According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) database, about 1 in 5 mammals are threatened with extinction.
Rates of the threat vary depending upon the group, but it does show a problem.
As human population increases, the demand placed upon local area increases, especially in developing countries in Africa and Asia.
Government attempts at stopping poachers has not been very effective, and laws that aim to "protect" threatened species often come at the cost of property rights and human care.
Therefore a new focus should be made to use the free-market to save endangered species.
Scarcity is an economic problem that will never stop, so it is normal that humans will use resources with little regard to the effects upon the environment when one is facing basic survival.
The basis for saving endangered species should thus begin at the local level with basic property rights.
The International Property Rights index shows that many poor countries lack adequate protection for landowners.
The situation is complicated by poor government enforcement power and by corruption.
Economic development is tied to property right protection, as if people do not have the confidence in the government to stop criminals, they will more motivated towards violence to keep what little they have.
Efforts to increase government accountability could be extremely varied.
Democracies would be easiest as elections, lobbying, and educating the public could all be used to make laws that removal of corrupt officials easier, and for increased access to government financial information.
Police corruption would be best combated at the local and state/province level, where the people directly influenced by the effects can speak out and change their situation for the better.
When a person has the ability to use his land as he sees fit, and knows that the government will protect his rights, he is more inclined to use his land efficiently as he seeks to derive his subsistence from it.
It is here that environmentalists should then focus their efforts.
First the area of the threatened species should be mapped in conjunction to which landowners own the area.
What follows next can vary depending upon the circumstances.
Any species could be easily protected if a contract was made with the landowners to provide a set sum of money each year for allowing parts of their property to remain as habitat.
If the species is a charismatic mega fauna, such as a tiger, panda, seal, or some predatory bird, can be used as a tourist draw that would enable the landowners to derive a source of revenue through the leasing of his land and tourist attraction revenues.
Now if the animal or plant is commonly used as a source of food and delicacy, or in medicine, a few solutions are still present.
Depending upon the demand for the product, the owners of land could be paid to withhold their product from the market indefinitely or temporarily.
If it is only temporary, focus must be given to establishing a steady population that can be kept on the land and used as needed.
This approach would be best with a great multitude of owners, each forwarding a sum towards the business, and allowing a large part of their land to serve as habitat, and a minority part being for residence and business activity.
Plants would be easier to protect than animals, as plants do not require many specifics in their environment.
Any plant that is used for local medicine or consumption can be converted into a crop, whether it lives in the wild (but managed) or in a greenhouse (a better choice if electricity is available), with will bring in income for the landowners and will encourage improvements upon their land.
The solutions to endangered species via the free-market are endless, this short post just covered a few.
The key though is creativity.
There is nothing wrong with improving society as a whole by lowering government corruption and allowing people to use their land without fear of criminals.
Production is a necessary for us all, and laws against property use because of some owl can spell death for those in the developing world.