Endangered Species

Our Work On Endangered Species

Overview

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the global authority on species’ conservation status, one out of four of the world’s mammals and over 40 percent of amphibians are threatened with extinction due to human activity.

The Earth is now in the midst of its sixth major animal (and plant) extinction. The last mass extinction—approximately 65 million years ago—caused the disappearance of the dinosaurs. Although extinctions are naturally occurring, the current mass extinction is unique in that it is caused almost entirely by humans.

Simply put, nature cannot support the pressure humanity is placing on the planet. Overconsumption and unsustainable human population growth are bringing about massive changes in the environment and endangering wildlife by disrupting ecosystems in numerous ways.

And like on land, the creatures of the sea face myriad threats to their survival, both anthropogenic and natural, and many are in trouble. Our oceans appear vast and teeming with life, and until recently, were routinely viewed as containing infinite resources. In actuality, many marine species are decreasing at an alarming rate and are considered endangered. The consequences of loss of species in the marine environment are significant, both ecologically and economically, and are often difficult to see, measure, and address.

The threat for many species continues today: deforestation, pollution, hunting and capture, introduction of invasive species into the environment, climate change. habitat degradation, ocean acidification, marine noise, and other anthropogenic threats.

Policies to Protect

There are international treaties and domestic laws that aim to halt the decline of species in need. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a United Nations Convention that regulates the global trade in vulnerable wildlife.

In the US, threatened and endangered species are protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). “Threatened” species, under the ESA, are species that are likely to become endangered, and “endangered” species are those that are “in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of” their range. It is illegal to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect” a species listed under the Act. Over 1,700 threatened and endangered animals and plants in the US and other countries of the world receive the ESA’s protection.