The Endangered Species Act has been instrumental in saving a multitude of species. Recent report shows the complete recovery of the long-nosed bat and gypsum wild buckwheat, and a downgrading of the Kuenzler hedgehog cactus, showing significant progress in recovery. Conservation advocate Michael Robinson cites the act has saved from extinction 99% of the animals and plants under it’s care. Additionally, 2016 marked the year in which the most species partially or fully recovered, than any year prior.
Why is reducing extinction important? We know species do naturally go extinct, but man’s influence on the natural world is undeniable: simply by expanding our population and living areas, we impact the natural world that’s been inhabiting those areas for long before us. We move and displace creatures and plants, with little understanding of the environments and biodiversity in the area we’re moving into. By not understanding the impact, we can’t make informed decisions on what we need and want to protect. Once a species or plant is gone, we cannot bring it back; by allowing species and plants to go extinct we could be impacting the world in negative ways that we can’t describe now without the proper information.
I’m proud to be donating a portion of sales to NRDC, which works to protect biodiversity, wildlife and unspoiled lands.
Andrea Vickery 