The last major extinction, often referred to as the K-T extinction, wiped out the dinosaurs, along with approximately 76 percent of all the species that occupied the planet. According to the numbers, the planet is now experiencing another mass extinction, one which seems to be accelerating. For example, it has been roughly calculated that between 1600 and 1900, about 75 known species disappeared. Between 1900 and 1975, another 75 known species became extinct. That's a rate of one species every year, a much faster rate than has been calculated for some of the other major extinctions, and unknown losses would surely raise the rate much higher.
Humans are responsible for the current mass extinction.
Our growing requirements for space and energy put pressure on other living things, and many species are succumbing. We change the world merely by living in it, and until that time when human population stabilizes we will almost certainly continue to diminish the biodiversity that we think is nature's ultimate goal or strategy. In this special issue, we highlight some of the work that is going on to rescue species that are facing extinction as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. Celebration seems out of place when we are talking about species disappearing from the earth at an unprecedented rate, but this special issue is to let you know about the good work being done on behalf of endangered species. We want to make you feel good about living in a state and a country where we have become aware of the necessity of doing all we can to rescue species from threats of extinction.