Threatened Tortoise to Endangered Tortoise

In the site, http://www.endangeredspecie.com/states/az.htm (2002), unfortunately, we can see many endangered species in Arizona’s ecosystem: 39 endangered animals and 17 endangered plants. Among them, as expected, we can also see 2 endangered desert tortoises both Gopherus Agassizii. This data from 5 years ago, makes us guess that recently the situation has become more severe. In this semester, we are learning about environmental problems that are getting more severe: air pollution, water pollution, global warming, and greenhouse effect. When I got the topic of Arizona desert, at first I only thought of romantic imagination, like the fascinating view of the hot desert, haughty cactus, and especially attractive tortoise that creeps on the Arizona Desert. However, as I have especially studied the tortoise more, I have also learned that the attractive desert are dying for many reasons, as opposed to living well in my romantic imagination. What is the tortoise? According to an article from Passey, tortoise “is classified as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act” (2006, para. 8). And the same article also tells that “already listed as a threatened species, the desert tortoise is facing even more obstacles in recent years” (Passey, 2006, para. 1). This means that the tortoise as a threatened species are shifting to an endangered species. The obstacles that are threatening the poor tortoises varies, and divides into two aspects: natural obstacles and artificial obstacles, and is getting worse by the mixing of the two aspects now. Adding to basically natural obstacles for the tortoise like wildfire, drought, and desertification, the fatal obstacles caused by humans’ activity, like destruction of habitat, mining, construction of military installations in Mojave Desert, and being captured for pets threaten the tortoises now. Moreover, according to the article entitled, “Army picks I.T.S. Corporation to help preserve threatened desert tortoises in Mojave Desert” (2007), their loss will be a disaster to humans and nature, because the desert tortoises are important members of the desert ecosystem to keep biodiversity. Figuratively speaking, finally, the future of Arizona is getting worse without the tortoise, and this is coming true.

In this article, “Army picks I.T.S. corporation to help preserve threatened desert tortoises in Mojave Desert”, the author shows us that the efforts of a military installation that stays on Mojave Desert, and a connection with a company, the U.S. government, and academic institutes is helping to save the tortoises (2007). They help each other to save desert tortoise in Mojave Desert and rely on each other. It is like a cooperate system ,or a net system to protect the endangered desert tortoises. Thus, there should be more efforts in many fields: military, companies, government, and even non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and a more reciprocal approach about the saving of the endangered tortoises beyond individual’s efforts.

First, the military should connect with companies, the U.S. government, and academic institutes to protect the desert tortoises in the Mojave Desert, and make the reciprocal efforts together in researching the tortoises and relocating them, because the military alone can not save the tortoise effectively. According to the article entitled, “U.S. Geological Survey studies document: A changing Mojave Desert”, a survey of the tortoise populations at the National Training Center (NTC), a military installation at Fort Irwin, located in central Mojave Desert, reveals the low densities and high death rates of tortoises at the place (US Fed News, 2007). And the survey also says, “Death of tortoises from anthropogenic sources were significantly correlated with surface disturbances, trash, military ordnance, and proximity to offices and paved roads” (US Fed News, 2007, para. 5). Thus, the NTC is making many problems related to the tortoise’s life and is a culprit of destruction of tortoise habitat. So, they have tried to make efforts to save the tortoises, connecting with companies, and government, and academic institutes. According to another article, “Army picks I.T.S. Corporation to help preserve threatened desert tortoises in Mojave Desert” (2007), the U.S. Army made a contract for translocation of desert tortoise with the I.T.S. Corporation (ITS), valued at approximately $6.9 million over five years and an average of $6,900 per tortoise. In this way, because the military alone can not approach the problem of saving tortoises, it partnered with some companies by paying a lot of money. And the chosen companies cooperated with programs by many governmental organizations, and even the institutes like University of California, for the researching and relocating project. The success of these efforts depends on how tight the connection of a lot of organizations but only military, or a company.

Second, the U.S. government should focus on sustainable issues, laws, and research to protect the desert tortoises in the Mojave desert, rather than social issues, or political issues, because the ecosystem and wildlife at the Mojave desert has been extremely threatened by the policy of the government. Actually, there has been the government’s efforts to protect the endangered species such as Acts, policies, and laws. Among them, the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. environmental laws passed in 1974 to protect critically endangered species from extinction because of the consequences of economic growth and development by adequate concern and conservation, is represented as an effort of government (Wikipedia, 2007). But, despite these efforts, now, another problem has shown up. In the article entitled, “Environmentalists say fences would kill wildlife” (Brezosky, 2007), the author shows the conflict between the environmentalists in NGOs and the U.S. government, that had established the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. government made a long length-barrier, causing destruction of habitats of wildlife, at the U.S and Mexico’s frontier to keep the illegal immigrants from entering into the U.S. territory, ignoring the environmentalist’s voice. The environmentalists insist that the terrible barrier cuts the wildlife off from the Rio Grande, the source of fresh water, so there should be many cameras, border agents, and sensors instead of building the long-length barriers without paths. Moreover, we can gain a more direct restriction from the article. According to Andrew Blankstein, a Times Staff Writer, the U.S government has arrested many smugglers, and illegal traders who sell and buy rare wildlife like the desert tortoises abroad (2007). But, the amount of the smugglers has increased, so it shows there should be more strict laws from now. Finally, the third effort of government can be about research about endangered tortoises. according to the U.S Fed News (2007), the U.S. Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey, consisting of 5 scientists, has done much research about Mojave Desert tortoises’ population and their surroundings. They also have found how military and mining activities affect the desert tortoises and their habitat. In this way, the U.S. government should gather and analyze the results of research well and find some solutions on the basis of the results.

