Saving Species

The conservation of biodiversity needs to be one of our top priorities. That doesn't just mean that we need to preserve just the tropical rainforests, which harbor an enormous number of species, but any natural habitat, no matter how small, because the interplay of all species (animals, plants, and microorganisms) is of great importance to the functioning of planet Earth.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN for short, is an important international organization that provides detailed data on the status of globally threatened species in their so called "Red List".

Rhaphiomidas auratus Cazier, 1985 - a closely related
species of the endangered Rhaphiomidas terminatus
abdominalis. Photo by Greg Ballmer.

At the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL, www.eol.org), we show the IUCN conservation status for each species just underneath the species name. For example, the status of Prionailurus viverrinus (Bennett, 1833), otherwise known as the South-east Asian Fishing Cat, is endangered (see details here). Additionally, more detailed conservation status information within different countries is provided in the Conservation tab of an EOL species page. The species page for the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos (Linnaeus, 1758)) explains, for example, where and why this eagle is protected in the US and the UK and that it is extinct in Ireland. It is important to highlight that this species is protected in the US, but globally the populations are healthy and it is listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List. This is because the Golden Eagle occurs in 66 countries in the Northern Hemisphere and is only extinct in Ireland (see details here). Conservation status information is, for the majority of cases, only available for amphibians, birds, mammals, and some plants as these species have been studied much more in the past than insects or fungi. However, more and more scientists working on these underrepresented groups are applying the same rules that are used to assess the conservation status of the chimpanzee to, let's say, flies in order to establish their conservation status. Today, only a single species of fly, the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly Rhaphiomidas terminatus abdominalis (Cazier, 1941) from the Los Angeles area, is listed as endangered in the US (see species profile from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service here). There are no fly species listed globally in the IUCN Red List although one beetle and 12 butterfly species have been evaluated from the hundreds of thousands of known insect species. Hopefully, this will change as more scientists study the conservation status of some of the less charismatic species as these are equally important for the health of the planet.

As highlighted in my first post three weeks ago, conservation needs to be targeted at regions and not just focus on a single species. If we preserve a biodiversity hotspot, we will also preserve every species of fungus, plant, bird, insect, worm, and mammal that lives within the confines of the hotspot. But even if we conserve an entire area, there are still threats to the wildlife posed by unscrupulous people who try to make money by illegally trading wildlife. The main international organization that proposes lists of species or populations that are protected through a ban on international trade is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES.

In many instances particular species are protected, but in other situations, whole groups like primates, cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), sea turtles, parrots, corals, cacti, and orchids are protected. You might have seen the displays in big international airports that showcase items like alligator skin purses, snake skin belts, ivory artifacts, and turtle shells that have been confiscated by customs or Fish & Wildlife personnel. In the majority of cases, these species are part of the CITES list and any trade, even by a tourist who bought the piece as a souvenir, is unlawful. Currently, 892 species (597 animal species and 295 plant species) are listed in the highest category by CITES, which means that they "are threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade in specimens of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance for scientific research." Other organizations working to protect animals from illegal trade are TRAFFIC and the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT). Sadly, people go to astounding lengths to move wildlife illegally across borders like this man smuggling parrot eggs into Australia.

I can't stress the importance of protecting high biodiversity regions enough. Every one of us can take part in the conservation of flora and fauna by not buying souvenirs that are made from endangered species. Furthermore, there are hundreds of international and local conservation NGOs and interest groups with which we can work to protect our planet, its biodiversity and its natural resources so that humanity can enjoy them for millennia to come.