BIODIVERSITY loss is one of the world’s most urgent crises and there is growing global concern about the status of the biological resources on which so much of human life depends. It has been estimated that the current species extinction rate is between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than it would naturally be. The latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species shows that 17,291 species out of the 47,677 assessed species are threatened with extinction. Twenty-one percent of mammals, 30 percent of amphibians, 12 percent of birds, and 28 percent of reptiles, 37 percent of freshwater fishes, 70 percent of plants, 35 percent of invertebrates assessed so far are under threat.
What causes species to be threatened?
An endangered species is a group of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct for one of three reasons:
1.    Destruction or interruption of the environment

a.    Habitat Destruction
Habitat loss is by far the most widespread cause of species endangerment. Habitat loss is usually due to some form of human activity, e.g., forests are cut down to create more land for agriculture or building and coastal marshlands are drained for the same reason. Agricultural activities such as pesticide spraying also have an impact on biodiversity as they result in the removal of both habitat and food supply for many species.
Habitat loss can also occur when foreign species are introduced into ecosystems, either by chance or by design, e.g., in 1918 a ship became stuck on a Pacific island. While the ship was being repaired a number of Black Rats escaped and settled on the island. Within a short time they devoured several of the island’s native birds and other fauna. The islanders introduced masked owls in an effort to control the rats, but this simply led to the loss of many of the remaining sea birds.
b.    Pollution is a major disrupter and destroyer of ecosystems. When contaminants are introduced into an ecosystem, conditions change and species will be outside of their comfort zone. This can cause a serious decline in the number of organisms in the ecosystem. The Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, for instance, devastated many marine ecosystems and caused the death of countless seabirds and marine creatures.

2.    An alteration in the ecological balance resulting in an increase in predators
Climate change can alter the delicate balance of an ecosystem. Relatively minor changes in temperature can allow some species to thrive, while others perish. More dramatic climate changes can lead to the melting of ice caps and glaciers, which would cause damage to the local ecosystems. On a worldwide basis, the resulting rise in sea levels can disrupt the ecosystems of many species, including humans.
3.    Too few remaining members for sustainable breeding
Overexploitation results in the loss of biodiversity and the loss of groups of interacting species. Activities such as over fishing and over harvesting have put a number of species at risk of extinction, not only through direct loss but also indirectly through the removal of the food supply of some species.
IUCN ‘red-list’ of threatened species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) maintains a Red List of Threatened Species. This list provides information about the global status of plant and animal species.
Species are classified with respect to rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution and the degree of population and distribution fragmentation.

Some persons claim that maintaining biodiversity in today’s world is a waste of time and money. However, these critics could not have been more wrong since many species provide products and services that are essential to human welfare, e.g., 25 percent of pharmaceuticals in the western world are derived from ingredients discovered in the tropical rainforests.
What can be done to save endangered species?
Where species are very rare and in danger of extinction a programme of captive breeding can be successful. Captive breeding is the process of breeding animals in human controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife reserves, zoos and other conservation facilities. Animals can then be released back into the wild when their natural habitat has been sufficiently restored or when the threat to the species in the wild is lessened.
Legal private farming has also proven to be successful. In Africa, where poaching (illegal hunting of plants or animals) was a serious problem, significant numbers of southern black and southern white rhinoceros are privately owned and there have been substantial increases in the populations of both groups.
Endangered species in Guyana

The following list includes some of the animals in Guyana rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU).
·    Critically Endangered:
o    Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) 
o    Hawksbill Turtle  (Eretmochelys imbricate)
o    Eskimo Curlew  (Numenius borealis) 
·    Endangered:
o    Eskimo Curlew
Giant Armadillo (Priodontes maximus).
o   
Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis). 
o    Car-cara  (Aniba rosaeodora) 
o    Red Siskin  (Carduelis cucullata) 
o    Green Turtle  (Chelonia mydas) 
o    Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)
·    Bush Dog
Vulnerable:
o   
Amazonian Manatee (Trichechus inunguis).
o    American Manatee (Trichechus manatus).
o    Boto (Amazon River Dolphin) (Inia geoffrensis). 
o    Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus).
o    Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla).
o    Car-cara
Guianan Bonneted Bat (Eumops maurus)
o    Forest Tortoise (Geochelone denticulate)
Other species of concern in Guyana are: Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger), Jaguar (Panthera onca), Brazilian Tapir (Tapirus terrestris) and Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja).   
For more information on Endangered Species visit the following website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/
You can share ideas and questions by sending your letters to: ‘Our Earth, Our Environment’, C/o EIT Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email eit.epaguyana@gmail.com