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"For one species to mourn the death of another," Aldo Leopold wrote in A Sand County Almanac "is a new thing under the sun. The Cro-Magnon who slew the last mammoth thought only of steaks. The sportsman who shot the last [Passenger] pigeon thought only of his prowess. The sailor who clubbed the last auk thought of nothing at all. But we, who have lost our pigeons, mourn the loss."
Habitat destruction, global warming, toxic contamination, invasive species, and unsustainable hunting and fishing practices all profoundly threaten the Earth's plants, fish, and wildlife.
Here you will find resources about wildlife on the brink of extinction: the news, science, law, and policy of endangered species.
Gone but not forgotten
life we'll not see again
Here are a few of the species that are now known only to history:
The Great Auk--hunted to extinction, the last Great Auk was killed in Iceland in 1844. Once found from Canada to Norway, these flightless swimming birds would winter as far south as Florida and Southern Spain.
The Bluebuck (pictured)--first described by western naturalists around 1720, the bluebuck or blue antelope, a native of South Africa, was driven to extinction within a century, becoming the first African mammal to become extinct in historical times. The last bluebuck was killed in 1800.
Passenger pigeon--a close relative of the morning dove the passenger pigeon could once be found in huge flocks across North America, east of the Rocky Mountains. The pigeons population was once so vast that historical records recount flocks 300 miles long that would take days to pass overhead. Martha, the last passenger pigeon, died in a zoo in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1910.
Steller's Sea Cow--larger than its cousins, the manatee and dugong Steller's sea cow inhabited the coastal waters of the Bering Sea. Intensive harvest of the sea cow, principally for its meat and skin, began almost immediately after its discovery by western explorers in 1741. Less than thirty years later the sea cow was extinct.
Questions and Answers
About Threatened Wildlife
- How many species are threatened with extinction? No one knows, but the IUCN-World Conservation Union has concluded that over 16,000 species evaluated may be come extinct. Over 1,300 species of plants, fish, and wildlife are currently categorized as either "endangered" or "threatened" by the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
- What are the laws that protect wildlife? Internationally, the principle laws that protect wildlife are the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (generally known as "CITES") and the Convention on Biological Diversity. In the United States, various state and federal laws protect species, the most important of which is the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
- Why do species go extinct? Some extinction is part of the natural evolutionary process. When species are threatened with extinction by human activity, the most common factors that threaten wildlife are habitat destruction, the introduction of non-native (or invasive) species into their habitat, commercial harvest (such as overfishing), and pollution. Increasingly, global warming is also being identified as a growing threat to species survival.
The U.S. Endangered Species Act
Passed nearly unanimously in 1973, the Endangered Species Act is the United States' basic safety net protecting fish, plants and wildlife on the brink of extinction. Today over 1,300 species of plans and animals are "listed" by the Act as either "endangered" or "threatened," including the humpback whale, the grey wolf, and the California condor. Once listed, the law prohibits killing, harming, or harassing endangered or threatened species without a permit from either the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service, which jointly administer the statute. Citizens may petition the agencies to add or remove species from the list (a process known as "listing" and "delisting"). The law also requires federal agencies to ensure that any of their actions do not jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or adversely modify or destroy habitat essential to the species conservation. The Endangered Species Act also requires the federal government to prepare a "recovery plan" for each listed species.The Act has been enormously successful. Over 98% of all species protected by the Endangered Species Act are still around today, thanks in no small part to the Act's protections and studies have shown that the longer a species is protected by the Endangered Species Act the more likely it is to be classified as either "stable" or "improving."
Yet the Endangered Species Act is under enormous pressure from hostile members of Congress, developers, and other industry groups who want to weaken the law. A bill that would gut many of the Endangered Species Act's key provisions was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005 and the U.S. Senate is currently considering taking up endangered species legislation of its own.
Want to Know More About Endangered Wildlife?
Helpful Resources
- NRDC's Wildlife on the Brink page
- A great introduction to some of North America's endangered species and the ecosystems they rely on, as well as background information on the Endangered Species Act.
- Take Action!
- Help defend the Endangered Species Act.
- The Red List
- The IUCN-World Conservation Union's list of threatened species around the world.
- NatureServe Explorer
- Information on more than 65,000 plants, animals, and ecosystems of the United States and Canada.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Species Information Page
- Detailed information, lists, and statistics about species protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
- NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources
- The National Marine Fisheries Service's main page on endangered species under its jurisdiction.
- CITES
- The Convention on International Trade in Endangerd Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Environmental News
Blogs and Commentary About the Earth from the Seattle Post Intelligencer
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byThe Gristmill
Grist Magazine's Environmental Blog
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byRecommended Reading
books you should check out
A Sand County Almanac
Aldo Leopold's classic series of essays on conservation and what Leopold called the "land ethic," A Sand County Almanac is one of the classic works of environmental and conservation philosophy.
Amazon Price: $11.65 (as of 09/07/2008)
Wilderness and the American Mind, Fourth Edition
One of the most important works of environmental history, Rodrick Nash traces the evolution of the idea of "wilderness" in American history and culture.
Amazon Price: $12.24 (as of 09/07/2008)
The Economy of the Earth: Philosophy, Law, and the Environment (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Public Policy)
Mark Sagoff's series of essays on environmental philosophy, law, and economics is a must read for those who are serious about thinking differently about the natural world and our approach to it.
Amazon Price: $43.53 (as of 09/07/2008)
Silent Spring
The history of the modern environmental movement can, in part, be traced to the publication of Rachel Carson's powerful book on the effect of pesticides on wildlife and the natural world.
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 09/07/2008)
Biophilia
Amazon Price: $16.65 (as of 09/07/2008)
The Lorax (Classic Seuss)
Dr. Seuss's classic children's tale about the environment.
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 09/07/2008)
The Wump World
No Lorax, but Bill Peet's beautifully illustrated book is another great introduction to environmental issues for children.
Amazon Price: $8.95 (as of 09/07/2008)
