Society should make efforts to save endangered species only if the potential extinction of those species is the result of human activities

Saving endangered species is crucial for us as human beings, since most of the reasons lead to their extinction are caused by us. However, if the ongoing extinction has nothing to do with us? Some may suggest we should step back and let it happen, I take the opposite opinion.

First, from the science classes we have taken since elementary school, we all know that every species has an important position in the food chain maintaining the ecosystem, if one is erased from the chain, it will cause the butterfly chain effect to the whole ecosystem. For example, once in Taiwan, deer was very commonplace, until more and more people had come to Taiwan and seen its skin as goods and started hunting deer, the deer population has dropped significantly. The ramification is that since deer is the main food source of the bears, the harder the bears can get their food, the lesser the bears’ population remains, so, the bears had also become rearer. Thus, we can see the chain effect coming from one species is extinct or nearly extinct.

Second, since the industrialization, human has drastically changed the surface and the weather of the planet and the change has been so quickly, not every species can catch up with the continuing change of the living environment, even human cannot withstand the extreme hot and cold weather nowadays. For example, hot waves in Europe and Japan have caused some death, and the wildfire in Australia is deadly, it is causing koalas nearly extinct. So while taking action saving endangered species, we are also saving ourselves.

Further, even some might say that we are not responsible for all endangered species, extinction is due to the competition in nature, it is a natural process of making room for other species having the ability to adapt the nature. Still, it is hard to identify whether or not the potential extinction is caused by humans. Just like the above-mentioned example, we, human, made the deer population drop, but then the bear population has also dropped, how do we clarify the cause of the latter? Eventually, it seems like all the extinction has its way to be traced back to us, humans.

Base on the above-mentioned ideas, since we have to take responsibility for the ramification, i.e., ongoing extinction happening around the globe, which is caused by us, it is crucial for us to take action and save those endangered species.