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STATE AND FEDERAL THREATENED AND
ENDANGERED SPECIES IN TEXAS, MARCH 2002
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STATE
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FEDERAL
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E
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T
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LE
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LT
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E/S A
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PE
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PT
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C1
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PDL
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T/S A
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Amphibians
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3
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10
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3
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1
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Birds
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14
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20
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12
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3
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1
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Fish
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8
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22
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11
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2
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Mammals
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12
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20
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11
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2
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1
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Reptiles
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3
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21
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3
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3
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2
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Invertebrates
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2
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21
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1
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Plants
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23
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5
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25
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Notes:
State:
E - State Endangered, T - State Threatened,
Federal:
LE - Federal Listed Endangered, LT - Federal Listed Threatened, E/SA,T/SA
- Federal Endangered/ Threatened Similarity of appearance, PE - Federal Proposed Endangered, PT - Federal Proposed Threatened, C1
- Federal Warrants Listing, PD - Federal Proposed Delisting.
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Source: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department,
Endangered Resource Division (March 2002)
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Several recognized scientists wrote in 1997 that "we are entering the first episode of mass
extinction [of species and ecosystems] in 65 million years—the first ever since human beings came into existence." * More recent studies are
underlining this prediction.
Scientists estimate that there could be 14 million to 100 million different species in the world, of
which only 1.7 million have been scientifically classified.
- Of the 1.7 million species, the United Nations Environment Programme's Assessment of Biodiversity reported that
between five percent and 20 percent of some groups of animals and plant species are threatened with extinction.*
- Based on current trends, an estimated 5,200 animal species--including one in eight of the world's bird species--face
extinction.* Also, of special concern are the animals that depend on freshwater ecosystems, including mussels, crayfish,
fish, and amphibians—and flowering plants.*
- In a 1997 report, the Nature Conservancy stated that approximately one-third of U.S. plant and animal species
are at risk of extinction, and twenty-nine percent of the nation's 16,000 plant species are at risk of extinction.
- More than 500 U.S. species are already extinct.As of December, 2001, 1,254 endangered plant and animal
species that occur in the United States were listed under the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
A study released in the journal Science in November, 2002,estimated that there are 310,000 to 422,000 plant species
on Earth and that between 22 to 47 percent are in danger of becoming extinct--94,000 to 144,000. The conversion of
forests to crop and pastureland is seen as the biggest cause of global plant loss.* Seventy more species are being
considered for listing. Scientists find the extinction of plant species particularly alarming news. Plants are the organisms
on which all animal life depends. They are critical to nature's functioning and to humankind. The loss of plant species
can result in the loss of biological diversity, which can in turn cause great changes in the way natural ecosystems
function. Agriculture, logging, development--all resulting in loss of habitat--and the invasion of non-native species that
crowd out indigenous plants cause the extinction of plant species. These are also the causes for the extinction of animal species.
In a report issued in February 2003 by the Union of Concerned Scientists, with contributions from 21 scientists from
Texas A&M University, 122 alien species, including plants, mammals, birds, fish, insects, mollusks and crustaceans,
were identified as having "invaded" Texas and causing harm to waterways and crops.
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FYI
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Worldwide, several species per hour are facing extinction because of human activity.
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FYI
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In the United States about 10 percent of the major medical drugs used today still
have as the primary ingredient a compound extracted from plants, and more than 25 percent of our common medicines contain at least some compounds obtained
from plants.
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Source: Beryl Brintall Simpson and Molly Conner Orogzaly; Economic
Botany: Plants in Our World, 2nd Edition [New York: McGraw Hill,1995], 376
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The natural world, on its own, without human interference, has always been able to perform
"critical life-support services" that allow civilization to flourish: the purification of air and water; the mitigation of droughts and floods; the generation and preservation of soils
and renewal of their fertility; the detoxification and decomposition of wastes; the pollination of crops and natural vegetation; control of the vast
majority of potential agricultural pests; and partial control of climate.* All
of these environmental benefits depend on the intricate and complex interaction and interdependency of species on the planet. Scientists do not
know which species we can do without or what losses might result from the extinction of any one species. With that in
mind, some scientists conclude that humanity cannot afford the extinction of any species. |