Finally, the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should make efforts to fight against government, or dark trade companies, and inform people of the issue worldwide, because they can fairly affect moving the people’s minds and feeling, and pressuring against the bad action that destroys the balance of desert of ecosystem. According to the article entitled, “Environmentalists say fences would kill wildlife”, we can see the indication of a NGO, called the Nature Conservancy, against the U.S. government’s harmful policy that makes a long barrier between the U.S. and Mexico. The organization also makes it an issue, and prosecutes the processing project by the government that has enormous power. As a result, the organization not only restrains the government’s harmful policies, but also informs the world of the bad policies by publishing the document, and making an article through the newspapers and magazines (Brezosky, 2007). NGOs against strong power organizations like the government, companies, and even nations also have the power to represent the public’s thinking, and emotion. So, they can fight against the powerful organizations strongly. NGOs, with these advantages, should keep the poor tortoises from going into extinction, and before extinction, inform people abroad of issues to thoroughly.

Actually, in many fields like military, companies, the government, and NGOs, there have been many efforts with many ways to protect endangered wildlife. Some people insist that they are doing their roles well, and their work has had a few small problems, and we should just estimate their effort, because they are trying to solve the big environmental problem like saving the almost endangered tortoises. But, this simplification or underestimation of the problem makes the situation worse, because the problem, actually, is so huge that we cannot deal with it; we already face a big crisis, and it comes from a huge problem, that can drive human life and nature into degradation like the fall of the Roman empire. And many failures caused by the pursuit of a company’s economic benefit , or government’s underestimation of environmental problems while focusing on another problem altogether are showing up. As a result, we should see these problems as important, and notice the many efforts that have been made in many fields more thoroughly, and each organization that is making efforts to save the earth’s environment like companies, government, and NGOs should keep watch on each other more critically, and necessarily should gather the power for a big aim: the great safety of the environment, instead of fighting each other, following their own small aims.

Since the humans’ history has started, the humans’ society is continuing progress with the science technology. But, with the humans’ progress, the environmental destruction has followed with it. Adding to natural pollution like volcanic emission, and burning of animal’s dung and forests, humans’ activity like destruction of nature, construction of buildings on the ground, and burning of fossil fuel make the earth more polluted and hard to live for human society and natural ecosystem both. As a result, now we stands at the crossroads of our progressive life. Are we continuing the progress through a sustainable efforts, or are we going to be destroyed with the endangered wildlife by keeping the environmentally destructive progress? By thinking of this fundamental problem, naturally, we can also think about the solution of the crisis of desert tortoises that have been changed from the threatened species to the endangered species through pollution by humans and nature. It could be that like this: a sustainable solution. It can be represented that many organizations in various fields not only make their own efforts for protecting nature now, but also these organizations sometimes help each other and sometimes restrain each other for a better solution. These efforts can be classified into two sections: mutual cooperation and mutual restraint. The connection between the military and companies or academic institutes, as mentioned above, can be an example of mutual cooperation, while the conflict between government and NGOs can be an example of mutual restraint. As a result, we can exclaim a slogan by following the mutual cooperation and restraint efforts among many organizations: Endangered species to Abundant species!

Reference:

Army Picks I.T.S. Corporation to Help Preserve Threatened Desert Tortoises in Mojave Desert; I.T.S. to conduct largest translocation study of a threatened or endangered species. (2007, June 4). PR Newswire Association LLC. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from LexisNexis.

Blankstein, A. (2007, May 18). Two indicted in tortoise smuggling; A Diamond Bar man allegedly sold the endangered reptiles shipped from Asia. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from LexisNexis.

Brezosky, L. (2007, May 22). Environmentalists say fences would kill wildlife. Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia). Retrieved June 11, 2007, from LexisNexis.

Endangered Species Act. (2007, June 20). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 18, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org./wiki/Endangered_Species_Act.

Fort Irwin earmarks $6.9M for desert tortoise relocation. (2007, June 5). Desert Dispatch (Barstow, California). Retrieved June 11, 2007, from LexisNexis.

Kurpis, L. (2002). Endangered species in Arizona. Endangeredspecie.com. Retrieved June 18, 2007, from http://www.endangeredspecie.com/states/az.htm

Passey, B. (2006, August 2). Protecting the tortoises: Etiquette stressed in wake of fires, drought. The Associated Press State & Local Wire. Retrieved May 31, 2007, from LexisNexis.

U.S. Geological Survey studies document a changing Mojave Desert. (2007, January 17). US Fed News. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from LexisNexis.