Searching for Endangered Species Resources:
It's both fascinating and overwhelming the number of endangered species resources which can be found on the Internet. It's also interesting to see how difficult it is to find 'specific' endangered species resources....in paticular resources relating to specific countries.
Having said that, this week I am focusing on 'government' resouces (for both the Endangered Earth Journal and a Tiger Journal). Next week I will look for non-governent (i.e. conservation organizations), and the following week I will be looking for endangered species information provided by individuals.
Following are ten government (or instituional) websites from around the world that have significant endangered species information from both an 'international' perspcetive and a 'country' perspective.
I included the US Department of Agriculture, as it is the entity responsible for the welfare of animals in captivity in the United States...including endangered species. And considering that some endangered species are only found in captivity, the fate of an endangered species can be determined by the USDA's action or inaction.
The descriptions for each of these government resouces comes from their respective website.
So without further adieu...(and in no special order)...
1) CITES:
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
Widespread information nowadays about the endangered status of many prominent species, such as the tiger and elephants, might make the need for such a convention seem obvious. But at the time when the ideas for CITES were first formed, in the 1960s, international discussion of the regulation of wildlife trade for conservation purposes was something relatively new. With hindsight, the need for CITES is clear.
2) IUCN:
IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. It supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world and brings governments, non-government organizations, United Nations agencies, companies and local communities together to develop and implement policy, laws and best practice.
IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network - a democratic membership union with more than 1,000 government and NGO member organizations, and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries.
3) United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS):
As the principal federal partner responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act (ESA), we take the lead in recovering and conserving our Nation's imperiled species by fostering partnerships, employing scientific excellence, and developing a workforce of conservation leaders.
As we work in partnership with others, our two major goals are to:
1) Protect endangered
and threatened species, and then pursue their recovery; and
2) Conserve candidate species and species-at-risk so that
listing under the ESA is not necessary.4) United States National Marine Fisheries Service (USNMFS):
The Office of Protected Resources (OPR) is a headquarters program office of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service, or NMFS), under the U.S. Department of Commerce, with responsibility for protecting marine mammals and endangered marine life.
NOAA's Office of Protected Resources works to conserve, protect, and recover species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) in conjunction with our Regional Offices, Science Centers, and various partners.
5) Marine Mammal Commission:
The Marine Mammal Commission was created under Title II of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which took effect on 21 December of that year. The Commission's primary focus and duties are the protection and conservation of marine mammals.
This site provides a single point of information on the activities, programs, and publications of the Marine Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors on Marine Mammals, and conveys other relevant information on the conservation and protection of marine mammals and their ecosystems.
6) United States Department of Agriculture (USDA):
The Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) is mandated by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) to provide information for improved animal care and use in research, testing, teaching, and exhibition.
7) Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment,Water, Population and Communities:
At the commencement of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) the list of threatened species, ecological communities and threatening processes consisted only of those previously listed under the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992.
Under the EPBC Act new categories have been added for listed threatened species and ecological communities. Critically endangered, conservation dependant and extinct in the wild have been added to the previous categories of endangered, vulnerable and extinct for threatened species and critically endangered and vulnerable have been added to the previous category of endangered for ecological communities. The definition of a species under the EPBC Act includes sub-species and distinct populations that the Minister has determined to be species for the purposes of the Act.
New nominations for species and ecological communities will be assessed under the EPBC Act by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) according to the criteria for the new categories and listed accordingly. The TSSC will reconsider the status of the initial list of threatened species and communities in line with the new refined EPBC categories as information is updated and made available for assessment.
The Public Registry is your source for news, information, and documents related to species at risk in Canada. This web site has been designed to help you better understand Canada's approach to protecting and recovering species at risk, learn about species at risk and what's being done to help them, and get involved in decision making and recovery activities.
9) New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC):
DOC's responsibilities are captured in its Māori name Te Papa Atawhai. Te papa signifies a box or container (for taonga/treasures) and atawhai is the act of caring, nurturing or preserving.
DOC has a leading role in conservation work that contributes to our prosperity, including:
- Managing natural and historic heritage on roughly one third of New Zealand's land area, as well as marine environments
- Doing hands-on work with species and ecosystems
- Managing national parks, high country parks, forest parks, reserves, offshore islands, and historic sites
- Building and maintaining outdoor recreation facilities
- Working with tourism operators and others running businesses on public conservation areas
- Leading conservation research and science
- Sharing information and partnering with others including iwi, communities, non-government organisations, businesses, conservation boards, and central and local government
- Advocating for the conservation of natural and historic heritage
10) Brazilian Govt. Environmental Information:
Brazil is considered to be the country with the greatest biodiversity on the planet, with approximately 13% of all known species in its territory. The Brazilian Constitution of 1988 regards the environment as a strategic factor for policy-making, acknowledging the link between social and economic development and nature conservation.
Over time, this change of viewpoint was also adopted by the regional states and cities, which began to share the responsibility for implementing environmental policies with the federal government.
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For more information about endangered species go to www.Bagheera.com
For more information about endangered tigers go to www.TigerinCrisis.com
