University of Wisconsin-Madison. (2016, October 21). Botanist leads petition to give Venus Flytrap endangered species protection. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 20, 2016 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161021131946.htm

The Venus Flytrap, native to only North and South Dakota, is facing a large decline in their populations due to habitat destruction and human predators. Many areas where the plant grows is beginning to be tore down for construction and other reasons, killing these already declining species. Another factor is that humans have a natural intrigue for these unique “snap-trap” plants, ultimately leading to harvesting many of these plants from their limited habitats. This causing larger populations in captivity than in the wild, which in turn harms these high maintenance plants, along with decreasing biodiversity. There has been a petition created by conservation groups in order to expedite the process of getting this unique plant onto the endangered species list in order to secure its future in the world.

This plant, like many, is on a path to extinction due to human interaction and neglect to ensure the survival of it in the future. It is amongst many that are a part of the “6th mass extinction” caused by humans. The only way to ensure that species such as this have a safe future is to change our actions as a society in order to preserve their habitats and allow them to live without our interference. A good tool that we have created is the endangered species list that allows for preservation and conservation. In the case of the Venus Flytrap, they are working to protect its habitat from further destruction. However, it will only work if their is a way to speed up the process of adding species to the list, in order to allow for a brighter future before it is too late for many species.