On the Edge: Hope for Animals and Their World
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| Campaign for Endangered Species and Biodiversity |
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| © Thomas Mangelsen |
What is an Endangered Species?
And why is it endangered?
As you get started on your Hope for Animals project, these two questions are importnat ones to ask yourself and your group. Is the species you selected locally endangered or threatened, is it nationally recognized in the United States or listed on the international stage as well?
According to the Endangered Species Act species are listed in two categories, endangered and threatened.
Endangered - When a species is put into the category of endangered, it means that this species is in serious danger of extinction throughout all or part of its natural range.
Threatened - If a species is listed as threatened it means that the species is likely to become endangered in the forseeable future.
Placed in either category, the survival of the species is challenged, and their future uncertain. In On the Edge: Hope for Animals and their world, our members are called to help both endangered and threatened species.
Why is paying attention to Endangered and Threatened Species important?
Nature works when balance is maintained. Each species on the planet plays a very specific and important role in maintaining this balance.When a single species is removed, or even just reduced, the balance cannot remain. How many species can we remove before everything crumbles?
Think of the Earth as a beautiful woven blanket. Now pull a thread from it. What happens? More threads start falling out. How many threads can we pull before the entire blanket starts unraveling?
Each and every species is a thread in the blanket. Each and every species plays helps to maintain balance.
Join On the Edge: Hope for Animals and their World today
to ensure that they have a hopeful future.
