Species Preservation Essays - Natural Environment, Biology

Species Preservation One issue that has been a controversy is the preservation of endangered species. Ever since the 1960's, scientists have been fighting for laws and acts to protect animals and plants in keeping them in good health and their populations high in numbers. The problem is animals and plants are having trouble surviving in today's world which leads them to be classified as endangered or threatened. Endangered, meaning animals or plants with little population that the species could soon become extinct and threatened is less severe and basically just means that they are close to becoming endangered. By species becoming endangered, this affects our habitat's biodiversity. Today, however, human beings are dependent for their food, health, well-being and enjoyment of life on fundamental biological systems and processes. Humans derive all of its food and many medicines and industrial products from the wild and without biological diversity these actions could not take place. Overall, major concern is stressed over this topic not only for species well-being, but for our strength and our environment. The law has a major impact on life sciences. Many acts and laws have been passed and through the years even revised to help benefit the species. The first act is a major act in dealing with this subject .The Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 and the Endangered Species Conservation act of 1969 was to demonstrate the stress on trying to protect endangered species. Although they weren't that effective. So on December 28, 1973, Richard M. Nixon signs the Endangered Species Act, which leads to the rise of environmental protection legislation. This law makes it illegal for Americans to import or trade in any product made from an endangered or threatened species unless it is used for an approved scientific purpose or to enhance the survival of the species. Also the endangered species on this list cannot be hunted , killed, collected, or injured in the United States. This law is said to be the toughest environmental law. Of course that isn't the only law that affected or aided conservation. The convention of International Trade in Endangered Species, also known as CITES was amended in 1975. As of 1993, it was signed by 120 countries and lists 675 species that cannot be commercially traded as live specimens or wildlife products because they are endangered or threatened. Another recent act is the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994. The US congress passed this to provide resources to conservations programs focused on saving these endangered species. This year Congress should be making a revisable copy and figure out the spending on these animals. There are many other acts like the African Elephant Conservation Act of 1988 which is to assist the conservation and protection of African elephants. The Lacey Act of 1990, which prohibits import, export, transportation, sale, or purchase of fish, wildlife, or plants that are taken in violation of any Federal, State, tribal or foreign law. And lastly there is the Eagle Protection Act which began in 1940. This act makes it unlawful to import, export, take, sell, purchase, or barter any bald eagle or golden eagle, even if its just their parts. All of these acts are dealing with this issue directly, which is not the case all the time. Many laws are put into effect for another issue but indirectly help the preservations of animals and plants. One example would be the Clean Air Act of 1990. It was amended in 1970. This act was to place limits on industrial pollutants that cause acid rain, called for reductions in toxic and carcinogenic chemicals released by U.S. factories and reduction in automobile emissions; included reductions of 50 percent in industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, 70 percent in carbon monoxide from automobiles, and 20 percent in other emissions; 250 toxic chemicals were to be monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency; and industries would be required to use the best technology to prevent such wastes. The reason for this act was pollution but it does help out endangered species. It helps their health which helps their population grow. Although it's not a subject you hear about all the time in the media or just in everyday conversation, but the percentages of endangered animals and endangered species are high. One-fourth of the world's species of mammals are threatened with extinction. Half of that number may be gone in a decade. . There is 77 species of Cetacea, 4 species of Sirenia, 113 species of primates and 99 species or Carnivora are included. From 1970 to