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Kiara Torres

Mrs. Pastore

English 9 - Period 5

4 January 2017

The Effect People have on Endangered Species

Knowing species are dying out day by day is perplexing; however, are people aware of

how fast this is happening and how many species are currently on the brink of extinction?

Endangered species are becoming less of a priority to the government, and for that reason,

species are disappearing faster in recent years. There are certain reasons for this drastic change.

These reasons include the reasons for extinction and endangerment, the history of endangered

species which will include rates and statistics, how the risks range like how close they are to

extinction, the help that is being provided to these species now, and what people can do to help.

Because endangered animals are helpless and rely on people to fight for their rights, the U.S.

government should restrict new building projects, take things such as recycling more seriously,

and control things that result in danger against the endangered animals.

First, endangered species are dying out due to several reasons but the biggest cause is

human activity. In many articles about endangered species, researchers cite human activities such

as poaching or hunting, habitat loss, and farming, to name a few. In fact, according to

Endangered Species by Robert Collin: As human population has increased, along with our

hunting, farming, and foraging capacities, plant and animal species have begun to disappear

faster (Collin). Human activity is creating life-altering results on the atmosphere and many

other organisms living on Earth. These animals are unable to live comfortably in their own
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habitat due to a loss of food supply, overfishing, and hunting.Similarly, Kim Rutledge and

others, the authors of Endangered Species, writes: Species become endangered for two main

reasons: loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation (Rutledge et al.). Workers cut down trees

for different products such as pencils or firewood. Cutting down too many trees, or deforestation,

results in loss of habitat for species that depend on trees to keep them safe. Therefore, these

species are being hit by cars since they have nowhere to go, causing a dramatic loss in animal

species. One that may be even more startling is the loss of genetic variation, which is the loss of

different characteristics due to the great amount of the species killed, in turn making it difficult

for their to be different genes in the animals remaining. This could result in disease that was

passed down through genes which means most of the population would carry some part of the

disease. Therefore, animal lives are being threatened due to human actions that can be changed.

However, some people have a different take on this topic. One article says Profitable

and necessary human activity like natural resource extraction (logging, mining, grazing), land

and road development into wildlife habitats, and increased recreation, come into conflict with

regulations that protect endangered species (Collin). These people argue that saving these

animals would have a negative effect on extracting natural resources. On the other hand, because

endangered species are losing their population rapidly, current human practices which harm

animal habitats could result in many future mishaps. In fact, people will lose some important

factors that are listed in the article Endangered Species say: A great diversity of species

maintains the ecosystems essential to our existence by helping to regulate our climate

(Endangered Species). Furthermore, limiting some of the factors causing such a rapid decrease in

the percentage of species, Endangered Species by Kim Rutledge had mentioned, Laws may
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limit hunting and destruction of the species habitat. Individuals and organizations that break

these laws may face huge fines. Because of such actions, many species have recovered from their

endangered status (Rutledge et al.) By limiting and allowing the population to grow, species

were able to avoid from the high risk of becoming extinct.

In addition, there are more reasons for the endangerment of species including pollution

and invasive species. According to a fundable organization article titled Endangered Species, the

author began to mention, Acid rain, heavy metals, pesticides, plastic waste and oil spills all

harm the environment and put species at risk. Chemicals are particularly harmful to species that

live in water (Endangered Species 21 December. 2016.) This article explaining that with all

CO2 put in the air due to industrial actions and machinery isnt only hurting the atmosphere but

is also hurting all species on it. The more people continue to use machinery that puts CO2 in the

air, the quicker species are dying out, not to mention all the other causes that lead to extinction.

The same article, Endangered Species, also mentions invasive species being one of the issues.

The author adds, Humans have introduced non-native species (both intentionally and

accidentally) to a wide variety of habitats, often with devastating consequences. Introduced

species may prove highly adaptable and outcompete native species for resources. Introduced

predators can decimate local species which are not adapted to avoid predation. (Endangered

Species 21 December. 2016.) so, it is not helping the species in the environment and the species

introduced to the environment. This is a dramatic change for them being that the introduced

species have not adapted to that new environment and the species surrounding them are unable to

protect themselves due to new predators and they have to learn new hunting tactics for their new

prey. This introduction, however, could mess up the food chain in that environment. More
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predators allows for a decrease of species which results in overpopulation for other species and a

decrease for other predators of the same species due to lack of food. Therefore, many human

interactions, even the smallest, can affect the environment and the species in it.

