Endangered species

Four reasons to worry about extinction:

1. extinction of species as biological entities;
2. destabilization of ecosystems;
3. threat to other species;
4. loss of irreplaceable genetic material.

The extinction of species is an important factor both as a decrease in the richness of nature, and as a moral problem for those who believe that people have a duty to preserve the natural environment (as well as for those who believe that animal species have legal rights).

Destabilization becomes well understood when a link in a food chain disappears from an ecosystem. When one species disappears, very often population changes in abundance occur in secondary species. A situation may arise when the ecosystem changes markedly and irreversibly.

The fourth reason is more subtle, but perhaps this is the most important point for humanity. Each variety carries unique genetic material in its DNA and produces unique chemical compounds according to the genetic instructions laid down in them. For example, in the valleys of central China, sweet wormwood, a fern-like plant, grows, which is the only source of artemisinin , a drug that is almost 100 percent effective against malaria (Jonietz, 2006). If this plant disappeared, then control over malaria (even today a terrible disease) would decrease. There are many other examples of chemical compounds unique to certain species. The number of compounds not yet discovered that may disappear as a result of the extinction of species cannot be determined, but this is a cause of much controversy and, no doubt, very important.

Although extinction may be a natural result of natural selection (for example, mass extinction of species in the Holocene), the modern extinction period is unique. Previous periods were caused by physical causes, such as collisions with celestial bodies, movement of tectonic plates, high volcanic activity, climate change. The current extinction period is caused by humans and began about 100,000 years ago with the resettlement of humans around the planet. Entering into contact with ecosystems new to them that had never before experienced a human presence, people destroyed the ecological balance by hunting, destroying the habitat and spreading diseases. The period from 100,000 years ago to 10,000 years ago is called the "first phase" of the sixth extinction period ^[3]

The second phase of the period began about 10,000 years ago with the advent of agriculture . People began the process of domestication of animals. Thus, people became the first species able to live, while significantly changing historically formed ecosystems. Having the ability to live outside the local ecosystem, people were free from the limitations of the maximum population and overpopulated them, creating great stress for the environment and producing destructive actions necessary for even greater population growth. Today, these actions include deforestation , destruction of coral reefs, and other habitat destruction (for example, related to the daily use of cars ) ^[4] over-exploitation of species, the import of alien, uncharacteristic species into ecosystems, soil pollution , and the greenhouse effect . ^[3]

Sometimes the extinction of species occurs in a matter of decades - for example, the Steller's cow, due to a predatory hunt for tasty meat, completely disappeared in less than thirty years.

The protective status of the species is an indicator of the reliability of the fact that this species will continue to exist in the future. When assigning categories of conservation status, many factors are taken into account: not only the number of existing representatives of the species, but also the trends in abundance (reduction or increase), the success rate of reproduction , the normal number of individuals of this species in the ecosystems where it lives, known hazard factors, as well as factors that contribute to the survival of the species, and the like.

IUCN Red Book

The most comprehensive reference system on the conservation status of species on Earth is the IUCN Red Book . In it, taking into account both the above-mentioned general factors and individual characteristics characteristic of each species, the species are divided into 9 categories:

• Extinct (EX) - a species that disappeared after the death of the last animal of this species and whose individuals were not in captivity at the time of extinction. This does not include animals extinct for various reasons before 1500 (such as dinosaurs).
• Extinct in the Wild (EW) - a species completely exterminated in the wild, but preserved in captivity.
• It is under critical threat (Critically Endangered, CR) - species whose number of individuals in nature does not exceed several hundred.
• It is endangered (Endangered, EN) - a species whose number of individuals is quite large, but for certain reasons it is still impossible to say that it will not disappear within a few years.
• Vulnerable (VU) is a large species that, however, is still in danger due to reasons (such as deforestation).
• Near Threatened (NT) - a species that is practically resistant, but not yet safe
• It is under a small threat (Least Concern, LC) - a species that is so numerous that it is doubtful that it will itself be threatened with extinction after decades. Since 2009, people are assigned to this class.
• Insufficient information (Data Deficient, DD) - species whose numbers are unclear.
• Unexplored (Not Evaluated, NE) - species whose information does not allow even to approximately determine the threat of their existence.

