Final answer:
According to the author, disagreements about how to protect endangered or threatened species arise due to the impracticality of focusing on individual species and challenges in identifying and protecting species.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the author, it is hard for people to agree on how to protect endangered or threatened species because there are multiple factors at play.
Firstly, there is a question of focus. Some conservation biologists argue that focusing on individual species is impractical due to the sheer number of species at risk. They believe that conservation efforts should be directed at the level of whole ecosystems and landscapes.
Additionally, there are challenges in identifying and protecting species. The process of adding a species to the federal endangered species list is time-consuming and controversial. Moreover, limited resources and lack of knowledge about threats to species make it difficult to effectively protect them.