A living network
No living thing exists in isolation. All are part of a complex, delicately balanced network of ecosystems. The removal of a single species can set off a chain reaction affecting many others. The full significance of extinction is not always readily apparent. Species are going extinct at an alarming rate worldwide, forever weakening the fabric of natural communities and ecosystems. These dramatic declines in species are due primarily to the intensive human use – and abuse – of their habitats. Every animal or plant that disappears makes it less likely the ecosystem it was connected to will continue to function properly.
Extinction is forever, but endangered means there’s still time. More than 600 kinds of plants and 324 different animals in Missouri are of concern to conservationists because they are uncommon or because their numbers are low or declining. The Missouri Species and Communities of Conservation Concern Checklist lists all of our rarest species. Additional information on a few species can be found in Missouri Plants of Conservation Concern and Missouri Animals of Conservation Concern. Federal status is defined by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, where an endangered species is one that is in danger of extinction and a threatened species is one likely to become endangered. State status is determined by the Wildlife Code of Missouri, where only endangered species are listed. Missouri does not have a ‘threatened’ status.
The Missouri Natural Heritage Database provides information about the occurrence of Missouri’s species of conservation concern. More detailed information about biology, habitat, and management can be obtained through MOFWIS, the Missouri Fish and Wildlife Information System. MDC species guidesheets give summarized “biographies” of threatened and endangered species. Best Management Practices offer voluntary recommendations for protecting Missouri’s biodiversity.
Recovering an endangered species requires stopping and reversing its decline, and then ensuring its long-term survival in nature. Preventing a species’ decline is always easier and less expensive than trying to bring the species back from the brink. Help our state’s threatened and endangered species by supporting MDC’s management efforts, implementing these practices on your private land or by contributing to the Endangered Species Fund with the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation.
