The plight of endangered animals and the effectiveness of their conservation methods.

Essay by kwangti April 2003

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Man has always been the dominant force in our ecosystem and we have the power to dictate and control almost all other living organisms to conform according to our wishes with our immaculate possession of technology and intelligence. I believe that the main cause of the continuous endangerment of animals in our ecosystem today has been man and the latter should be the primary factor in the rapid extinction of as many as 20% of animals in the next 30 years(Easton and Goldfarb 2003).

It is inconceivable not to mention habitat destruction and man's overexploitation of numerous species that has led to this ugly phenomenon. The question we have been asking ourselves is whether these endangered animals do possesses any values at all and whether we should actively conserve them. Is it possible that we should neglect the well-being and survivability of certain species in order to cater to our insatiable need to extract valuable resources from them? I would emphasize that the answer should be a resounding no.

It is very likely that very soon all our unmanaged exploitation would lead to the extinction of many of the species that has ensured our stability and dominance in the ecosystem and if that day arrives, where then can we find a suitable and authentic substitute for those species that has equipped us with medicinal, agricultural, economical and even recreational needs for many centuries?

What then do we need to do to preserve these endangered animals? Perhaps preserving habitats could be the best measure. It is also very easy for man to develop certain artificial measures to aid conservation. With the rapid development in science and technology, gene cloning and artificial breeding methods could be fool-proof ways to...