According to biologist and animal and nature conservationist, Jeff Corwin, “There is a holocaust happening. Right now. And it’s not confined to one nation or even one region. It is a global crisis” (Corwin 477). The holocaust that Corwin is referring to is the sixth mass extinction that we are smack dab in the middle of. Unlike the five previous mass extinctions caused by massive natural disasters, humankind is to blame for this mass extinction. Each year, numerous species vanish into extinction as a result of habitat loss, pollution, and species exploitation. Due to the advancements made by the human race, many animal species are well on their way to extinction. It is our job to protect and safeguard the animals of the world that are endangered
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Commercial forestry involves cutting roads through forests and harvesting the trees that provide shelter and food for some species. Building dams change the flow of rivers, affecting the oxygen levels and water temperatures, and prevent fish such as salmon and goby, from swimming upstream to spawn. Farmers that clear land introduce pesticides and fertilizers into the environment, and ranching physically impacts the land through grazing and emissions from animal wastes. The urbanization of areas changes local water cycles by increasing water runoff and reducing groundwater supplies by clearing and paving land. Not only does that affect the water cycle, it brings in pollution from industrial activities and transportation. Even if the land is not directly cultivated or converted for other uses, it can still become a less suitable habitat. When we carve the area into large sections of roads used for suburban development, the resulting undeveloped sections may be too small or too isolated to support the viable populations that once thrived in the larger …show more content…
Some of these interactions involved glass, metal or paper, but the most hazardous material encountered has been plastic. In over 44,000 incidents, the encounters either injured or killed the animal 80 percent of the time.
Lastly, the impact of invasive alien species can be detrimental to native species and ecosystems. The invasive species are plants and animals that do not belong where humans have intentionally or even accidentally brought them. The impact of these species is often immeasurable, dangerous and irreversible. Invasive species can be just as damaging to native species and their ecosystems as habitat destruction. WWF gives the following examples for species that have been detrimental to other species:
The mongoose threatens endemic species on tropical cane-growing islands. They have cause the population demise or extinction of many endemic vertebrates, and continue to cause livestock damage while posing a disease risk. European red foxes introduced into Australia and temperate regions of North America have negative impacts on many native species, including smaller canids and ground nesting birds in North America, and many small and medium-sized rodent and marsupial species in Australia. (Impact of invasive alien
Commercial forestry involves cutting roads through forests and harvesting the trees that provide shelter and food for some species. Building dams change the flow of rivers, affecting the oxygen levels and water temperatures, and prevent fish such as salmon and goby, from swimming upstream to spawn. Farmers that clear land introduce pesticides and fertilizers into the environment, and ranching physically impacts the land through grazing and emissions from animal wastes. The urbanization of areas changes local water cycles by increasing water runoff and reducing groundwater supplies by clearing and paving land. Not only does that affect the water cycle, it brings in pollution from industrial activities and transportation. Even if the land is not directly cultivated or converted for other uses, it can still become a less suitable habitat. When we carve the area into large sections of roads used for suburban development, the resulting undeveloped sections may be too small or too isolated to support the viable populations that once thrived in the larger …show more content…
Some of these interactions involved glass, metal or paper, but the most hazardous material encountered has been plastic. In over 44,000 incidents, the encounters either injured or killed the animal 80 percent of the time.
Lastly, the impact of invasive alien species can be detrimental to native species and ecosystems. The invasive species are plants and animals that do not belong where humans have intentionally or even accidentally brought them. The impact of these species is often immeasurable, dangerous and irreversible. Invasive species can be just as damaging to native species and their ecosystems as habitat destruction. WWF gives the following examples for species that have been detrimental to other species:
The mongoose threatens endemic species on tropical cane-growing islands. They have cause the population demise or extinction of many endemic vertebrates, and continue to cause livestock damage while posing a disease risk. European red foxes introduced into Australia and temperate regions of North America have negative impacts on many native species, including smaller canids and ground nesting birds in North America, and many small and medium-sized rodent and marsupial species in Australia. (Impact of invasive alien