Ecological Genesis of Endangered Species: The Philosophy of Preservation

Abstract

The United States is not alone in recognizing the plight of wildlife; many other people and nations of the world also recognize the danger. World concern over endangered species is channeled largely through the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The IUCN supports a Survival Service Commission to determine what species are in danger and for what reasons. It publishes its findings in the Red Data Book (red for danger), which lists animals relative to their status on the road to extinction and summarizes available knowledge. In addition to the IUeN Red Book, the United States, through the Fish and Wildlife Service, publishes its own Red Book ( l05) now in its third edition, and many states publish lists of rare and endangered species within their own boundaries (37, 48, 62). These lists may involve species that are threatened within state bounda­ ries but not necessarily over the species' entire range. Although the Endangered Species Act clearly covers plants, attention has been concentrated on animal life. Only recently have plants received attention (5, 74, 75, 98). Not until 1975 did the federal government prepare a list of endangered and