Questions and Answers: Why spend the time and money on endangered species when extinction is a normal process?
Extinction is a normal process, but the current extinction rate far exceeds the natural rate. We have the ability to alter the environment, air, water, and land so rapidly that species do not have time to adapt. More than 500 North American species have become extinct in the last 400 years. Scientists estimate the natural extinction rate to be one species lost every 100 years worldwide. As a nation through the Endangered Species Act we have committed to protect species and still allow development.
