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CONSERVATION
GIANT WETA
CRICKET
New Zealand has
many kinds of
weta crickets.
Fossils have been
found that are more
than 190 million years
old. Today, 16 species
of weta cricket are in danger of
extinction, including the giant weta
cricket shown here.
SLIPPER ORCHID
Many orchids are in danger
because collectors bring them away
from the wild. Drury’s slipper
orchid has almost
disappeared
from its natural
region in India,
and may soon
be extinct.ANIMALS AND PLANTS ARE DYING OUT at a greater rate today than ever
before. Living things have become extinct throughout Earth’s history—often
due to dramatic changes in the climate—but, humans are now posing a greater
threat. Thousands of animals and plants are endangered (in danger of
extinction) because we cut down forests and drain wetlands to farm or build
on the land where they live. We change the environment so much that animals
and plants cannot survive. This is called habitat loss. Another great threat is
hunting. People hunt animals for their fur, hide, horns, and meat, and
sometimes simply because they consider animals a nuisance. Pollution is yet
another serious threat, damaging many oceans, rivers, and forests. Conservation
is the management and protection of wildlife and its habitats. It includes
sheltering and trying to save wild animals and plants from destruction by humans.
People are more aware of these threats to wildlife than ever before, and
there are conservation organizations in many parts of the world. They
work to protect endangered creatures by setting aside areas in the
wild where animals and plants can live in safety.AFRICAN VIOLET
The African violet is a well-known
houseplant, but it has almost
disappeared from its natural
habitat—tropical mountain
forests in Tanzania, Africa.SPADEFOOT TOAD
There are many kinds of
spadefoot toad, but it is
very rare in certain countries.CACTUS
The Mexican ariocarpus
cactus and dozens of other
cacti are very rare
because plant
collectors
have taken
them from
the wild.
GREENPEACE
International
organizations such as
Greenpeace work in
various ways to save
endangered polar
wildlife, particularly
whales and seals. Here,
a Greenpeace worker is
spraying a seal pup with
harmless red dye so
that seal hunters will
not want to kill the pup
for its beautiful fur.
142- endangered species
PYGMY HOG
There are only about
150 pygmy hogs left on
Earth following the
destruction of their
grassland home in the
Himalayan foothills
of Assam, India.SIAMESE CROCODILE
Many crocodiles and alligators have been killed for their
skins, to be made into leather bags, shoes, and belts.
Today, about 20 members of
the crocodile family are
in danger of extinction,
including the Siamese
crocodile and the
Orinoco crocodile.Siamese crocodileCONSERVING NATURE
Conservation involves studying wild places, identifying the animals
and plants that live there, and observing what happens to them.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN) collects scientific data and works on conservation
in many countries, together with organizations
such as the United Nations Environment
Program (UNEP).GALAPAGOS TORTOISE
This huge reptile has suffered from the rats, dogs, goats, and
other animals that people have taken to the Galapagos Islands,
in the East Pacific Ocean. It is now a protected species.GRAY BAT
Many kinds of bats are
threatened because of the loss of their
forest homes to farmland, and because
of the increasing use of insecticides on
the food they eat. The American gray
bat, shown right, is near threatened.RED-KNEED TARANTULA
The red-kneed tarantula from
Mexico (left) is rare because many
people keep exotic spiders as pets.JAPANESE GIANT
SALAMANDER
The Japanese giant
salamander, shown
left, is the world’s
largest amphibian,
growing to more than
5 ft (1.5 m) long. Today
it is protected, and is
very rare to find.Ariocarpus
cactus