TEST Tidbits: Endangered Species Day Is May 20
Seventeen years ago, David Robinson of the Endangered Species Coalition lobbied for a national day to encourage awareness of the breadth and depth of the number of species that were fighting to remain alive and thriving. He was right to be concerned. Every imaginable living category – plants, animals, insects, birds, fish – has species that are threatened, endangered, critically endangered or, sadly, extinct.
There are also large numbers of species not yet known or studied enough to be categorized as stable or in trouble.
First some definitions. Unless meeting certain standards, species are considered stable. A species is considered threatened if undergoes vulnerable conditions that are consistently lowering its ability to thrive. Endangered species are those that are in danger of not being able to recover; critically endangered species are most likely on the way to extinction.
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of numbers of species. An ecosystem is a community of living organisms and non-living components that are interconnected and dependent upon the vitality of each to thrive in an area. Taken in a broader concept, these ecosystems themselves are interconnected and interdependent-including humans.
The dodo bird, woolly mammoth, saber-toothed tiger and passenger pigeon are extinct. Some well-known endangered species are the rusty patched bumblebee, several varieties of butterflies, greater prairie chicken, roseate tern, northern spotted owl, Bengal tiger, western lowland gorilla, blue whale, Asian elephant, Amazon pink dolphin – the list goes on and on.
The reasons for being threatened or endangered vary from place to place. Most are affected by climate change. Some other causes are loss of habitat, poaching, illegal hunting, disease, pollution and development of land for humans.
What can we do? Support conservation efforts: big organizations like World Wildlife Fund, small steps like “No Mow May,” which seeks to assist pollinators, and gardens that attract pollinators. Pass on your knowledge and continue to be thoughtful Earth Stewards.
Earth Steward Action: Today, thank God for our diverse Earth and pray for all endangered species. Pick one endangered species to study and support.
Sources:
https://www.askdifference.com/ecosystem-vs-biodiversity/
https://xerces.org/endangered-species/pollinators
https://wildliferisk.org/effects-of-species-extinction-on-the-ecosystem/