Endangered species are at extreme risk of immediate extinction. Since the arrival of European settlers, scientists have confirmed that 10 animal species and one caribou population are extinct in Canada, and at least 17 other species are presumed to be extinct. As of 2001, 212 species, subspecies or populations of wild plants and animals have been listed as threatened or endangered.

Animals and plant life are endangered primarily due to human activities that result in contamination and the alteration and loss of habitats. Wetlands have been filled in, forests have been fragmented, grasslands have become agricultural fields, and rivers have been harnessed and altered by hydroelectric dams. Acid rain is harming aquatic life and is damaging soils and forest growth. But we can help to decrease the risk of species becoming endangered by supporting programs that protect threatened species and their habitats. Examples of successful programs include efforts to recover the Whooping Crane, the Peregrine Falcon, and the Swift Fox.

Click on Select-A-Career or EnviroCareers to find out more about the environmental jobs related to endangered species:

• Marine Biologist
  
• Conservation Officer
  
• Wildlife Technician
  
• Botanist
  
• Agricultural Techinician
  
• Conservation Biologist
  
• Environmental Policy Analyst
  
• Fisheries Technologist
  
• Forester