The planet is currently facing a biodiversity crisis, with species extinction rates occurring tens to hundreds of times faster than the natural historical average. An endangered species faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild due to factors such as severe population loss or rapid habitat collapse. This unprecedented loss, with approximately one million animal and plant species now threatened, is primarily driven by human activities like habitat destruction and climate change. The urgency of conservation extends beyond a simple concern for wildlife, as the survival of these animals is deeply interwoven with the stability and function of the Earth’s life-support systems.
Maintaining Essential Ecosystem Services
The existence of diverse animal populations is directly linked to the health of the large-scale planetary systems that regulate climate, soil, and water. Many endangered animals are considered keystone species, meaning their removal triggers a disproportionately large change in the environment, often leading to a “trophic cascade” throughout the food web. For example, the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park regulated elk populations, allowing streamside vegetation like willows and aspens to recover, which stabilized river banks and provided habitat for songbirds.
The loss of certain species can significantly impair the ecosystem’s capacity to capture and store atmospheric carbon, thereby worsening climate change. Protecting endangered species can magnify carbon uptake across marine and terrestrial environments by a factor of 1.5 to 12.5 times. Sea otters, for instance, prey on sea urchins, preventing them from destroying kelp forests; these otter-protected kelp forests can absorb up to 12 times more carbon dioxide than those without otters.
Endangered animals also perform essential functions like pollination, seed dispersal, and nutrient cycling that sustain soil and plant life. Large mammals, such as elephants, disperse seeds over vast distances through consumption and digestion, fostering the growth of plants and trees. The disappearance of these species disrupts the delicate balance of ecological processes, impacting everything from the availability of clean water to natural pest control.
Direct Contributions to Human Health and Economy
Maintaining biodiversity provides direct, tangible benefits for human health, particularly through bioprospecting for new medical compounds. Over 40% of prescription drugs are derived from natural sources, including plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms. The annual economic value of the 150 most popular prescription drugs linked to natural compounds in the United States totals an estimated $80 billion.
A compound found in the saliva of the Gila monster, a venomous lizard, was used to develop an experimental drug to help manage blood sugar in people with type-2 diabetes. Similarly, a component of snake venom provided the basis for developing angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, a class of drugs used to treat high blood pressure. Less than one percent of all plant and animal species have been screened for potential pharmaceutical applications, meaning the extinction of a species represents the permanent loss of a potential cure for diseases like cancer or Alzheimer’s.
The protection of wildlife also generates substantial economic activity through eco-tourism and wildlife viewing. Wildlife tourism directly contributed an estimated $120.1 billion to the global economy in 2018. This sector supports approximately 22 million jobs worldwide, providing local communities with a financial incentive to protect the animals they rely on for income. For example, safaris in Kenya generate nearly $1 billion in annual revenue, and the birdwatching industry contributes $32 billion annually to the U.S. economy.
The Value of Genetic and Species Diversity
Species diversity and the genetic variety within populations are fundamental to maintaining the long-term stability and resilience of the planet’s ecosystems. Genetic diversity represents a vast natural library of traits, providing the raw material necessary for a species to adapt to new threats and changing environments. High levels of genetic variation increase the probability of a species surviving during periods of rapid environmental change, such as the increasing temperatures and shifting weather patterns caused by climate change.
If a population lacks genetic diversity, it becomes vulnerable to a genetic bottleneck, where the entire group reacts similarly to a new pathogen or environmental stressor, increasing the risk of extinction. Diverse ecosystems, which contain a variety of species and high genetic variation within those species, are better equipped to withstand disturbances like disease outbreaks or natural disasters. The preservation of this variety maintains the ecological balance and functional redundancy, ensuring that if one species declines, others can continue to perform similar ecological roles.
The Moral Imperative for Stewardship
Beyond the practical benefits to humanity, the argument for saving endangered animals rests on a non-utilitarian foundation of moral responsibility. This perspective asserts that species possess an intrinsic value, meaning they have a right to exist for their own sake, independent of any aesthetic, economic, or ecological use they may provide to humans. To value a species intrinsically is to recognize that its worth is inherent to its existence and not merely a reflection of its usefulness.
As the dominant species on the planet, humanity has a moral obligation to act as stewards of the environment, particularly for those species whose endangerment has been caused by human activities. Preserving the well-being of other species is seen as an act of moral virtue and humility, acknowledging a shared inheritance of life on Earth. The extinction of a species represents an irreversible loss of something objectively valuable, diminishing the richness of the natural world for its own sake and for future human generations.