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Transcript
Endangered Species Endangered Species Act of 1973 Requires the U.S. Department of Interior to protect species in danger of extinction Endangered Threatened If chances of survival and reproduction are in immediate jeopardy If species is likely to become endangered U.S. Fish and Wildlife Maintain official list of endangered and threatened species Extinction – With of Without Humans There have been at least five major mass extinctions before modern times Best known is the dinosaur extinction Extinction is a natural process, but human activities are causing species to disappear much faster Human activities Habitat loss Poaching Isolation by habitat fragmentation Back from the Brink When the settlers arrived, the American Bison were flourishing in the Great plains The settlers slaughtered the bison In 1894, Congress passed a law making it illegal to shoot Bison By 1900, fewer than 1000 of the 60 million bison that once roamed North America remained The U.S. army was given the task of protecting the Bison The Bison are no longer in danger of extinction Return of the Wolves Massive slaughter of bison had a detrimental effect on the wolf population With the elimination of their prey, wolves turned to livestock Ranchers defended their property with guns, poisons, and traps More than 100,000 wolves were killed between 1882-1942 Wolves moved to national park preservations Grey wolf endangered in 48 states Why not let them die? Plants seen as chemical factories Biodiversity improves stability of an ecosystem One fourth of all prescription drugs contain plant materials Keystone Species Keeps Loss ecosystem in balance of this species will cause a chain reaction and disruption with ecosystem Future of the Endangered Species Act Endangered Species Act (1973) Critics consider it a barrier to development and threat to economic growth According to US Fish and Wildlife, very few development projects are stopped because of endangered species Many species are in trouble because they have not been labeled endangered or threatened Many believe focus should be on saving entire ecosystems and not just one species