For this assignment, research a species that is endemic and endangered (that is, threatened with extinction) in your local area. This activity is a stepping stone for understanding and evaluating the scientific and policy-making views on prioritizing conservation. One widely used approach is to focus on saving endangered species or populations. But here in this task, you will analyze and present the current status of the species.
Use the following resources to find an endangered species in your area that you would like to focus on for this assignment.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species – this list can be searched by state.
- International Union for the Conservation of Nature
- International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species
: Write a Blog
Write a blog post. Create a post as if you wanted to share information with a large audience out on the web (your posting will actually be private to this course but imagine that you are posting it to the web). The blog should be about 500 words (not including references) and you should be writing it having in mind an audience of adults of various ages and backgrounds from your local community. Write it in a Word document to submit for this assignment.
- Include information about the species natural history, ecology, threats to its habitat, the status of its conservation, pictures of your selected species, and reasons why it is important to protect or rehabilitate this species.
- Explain the role of this species for the structure and healthy functioning of the ecosystem to which it belongs (for example, are other species dependent on this species?
- Could the local extinction of this species result in a cascading effect?
- Address if the proper functioning of the ecosystem will be affected if this species is removed.
- Discuss economic, social, or cultural impacts expected if this species is not saved.
Include a reference list for your sources (please use credible sources, preferably published journal articles, eBooks, and institutional reports).