Why Is it Important to Save Endangered Plants & Animals?

Extinction of species is a naturally occurring phenomenon, so some wonder if people are wasting time and resources trying to save endangered plants and animals. In the preamble to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Congress said they merited protection because they "are of esthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational and scientific value" to the U.S. and its citizens. Idealists say we are morally obligated to save them, and scientists worry about consequences we cannot foresee.

Moral Obligation

• True, species extinction does happen in nature, but the frequency of extinction has risen to an unnatural degree. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated in February 2002 that North America had lost more than 500 species of plants and animals since the Pilgrims first set foot on American soil in 1620. That translates to more than one species lost for every year of occupation. For comparison, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that North America lost only about three species every 100 years for the 3,000 years comprising the Pleistocene Ice Age. Many say humans are responsible for the acceleration and, therefore, morally obligated to make changes to reduce these losses.

Environmental Indicators

• A species in trouble often serves as an early warning of an environmental problem. If the freshwater mussels in a river are dying at an alarming rate, for example, then something may be polluting the river. Such an occurrence alerts scientists to caution people not to eat or drink from that river until the problem is identified and corrected. When the U.S. bald eagle population declined dramatically, public concern forced scientists to reevaluate and ban a pesticide called DDT, which was later identified as a cancer-causer in humans. On a broader scale, the loss of several species may indicate the health of the planet itself is at risk, suggesting the need for even broader corrective measures.

Network

• No creature on earth exists in a vacuum; each organism is part of an ecosystem of interdependent organisms, and all the ecosystems together comprise the biosphere of the planet. The elimination of one type of organism affects every organism depending on it directly or indirectly for support of life. Take the food chain, for example. Every living thing on the planet represents a link, with those on upper links consuming those on lower links. Eliminate the lower links and the upper links have no food. Eliminate the upper links and the populations of the lower links might grow beyond control, devastating the populations of their prey and creating new problems. The loss of one species may result in far-reaching repercussions scientists never thought to predict.

Scientific Applications

• Many medicines are made from plant and animal life, with new ones being discovered all the time. A fungus gave humans penicillin, useful for fighting infection. Taxol, from the Pacific yew tree, effectively treats breast, ovarian and other cancers. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, almost 40 percent of medications prescribed annually are derived from or mimic substances found in nature. A species that goes extinct today might be the only cure for a disease identified 10 years from now. Besides medicine, agriculture benefits from certain insects and plants that act as natural pest deterrents, and scientists have cross-bred varieties of certain crops to produce a newer, more resilient plant. Some micro-organisms have been identified or bred to consume pollutants and thereby cleanse the environment naturally. For any of these to be possible, biological diversity is necessary. Reduce the number of species and biodiversity is lessened and options are fewer.

Intangibles

• Imagine the U.S. without its once-endangered bald eagle, China without its endangered pandas or Australia without its endangered koala bears. Aside from monetary and life-sustaining motivations, species such as these are valued as part of human culture, history and identity.