and harmful activities being implemented by various other political and business leaders. Endangered species are another part of the greater environmental movement that seeks to find harmonious methods of business and development. But all the laws in the world are useless if people don't understand the necessary functions that these animals have in the greater ecosystem of the world. Endangerment will continue to be a problem until we learn the importance of this harmony.
Sources:
About IUCN. The International Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. 2007. 20 April 2007.
http://www.iucn.org/en/about.
Kurpis, Lauren. “Causes of Endangerment.” EndangeredSpecie.com. 1997-2002. 20 April 2007.
http://www.endangeredspecie.com/causes_of_endang erment.htm.
Pickrell, John. “Instant Expert: Endangered Species.” New Scientist. 4 Sept. 2006. 20 April 2007.
www.newscientist.com/channel/life/endangered-spe cies/dn9961
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