1 The Conservation of endangered speciesIn what ways is the preservation of endangered species harmful versus beneficial to the environment as a whole? By: Heather Derflinger

2 In what ways is the preservation of endangered species harmful versus beneficial to the environment as a whole? Subclaim 1: The preservation of endangered species is beneficial to the overall well-being of the environment Quotes: Explanations: “If we fail to retain a diversity of native vegetation in our farming and ranching operations, including native flowering pollinators, we can only assume we will be faced with a growing list of species concerns in the future” ( Extension). “When we lose one rare species, it actually symbolizes many changes of far broader impact, ranging from the loss of habitats (affecting large numbers of species) to large-scale alterations to the functions of those habitats. As the human population climbs, these cumulative changes will ultimately affect our economies and our well-being, because natural ecosystems perform--free of charge--many functions which we take for granted, such as purification of our wastes, production of harvestable resources, regulation of our climate, and restoration of the oxygen that we breathe” (What is the point in preserving). The extinction of one species oftentimes results in a domino effect, in which more species within the same ecosystem are likely to follow. This is as a result of the idea that each species plays a role in the general functioning's of an ecosystem and that when one is affected, they are all affected. The earth’s ecosystems play a large role in the overall safety and health of our society. Every organism is essential to our health, from plants that filter our air and water to the small insects that pollinate them. Therefore, the preservation of many of these species is essential to the overall health of our planet.

3 In what ways is the preservation of endangered species harmful versus beneficial to the environment as a whole? Subclaim 1: The preservation of endangered species is beneficial to the overall well-being of the environment Quotes: Explanations: “As The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity points out, if you turn a hectare of mangrove forest into shrimp farms you’ll make $1,220 per year. Leave it standing, and the benefits are worth ten times that amount” (Pricing the Priceless). Contrary to popular belief , there are a number of economic benefits to preserving many of our planets endangered species. As seen here, often times the ecological value of an ecosystem/habitat is greater than its monetary one held by society.

4 In what ways is the preservation of endangered species harmful versus beneficial to the environment as a whole? Subclaim 2: The preservation of endangered species is harmful or is not considered necessary to maintain the overall well-being of the environment Quotes: Explanations: “Individual species can be lost without upsetting the stabilizing diversity” (Pickett) “Approximately $4 billion a year is required to successfully downlist all threatened species by at least one level on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List …$4 billion is a pittance. Nonetheless, it is significantly more money than conservationists currently have access to” (Snyder 1). Species go extinct on a daily basis around the world and many scientists believe that extinction in fact occurs naturally within the environment and as a result, many do not believe the biodiversity of our planet as a whole is in danger. The cost of preserving many endangered species can often be expensive and many view it as not an essential or realistic investment.

5 In what ways is the preservation of endangered species harmful versus beneficial to the environment as a whole? Subclaim 2: The preservation of endangered species is harmful or is not considered necessary to maintain the overall well-being of the environment Quotes: Explanations: “… it spells doom for all those animals and plants that people are less fond of: the ugly, the smelly and the just plain obscure... More fundamentally, it comes from a position of luxury and privilege. Its all very well for a moneyed person in western wolrd to want to preserve tigers because they’re nice to look at, but that doesn’t cut much ice with a villager in rural india whose family is in danger from one” (BBC). Oftentimes society is biased when it comes to choosing which species to preserve and which to ignore. We become focused more so on the aesthetic value of a species and how “cute” they are over their actual usage in our environment.

6 In what ways is the preservation of endangered species harmful versus beneficial to the environment as a whole? Subclaim 3: There are a variety of ways in which society goes about preserving these animals Quotations: Explanations: “The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been controversial since it became law nearly 40 years ago. One of its most-debated provisions is citizen involvement in…(“listing”)”(Brosi 2). “Defending and strengthening the Endangered Species Act, which provides an essential legal safety net to prevent the loss of plant and animal species to extinction” (NWF). The use of the “Endangered Species Act” within the US has been under debate quite frequently recently as many wonder if the act itself is still effective and if its budget should be cut. This represents a way in which the legal process is used within our society to protect many of these endangered species.

