Necessary materials: PowerPoint Guide “Unintended Consequences: The case of the red-cockaded

woodpecker”—in-class reading

Teacher Information!

Causes of Extinction

Fish and Wildlife Resources

Students will be able to… Discuss factors contributing to

extinction/endangerment Discuss the Endangered Species Act

Why do some species become extinct or endangered and others do not?

Extinction is natural 99% of all species that have ever existed are

extinct. Species spend about 1 to 10 million years on

earth.

Why do some species become extinct or endangered and others do not?

Some species are more vulnerable and less adaptive Specialists

Require very specific foods

Endemic species Occur in only one place on earth

The extinction rate has greatly increased in the last 10,000 years. WHY?

Tasmanian Tiger—1936

Golden Toad—1989

Pyrenean Ibex—2000

Passenger Pigeon—1914

PEOPLE are the root cause of the increased rate of extinction

HIPPO Habitat alteration:

desertification, deforestation urbanization, wetland destruction agriculture, global climate change

Invasive species Utilize resources Outcompete native species

PEOPLE are the root cause of the increased rate of extinction

HIPPO Pollution—probably less of a threat than other factors Population growth (human)

Exacerbates other factors

Overexploitation Hunting Resource consumption

Endangered Species Act (1966)

Led to the creation of the “Endangered Species List” Positive effects

Recovery & removal (delisted) from the Endangered Species List

American alligator, peregrine falcon, bald eagle, brown pelican, gray wolf, gray whale

Endangered Species Act (1966)

What are the negative effects of the ESA? Read : “Unintended Consequences: The Case of the

Red-Cockaded Woodpecker”

Why would land users not want endangered species in an area? “Shoot, shovel, and shut up” principle

Review Discuss factors contributing to

extinction/endangerment Summarize the Endangered Species Act