It's About The Habitat

In California, people are trying to save the habitat of the tiger salamander using the Endangered Species Act.

Usually in these cases the endangered species is an excuse to save an entire habitat. If the tiger salamander were not there, environmentalists would have little leverage. This is why the Endangered Species Act often seems ridiculous (to the ignorant) when applied.

The habitat of the tiger salamander includes untold numbers of animals and insects living in a wide variety of trees, grasses, and other places provided by the habitat.

A single tree provides an average of 1800 times the habitable surface area taken up by its crown. A large part of this area is inhabited by tiny creatures or plants, but each tree also provides quite a bit of nooks and crannies for larger animals. A grove of trees provides habitat for still larger animals, and also for a more diverse fauna and flora, as does a meadow surrounded by trees. Of course, a forest or a plain magnifies this effect further.

This is why all these areas are so important. The tiger salamander is just the tip of the iceberg. Replacing a grove of trees with a housing development reduces the habitable surface area to far less than a thousandth of what it was before. It leaves only room for animals like humans, rats, grackles, crickets and roaches.

This is part of why it's important to demand conservation, and it's why conservation is worth fighting for.