1. Notes on the Causes of Species Extinction

2. Holocene Extinction Event
???

3. Holocene Extinction Event
6th mass extinction
Some natural causes such as deglaciation, natural climatic shifts, natural rate of extinction
Main cause is….

4. Holocene Extinction Event
6th mass extinction
Some natural causes such as deglaciation, natural climatic shifts, natural rate of extinction
Main cause is humans.
HOW?

5. Invasive (introduced) Species

6. Housecats??? 60 million in U.S.
Kill over 200 million birds per year (conservative estimate)

7. Habitat Destruction
85% of old growth forest in U.S. is gone. (some 2nd growth, some other uses)

8. Habitat Fragmentation
Breaking large ecosystems into smaller ones can lead to extinction.

9. Overexploitation
Why is our overall fish catch 50% less now than in 1950?

10. Guns + Animals = Good???
Money from every hunting license goes to buy wetlands - Habitat Preservation!!!
Over $430 million annually.

11. So, how are we doing? Since 1972, we’ve de-listed (saved) 7 species
Currently have 1,233 species on the Endangered Species List in U.S.