Endangered Animals Honor

Nature Study

Requirements

  1. Define the following terms:
    • Habitat
    • Biome
    • Food chain
    • Illegal hunter

    Answer: 1) Habitat: the specific place where a species lives and finds the resources it needs (food, water, shelter) to survive and reproduce. 2) Biome: a large set of ecosystems that share a similar climate and vegetation, such as the Amazon rainforest, the cerrado, or the caatinga. 3) Food chain: a sequence that shows who serves as food for whom, linking producers (plants), consumers (herbivores and carnivores), and decomposers. 4) Illegal hunter (poacher): a person who hunts animals in violation of environmental law, generally targeting protected species and threatening them with extinction. — These four concepts are the foundation of the study of threats to wildlife: IBAMA enforces against the illegal hunter (Law 9,605/98 on Environmental Crimes), the IUCN classifies species by biome, and the FAO estimates that 80% of animal extinction comes from habitat destruction and illegal hunting worldwide.

  2. What is the most well-known list of endangered species worldwide? Describe the categories in this list and cite one species for each category, with data.

    Answer: It is the IUCN Red List. The categories are: EX (Extinct), EW (Extinct in the Wild), CR (Critically Endangered — e.g., western gorilla), EN (Endangered — e.g., Bornean orangutan), VU (Vulnerable — e.g., snow leopard), NT (Near Threatened), and LC (Least Concern). — The IUCN Red List has been maintained since 1964 and reassesses about 150,000 species; it classifies using criteria such as population size, range of occurrence, and rate of decline (e.g., CR means a reduction of 80%+ over three generations), and it is a worldwide reference for conservation.

  3. Write Genesis 1:26-28 and Genesis 2:15 in your own words.

    Answer: In Genesis 1:26-28, God creates the human being in His image, male and female, blesses the couple, and gives them the task of caring for and ruling over the fish, the birds, and the animals. In Genesis 2:15, God places man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it responsibly. — These texts form the basis of Adventist environmental stewardship: the human being is a steward (not the owner) of creation, as Ellen White states in Education (pp. 20-22), and for this reason the Adventist Church maintains actions of conservation and respect for wildlife as a direct expression of the divine mandate from Eden.

  4. List four factors that cause animals to become endangered.

    Answer: The four main factors are: habitat destruction and fragmentation (deforestation, agriculture, urbanization); illegal hunting and fishing and wildlife trafficking; introduction of invasive exotic species; and pollution and climate change that alter the environment, food, and reproductive cycle. — These are the four drivers identified by IPBES and the IUCN: habitat loss accounts for about 60% of recent extinctions; according to the 2019 Global Assessment report, more than one million species are at risk today due to these combined global human pressures.

  5. Give the names of four animals that are now extinct, preferably species from your state and country.

    Answer: Four species already extinct are: Spix's macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii, extinct in the wild in Brazil), the Cuban macaw, the dodo (Mauritius), and the Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus). Spix's macaw is a symbol of modern Brazilian extinction due to deforestation of the Caatinga and trafficking. — Spix's macaw (the movie Rio) has been EW since 2000 and was reintroduced in 2022 by ICMBio in Bahia; the dodo died out around 1681 in Mauritius; the thylacine was killed in 1936 in Tasmania; the Cuban macaw disappeared around 1885 — all classic cases of intense, direct human pressure.

  6. List four things being done to save endangered animals in your country. If your country is not doing at least four things to save endangered species, research measures adopted in nearby countries that could be adopted in your country.

    Answer: Four actions in Brazil: creation of Conservation Units (parks, reserves) administered by ICMBio; national species action plans (PAN); creation of captive breeding centers such as CETAS; and enforcement against wildlife trafficking by IBAMA together with the Federal Police. — ICMBio coordinates more than 70 PANs and administers 334 federal Conservation Units; IBAMA enforces Law 9,605/98 against environmental crimes; the case of Spix's macaw, reintroduced in 2022 in the Caatinga after captive breeding, is an example of the combination of these four strategies.

  7. List four activities you can do to help wild animals.

    Answer: Four attitudes: never buy or keep a wild animal as a pet (report trafficking to IBAMA's 0800-61-8080); reduce consumption and dispose of waste correctly; take part in tree-planting and habitat-cleanup efforts; support environmental NGOs and share reliable information on the subject. — These attitudes follow the 3R principle (reduce, reuse, recycle) applied to wildlife; IBAMA maintains the Linha Verde (Green Line) channel 0800-61-8080 for reporting trafficking, which moves about 38 million wild animals per year in Brazil according to RENCTAS, being the third largest crime in the world.

  8. List ten species of endangered animals, with at least four from your state or country. Tell where they live, why they became endangered, and what you can do to help them.

    Answer: Ten endangered (4 Brazilian): golden lion tamarin, Spix's macaw, jaguar, giant anteater (Brazil); giant panda, Bengal tiger, western gorilla, black rhinoceros, orangutan, snow leopard. Causes: deforestation, hunting, trafficking. Help: do not consume wildlife, support Conservation Units, report violations. — The golden lion tamarin lives in the Atlantic Forest of Rio (~3,700 remain) and has been rehabilitated by INMA projects; the jaguar ranges across the Pantanal-Amazon (~14,000); the giant anteater occupies the Cerrado (Vulnerable). Support ICMBio, NGOs such as SOS Mata Atlântica, and report trafficking (Linha Verde 0800-61-8080).

  9. do two of the following activities:
    • Visit a zoo that has one or more endangered animals living on site. List which animals you saw, where they live, and why each became endangered.
    • Watch a video about an endangered animal. List which animal or animals you saw, where they normally live, and why each became endangered.
    • Choose an endangered animal and write or give an oral short report on the subject. Tell where it normally lives, why it became endangered, what is being done to save it, and any other special detail you learned about this particular animal.
    • Make a scrapbook about endangered animals. This can include newspaper articles, stories, photos, stamps, or drawings. This can be a group project.
    • Make a web of life, or another group activity about ecosystems.

    Answer: You must choose two of the options and record everything. Visiting a zoo: list the endangered animals you see, their habitat, and the cause of the threat. Video: note the name, habitat, and threat. Report: describe the species, habitat, threat, and protection. Album: gather clippings and photos. Web: build a food chain as a group. — These activities address the four learning styles (visual, auditory, reading/writing, kinesthetic) according to the VARK model; the combination of zoo + report, for example, activates direct observation and reflective synthesis — recommended by ANBio for environmental education among Brazilian Pathfinders.

  10. Become familiar with the main laws related to endangered species in your country. These laws can be found in the legislation section of the websites of the Presidency of the Republic and the Ministry of the Environment.

    Answer: In Brazil the main laws are: Law 9,605/98 (Environmental Crimes — punishes hunting, capture, and trafficking); Law 5,197/67 (Wildlife Protection); Decree 6,514/2008 (administrative sanctions); and the Federal Constitution, art. 225, which guarantees the right to an ecologically balanced environment. — Law 9,605/98 provides for detention of six months to one year for anyone who kills a wild animal without a license, with the penalty doubled for endangered species; art. 225 of the 1988 Federal Constitution is the constitutional basis for environmental protection in Brazil; Brazil has also been a signatory of CITES since 1975 against the international trafficking of wildlife.