How do animals become endangered?

There are many endangered animals in all corners of the world, and science is already talking about our planet being on course for yet another mass extinction event, this time though not because of the asteroid hitting the earth but because of many different environmental issues.

The animals become endangered once the environment they live in starts its deterioration in form of one or more environmental issues. These environmental issues include climate change, habitat loss, pollution, deforestation, etc. Do you know what all these environmental issues have in common? They all originate from us, the mankind.

Instead of being the guardians of our planet we seem to be doing our best to destroy it. The ongoing biodiversity loss is really a major reason for concern but this issue doesn't seem to be giving politicians many sleepless nights.

All animals are equally important, mammals, reptiles, birds, insects, they all play their important role in Earth's biodiversity. The main motto of earth's biodiversity is very simple – every species counts.

Climate change is the biggest environmental issue of our time. Earth is warming fast and this is causing big damage to animals that live in sensitive environments such as polar regions or tropical forests. Many of these animals are already experiencing decline in population and if world continues to ignore climate change issue they'll likely forever perish from the face of the Earth.

Pollution has many different forms, and many animals are dying because of it. Some species have already become extinct because of excessive pollution like Yangtze river dolphin and many other animal species will experience the same destiny if world fails to decrease current levels of environmental pollution.

Habitat loss is causing a major decline of many animal species. The human population is constantly growing so humans are moving to new areas, shrinking habitats of many animals in the process. Take majestic Bengal tigers as a perfect example. Their population is constantly decreasing because of the expansion of Indian villages that are spreading to their habitats, leading to frequent conflicts.

Deforestation is also contributing to loss of many animal species because forests and rainforests are areas with very rich biodiversity and once trees are cut down many animals lose their homes.

Poaching is particularly worrying issue because poachers frequently hunt and kill already endangered species such as rhinos and elephants. Some well known animal species count less than 100 individuals because of poachers.

How can animals survive with so many different environmental issues all against them? And even more important, how do we plan to survive without animals?

Conservation efforts lack global character. The environmental issues have reached global level which means that conservation efforts also need to be planned on global level if we really want to avoid yet another mass extinction event. 

We need animals and we need plants. We can't survive without them. Diverse ecosystems, rich with many animal and plant species, are key for our future wellbeing.