The list of extinct species includes those that have disappeared after 1500 . Earlier, Europeans were practically unable to meet them because America and Australia were not open, and also because animals most often died from other, natural causes. In addition, until that era, poaching did not exist - due to the abundance of animals, despite the absence of any restrictions on hunting, as well as the undeveloped structure and weak weapons, even valuable commercial species managed to survive without much difficulty.

Another classification system for threatened species is the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) classification, designed to prevent international trade in species in a form that could threaten their existence.

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  Przewalski's horse ( Equus ferus przewalskii )

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  Sea otter ( Enhydra lutris )

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  American bison ( Bison bison )

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  California Condor ( Gymnogyps californianus )

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  Loggerhead ( Caretta caretta )

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  Malaysian Scleropages ( Scleropages formosus )

Most often, in order to protect species, in case of their small range, construction of special territories of three types is undertaken - a reserve , reserve or national park . The reserve forbids hunting at certain times and is intended to restore the animal population after hunting. Human penetration there is free, but it is forbidden to pollute nature and cut down forests there. The reserve forbids hunting all year round, no buildings should be built in it, deforestation and pollution of nature are prohibited in it, and only scientists have access to it. The National Park allows the admission of tourists and other visitors, but also prohibits hunting, pollution, deforestation and the construction of residential buildings, although administrative ones are allowed. Their sizes can be different, and sometimes their borders can be in contact, which can create inconvenience in the protection of the same species, but in different institutions. For species that have become extinct in nature, but preserved in captivity, there are special nurseries in which animals are allowed to live. In addition, sometimes in these nurseries animals are prepared for release into nature, although not all such attempts are successful - in Africa , for example, only a third of such attempts are successful, and with respect to the release of animals of any species, regardless of the degree of extinction. At the same time, protection was introduced relatively recently for certain species - for example, hunting for the Far Eastern leopard was prohibited only in 1956 , when the number of individuals was no more than 50, although at the beginning of the 20th century there were about three times as many. However, since then their number has not changed. Prior to that, poachers destroyed them, as well as people who considered them pests of hunting farms and owners of deer farms that the leopard had the habit of attacking. Previously, it was protected by the Barsovy and Borisov Plateaus, as well as the Kedrovaya Pad Reserve, but now, after their disappearance, the Leopard Land national park is being prepared in their place. ^[five]

Some endangered species laws are controversial. Typical areas for dispute: the criteria used in the assessment to place a species on the list of endangered species; criteria used to assess the need to remove a species from this list if its population has recovered; whether a restriction on land development at the state level is necessary; in this case, compensation must be paid to private landowners; finding reasonable exceptions to protection laws.

It often happens that when listed in the Red Book, a species becomes an even more desirable object for collectors and poachers. After all, as you know, "the forbidden fruit is sweet." Another problem when entering a species in the Red Book is the effect that a landowner experiencing the loss of the value of his land may prefer to quietly kill and thereby get rid of the animals, or destroy their habitat, thus getting rid of the “problem” by their lands.

Often species become extinct due to their improper protection, and not because they are poorly protected, although they are protected reliably. So, for example, the species of Rafetus vietnamensis turtles is now in a critical situation due to the fact that there are only four of them left. Despite the enhanced protection of these ancient species, which does not allow any hunting or poaching, their reproduction is in question. A male turtle in Hoan Kiem Lake is considered sacred because of an ancient Vietnamese legend, according to which Le Loy , who rebelled against Chinese rule, received the Thuanthyen sword precisely from the turtle from this lake, and after his victory returned it to her (from here, by the way, the name - The Lake of the Returned Sword, in Vietnamese Hồ Hoàn Kiếm), and, accordingly, it cannot be considered in this matter. Another male is located in another lake in Vietnam near Hanoi. The other two (the male and the only female of this species in the whole world) are in Suzhou , but judging by the unfertilized eggs of the female, the male is no longer fertile, but, according to the Vietnamese tradition, which states that the bride herself must come to the groom, the Vietnamese do not want to give turtle to China. The female is not resettled due to problems with relations between China and Vietnam, including due to the territorial conflict ( Paracel Islands , Spratly Islands and others). The process of collecting sperm from turtles is too difficult and time-consuming, and can lead to the death of an individual. For these reasons, it is not yet known what fate awaits all four ^[6] .

