Essay 252 – Many animal species are close to extinction

GT Writing Task 2 / Essay Sample # 252

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

There are many animal species close to extinction. Some say that only animals that are beneficial to people should be protected while others say that all animals should be protected.

Which viewpoint do you agree with?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.


Model Answer:

Our planet now faces a global extinction crisis never experienced by it before, and during the last decade alone, many animals have gone extinct. Many people claim that we should only conserve faunas that are advantageous to humans, yet others put forward the opinion that all animals ought to be conserved. In this case, the writer concurs with the latter view.

It goes without saying that ecosystem services provide the necessities crucial to our survival, and all animal species are absolutely essential for ecosystem services. Many of these services are tangible. For instance, there are animals we eat. Meanwhile, green plants and photosynthetic plankton in the ocean supply us with the oxygen we breathe. These services are quite obvious, but sometimes the services offered can be rather subtle. A case in point is bumblebees, a pollinating insect. Many of our crop plants depend on these creatures to produce seeds and these vital crops would become extinct- let alone provide humans with food – without the bees. Thus, although some species’ usefulness may not be apparent, they play a vital role for humankind.

There is another perspective of looking at it. In the ecosystem, species depend on each other in order to survive. Take the mountain gorillas for instance. Their habitat is surrounded by thick forests. If we want to preserve the gorillas, we also have to conserve the ecosystem they live in. Put simply, the gorillas need plants to eat, therefore we must take a step to ensure the plants are there. But at the same time, we cannot let the area be mushroomed by inedible weeds. That is to say that we must preserve other animals as they will shape the plant community.

To reiterate, if we preserve some particularly useful animals, we also have to preserve the particular habitat they live in and the animal species that inhabit alongside them. Therefore, we ought to protect all animals because it ensures ecosystem services that are crucial to the survival of our planet.

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