Endangered: Should More Species Get the Label?

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Adding to the Endangered Species List

Too many people are interested in exploiting the earth without regard to the consequences.

The best way to determine if a species belongs on the endangered species list is to leave it alone. If it becomes extinct, we'll know it should have been on the list. Unfortunately, "Better late than never" doesn't work well with wildlife. As the famous WWF ad used to say, "Extinction if Forever."

Costa Rica has a great preservation system. That country doesn't protect species. It protects habitat and EVERYTHING that occupies it. Costa Rica seems to understand that you can kill off a species without destroying its habitat, but you can't destroy its habitat without killing off the species that depend on it.

SCOTT7590 of FL @ Aug 01, 2008 23:02:45 PM

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Thinking Harder

This blog is the public workshop of U.S. News writer and editor Ben Harder. In articles published in the magazine, he has covered a range of sciences, including medicine, human behavior, prehistory, and evolution. Here, he can explore those and other scientific fields more fully and more informally than is possible in print. He'll share whatever seems noteworthy or potentially useful, and he invites readers to do the same.

WTOP Audio
On Feb. 24, 2008, Ben discussed the link between artificial light and cancer on WTOP radio. Listen to the interview at WTOP News. He again talked about light pollution on WTOP on March 22, exploring its environmental effects.

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