Transcript Threatened Endangered Extant Extinct Wildlife Species

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Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Value of Wildlife
• Endangered Species Act
• Threatened Species
• Endangered Species
• Extant Species
• Extinct Species
• Identification of Threatened or Endangered
Species
• Recovery
• Delisted Species
Introduction
• Biologists estimate that 99 percent of all plant
and animal species that ever existed on the
earth are now extinct.
• Extinction is a natural part of evolution.
• There is a misconception that extinction is a
direct result of human activity.
• Humans are in competition with wildlife for
space.
Photo by Bob Nichols courtesy of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
•
This loss of habitat has lead to the extinction
of many hundreds of wildlife species.
•
Even more are in jeopardy of becoming
extinct.
•
An understanding of the process of extinction
will positively affect human interaction with
wildlife populations.
Process of Extinction
• Population risk, environmental risk, natural
catastrophe, genetic risk, and human actions
cause extinction.
• Of the five categories of extinction, only one is
related to human activity.
• Activity in one category can trigger activity in
another.
• The main concept is that extinction is a part of
the scheme of nature.
• However, as a rule, people do not relate
extinction to natural processes.
Population Risk
• Plant and animal populations are unstable.
• When the death rate exceeds the
birth rate, the population will decline.
•
One result of a low population is the risk that
the female will not find a mate during peak
fertility.
•
This continues to reduce the birth rate and
puts the population at a higher risk.
Environmental Risk
• There are physical and biological changes that
create the second category, environmental
risk.
• Physical factors include weather conditions
such as heavy rainfall, drought, and extremely
cold or unusually hot winters.
Photo by Tim McCabe courtesy of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
• Predator-prey relationships affect the
biological environment.
• More pressure is put on the prey species
population as the predator species
population increases.
Photo by Robin West courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Natural Catastrophe
• Natural catastrophe is the result of sudden
change in the environment such as
earthquakes, meteorites, tidal waves, or
major volcanic activity.
Photo by R. G. Johnson courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
•
The result of such
activity is
immediate death
since they do not
allow the species
to adapt or move.
Photo by R. Russell courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Genetic Risk
• Genetic risk is a direct result of a change in
genetic makeup of the species.
• Extinction can result from mutation, genetic
drift, and reduced genetic variation.
• A decreasing population results in a decreasing
gene pool and a concentration of potentially
harmful traits.
Human Actions
There are four human actions that affect wildlife
populations
• hunting,
• destruction of habitat,
• pollution, and
• introduction of exotic species.
• Hunting, as a management tool, is beneficial.
• Uncontrolled hunting and poaching targets a
species without regard to its place in the
ecosystem.
Photo by John Schwartz courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
•
Destruction of habitat also contributes to the
decline of species populations.
•
Agriculture, transportation, and construction
use natural resources and reduce
habitat.
Photo by Lynn Betts courtesy of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
A habitat does not need to be totally destroyed
to seriously affect a species.
• Pollution can lead to extinction.
• Dumping of toxic wastes on land and into
waterways pollutes food and water supply of
wildlife.
Photo by R. Will Roach courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Photo by Brent Esmil????????????????? courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Introduction of exotic or non-native species
into the environment can seriously affect
native populations.
• These new species can become competitors,
predators, or parasites.
Common Pine Shoot Beetle
Photo by James Appleby (Univ. of Illinois) courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Introduction can either be intentional or
accidental.
• Regardless, the outcome will often affect
wildlife in the ecosystem.
Photo by John and Karen Hollingsworth courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Value of Wildlife
• Some believe that only through preservation
of all wildlife will it be possible to ensure
survival of the human population.
• Wildlife offers beauty, economic value, and
scientific value.
The aesthetic value alone is reason enough to
afford protection.
Photo by Steve Maslowski courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Still unknown are the scientific contributions
wildlife can make.
• These range from effects of pollution to their
impact on medical products.
Photo by Gary Stolz courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Endangered Species Act
• When President
Theodore Roosevelt
established the first
National Wildlife
Refuge at Pelican
Island, Florida, in 1903,
he provided an area
that gave protection to
many species.
Photo by Amce Roto Service courtesy of U. S. Fish &
Wildlife Service.
Photo courtesy of U. S. Fish &
Wildlife Service.
Wood storks, brown pelicans, and other
dwindling waterfowl species now had a safe
haven.
Photo by George Gentry courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• It was not until much later, with the passage
of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1966,
that endangered and threatened wildlife
received legislative protection.
• ESA authorized the purchase of land to
conserve selected fish and wildlife.
• The Endangered Species Act of 1969 listed
species that were threatened or endangered.
• With the Endangered Species Act of 1973
came strengthened protection for all listed
species.
• It superseded all earlier acts.
