Extinction is a natural event that occurs at a natural rate of approximately one to five species per year. Scientists estimate that today we are losing species at a rate of 1,000 to 10,000 times faster, and that dozens of them are going extinct every day. There is no mystery that our human activity can be harmful to animals and their habitats. People are not aware of the impact that the extinction of some species could cause. There are animals in this world that are vital to the ecosystem, but their populations are declining. Many of these endangered animals are keystone species. A keystone species is defined as a species on which other species in an ecosystem are largely dependent, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change dramatically. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Perhaps ecosystems would collapse if some keystone species disappeared, but how might that happen and why should we care? Earth is currently experiencing a mass extinction of life; one of six mass extinctions that have occurred throughout the history of our planet (based on scientific estimates). Because the number of species on Earth is an estimate, it is difficult to accurately determine how many species are becoming extinct. However, according to the World Wildlife Fund, scientists believe that between 10,000 and 100,000 species cease to exist each year due to habitat loss, resource depletion, climate change and other factors. How could it be? Wouldn't we hear about these organisms on the news? Maybe the dozens or hundreds of species that will go extinct every day are not the cute or beautiful creatures we are taught to care about. In fact, you may not be aware of many species that are actually very important to our existence! If we lose keystone species, extinction rates will increase dramatically. We cannot afford to lose any more species! When I was little I heard stories of people being attacked by a large fish with sharp teeth. Mike Feltham, 6, was scared to discover that these victims were beachgoers just like me. I was constantly on alert whenever I was in the ocean, but my family tried to comfort my fear by telling me there were no sharks in New England waters. Growing up, seeing the movie “Jaws,” which portrayed sharks as man-eating monsters, only increased my fear. After that, even when I went into the pool I was paranoid, because I felt like there was something there. Then, when I turned 11, my fear turned to curiosity when I watched the annual Shark Week program on the Discovery Channel. Seeing these magnificent creatures swimming and hunting gave me a feeling of awe. One diver said something I will never forget: "By entering the water with this animal I enter its home." His house is not our house. It was later revealed in other shows that many shark species are very few in number due to our human activity. This perplexed me that the scariest creature in all the ocean was killed by us humans. So, really, who are the monsters? us or them? They rarely mistake us for their prey and in exchange for this confusion we develop wild stories that promote fear and hatred towards these animals. On average 100 million sharks are killed by humans each year, and the United States averages only 19 shark attacks each year and one fatal attack every two years. They are beautiful animals that we gave tothe image of a monster. They must be preserved because the role of sharks is to keep marine life in healthy balance and regulate the oceans. The elimination of sharks could seriously upset this balance to the point where the ecosystem could collapse. This is a great example of endangered species that need our protection because sharks are vital to ocean ecosystems and can be found in all of the world's oceans. Many ecologists consider apex predators such as sharks, killer whales and wolves to become key organisms, as they maintain the balance between biodiversity and resource availability. From the top to the bottom of the food chain, all of these endangered species have been greatly impacted by our human activities. As species are disappearing, our alternatives for future discoveries and advancements are also disappearing. The impact of the world's loss of variety of life includes fewer new drugs and increased ecosystem vulnerability. The rate of extinction of endangered animals has increased a hundredfold over the last century, and we are to blame. Just like humans, a plant or animal could not live on its own. It must interact with other organisms in its environment to survive. Removing an animal or plant species from the ecosystem will compromise the life of other organisms that interact with it. Leaving a legacy of unique animals for the next generation is a desirable value. We would like our children to also enjoy the benefits that could derive from wild species, not only for their mere existence but for the potential benefits they can offer. We must now answer the questions that determine a suitable topic for the Rotary Speech. It is the truth? Yes, the loss of endangered species threatens the ecosystem which could become a potential threat to us. Is it fair to these animals that we take their homes and kill them to extinction? No, we share this planet. Will bringing awareness and protecting species foster goodwill and better friendships? Yes, animal conservation can bring communities together to save a species. Will it be beneficial for all concerned? Yes, saving species will keep all ecosystems on this planet in a healthy balance. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Nature is a wonderful thing and provides us with all the resources we possess. It is our duty to preserve the multitude of animals that are affected by our human activities and our fear. We are taking over the homes of other animals and causing the extinction of species important to ecosystems. Keystone species must be preserved in every possible way because the collapse of the food chain could pose a great threat to us too. Animals must be protected for all of us to thrive on this planet. If endangered animals die, this could cause a ripple effect and put us in danger too. Then we humans would become the endangered animal. Works Cited Chapron, G., Kaczensky, P., Linnell, J.D.C., von Arx, M., Huber, D., Andrén, H., ... & Boitani, L. (2014 ). Recovery of large carnivores in modern human-dominated European landscapes. Science, 346(6216), 1517-1519.Díaz, S., Settele, J., Brondízio, E.S., Ngo, H.T., Agard, J., Arneth, A., ... & Zayas, C.N. (2019). Summary for policy makers of the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. IPBES.Dirzo, R., Young, H.S.,