7 In what ways is the preservation of endangered species harmful versus beneficial to the environment as a whole? Subclaim 3: There are a variety of ways in which society goes about preserving these animals Quotations: Explanations: “Protecting and restoring the habitats on which endangered species and other wildlife depend for their survival, and encouraging wildlife- friendly land management practices” (NWF). “Reducing threats to wildlife that can lead to their endangerment and extinction, such as loss of habitat, contamination of water and spread of invasive species” (NWF).
  Action is also taken within our society to protect many of these specie in the form of the preservation of land such as zoos, and national and state parks because these areas provide for a safe, protected space for many species to thrive where they may not be able to do so in the wild.

8 In what ways is the preservation of endangered species harmful versus beneficial to the environment as a whole? Subclaim 4: The preservation of endangered species long term affects outweigh its short term affects Quotes: Explanations: “In 1997 ecologist Robert Costanza and his colleague estimated that the biosphere provides services around $33 trillion a year… and the entire global economy produced $18 trillion a year” (BBC). “There are no plants producing oxygen, so you have to make it yourself”(Brackney 1). “...when the next generation of scientists start their careers, they dont see the oceans as depleted; that depleted condition becomes their baseline against what theyll measure subsequent losses...” (Mooallem 128). While many believe that most preservation tactics are a waste of money there is also evidence to suggest that in the long term, more money will need to be spent if too many species go extinct as humans cannot naturally carry out all functions of their environment. For example, if too many plants, insects, or algae become a rarity, the filtration of our our air and water and the the pollination of crops may not be possible. Many scientists have now coined the term baseline syndrome in which, overtime scientists become unaware of the original baseline measurements of some species and that most humans use the environment in which they were born in as a baseline, thereby skewing the actual reality of the severity of the issue.

9 In what ways is the preservation of endangered species harmful versus beneficial to the environment as a whole? Subclaim 4: The preservation of endangered species long term affects outweigh its short term affects Quotes: Explanations: “Not only because of the actual loss of this valuable natural resource, but also because of the national-level impact, loss of native grasslands has on other species… these two small prairie buterflies should not be viewed as the exception, but rather should be studied as a cautionary prelude to what is likely to come with continued grassland loss” (Extension). Overtime, more species may be lost than just these two species of butterflies in this particular instance. Also the destruction of an overall habitat such as a grassland can have profound affects on the species which inhabit this ecosystem.

10 What’s Next? The next steps I plan to take involve…Continuing to find reliable sources and more evidence Making my subclaims more focused overtime Making my research question more focused and specific overtime as well Read more of the ”Wild Ones” book in search of even more evidence Finding more evidence to support my 3rd subclaim

11 Works Cited: "BBC - Earth - What Is the Point of Saving Endangered Species?" BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 21 Mar   Brackney, Melissa and Francis T. McAndrew. "Ecological Worldviews and Receptivity to Different Types of Arguments for Preserving Endangered Species." Journal of Environmental Education, vol. 33, no. 1, Fall2001, p. 17. EBSCOhost, proxy.library.vcu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,cookie,uid&db=ehh&AN= &site=e host-live&scope=site.  Brosi, Berry, and Eric Biber. "Citizen Involvement in the U.S. Endangered Species Act." Science (2012): Print.  Extension, SDSU. "Diversity and partnerships are keys to preserving and protected endangered and threatened species." Farm Forum (Aberdeen, SD), 28 Sep. 2016, News. NewsBank, infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15FB4A998C15B448?p=AWNB. Accessed 24 Mar Mooallem, Jon. Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story about Looking at People Looking at Animals in America. NY, NY: Penguin, Print.  Nwf. "What We Do to Protect Endangered Species." National Wildlife Federation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar Pickett, Ilayna. “PRESERVING ENDANGERED SPECIES.” The Science Teacher, vol. 59, no. 8, 1992, pp. 52–52., "Pricing the Priceless." George Monbiot. Web. 24 Mar Snyder, Brian F. "Solving Conservation's Money Problems." Conservation Biology, vol. 29, no. 1, Feb. 2015, pp EBSCOhost, doi: /cobi "What Is the Point in Preserving Endangered Species That Have No Practical Use to Humans, Apart from Their Aesthetic Appeal or Their Intellectual Interest to Biologists?" Scientific American. N.p., 19 Feb Web. 24 Mar