Endangered Species | Environment & Ecology | Biology | FuseSchool

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You can probably name quite a few
endangered species.

Polar bear, blue whale, and black rhino
are just a few.

But there are many more that don't get
so much attention.

There are currently sixteen
and a half thousand

animals and plants
that are endangered.

An endangered species is one
that is at a high risk

of becoming extinct, which is when
there are no longer

any members of that species alive.

Lots of species are going extinct
every single day.

Sometimes this is
because of natural causes.

Extinction is part of evolution
after all.

But many more
because of human activity.

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In fact, because of humans,

the rate of extinction is estimated

to be 1.000 to 10.000
times higher

than what would occur naturally.

This is the highest rate
since the extinction of the dinosaurs

65 million years ago.

Conservation is the act
of protecting species

against becoming endangered.

It's all about preserving biodiversity.

If you want to learn more
about out biodiversity,

and why it matters, watch this video.

You might wonder why it's such a big deal.

Why does it matter if the population
of a species decreases so much,

that it is endangered.

Surely if there are fewer individuals,
such as those in zoos,

then a species can recover.

The problem is that the key
to having a healthy population

is genetic variation.

Within a population,
you need a large variety

of different characteristics,
so that the species can adapt,

if there is a change in the environment,

and avoid becoming extinct.

This can happen if all the members
of the species have similar genes.

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Also, in a small population,
there is a high chance

of inbreeding, where
closely related individuals breed.

This can increase the risk of offspring
having inherited conditions.

So, large wild populations
are important for a species' survival.

There are many reasons
why species might become endangered.

It can happen
because of habitat destruction,

climate change, over-fishing,
or hunting,

and the introduction of invasive species

to habitats, which out-compete
the native ones.

We have an ethical duty to help preserve

all the species on Earth,

and this is done by carrying out
conservation.

Let's look at the methods used.

Firstly, endangered animals
can be housed in wildlife parks.

This protects them.

And also captive breeding programmes

can be used to increase the numbers.

They help educate people
about conservation,

and how we can all help protecting
endangered species.

They also help the general public
to form an emotional connection

to these endangered species.

However, there are disadvantages
to animals in captivity.

The animals do not lead a normal life,

and there is risk of inbreeding.

A way of protecting animals
in their natural habitat

is by creating protected areas,
like national parks.

Trees cannot be cut down,
roads and houses can't be built,

and hunting of the animals is illegal.

Rangers are employed to make sure
this is enforced.

It's not just animals.
Plants are also at risk.

An amazing 70% of plant species
are endangered,

so it's vital that we help
protect them, too.

As well as using protected areas,

plants that are endangered
are preserved

by collecting seeds and storing them
in seed banks.

If a plant does become extinct,

the seeds can be grown to restore
that population's.

To recap, an endangered species is one
that is at risk from extinction,

the main causes of which are
human activities.

Protecting vulnerable species
is called conservation,

and there are many methods to do so,

including wildlife parks,
and protected areas.

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Until next time.