Environmental Effects When Species Become Extinct Essay

Animals are, like us, endangered species on an endangered planet, and we are the ones who are endangering them, it, and ourselves. They are innocent sufferers in a hell of our making. Now a days is common to listen that more and more kind of animals are going to be part of a long list of species in extinction called â€Å"the red list†, When a animal is endangered it means that they are disappearing fast or have a very small population. Every day we can see in the media the great campaign that is carried out to preserve these animals, as for example: they are keeping in zoos, they have attended reproduction, they have their habitat protected, and however, it is really necessary? Does it affect in something to the environment that a species extinguishes? Does it affects to humans also? DAVID M.  RAUP in his article called â€Å"The role of extinction in evolution (2004)† said: â€Å"The extinction of species is closely tied to the process of natural selection and is thus a major component of progressive evolution. In some passages of the Origin, Darwin seems to have seen extinction as part of natural selection; in others, as an inevitable outcome. † so why a lot of people are trying to defend the preservation of these species? Let? s analyze the reasons for which animals in extinction should be conserved. It remains all the scientists agree with which the extinction of the species has been part of the development of the earth during all its existence, According with Juliette Jowit (2010) â€Å"Extinction is part of the constant evolution of life, and only 2-4% of the species that have ever lived on Earth are thought to be alive today† When a species disappear, new ones emerge, it has happened during millions of years, such it is the case of the extinction of the dinosaurs or the â€Å"dodos†. In addition we have to bear in mind that to preserved a species is too difficult, this requires of big quantities of money, and not all countries has the possibility to do that. A good example is Ecuador with their project to preserve the â€Å"Yasunni ITT†. It is an extensive area of wild earth that contains big quantities of petroleum but it also has a great flora and fauna diversity. Ecuador requested economic help to other countries to maintain the petroleum under earth, but a great acceptance has not existed to this project and it is feared that to future the exploitation of this area will be unavoidable. On the other hand, there is not denying that researches show that the species extinction increases since the human appeared, and now days the rate of animals in extinction has been duplicated for many reasons, the global warming, habitat loss, hunting, pollution and so on. How it affects to the environment? Michael Evans (2011) says: â€Å"The more species disappear, the more entire eco-systems become vulnerable and would eventually fall apart as the links in the food chains become broken† It means that the eco-system is a big net where animals and plants are related each others, if some of them disappear, the others won? t have food, home or protection and they also will be in danger. Likewise humans can be affected with this deal, according with Michael Greenwell (2007) â€Å"Species provide economic value in the form of food crops, fuel wood and lumber, paper, and medicine†. The genetic information in species is also very important to mankind† Seen like that of the survival of certain animals ours also depends. I am entirely in favor of animal conservation because as we can saw, the animal extinction affects a lot in the environment, it’s certain that the variety of species and their habitats have an important role in ecosystem function and in the many services ecosystems provide. These include nutrient and water cycling, soil formation, plant pollination, climate regulation, and pest and pollution control. If we don’t have this benefits from ecosystem the life could be impossible. It is necessary that people, as thinking beings, should take the responsibility of preserving the life of plants and animals that compose the big planet called Earth. Let? s think about the Charles Darwin? s thought: â€Å"so profound is our ignorance, and so high our presumption, that we marvel when we hear of the extinction of an organic being; and as we do not see the cause, we invoke cataclysms to desolate the world, or invent laws on the duration of the forms of life! To sum up, Although extinctions are a normal part of evolution and it is almost impossible that a species survives forever, in the last times the rate of animals in extinction has been duplicated in an alarming way, by reason of this the ecosystem is suffering a imbalance with serious consequences for itself and for humans. For this reason it is indispensable that people realize the important of animal conservation, just in this way future generations will enjoy the wonderful nature that the Earth has.