Splon+Endangered+Species

Research Paper Quick Check “We are well into the opening phase of mass extinction of species. There are about ten million species on earth. If we carry on as we have been, we could lose half of all those ten million species.” –Norman Myers, Environmental Scientist -2006 Why do Endangered Species need help? - Endangered Species are barely getting the attention they need. The animals that are not cute and cuddly don’t get the support they need. You can’t put a picture of a tuna, or halibut on a T-shirt, and expect to make enough money to benefit them. Two or three most interesting things I learned from research ** - Since the Endangered Species Act came into effect in 1973, less than 1% has recovered enough to be taken off the list. - 2006: roughly 16,118 species were classified as endangered/threatened worldwide. - 2007: 1,312 species were classified as endangered/threatened in America alone. In 2005 reporters discovered: - 19% of people believe that the government is doing too much to help Endangered Species. The government does a great deal when helping specific animals, such as the Bald Eagle. But when it comes to an animal like the White Tip Shark, many people don’t even know that they are extinct. That is mainly because the government didn’t do much to try helping them recover from endangerment.  - 34% of people worry a great deal about what will come of Endangered Species. One reason for so many Endangered Species is for the production of oil. Oil is made using corn, and corn is made using pesticides. The pesticides such as DDT have caused many problems such as those that relate to the Bald Eagles massive population reduction in 1978. Even after the banning of DDT many animals are still affected by this process. There are many other types of pesticides that are still used on corn. These pesticides get washed into the Mississippi River, and flow down into the Gulf of Mexico. This creates a “dead zone” where there is little to no oxygen, so it is near impossible for anything to survive. **A closing surprise...intriguing fact, quotation, or discovery from my own research** Environmentalists: Edward O. Wilson and Norman Myers estimate the current/projected annual extinction rate is 15,000 to 50,000 in the next fifty years, that’s 50-150 per day. At the rate 5-10% of the world’s species could be lost in the next decade.
 * Startling and informative opening **
 * Quick summary of main question that I mean to answer or reason I think this topic is important **
 * Confirmation or rejection of one or two commonly held beliefs about this topic **
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