• The Endangered Species Act Amendment of
1978 established a Cabinet level Endangered
Species Committee.
• The last change came with the Endangered
Species Act Amendment of 1982, which
allowed by permit the taking of listed species.
• It also prohibited taking plants on Federal
lands.
•
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) monitor the classification of a
listed species population status.
•
Jointly, they list species as threatened or
endangered.
•
Pest insects are not subject to listing by either
FWS or NMFS.
• The Secretary of Interior is responsible for
placing a species on the threatened or
endangered list.
• The responsibility is delegated to the USFWS,
where the director approves petition findings,
listing proposals, and final listing
determinations.
•
A species can be listed through petition or
through the candidate assessment process.
•
Any person can petition that a species be
added to the Federal Register.
•
Petitions are formal requests and time
constraints ensure prompt action.
Candidate assessment
allows biologists from the
FWS to identify species
for listing.
Photo by John & Karen Hollingsworth courtesy of U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
There are 279 species
currently recognized as
candidates for ESA
protection as of
September 2006,
including 7 new
species.
Photo by John & Karen Hollingsworth courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• The ESA describes critical habitat in the
Federal Register.
• The FWS can designate and list critical habitat
for listed species.
• Critical habitats are essential to the
conservation of the target species.
Photo by John & Karen Hollingsworth courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In the United States, plants and animals are
identified as
• protected,
• threatened,
• endangered,
• extant, or
• extinct.
• Within the past 200 years, 75 species of birds,
60 species of mammals, and 20 species of
reptiles became extinct.
• A species is not destined for extinction just
because it has been listed on the threatened
or endangered list.
• Five criteria govern moving a species to the
list.
• A species only has to meet one of the criteria
to make the list.
• Most meet more than one criteria.
The five criteria for Threatened or Endangered
Species Listing are as follows
• present or threatened destruction, modification, or
curtailment of its habitat or range;
• over-utilization for commercial, recreational,
scientific, or educational purposes;
• disease or predation;
• inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms;
and/or
• other natural or artificial factors affecting its
continued existence.
• Other nations are concerned with protecting
threatened and endangered species.
• Canada enacted the Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Act in 1999.
• It replaced the Game and Fish Act that was last
amended in 1980.
• The current law provides more protection and
management for wildlife.
• The law also provided an easy-to-read and
understand classification of wildlife.
• The following codes are used by the Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) and
the national Committee on the Status of
Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)
• Regulated under provincial Endangered
Species Act (END-R)
• Endangered (END)
• Threatened (THR)
• Vulnerable (VUL)
• Special Concern (SC)
• Extirpated (EXP)
• Extinct (ET)
• Not in Any Category (NIAC)
• Not at Risk (NAR)
• Indeterminate (IND)
• Data Deficient (DD)
Threatened Species
• A threatened species is one that faces the
likelihood of becoming endangered within the
foreseeable future throughout all or a
significant portion of its range.
• Another term to describe a threatened status
is vulnerable.
• Threatened or vulnerable should not be
confused with rare species.
• Rare species have a naturally small population.
• The following list includes some examples of
threatened species.
• The following list includes some examples of
threatened species.
• Alligator snapping turtle
• Loggerhead sea turtle
• Texas horned lizard
• Canebreak rattlesnake
• Tiger
• Blackbuck antelope
Alligator Snapping Turtle
Photo by Gary Stolz courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Photo by Ryan Hagerty courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Texas Horned Lizard
Photo by Gary Stolz courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Canebreak Rattlesnake
Photo by Edward McCrea courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Tiger
Photo by John & Karen Hollingsworth courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Blackbuck Antelope
Photo by Dick Mitchell courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Endangered Species
• Endangered indicates the danger of extinction
of a species throughout all or a significant
portion of its range.
• The following list shows a few examples of
animals that are endangered species.
• Jaguarundi
• Brown pelican
• Ocelot
• Whooping crane
• Black bear
• Wood stork
• Spotted owl
• American alligator
• Bald eagle
• American crocodile
• Peregrine falcon
• Houston toad
• Red Cockaded
Woodpecker
• Texas blind salamander
• Golden-cheeked warbler
• Black-capped vireo
• Attwater’s prairie chicken
• Kemp’s ridley sea turtle
• Atlantic green sea turtle
• Paddlefish
Jaguarundi
Photo by Gary Halvorsen courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Ocelot
Photo by tom Smylie courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Black Bear
Photo by John & Karen Hollingsworth courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Northern Spotted Owl
Photo by John & Karen Hollingsworth courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Bald Eagle
Photo by Steve Maslowski courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Peregrine Falcon
Photos courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Red Cockaded Woodpecker
Photo by John & Karen Hollingsworth courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Golden-Cheeked Warbler
Photo by Steve Maslowski courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Black-capped Vireo
Photo courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Attwater’s Prairie Chicken
Photo by Gary Halvorsen courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Brown Pelican
Photo by Lee Karney courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Whooping Crane
Photo by Luther Goldman courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Wood Stork
Photo by Ryan Hagerty courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
American Alligator
Photo by John Mosesso courtesy of the National Biological Information Infrastructure.
