SAVING THE SPECIES.

This article addresses the issue concerning the loss of species. According to a 1989 General Accounting Office Report, the Earth is approaching the stage of extinction of species unequaled since that of the dinosaur age. The fact that no one really knows for certain how many species actually exist makes this prediction flawed. Most estimate of species loss is based in computer models. These computer models in turn rely upon assumptions that overstate potential extinction rates. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 in the U.S. requires federal agencies to preserve the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend, but its provisions are flawed because an endangered species is one near extinction throughout all or most of its range.