Habitat Destruction
Sophia T. teaches us about habitat loss and how it poses the greatest threat to species. The world's forests, swamps, plains, lakes, and other habitats continue to disappear as they are harvested for human consumption and cleared to make way for agriculture, housing, roads, pipelines and the other hallmarks of industrial development. But we can take action in big and small ways to protect plant and animal species.
By Sophia T.
Animals are running out places to live. Wildlife is disappearing around the world, both in the ocean and on land, and humans are to blame for it. Climate change is causing temperatures to rise, which has led to more natural disasters and loss . Animals disappear due to overpopulation, and animals are losing their habitats.
Because of climate change, the world is becoming hotter and dryer. These conditions cause drought, wildfires and food shortage. For example, in the Amazon Rainforest there were 71.54 million metric tons of carbon dioxide last year, according to CNBC. By 2050, if no one tries to do something about the forest then 40% of this forest will be gone.
The second reason is that more than 30 animals and plants are invasive, according to the National Wildlife Federation. For example, a carp causes a lot of damage to the native fish. Carps are normally found in North America, New Zealand and Australia. Carps are also thought to lower water quality, which means that they can kill off sensitive organisms like native mussels.
The last reason is that there are 795 ecosystems, 46 have been destroyed by humans! These are some of the ecosystems, rainforests, grasslands, wetlands, deserts and the arctic tundra. Around 10,000 years ago, humans started to destroy biomes, ecosystems and now even the world is at risk.
Animals are living on the go because of habitat loss and because we aren't helping our own world. “With our bottomless appetite for unchecked and unequal economic growth, humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction,” said António Guterres, the United Nations secretary general.
Ask me if I speak for the snail and I will tell you
I speak for the snail.
speak of underneathedness
and the welcome of mosses,
of life that springs up,
little lives that pull back and wait for a moment.
I speak for the damselfly, water skeet, mollusk,
the caterpillar, the beetle, the spider, the ant.
I speak
from the time before spinelessness was frowned upon.
Ask me if I speak for the moon jelly. I will tell you
one thing today and another tomorrow
and I will be as consistent as anything alive
on this earth.
I move as the currents move, with the breezes.
What part of your nature drives you? You, in your cubicle
ought to understand me. I filter and filter and filter all day.
Ask me if I speak for the nautilus and I will be silent
as the nautilus shell on a shelf. I can be beautiful
and useless if that's all you know to ask of me.
Ask me what I know of longing and I will speak of distances
between meadows of night-blooming flowers.
I will speak
the impossible hope of the firefly.
You with the candle
burning and only one chair at your table must understand
such wordless desire.
To say it is mindless is missing the point.
How we can make an IMP∆CT:
To prevent habitat loss, we can...
Clean your shoes before going on a hike, especially in a new place. The mud caked in your sneakers may contain seeds of invasive plants, which can push out native plants that keep the ecosystem healthy.
Palm oil is often used in products like chocolate, soap, ice cream, bread, cookies, and shampoo. But some rain forests are being destroyed in order to grow the trees that produce palm oil. Try to avoid buying products that use it, or look for a label that confirms the ingredient was grown in a rain-forest friendly way.
Habitats are often disrupted to create more stuff for people. So try your best to use less: Visit the local library instead of buying a book, share games and toys with friends, and reuse school supplies.
Plant a garden full of local trees, flowers, and shrubs to provide habitats for native bees, birds, and other animals.
Cell phones and computers contain a mineral mined from African habitats where gorillas and chimpanzees live. The minerals can be reused, so always recycle your tech. (Bonus: It keeps toxic chemicals from polluting soil and water near landfills.)
Source: National Geographic Kids
