Here today… let’s keep it that way
National Endangered Species Day – May 21
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
They may not seem vulnerable, but they need our protection to survive as a species.
National Endangered Species Day occurs annually on the third Friday of May. It is celebrating its 16th year on May 21.
This National Day is dedicated to bringing attention to the species and their habitats in danger. National Endangered Species Day should be all the more acknowledged when we realize that scientists having estimated ⅓ species in the United States alone are in danger. This includes all types of wildlife, animals and plants. You can see the levels of threats for some of these species here.
The golden fuchsia plant, the bonin pipistrelle bat, and the Hawaii yellow agave lurida are just three species labeled extinct in 2020. Last year Lake Lanao in Manilla, one of the oldest lakes in the world, had 15 of its inhabitant species extinct. This issue has a strong tether to global warming. Habitats’ climates are changing and making it difficult for animals to adapt. We are currently facing the Earth’s 6th mass extinction (mb.com.ph).
Human destruction is a root cause for this mass extinction. In the past, this problem has wiped out around 70-95% of life forms on Earth. Without human destruction, it would have taken thousands of years to contribute to the loss seen in the past century. “Extinction breeds extinction,” says earth.org. Species are linked to species and with one wiped out it creates a domino effect.
As humans we know that we are linked to the life forms around us and with species at danger puts us in danger as well. Therefore, National Endangered Species Day encourages us to become more educated about the problems and the solutions.
