Why do we need to conserve endangered species?

Question

I've been asked this question and all I can think of is that it's the right thing to do.

Does anyone have any other reasons why we need to do this? No wishy washy good for the soul answers please, but good solid reasons as to why we need to keep endangered species from dying out.

Answer 1

Bees are on the decline and may soon be endangered, the UK have lost 3 of the 19 native species already. An example of the importance of conserving ALL species would be the crises with Asian bees. The bees have been pollinating the pear trees for years. Now due to massive expansion and overkill with pesticides the effect on the bee population has been catastrophic. The huge pear plantations now need to be pollinated by hand. Science blames it of CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) they put it down to some sort of virus, but like all animals they need a varied diet and with only chemically treated pear tree pollen to satisfy them its inevitable that problems would occur. Please read the link.

Answer 2

We need to conserve endangered species to maintain biodiversity, and all organisms rely on each others in different cycles and food chain. Think about it this way "what happens if you have only one type of fruit, vegetable, or animal." We learned we should consider all species from the story of Noah when he took a female and a male of every species on his ship. If you ask me my point of view I think we should leave nature to take it's course, and we shouldn't waste money on saving endangered species unless humans themselves caused them to be endangered  

Answer 3

Because they serve a purpose in the food chain and eco-web. When there aren't enough of a certain creatures it's predators die and it's prey overpopulates. This in turn effects the predators predators and the prey prey and so on.

Answer 4

Quite simply because we don't understand the many roles that a particular species plays in an ecosystem.

An example of this is a weed that was prolific in the United Kingdom in the early 1800's that no one liked. So the general populace made a concerted effort to dispose of it, and soon the weed was extinct. Unfortunately, that weed was the only plant that the popular Blue butterfly fed upon, and Britain lost one of their favorite butterfly species along with the weed (actually, I believe that it wasn't Britain but I really can't remember who it was that did that. Bermuda maybe.)

So we save things that we don't see any use for because it's the right thing to do, and because we are all connected. Harm one species and we harm all species a little bit more.

Answer 5

chances are man created their possible demise . we owe it to them to make sure their kind lives on.

Answer 6

uuummmmmmm... because they are going extinct and extinct is forever.   why else?

Answer 7

I posted a fairly lengthy response about my thoughts on this yesterday (see the link below).  Basically every living thing has a purpose, even if it's only to provide food for other animals.  If we kill off entire species, we upset the balance of the ecosystem.

I see a lot of people saying we should save the species we're responsible for endangering and let the rest fend for themselves, but can anyone name even one species on the list that isn't there because of human interference?  Whether it's destruction of natural habitats, destruction of their food supply, poisoning by pesticides, contamination of water supplies, or excessive hunting, humans are responsible in one way or another for virtually all of the endangered species on the list, either directly or indirectly (don't forget about that food chain).  I can't think of any examples where we can honestly say, "Oh well, they would have died anyway, so it's not our fault."

Answer 8

Just think about the massive decrease of the number of bees. Because of the decline in the population of bees, there is a chain reaction in major food webs in the ecosystem. Pollination is carried out by the bees; and, therefore, crops and other valuable plants will not be able to produce enough fruits. The agriculture depends on the production of fruits and crops.

Answer 9

There are always species dying out with or with out humans. however when this occurs naturally it is a slow process and balance is maintained. When there are large numbers of entire species dying out at light speed due to non natural (human) manipulation you can have severe problems  like infestations of pests, destruction of property and habitat, excess of things like mould, influenza, MERSA, Hope that helps.