These reasons proving the point that the government needs to watch over peoples actions

and what they are doing to the environment around them. Although, something could seem so

harmless can cause more damage than anyone could have thought. The government should start

protecting this topic with thorough thought, thinking of how many living things could be lost if

many arent careful or aware of what they do. Many need to see the facts of what CO2 and

pollution are capable of.

Additionally, there are multiple people willing to put in effort to help support these

animals lives. The small actions that people took allowed for a positive future for some species.

Certain species are now allowed to grow and live longer than originally thought. The world has

lost some animals in past history, but people hope to avoid that in the future. As stated in

Endangered Species, Since 1961, the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) has also worked to

protect at-risk animal species. Some of the WWFs innovative successes include the promotion

of new types of fishing gear that reduce entanglement of endangered sea turtles, the

implementation of new, alternate shipping lanes to reduce encounters with North Atlantic right

whales, and a reduction in the killing of marauding elephants by farmers through the use of hot

chili pepper barricades around garden plots (Sexton, Warhol) The WWF (World Wildlife Fund)

makes sure that these animals are properly taken care of. WWF is a very well known federation

which helps to spread the word to people who are unaware of the statistics and facts of these

animals. Spreading the word is their intention. An article, known as Endangered Species,
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mentioned another federation that wanted to help, saying, The ARKive project hopes to engage

people with the natural world. We will only succeed in rescuing species from the brink of

extinction if people know about their plight, importance and value (Endangered Species 21

December. 2016.) ARKives mission is also to spread the word of the importance of animal

safety. The more organizations people have spreading the word, the more people will be able to

see what is actually go on. Luckily, all organizations are willing to spread the word and are

willing to do the research on all animals.

Although not everyone is able to help in a federation and are unable to donate their time

and money, people can still help. According to one article, there are many things people can do

such as, Recycle Help protect the rainforests - recycling one tonne of paper can save 17 trees

and preserve the habitat of a whole host of endangered species. Use less energy An old tip but

a good one, you can save yourself money and help the environment too. For example, energy

saving light bulbs use 80 percent less energy than a standard bulb, yet produce the same amount

of light. Choose sustainable products Make sure that all the products you buy are sustainably

sourced, from food and paper to timber, (Endangered Species 21 December. 2016.) simple

things like this could make a positive impact on the endangerment of species. Many could stop

doing things that could potentially be harmful to the planet and save many lives. In the same

article, the author mentions that people have a voice too! The author mentioned, Petition for

change! Many campaigns to help wildlife are underway but they need your support,

(Endangered Species 21 December. 2016.) meaning that if everyone speaks out about whats

going on, that could make a change too. People dont have to have a huge, well-known

federation to tell people what is going on around the world. People who plan to spread the word
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can talk to their neighbors, family, and friends to try to get other people to participate in such a

great cause.

Spreading the word and stopping all that is hurting the environment, can show the government

how many people care for these species of animals plants. It shows the government that we can

get somewhere but still need their assistance to finish the job.

In conclusion, the amount of endangered species is decreasing due to the actions people

have been taking, but luckily there are organizations that will help try to make people aware and

stop some of the human activity. Plus, people have the option to make the world a better place

with better options that would benefit everyone. The U.S Government should restrict new

projects and anything that could result in harm to the environment, since these species cant

speak for themselves we need to help them have a voice. People should always have these

species in mind when they go to throw away an item that belongs in a different bin, and they

should try to use less electricity such as shutting off everything when you leave the room and

taking shorter showers. These animals depend on small actions like those and count on everyone

to do whats right.
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Works Cited

Collin, Robert William. "Endangered Species." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society,

ABC-CLIO, 2016, issues.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/913367?cid=41. Accessed 21

Dec.

2016.

"Endangered Species." ARKive. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.

Sexton, Jennifer, and Tom Warhol. "Endangered Species: An Overview." Points Of View:

Endangered

Species (2016): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.

Society, National Geographic. "Endangered Species." National Geographic Society. 09 Oct.

2012.

Web. 21 Dec. 2016.