For as significant as there is an effort to protect and nurture our planet, there’s perpetual threat to it. Human encroachment into nature, the destruction of habitats puts ecosystems at risk. Often causing irreparable damage. Some of those habitats are not beyond saving, as well as the animals within them. 21 species are gone from the endangered species list. Not because they’ve been saved, because they’re beyond saving, and have become extinct.
Some of the species included on the list are the Little Mariana fruit bat, Bachman’s warbler, and the San Marcos gambusia.
It’s heartbreaking to learn that these species will fade from existence. Despite conservation efforts, it was impossible to save them. Though it’s hard to say whether or not they were already gone, if that’s any consolation. Many were added to the list of the Endangered Species Act during the 1970s and 80s. At the time, they already had dwindling numbers. “Federal protection came too late to reverse these species’ decline, and it’s a wake-up call on the importance of conserving imperiled species before it’s too late,” Service Director Martha Williams laments.
Humanity’s Disregard Will Be Its Doom
Regardless of the fact that the species may have already been struggling at the time, there are far more species that compile the endangered list than ever before. It’s only a matter of time before threatened species that still exist are also removed due to their destruction. “The 21 species extinctions highlight the importance of the ESA and efforts to conserve species before declines become irreversible,” the ESA says in an announcement. “The circumstances of each also underscore how human activity can drive species decline and extinction by contributing to habitat loss, overuse, and the introduction of invasive species and diseases.” The natural balance of our planet relies on its varied species and the purposes they serve. The more that disappear, the more our habitats suffer for it.
