Endangerment is a broad issue, one that involves the animals as well as the environments where they live and interact with one another. In order to solve or even slightly elevate this problem, every aspect must be studied. So exactly what could cause the endangerment of animals? There are several factors of which only a few will be discussed. .
One of the main aspects is that of habitat destruction. Of course our planet is continually changing, causing habitats to be altered and modified, but these tend to happen at a gradual pace. This allows most species to adapt to the changing environment, where only a slight impact may take place. However, when changes occur at a fast pace, there is little or no time for an individual species to react and adjust to the new circumstances. This cause disastrous results, and for this reason, rapid habitat loss is the primary cause of species becoming endangered. Nearly every region of earth has been affected by human activity. It is difficult for an individual to recognize the effects that humans have had on specific species (Brook p.385). It is even more difficult to predict human effects on individual species and environments, especially during one lifetime.
The introduction of an exotic species into an environment will furthermore cause the endangerment of a species. Native species are those plants and animals that are part of one specific geographic area, and have been a part of that particular biological landscape for a long period of time (Ehrlich p37). The species is well adapted to the environment and accustomed to the presence of other native species within the habitat. When an exotic species is introduced usually by way of human activities or accidentally, they cause a very serious disruption in the delicate ecological balances and may produce a plethora of unintended yet harmful consequences. The introduced species may severely agitate the delicate food chain by preying on species, and growing to outrages numbers.