But often, even with the number of individuals ten times larger than the previous one (or rather, their number is approximately 40), their range is much smaller - now, for example, the Far Eastern leopard lives on the territory of approximately 400,000 hectares (4000 square kilometers), and most of the territory of China - it is not known whether it crosses the border . Their resettlement is hindered by their dislike of deep snow, in which the predator's paws get stuck, the incidence of diseases like leukemia due to the low genetic diversity resulting from the small number of individuals and frequent crosses of close relatives of leopard families, as well as deforestation and poaching (leopard bones are valued in Eastern medicine, and their skin is a welcome trophy), which lasted until relatively recent times. The leopard also has natural enemies, for example, in the form of the Amur tiger . But on this territory there is an enhanced protection of animals (begun, however, recently, since leopard hunting was banned only in 1956), and some individuals have been living in the zoo since 1961 . True, random crosses often occur between them with another subspecies of leopards, the Chinese. However, most scientists agree that even such animals can be used as a potential source of genetic diversity for an exhausted wild population. Special nurseries are also being prepared in which leopards are prepared for natural conditions, although experts are not sure of the success of such a project, and some believe that it is better to direct efforts to protect the wild population. On the territory of the leopard’s habitat, they plan to place the Leopard Land national park with an area of ​​262,000 hectares, which is 60% of the area of ​​its current range - the creators sought to cover the largest possible Russian area. Before this, WWF has been creating a protected structure on the site of separate and independent farms for more than ten years, since 2001 . Now an administrative building, tourist complexes and scientific facilities are being built there, as well as approximately sixty camera traps are being installed. In addition, the park will have three types of security zones - absolutely guarded (that is, protected from any impact of people, including scientific), accessible for visiting (that is, visitors are allowed there) and scientific (only for scientists). Previously, leopards were found from Khabarovsk to the outskirts of Beijing and some part of North Korea . Poaching is strictly punishable - on the Russian territory of the leopard's habitat, for his murder, the poacher is obliged to pay a fine of 500,000 rubles and can receive up to two years in prison. In addition, movement of two leopards from satellite sensors on collars is monitored - previously there were five, but two were out of order, and the third was killed by someone ^[5] .

• Biodiversity
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• WWF
• Red Book

• The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) - Endangered Species Program . The USFWS is the principal Federal agency responsible for protecting endangered and threatened species.
• US Fish & Wildlife Service. Threatened and Endangered Species System (TESS) . Detailed information on Endangered, Threatened or candidate species in the US
• The World Conservation Union (IUCN)
• The Convention on Biological Diversity
• Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, IUCN
• Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, IUCN: CBSG PHVA Reports (Population and Habitat Viability Assessment)
• The world wide fund for nature
• African Wild Dog Conservancy
• Endangered Species & Wetlands Report Independent print and online newsletter covering the ESA, wetlands and regulatory takings.
• Endangered species by continent
• Sundarbans Tiger Project Research and Conservation of tigers in the largest remaining mangrove forest in the world.
• Endangered Native Carnivores in the Southern Rockies
• "Biodiversity and Conservation: A Hypertext Book by Peter J. Bryant
• Read Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Endangered Species
• Endangered species information
• CBC Digital Archives - Endangered Species in Canada
• Bagheera website on endangered species
• ONLINE BOOK: “In situ conservation of livestock and poultry” , 1983, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the United Nations Environment Program
• 100 Success Stories for Endangered Species Act
• The red list
• Dotty Rhino - Animated website for kids. Meet Dotty Rhino & her friends who live in Mkomazi, a real-life game reserve in Africa which protects endangered species.
• Endangered species of animals and plants - Children's encyclopedia "What-this?".