How do we know which species to protect. Well, that's a pretty broad question. For me, the first thing is that the species must be NATIVE. It has to be a part of that ecosystem originally. Although a lot of people say that the "cute and fuzzy" animals get all the funding, it does sort of make sense. Apex predators keep wild populations of their prey in good health and in control. Without these predators, food would be overgrazed and there would be a population crash. Nonetheless, most species that are endangered are not the poster child we need it to be. Some of the species are absolutely essential to maintaining balance in an ecosystem. To me, these creatures took millions, or billions even, of years to carve out their specific niche in the world. Every nematode, beetle, bat, and frog is important to our world. We tend to ignore these guys, and give the big furry animals all the funding. However, many times, these big furry creatures need wide tracks of land, and conservation of these lands makes them available to other animals that may be suffering from habitat loss.
There is no way of truly knowing if we should be saving a species or not. But we do have to try. I feel like we are obligated to act responsibly to our fellow earth inhabitants.
Sometimes, an animal becomes endangered and the decrease in population is due to a change in nature (ie, evolution). The California Condor had an enormous range across the US, but when the ice age ended and the huge amounts of land animals (mammoths, sloths, etc) disappeared, the Condors range was significantly lessened. We can never expect the Condor to truly recover. In many parts of it's range, people have to put out carcasses for the birds to eat because there is not enough food for them. Coastal California has been promising for Condors, however. The large sea mammals/animals that wash up on the shore provide a good food source for them.
Introduced, invasive species should try and be removed. The damages these do are insane. From Starlings to Star thistle, kill 'em all
The needs of humans and animals can be met. But it takes some creative thought and yes, some effort. We need to start thinking more highly of nature. We need to think of it as a friend and our home rather than something to exploit.
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can a brother get a blog comment?
ReplyDeleteHey Zach!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you know a lot on this topic! A lot more then me at least! The idea you mentioned, that native species are important, makes a ton of sense. If they were here originally then they must play an important role in their environment and other creatures in it. I agree with you that we have an obligation to protect the endangered species and the environment, only because we are the reason they are struggling. It is completely beyond me where people got the idea that humans were put on this planet with top priority and that everything else is just here for our use. After reading your blog I am very interested to learn more about how introduced, invasive species affect the environment. Like you said, we desperately need to put some thought and as much effort as possible into this cause not only for the survival of all these species but for the survival of our entire planet and ourselves!
Well, have a good week! Peace!
Dude, invasive species in California are insane. If you want to hear some horror stories, look up the San Francisco Bay and invasive species, or House Sparrows and European Starlings. Or just think of all the pigeons. City Pigeons, aka Rock Doves, are introduced! Think about the horror!
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