The Earth naturally goes through environmental cycles and species extinctions, yet the rate at which that occurs is generally one to five species a year, where as right now around a dozen are becoming extinct everyday! If this continues to happen, we could be looking at around 30-50% of all species becoming extinct by the mid-century.
Humans account for 99% of all activity threatening animals on this Earth, from habitat destruction, introduction of invasive species, and global warming. And because of the complex nature of ecosystems, one individual species could be a keystone species, causing a snowball affect of destruction on an area. Keystone species are organisms that greatly affect and are depended on in an ecosystem, where if removed cause dramatic change.
Species diversity is crucial towards successful ecosystems, and while certain terrains such as coral reefs and rain forests need genetic and species diversity, less inhabited lands such as tundras, grasslands, etc could be completely devastated if a handful of species becomes extinct.
As humans, we must realize that we do not own this Earth, we are merely one species out of the millions of others. This human supremacy must be taken down and the realization that if actions aren't taken to preserve the multitude of living things, there will be a time with no elephants, red wood trees, killer whales, or the diversity that makes up our amazing Earth.
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