An endangered species is one whose numbers are so small that it is at risk of extinction. 188 species have entered the endangered list since last year which makes it top off at a whopping 16,306. A species is defined as endangered or threatened when it is suffers from these factors: damage to its habitat for recreational or entertainment purposes, disease or predation of the species, and hazards to the continued life of the species.

The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) considers a wide range of criteria to determine whether a species qualifies as endangered, including a shrinking population, issues that prevent reproduction and vulnerability of the species’ habitat. The species endangered include: one in four mammals, one in eight birds, one third of all amphibians and 70% of the world’s assessed plants on the 2007 IUCN Red List are in jeopardy of extinction. The total number of extinct species has reached 785 and a further 65 are only found in captivity or in cultivation.

In the last 500 years, human activity has forced over 800 species into extinction. Extinctions are a natural part of evolutionary processes, but through most of the history of life on Earth, biological diversity has been increasing. Periodically, however, major changes in the conditions on Earth have caused the collapse of living systems, and large percentages of species a have become extinct. These species will never return. It takes millions of years for life forms to diversify again. The loss of biodiversity is occurring very rapidly, and the causes of the crisis are the activities of a single species: human beings. Some scientists believe the current crisis began when humans and their domestic animals first began to colonize the various parts of the globe.

How can we prevent this? Well, there’s the obvious phrase reduce, reuse, recycle which sounds elementary, but it is effective. You can carpool, use less plastic etc. Using hair products that are environmentally safe is also a huge one too. Once these species are gone, they will never come back so help out the world!