Why Do We Have to Save Endangered Species?

One may think if there is really a need for us to expend a lot of resources saving endangered species. With a lot of people losing their jobs, millions suffering from hunger and sickness, and seemingly dwindling quality of life for the majority, can we still afford to save endangered species? The answer is simply because we cannot afford not to.

Every living thing has an important role in keeping the balance of nature. If one species is totally wiped out, it could lead to loosing other species as well. When the prairie dogs were wiped out in the Midwest, the black-footed ferret also was endangered. And if the endangered species is a natural predator, the explosion on the population of their natural preys may also give us a lot of problems. If a certain type of snake that feed on rats is one day wiped out, it could result to infestations by rats into our homes and food source. This happened when the natural habitat of snakes where converted into housing subdivisions. The snakes were eliminated but the rats remained.

Plants and animals are also one of the biggest sources of our medicines today.  If these endangered species are gone, we may never be able to find out what could have been their roles in the betterment of our lives. They may hold the cure to the most dreaded diseases man is facing today. If we let these endangered species die, we might as well have let our loved ones die from diseases that these species could have helped in finding cure.

Saving these endangered species is also one of the evidence that the human society has evolved into a better one already. We are no longer the society that takes advantage of the weaknesses of other living creatures for our own gains. Since man pride himself as the most intelligent creature that ever walked in the face of the earth why don’t we show it by using this intelligence for the protection of the weaker creatures. We cannot advance as a civilization while leaving those creatures that helped us behind. As it is quoted, “a society is truly measured on how it treats its animals.”

Lastly, let us reflect that the species that we really are saving could be ours.

NPO Contributions

When many of us think about preserving nature we think of wildlife programs that we see on the television, of cuddly and beautiful furry animals such as the chimpanzee, the koala bear, panda bears and many others. We also think of the African endangered species, and the shimmering beauty and amazing diversity of the sea life of our coral reefs. In fact, the understandable popularity of these animals has been such that until recently nature conservation bodies were formed which concentrated almost wholly on such examples of Mother Nature’s most lovable and most amazing creatures, with international bodies like the highly respected World Wildlife Fund fighting to preserve the habitat of these wonderful creatures.
endangered species in South Africa
There are a number of NPOs working for preservation of nature but for over 50 years WWF has been protecting the future of nature in around 100 countries. Not only has it helped in bringing back many animals from the brink of extinction, helped conserve rich and varied ecosystem but also delivered benefits to local people by giving them new livelihood opportunities and sustainable development.
Extinction is a natural process and is bound to happen but destructive human activities have led to the current rate of species extinction, which is at least 100–1,000 times higher than the expected natural rate. Which means a lot of conservation work still needs to be done. Such high extinction rate has led to cultural loss of iconic species such as tigers, rhinos and whales. Species are required to be protected as these are a part of our ecosystem and provide resources that make our existence possible. And WWF works for the same purpose. It is building a future where human needs are met in harmony with nature.
The WWF claims that by 2020 it will conserve 19 of the world’s most important natural places and significantly change global forces to protect the future of nature. It will also undertake the conservation programme for preserving the largest tropical rain forests, the most diverse coral reefs, and the world’s most endangered species.
Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.

endangered animals