The Importance Of Endangered Species

Biologist consider a species endangered if they would die off in 20 years or if the rate of decline is greater than the rate of increasing. A species is extinct after not being spotted for many years. The extinction of endangered species threatens other living life including humans. Animals help balance out ecosystems therefore the extinction of a species causes some ecosystems to collapse. The amount of endangered species increases every year mainly due to human activities, humans hunting the animals to sell and destroying their habitats. Although people have increased their efforts to protect endangered species, many humans activities still decrease the lives of endangered species. The human activities that endanger species are destroying habitats, wildlife trade, and over hunting. People also have cleared forests, drained swamps, and dammed …show more content…
Hunters poison, shoot, and trap animals to sell. African elephants have been poached which means hunted illegally. The elephants are poached for their ivory tusks. The ivory trade has been illegal in many regions since 1989, but the illegal market is so active, and the rewards are so great, that corruption among officials and park rangers is common (McGavin 91). The African elephant is considered a vulnerable animal. Habitat encroachment is also big problem for elephants in farmland because elephants traditional routes are blocked and they have to use different paths (McGavin 91). Elephants have to use different routes which causes them to raid crops, destroy crops and sometimes kill people. The jungle cat is also considered an endangered species because it is poached. The skin, bones, teeth, and internal organs are sold. The jungle cats home has began to be disappear because it is being destroyed by settlements. Also the clouded leopard of Southwest Asia, for example, is threatened by loss of its rainforest habitat and hunting by its fur, meat, teeth, and bones (McGavin