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Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Research Paper on Endangered Species

Research Paper on Endangered Species

Think back to the first time you went to the zoo. Do you remember the excitement you felt when you got your first glimpse of a tiger? Or maybe your favorite animal was an elephant. These species and many others are in danger of becoming extinct. I’m going to explain to you the process to get a species listed as endangered and the protective measures taken to help them recover. I’ll also talk about the success rate of these efforts. The first step to protecting a threatened species is to get them listed.

The process to have a species added to the list can take up to a year. Species are listed by 2 classifications, threatened or endangered. A threatened species is a species that could become endangered in the near future without proper protection.

An endangered species is a species that could become extinct. To start the process someone must first file a petition or conduct a survey of the species. Anyone can file a petition providing there is enough biological evidence to warrant further investigation. Members of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services or the National Marine Fisheries Service complete the surveys. Several factors help determine if a species is in need of protection. A few of those factors are: Changes in habitat, over utilization due to commercial and recreational purposes, disease or predation, and inadequate regulatory laws. Within 90 days of receiving the petition or survey they must decide if further investigation is warranted. If it is, then the candidate species are prioritized. First by the degree of the threat, then by the immediacy of the threat, and lastly by species classification. Once the final candidates are selected a proposed rule is published in the federal register. After this publication there is a 60 day comment period in which anyone can provide additional information and statements. The final step in this long process is a ruling. If necessary they can decide to delay their ruling for 6 months. If the ruling favors listing the species they then have to figure out how to protect them.
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There are many protective measures to help protect threatened and endangered species. The Endangered Species Act of 1973, signed by President Nixon, sets guidelines for these measures. Special regulations allow for flexibility in protecting threatened species. The Apache Trout of Arizona is a good example of how this works. Anglers are still allowed to fish in areas populated by these fish as long as they release them. The revenue generated by allowing fishing to continue helps to preserve the Apache Trout. The safe harbor agreement encourages private landowners to voluntarily implement protective measures. By following these measures, landowners will be free from future land use restrictions. Various grants are also given to states, territories, and private landowners for species conservation. In 2002, approximately 106 million dollars was awarded in grants. Reintroduction is another process used in which species from areas with thriving communities are relocated to areas they use to inhabit. The endangered species act has strict rules against the import of endangered species, living or dead. In an effort to help conservation in foreign countries, the Bush administration recently proposed relaxing these rules. If approved this would allow anyone to kill, capture, and import endangered species. The goal of this proposal is to provide a source of revenue to foreign countries for their conservation programs. The revenue is generated when Americans buy permits from these countries allowing them to kill or capture an endangered species. They would then be able to return the animal to the United States for various purposes, such as zoo exhibits or as trophies. Due to protective measures there has been some success.

In a report published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife services there are almost 1300 animals currently on the endangered species list. In the past 37 years only 30 animals have been removed from this list, seven of which were removed because they became extinct. This shows that the process to save an endangered species is both long term in nature, and very difficult. However, there are some encouraging success stories such as the peregrine falcon. A 1970 study found only two breeding pairs of falcons left in California. In 1999 after 29 years of study and work, the number of breeding pairs in California was in the hundreds and the peregrine falcon was removed from the endangered species list. Not all cases have a happy ending though. The Tecopa pupfish in Tecopa California was listed on the endangered species list in 1970 due to habitat alterations and the introduction of exotic species. Studies done 5 years later failed to find any pupfish populations, in 1982 they were declared an extinct species. While only 30 have been removed from the list many more have had their status changed from endangered to threatened due to conservation efforts.

Whether it’s a majestic lion or a tiny frog there are many animals that are endanger of becoming extinct. Identifying a species and adding them to the list is the first step in a long process. It may take many decades to be able to tell if the protective measures have worked. Since 1966 when the list first began only 7 species have become extinct. With any luck in 30 years maybe the number will still be only 7.


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