Endangered species

An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular region. Many animals, plants, and other living things can become endangered for different reasons. Some of the main reasons include losing where they live, called habitat loss, being taken illegally, known as poaching, facing new animals or plants that are not native to their home, called invasive species, and changes in the world's weather patterns, known as climate change.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) keeps a special list called the Red List to show how safe or at risk different species are. Many countries have laws to help protect these species. These laws might stop people from hunting or taking them from their homes, limit where buildings can be built, or create special protected areas where animals and plants can live safely.

Some endangered species get extra help from people working hard to save them. This can include keeping animals in safe places for breeding, called captive breeding, and fixing their homes so they can live better, known as habitat restoration. People all around the world work together to make sure these special plants and animals do not disappear forever.

Conservation status

Main article: Conservation status

The conservation status of a species tells us how likely it is to disappear completely, called extinct. Scientists look at many things to decide this, like how many of the species are left, if their numbers are going up or down, how well they are breeding, and what threats they face.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the most well-known list that shows how safe or at-risk animals and plants are around the world. Species are put into different groups based on how close they are to disappearing. Some of these groups include:

• Extinct in the wild (EW) – Only survive in zoos or other places away from where they naturally live
• Critically Endangered (CR) – Very close to disappearing
• Endangered (EN) – At high risk of disappearing
• Vulnerable (VU) – Likely to become endangered soon
• Near Threatened (NT) – Might become endangered in the near future
• Least concern (LC) – Not at risk and found in many places
• Data deficient (DD) – Not enough information to tell if they are at risk
• Not evaluated (NE) – Has not been checked yet

Many species around the world are at risk of disappearing, but sometimes it’s hard to know exactly which ones because we don’t have enough information, especially in places like the oceans. Countries work together to help protect these species.

IUCN Red List

The IUCN Red List is a way to check how safe different animals and plants are around the world. It looks at many types of life, like mammals, birds, frogs, special plants called cycads, and corals. Some species are safe and strong, while others are in danger of disappearing.

Some animals in danger include the Siberian tiger, a special type of tiger, the Blue-throated macaw, a bird, the Brown spider monkey, a monkey, the Siamese crocodile, a crocodile, the American burying beetle, a bug, the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, a sea turtle, the Mexican wolf, a type of wolf, and the Saimaa ringed seal, a seal that lives only in Lake Saimaa, Finland. These animals need our help to stay safe.

In Brazil

Brazil is one of the richest countries in the world for different kinds of plants and animals. It has large forests like the Amazon and the Atlantic forest, as well as grassy areas called the Cerrado. One big problem for animals in Brazil is when people take them from their homes without permission, known as wildlife trafficking. This, along with cutting down forests, makes many animals at risk of disappearing.

Brazil has laws and special groups to help protect animals and plants. These groups work to stop people who break environmental laws, but they don’t always work together well. Birds make up most of the animals that are taken this way. When animals become rarer, they become more valuable to people who want them, which makes more animals at risk.

In the United States

There is information from the United States that shows a link between where many people live and the number of species at risk of disappearing. Scientists have studied this from 1970 to 1997 and found that places with more people often have more species that are in danger.

Effect of climate change on endangered species

Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere is said to be a big reason why some animals are in danger. The National Park Service says that if we can lower the amount of gases that heat up the planet, many animals still have a chance to live and grow back. Scientists have noted that we need to bring carbon dioxide levels back down to help keep the environment stable for all living things.

Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 in the United States helps protect animals and plants that are in danger. Species can be listed as "endangered" or "threatened". For example, the Salt Creek tiger beetle is protected under this law. Groups like the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service decide which species need protection and help make plans to save them. They also make sure that government actions do not harm these species or their homes.

Some people disagree about how to protect endangered species. They argue about which animals should be listed, how to help them recover, and whether people should be paid when rules affect their land. There are also challenges from groups like hunters and industries such as petroleum, construction, and logging.

Being listed as endangered can sometimes make a species more attractive to collectors or hunters, which can be a problem. There are also concerns that knowing a rare animal lives on someone's land might make the land less valuable, leading some people to harm the animal or its home.

Many scientists believe the Endangered Species Act is helpful in saving species. Some animals have recovered enough to be removed from the list, and most listed species in the northeastern United States are stable or growing. Today, over 1,500 species are protected by law in the United States.

For a long time, humans have hunted animals for food and sport, which has sometimes led to species disappearing. Examples include the dodo, passenger pigeon, and great auk. However, efforts to save species have helped some, like the bald eagle, which is no longer in danger.

Today, some ocean animals, like certain types of whales, are still at risk. Countries have made agreements to protect whales, but some still hunt them. Threats like over-hunting, changes in climate, and loss of homes put many species at risk, and this could lead to more extinctions in the future.

In Canada

Canada has special rules to help protect animals and plants that are in danger of disappearing. These rules are called the Species at Risk Act. When a species is close to disappearing forever, or even just in one area, it is called threatened or endangered. The Act says that plans must be made to help these species recover and grow their numbers again. As of 2024, 339 different species in Canada are listed as endangered by a group that watches all the world’s animals and plants.

