THE IMPORTANCE OF HELPING ENDANGERED SPECIES

April Malmsteen

20%

BALANCED BIOSPHERELikely the most important reason

we need to work to protect

endangered species is that they

help balance our biosphere . The

biosphere is the combination of all

ecosystems that exist on Earth . For

an ecosystem to remain balanced ,

all species contributing to that

ecosystem need to be present and

doing their jobs . Most species have

much smaller influences in

ecosystems , many of which we stil l

do not understand . It ’s important

to help this balance remain as

much as possible to avoid any

serious consequences .

M E D I C A L A D V A N C E M E N T SMANY ORGANISMS HAVE MADE INCREDIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO MEDICAL

ADVANCEMENTS AND HELPED US DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY THAT SAVES HUMAN

LIVES . TOXINS FROM VARIOUS PLANTS HAVE BEEN PROVEN TO POSSESS

GREAT MEDICINAL VALUE AND HELP WITH CERTAIN ILLNESSES . WE ’VE

LEARNED INCREDIBLE TREATMENTS FROM SMALL SPECIES AND THERE ARE

MILLIONS MORE LEFT TO DISCOVER . THERE ARE LIKELY MANY MORE SPECIES

WE HAVE YET TO FIND THAT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO MEDICAL ADVANCEMENTS

AND POSSIBLY CURE SERIOUS DISEASES .

Healthy agricultureIn order to produce agriculture, healthy ecosystems are vital. Insects such as bees pollinate the plants, which would have to be done by hand if these insects go extinct. Multiple types of plants or animals contribute to genetic diversity, which allows them to adapt and often prevents diseases from destroying their entire populations. By having various types of a single plant, for example, scientists are more likely to be able to find traits from one strain of plant that can be used to create more sustainable, higher producing, or disease resistant crops.

For more, go to:

W W W . A P R I L M A L M S

T E E N F O U N D A T I O N .

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