Free Essay on Endangered Species Extended Project

Endangered species refers to a specific species in the wild that is in great danger of extinction in the future. Endangered species tend to be at risk due to factors that include; poaching, unfavorable habitats due to harsh climatic conditions, displacement by other dangerous species, predation by other animals, and also human exploitation.

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Section 1

The endangered species in the wild include; Tiger, Vaquita, Saola, and Sumatran Elephant. These species are recognized as the most endangered species. Various measures are put in place to secure the habitats and also ensure that the habitats are safe.

Section 2

Background Information About the Endangered Species

The Tiger

Tiger is the largest in the cat species. Mostly recognized by its dark, vertical and orange stripes, and the Tiger live for around 10 to 15 years while the female Tiger lives for a longer time when in captivity it lives for around 20 to 25 years, tigers tend to develop sexual maturity at around 4 to 5 years (Thatte et al., 2018, ). The tiger mates during March and June, and the gestation period is between 90 to 100 days. The Tiger preys on animals such as the deer, boars. The Tiger is found mostly in the Himalayas, Central Asia, China, and Southeast Asia. The Tiger, regarded endangered since its number reduced drastically due to mostly poaching, habitat destruction and also continuous conflicts with the human since the Tiger can also pray on the human due to meat.

Conservation Measures

Governments, like in the case of India, tend to pledge much money in the form of millions to set up initiatives in order to combat poaching. The government also relocated the villagers to safer grounds to prevent human and tiger interactions (Thatte et al., 2018, ). By doing so, it led to significant rice in Tiger`s population.

The Vaquita

It refers to the smallest group of cetaceans that lives in the Gulf of California. The Vaquita, easily differentiated from other sea creatures due to its small body with a triangular dorsal fin with a rounded beak and black patches around the lips and eyes. The females tend to be longer than the males, the Vaquita lives for 20 years, and the sexual maturity is between two and three years (Jaramillo-Legorreta et al., 2019,). The population dropped due to illegal fisheries bycatch and also caused by increased pollution around the gulf area. Humans are the leading cause of this extinction since most of the humans are involved in fisheries bycatch and targeting the Vaquita for black market sale.

Conservation measures

The Mexican government, in partnership with other international committees, formed and implemented plans to reduce the bycatch. The Mexican government launched the PACE-VAQUITA to enforce banning the gillnet, which is a fishing gear used by fishermen to hunt the Vaquita (Jaramillo-Legorreta et al., 2019, ). The government recommended that the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita and suggested that Vaquitas be moved from the high-density areas and relocated to protected sea areas.

The SaolaThe Saola is one of the rarest largest mammals discovered in Vietnam, and Laos has quite related to the goats and also antelopes. The Saola lives for around 8 to 11 years in the wild, and it cannot survive for an extended period in captivity because the Saola dies over a short period, the gestation period of the Saola is between 7 to 8 months the mating season is between August and September (Díez-del-Molino et al., 2018, ). The Saola population reduced due to local hunting and also the black-market trade. The Saola can also be used for traditional medicines, or even for its meat. Also, the humans capture the Saola in traps sets for animals that raid the crops like the boars.

Conservation

The Wildlife Conservation Society Laos conservative measures include conducting surveys in priority areas. It also includes the building of local management capacity and also conducting surveys on specific grounds.

Sumatran Elephant

Sumatran Elephant is one of the sub-species of endangered Asian Elephants. Sumatran Elephants tend to be smaller than the elephants found in the African region. The Sumatran Elephant tends to live for around 55 to 70 years, and the reproduction process occurs once in four years, with 19-21 months of pregnancy, the Sumatran elephant delivers one calf (Moßbrucker et al., 2016, ). Due to deforestation and human settlements, the elephants have moved to more dangerous habitats. The Sumatran elephants are also poached for their own ivory and thus killed. The Elephants are also captured and killed after raiding the human habitats and also crops.

Conservation

WWF Indonesia protects the Sumatran Elephants through collaboration with other organizations and also the government (Moßbrucker et al., 2016,). The WWF tames and trains the Elephants and prevents the elephants from returning to the original habitats, reducing the poaching activities for its ivories and also prevent the human and elephants’ rivalries.