In India

The World Wide Fund-India is worried about some animal species, like the Red Panda, the Bengal Tiger, the Ganges River Dolphin, and the Asian Elephant.

India has had many problems with people taking animals from the wild, which can hurt these animals. The government made rules to help protect animals and joined an international agreement in 1976 to stop this from happening.

Introduced species

Main article: Invasive species

When new animals or plants are brought to places where they do not belong, they can cause big problems for the animals that already live there. These new species might take food or space from the native animals, or they might even hurt them. Sometimes, these new species bring sicknesses that the native animals have never faced before, making them very sick. This can make some native animals endangered, meaning there are fewer of them and they might disappear. Places like Oceania have seen this happen a lot, especially with birds and mammals that have no natural enemies there. These new species can be a bigger danger than we think, especially for animals that are already in danger.

Climate change

See also: Effects of climate change

The World Wildlife Fund says our planet is warming faster than at any time in the past 10,000 years. This means animals and plants must change to survive new weather patterns, like less rain and longer, hotter summers. For example, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service works to study how climate change affects animals. They look at how healthy the animals are, how many types of each animal there are, and how changes in their homes might help or hurt them.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature reports that human activities have raised the world's average temperature by about 1 °C. This change is already affecting animals in many ways, such as where they live, how they behave, and how many of them there are. The IUCN says it is important to make rules to cut down on CO ₂ in the air, which helps reduce these problems. They use tools like the IUCN Red List to guide efforts to protect animals from climate change.

Climate change can also make some places too difficult for animals to live in. Animals may have to move to new areas, and some might even disappear completely. Scientists warn that without action, one in six animals could be at risk of disappearing because of climate change. Animals are also moving to new places as the climate warms, which changes where they can live.

Rising ocean acidity, caused by too much CO₂ in the air, is another big problem. This makes the ocean harder for fish, plants, and coral reefs to survive.

For example, Emperor Penguins need Antarctic sea ice to breed and find food. But melting ice threatens their homes. The Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan lives on cold mountain tops, but warmer temperatures and less snow put their home at risk.

The Salton Sea in California is an important home for many animals and birds. But climate change and farming nearby have caused big problems. The water is getting saltier and more exposed, which hurts the air and kills fish. This makes it a hard place for birds and other animals to live.

Conservation

Captive breeding

Main article: Captive breeding

Captive breeding is when people help rare or endangered animals have babies in places like zoos and special nature areas. This helps make sure these animals don’t disappear forever. It’s been done for a long time, like with special deer kept by kings long ago. But it can be hard for animals that move a lot, like some birds and fish. Sometimes, if there aren’t enough animals, they can become too similar to each other and get sick more often.

In 1981, a group called the Association of Zoos and Aquariums started special plans to help save certain endangered animals. These plans help make sure there are enough healthy babies and that the animals stay strong. Some of these animals include giant pandas, lowland gorillas, and California condors.

Private farming

While taking animals from the wild hurts their numbers, allowing people to farm animals for money can help. This has helped increase the numbers of some rhinos in certain places. People can make money by letting others visit the animals or by selling them, which gives them a reason to protect the animals.

Some experts aren’t sure if farming turtles helps wild turtles, even though farmers are using more turtles they raised instead of catching them from the wild. In Australia, scientists were able to make a special kind of tuna have babies in tanks, which could help save them from being caught too much.

Conservation baselines and proposed paradigm shifts

Sometimes, scientists think they need new ways to help save animals that are in big trouble. This can mean moving animals to new homes or letting them have babies with similar animals. For example, to help save a special kind of cat called the Florida panther, scientists brought in cats from Texas. This helped the panthers grow stronger and more numerous.

Success stories

Hawaiian monk seal

Hawaiian monk seals are one of the world’s most endangered seals. But people have been working hard to help them, like taking care of hurt seals and watching over them. These efforts have started to help their numbers grow.

American bald eagle

Bald eagles were once in big trouble in the United States, with only 417 pairs in 1963. But thanks to protecting their homes, banning a harmful chemical, and other efforts, their numbers grew to over 71,000 pairs by 2020. They are no longer considered endangered.

Gray wolf

In the mid-1990s, gray wolves from Canada were brought to Yellowstone. After being almost gone from the lower 48 states, these wolves helped bring balance back to the park’s wildlife. By 2017, they were no longer considered endangered in places like Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.

Channel Island fox

Starting in 1999, people worked hard to save the island foxes on the Channel Islands. They used many methods, including breeding them in safe places and removing animals that hurt them. By 2016, these foxes were no longer considered endangered, a very fast recovery.

Purple Emperor butterfly

The Purple Emperor butterfly, found in the UK, has come back strongly. People helped by planting special trees that the baby butterflies eat. Even though these butterflies are very particular, groups have helped them spread across more areas.