Endangered Species are a hot topic today, with good reason, never before have so many in the animal kingdom been at such risk. The Earth loses about 100 species every day with the main reason coming from human function. Habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation, poaching, poisoning and over consumption can only lead to disaster of unparalleled likeness. Our closest relatives, the Primates, have not had a member go instinct in recent times but now have dozens of members face to face with extinction including Gorillas and Orangutans.

All the Ecosystems of this world are related to each other on some level. You can not remove one without affecting another. Earth's Rainforests comprise an area about the size of the United States yet every year the space lost is about half the size of Florida. This is due to clear cutting in the name of human progress. Partial clearing of these areas also fragment the habitats of many smaller species of animals, such as the Golden Lion Tamarin, by reducing their living area and virtually squeezing the life out of them.

The success of humans in the 20th century has led to overpopulation while shrinking natural resources. Convenience has taken over as we have reduced the diversity of our diet. Since man's beginning we have cultivated thousands of plant species for food sources but today only 20 species provide 90% of the world's food source. We rely mainly on corn, wheat and rice for about half of that number while Thousands of food plants on Earth are going unused; these are plants so diverse they can be cultivated in marginal or even extreme environments. We rely on altered meats, farmed fish and quickly harvested animal protein, to fulfill our need to over consume and sate our veracious appetite while lowering the nutritional value of our food, which in turn makes us feel even hungrier as our body naturally craves the vitamins and amino acids it needs to stave off disease and sickness.

Wildlife all over the world feel the squeeze in areas where war is the way, laws that monitor and protect natural resources get delayed or ignored. Poaching for bush meat goes unregulated and endangers many top species including; Gorillas, Sea Turtles, Tortoises, and many lesser primates, poor land management and ignorance has pushed many top predators to the edge of extinction: there is currently less than 40 Amur Leopards remaining in the wild and the numbers of all Tiger species are so low they may never recover either. We have already completely lost 3 of the 7 Tiger species in the last 50 years and in 50 more probably all Tigers will Disappear in the Wild.

It is said biochemistry is our best way for pharmaceutical companies to supply new and necessary medicines, as viruses get stronger with each new strain, but we will not even be able to help ourselves if we continue to destroy all around us with chemicals, poor land management and over consumption. I think when and if we make it another 100 years our life will be much different than it is today and we will hold close what diversity in nature remains.

Dennis Manoogian 2004