American Crocodile
Photo courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Houston Toad
Photo by Robert Thomas courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Texas Blind Salamander
Photo by Glenn Longly courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle
Photo by David Bowman courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Green Sea Turtle
Photo by Ryan Hagerty courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Paddlefish
Illustration by Timothy Knepp courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The entire list of endangered or threatened
species can be viewed on the U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service’s website
•
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html#Species
Extant Species
• Extant species are extinct in their natural
habitat.
• Individuals are still alive, but are kept in zoos,
game preserves, or research facilities.
• Another term to describe extant species is
extirpated.
Below are some examples of species that are
extant or extirpated in Texas.
• Elk
• Bighorn sheep
• Red wolf
• Grizzly bear
• Black-footed ferret
• Jaguar
• Bison (buffalo)
• Manatee
Elk
Photo courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Desert Bighorn Sheep
Photo by Peter Carboni courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Red Wolf
Photo by John & Karen Hollingsworth courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Grizzly Bear
Photo by Terry Tollefsbol courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Black-footed Ferret
Photo by Tami Black courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Jaguar
Photo courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Bison (Buffalo)
Photo by Jesse Achtenberg courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Manatee
Photo by Jim Reid courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Extinct Species
• Officially, extinct species no longer exist in
their natural habitat.
• In reality, a species is extinct when no
members of the species are alive.
• The passenger pigeon and the Florida panther
are two examples of extinct species.
Passenger Pigeon
Photo by Luther Goldman courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Florida Panther
Photo courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Identification of Threatened and
Endangered Species
• There is a listing of both state and federal
plant and animal species on the threatened
and endangered list.
• A species may be on a State Register and not
on the Federal Register.
Recovery
• Once a species has been listed by the FWS or
the NWFS as endangered, a Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP) or recovery plan is
developed.
• Prior to plan development, knowledge
concerning habitat, nesting, and food sources
of the species must be obtained.
• If successful, a species can be downgraded
from endangered to threatened.
• If unsuccessful, a species becomes delisted by
becoming extinct.
Several factors and management practices affect
recovery, including
• biological diversity,
• legislation,
• National Wildlife Refuge System, and
• local involvement.
Biological Diversity
• Biological diversity is the variety of life and the
genetic difference among them in the
communities and ecosystems.
• Managing both plant and animal species is
necessary to achieve superior biological
diversity.
Legislation
• The first legislation to protect plant and
animal species came about in 1973, when
Congress established the Endangered Species
Act, the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service, and the National Marine Fisheries
Service.
• The U. S. is also a member of the 1973
Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES).
• This 130-nation agreement prohibits the trade
of listed species except under CITES permit.
• Enforcement of the ESA extends to plants,
animals, and critical habitat, as well as,
creation of recovery plans for listed species.
• Violators face imprisonment and fines.
• Individuals face up to $100,000 in fines and
one year imprisonment.
• Organizations can be fined up to $200,000.
• Special agents investigate nearly 5,000
violations each year.
• Crimes range from destruction of habitat to
large-scale exploitation of wildlife.
National Wildlife Refuge System
• As of 2004, the National Wildlife Refuge
System had 96,013,646 acres of land under
management.
• The management units included 545 refuges,
37 wetland management districts, and 50
coordination areas.
The National Wildlife Refuges conduct
management activities to implement recovery
plans using the following activities
• Habitat enhancement,
• Captive propagation,
• Transplantation,
• Predator control,
• Applied research,
• Population monitoring, and
• Law enforcement.
Wildlife Refuge System - 2003
Illustration by Doug Vandegraft courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Illustration by Doug Vandegraft courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Illustration by Doug Vandegraft courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Local Involvement
• Local involvement is an essential part of the
recovery process.
• Private landowners control the largest portion
of land in the United States.
• Even though wildlife is the property of the
state, landowner’s property rights must be
protected.
• Public support received by the FWS makes
much of the recovery of endangered species
possible.
Delisted Species
• A delisted species is any plant or animal on
either the threatened or endangered list that
has been removed from the list.
• A species is delisted when it has recovered or
becomes extinct.
• Interested parties may request delisting of a
species.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Reproduction or redistribution of all, or part, of this
presentation without written permission is
prohibited.
Instructional Materials Service
Texas A&M University
2588 TAMUS
College Station, Texas 77843-2588
http://www-ims.tamu.edu
2006