Section 3

Organization Efforts

International Union for Conversation of Nature (IUCN)

The International Union for Conversation of Nature formed on 5th October 1948, and its primary mission is the conservation of nature. The IUCN works in partnership with other agencies and countries to help safeguard the endangered species. The IUCN, in partnership with other partners, forms interventions that include the recovery programs for the endangered species, establishment of protected grounds, and also control of the endangered species, which includes biological control ("Guidelines for the application of IUCN red list of ecosystems categories and criteria. Version 1.1," 2017, ). For example, the Sumatran Rhino Rescue works in partnership with IUCN and other agencies to save the endangered Rhino species. The IUCN has been working around the clock with the legal service that includes the Judges, Magistrates in strengthening the judicial responses concerning wildlife crimes that include poaching activities. The IUCN, in partnership with other countries, formed strong legislation and penalties for the wildlife poachers and also offenders.

Section four

Laws

Endangered Species Act of 1973

It was formed in the year 1973 by President Nixon to prevent the extinction of wild lives. The law acts by the following measures; preventing the species from harm, protecting the habitat for the endangered species, and also the creation of plans to restore the endangered species population (Lowell & Kelly, 2016, ). The law also provides conservation resources to help the tribes that also aid in safeguarding the endangered species, and also any ant of importation or exportation of wildlife is prohibited.

Lacey Act

Lacey act formed in the year the 1900s; it prohibits the trade and selling of wildlife, fish, and plants. The acts protect the wildlife by creating penalties for the criminals violating the rules and regulations safeguarding the endangered species.

Section five

Survey

The survey questions include; Do one know about the Tiger? What class does the Tiger belong? Does one know about the Saola?. How does the Saola get endangered? What is a Sumatran Elephant? What is the lifespan of a Sumatran Elephant? What does one know about the International Union for Conversation of Nature (IUCN)? How does the IUCN safeguard endangered Species? What laws are one aware of that safeguard the endangered species? What are the strategies put in place to safeguard the endangered species?

Section seven.

Graphs

A pie chart showing respondent knowledge on endangered species (n=10)

Slightly more than 59.3% percent of the people had vast knowledge regarding the Sumatran Elephant. A small number of citizens know the Tiger, and also, the people know how the Saola endangered.

A pie chart showing knowledge distribution regarding law among respondents (n=10)

Slightly more than half (45%) of the respondents gave the correct answer regarding the IUN body and how it functions and how it has placed measures to safeguard the endangered species. Only 10% of the individuals knew the strategies in place on safeguarding the endangered species and also how the various bodies and organizations handle criminal activities regarding the selling of wildlife products.

Section Eight

Opinions

The current strategies placed by the bodies and organizations is sufficient and adequate. According to the results and research have done, the number of wildlife has significantly increased, and also the poaching activities have reduced since the measures and laws to safeguard the endangered species are strict. Another way of protecting the endangered species is by clearing human settlements and also fencing of the natural habitats to prevent contact between the humans and the endangered species. One should care for the endangered species since the endangered species act as human attraction and also can increase income and maintain the culture. The endangered species can be used by scientists to conduct experiments that can be significant to human nature. The advantages include the creation of medicine and other essential equipment.

References

Díez-del-Molino, D., Sánchez-Barreiro, F., Barnes, I., Gilbert, M. T., & Dalén, L. (2018). Quantifying temporal Genomic erosion in endangered species. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 33(3), 176-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2017.12.002

Guidelines for the application of IUCN red list of ecosystems categories and criteria. Version 1.1. (2017). https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.ch.2016.rle.3.en

Jaramillo-Legorreta, A. M., Cardenas-Hinojosa, G., Nieto-Garcia, E., Rojas-Bracho, L., Thomas, L., Ver Hoef, J. M., Moore, J., Taylor, B., Barlow, J., & Tregenza, N. (2019). Decline towards the extinction of Mexico's vaquita porpoise ( Phocoena sinus ). Royal Society Open Science, 6(7), 190598. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.190598

Lowell, N., & Kelly, R. P. (2016). Evaluating agency use of “best available science” under the United States Endangered Species Act. Biological Conservation, 196, 53-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.02.003

Moßbrucker, A. M., Imron, M. A., Pudyatmoko, S., Pratje, P., & S. (2016). Modeling the fate of Sumatran elephants in Bukit Tigapuluh Indonesia: Research needs & implications for population management. Jurnal Ilmu Kehutanan, 10(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.22146/jik.12622

Thatte, P., Joshi, A., Vaidyanathan, S., Landguth, E., & Ramakrishnan, U. (2018). Maintaining tiger connectivity and minimizing extinction into the next century: Insights from landscape genetics and spatially-explicit simulations. Biological Conservation, 218, 181-191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.12.022