Extinction Assignment Part 2

Extinction Summary – Part 2 Your Name Subject and Section Professor’s Name March 14, 2024 The extinction of a species shows how far it has come and affects the lives of other species in the world; it shows the sobering reality of the struggle to conserve biodiversity and maintain a delicate balance in the ecosystem while also satisfying the needs of humans. Among the many species that have already been extinct on this planet, the Little Mariana Fruit Bat (Pteropus tokudae) is an example of the challenges and complexities of protecting and conserving a particular species. Endemic to the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific, this species faced many threats to its survival, including habitat loss, aggressive invasive species poaching, and human disturbance. Despite efforts by scientists, governments, the united efforts of communities, and conservation organizations, the species eventually succumbed to these pressures. This paper will discuss why the Little Mariana Fruit bat became extinct and what efforts should have been made when they were still in the wild. Summary of Threat and Behavioral Ecology As discussed in the first part of this paper, the Little Mariana Fruit Bat faced multiple threats to its survival; it is because they are frugivores whose reliance on forest habitats for roosting and foraging, their colonial social structure, and their reproductive biology directed, further exacerbated these threats. In the past years of modernization in the whole of Mariana Island, the amount of vegetation has dramatically decreased because of the further need for land for residential or agriculture. According to an article by (MongaBay, n.d.), the Northern Mariana Islands lost an average of 100 hectares of forest every year between 1990 and 2000. This translates into an average yearly deforestation rate of 0.29 percent. From 2000 to 2005, the rate of forest change increased from 105.9% to 0.59% each year. Between 1990 and 2005, the Northern Mariana Islands lost 5.7% of their forest cover, or around 2,000 hectares. Between 1990 and 2005, the Northern Mariana Islands lost 5.7% of their forest and woodland habitat, based on the total rate of conversion. This loss of forest has dramatically affected the natural balance of the forest, thus significantly affecting the Little Mariana Fruit Bat. They also depend heavily on intact tropical and subtropical forests for foraging, roosting, and breeding, making them susceptible to habitat destruction caused by deforestation, urbanization, and agricultural expansion. Its colonial social structure decreased its ability to detect approaching predators, and they were quickly targeted by invasive brown tree snake predation of roosting colonies and individual bats, including pups and breeding adults. In addition, the Litlle Mariana Fruit Bats suffered from low reproductive rates and long inter-birth intervals, limiting their ability to recover from population declines caused by these threats, thus increasing their vulnerability to extinction. All these factors have stacked on top of one another, causing the total extinction of the species. Stakeholders Considerations Several scientific stakeholder groups -- including researchers who studied the species' ecology and behavior and conservation biologists who conducted population management experiments and advised on conservation measures -- worked together to combat threats to the species and Sonora's available roost resources. In addition, these scientists worked with governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to encourage conservation solutions. Several economic stakeholder communities -- including those that engaged in ecotourism and agriculture -- also used the species and its habitat for their livelihood, as tourism provided economic benefits to local communities, and agriculture in riparian zones benefited from its ecosystem services. Several social and cultural stakeholder communities also valued the species due to its cultural significance and, therefore, began to form community-based initiatives, engage in local conservation actions, and participate in broader advocacy strategies to foster its long-term conservation. Political and governmental stakeholders were involved in conserving the species and its habitat by establishing and implementing policies and regulations to address critical conservation challenges (Stephenson et al., 2021). Public stakeholders, including donors, media, and the users of forest resources, had no institutionalized representation in the species' governance but participated in conservation through financial support and raising awareness and participation in conservation projects. Last Sighting and Conservation Status The Little Mariana Fruit bat is sadly wholly gone; the last known sighting of the species occurred in the early 2000s, and no further species records have been found since. The animal was listed as highly endangered decades before it went extinct because of a sharp population decline, which local government officials and conservationists observed. However, despite all the local conservationists and government efforts, the species could not survive in its current environment, leading to its complete extinction. This was the reason behind the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) official declaration of the Little Mariana Fruit Bat's extinction, which was based on the lack of verified sightings and evidence of population viability (IUCN Red List, n.d.). As stated in the first section of this paper, even if the animal is already extinct, conservation actions can still be taken, such as preserving a sample of...