Endangered Species Extinction Essay

Many species of animals worldwide are currently in danger of becoming extinct in the near future due to natural and human causes; however, with the help of government agencies and conservation efforts from the general population, it 's not too late to reverse this unfortunate trend. According to scientists, Earth is currently in it 's sixth mass extinction called the Holocene Extinction1. The Holocene Extinction is thought to have started around 10,000 BCE and is cause mostly by human interference. When an animal or plant is seen to be at risk of becoming extinct due to a decline in their population and distribution, they are classified as endangered by many government agencies throughout the world. While the Holocene Extinction is mostly due to man, there are still many natural causes for the extinction of …show more content…
This treaty was called the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)13. There are over 35,000 species (5,000 animals and 29,000 plants) protected by CITES. Countries have voluntary participation in this treaty and even though it is not well enforced worldwide, there are still 182 countries that take part. There are 3 different appendices that a species can be classified under. Appendix I contains animals that are in danger of becoming extinct, especially due to trade. A country must have an import and export permit and have the exporting country 's management authority inspect them. Under appendix II, a species is not threatened of extinction due to trade, but may become so in the future. Only an export permit is required. Last is appendix III, which contains species that at least 1 country has asked for the species to be listed, usually only a small population of that animal is endangered in that country, but not enough as a whole to be listed under appendix II or