Endangered species
Sindy Paganiková, IV. B
Considered to be at risk of extinction
◦There are so few left of their kind that
they could disappear from the planet altogether
Threatened by this factors:
◦Loss of habitat
◦Hunting
◦Disease
◦Climate change
Declining population or a very limited range
Many species going extinct before they have even been discovered
Third of the world’s amphibians, a quarter of all mammals and one in eight birds are endangered
Endangered species
Cause for concern for us all
◦They add beauty and wonder to the natural world
◦Great global economic importance
◦A great diversity of species maintains the ecosystems necessary to our existence by helping to regulate our climate and by
providing:
clean air and water
food
medicines
building and clothing materials
fertile soils
The ARKive project
◦through the emotive power of wildlife films and photos is working to help raise the public awareness of the world's endangered
species
Endangered species
Indicates how great the risk is of that
species becoming extinct in the near future
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species = the most global and comprehensive system
◦ Determines the conservation status of each species - assessed according to:
How many individuals there are
Whether this number is in decline
Conservation status
They are then placed on a scale in one of the following categories:
◦Extinct
◦Extinct in the Wild
◦Critically Endangered
◦Endangered
◦Vulnerable
◦Near Threatened
◦Least Concern
◦Data Deficient
Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically Endangered are considered to be at risk of extinction
◦20 222 from nearly 60 000 species assessed so far
Conservation status
Animals and plants face a large number of different threats - many of them are a direct result of human activity
◦ Loss of habitat and habitat fragmentation
◦ Hunting and poaching
◦ Invasive species
◦ Climate change
◦ Disease
◦ Collection / pet trade
◦ Pollution
Why are species
endangered?
Conservation
◦Protect the natural world and sustain biodiversity
Carefully preserving and managing existing habitats
Restoring areas which have been damaged or degraded
◦Conservation outside a species’ natural habitat
Caring for an endangered animal in captivity (e. g. zoo)
Preserving endangered plants - seed banks
Habitat preservation
◦Creation of national parks and marine protected areas
Habitat restoration
◦Managing the land, removing invasive species and reintroducing native species
Ex-situ conservation
◦Many endangered species are bred in captivity to preserve their numbers – sometimes it is possible to reintroduce them to the wild
◦Plant species - cultivated in nurseries and preserved in seed banks
What is being done to help
endangered species?
Anti-poaching measures
◦Guards to protect endangered species from poachers
Wildlife corridors
◦Where habitats have been fragmented by separations (roads, urban areas, farmland etc.), populations become isolated
◦Wildlife corridors help to reconnect habitat fragments and maintain genetic diversity
Laws and policies
◦Some endangered species are protected by law or trade in them is restricted
◦CITES (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) = international agreement between governments trade in wild animal and plant
specimens does not threaten their survival
What is being done to help
endangered species?
Basic informations
Body length: 2,5 m
Height at withers: 1,5m
Speed: Walking = 3 – 6,5 km/h; Sprinting = 40 km/h
Age: 20 – 25 years (record – 34years)
Intelligence: as smart as apes
Extremely well developed sense of smell
Food: Ringed seal, vegetation, geese, bird eggs, caribou (polar reindeer), whales, walruses,
narwhals
Polar bear
Extension
Arctic Circle
Canada (home to 60% of the polar bears)
The U.S. (Alaska)
Greenland
Russia
Norway (the Svalbard archipelago)
About 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears
19 populations of polar bears (4 are declining, 5 are stable, 1 is increasing, 9 have insufficient
data)
Polar bear
Why are they endangered?
The U.S listed them as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (May 2008)
Climate changes - Sea ice losses in the Arctic from global warming – loss of habitat
◦ They depend on sea ice for hunting, breeding, and in some cases, denning
Inuit communities – hunting for meat and fur (warm cloths) - carefully regulated by a quota system
◦ Unregulated hunting ended in 1973 with an
international agreement among the polar bear nations
Polar bear
Why are they endangered?
Pollution
◦ Black soot (settle on arctic snow and ice)
◦ Chemicals discharge from ships and factories in ocean
◦ Modern synthetic chemicals
(polychlorinated biphenyl) - weak immune system greater threat from parasites
and disease; reproduction failure and malformed organs
Polar bear
Polar bear
Endangered species fact file [online]. [cit.
2015-11-02]. Dostupné z:
http://www.arkive.org/endangered-species/
