Chapter 2 : REASONS FOR ENDANGERMENT

 Species become endangered for two main reasons: loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation. 

Let us take a look at them.

1. Loss of Habitat 

Loss of habitat can happen both naturally and influenced by human activities. 

Development for housing, industry, and agriculture reduces the habitat of native organisms. This can happen in a number of different ways.

Development can eliminate habitat and native species directly. In the Amazon rain forest of South America, developers have cleared hundreds of thousands of acres. To “clear” a piece of land is to remove all trees and vegetation from it. The Amazon rain forest is cleared for cattle ranches, logging, and urban use.

Development can also endanger species indirectly. Some species, such as fig trees of the rain forest, may provide habitat for other species. As trees are destroyed, species that depend on that tree habitat may also become endangered. Tree crowns provide habitat in the canopy, or top layer, of a rainforest. Plants such as vines, fungi such as mushrooms, and insects such as butterflies live in the rain forest canopy. So do hundreds of species of tropical birds and mammals such as monkeys. As trees are cut down, this habitat is lost. Species have less room to live and reproduce.

Loss of habitat may happen as development takes place in a species range. Many animals have a range of hundreds of square kilometers. 

Loss of habitat can also lead to increased encounters between wild species and people. As development brings people deeper into a species range, they may have more exposure to wild species. Poisonous plants and fungi may grow closer to homes and schools. Wild animals are also spotted more frequently. These animals are simply patrolling their range, but interaction with people can be deadly. Polar bears, mountain lions, and alligators are all predators brought into close contact with people as they lose their habitat to homes, farms, and businesses. As people kill these wild animals, through pesticides, accidents such as collisions with cars, or hunting, native species may become endangered.

Environmental factors can also contribute to habitat destruction more indirectly. Geological processes, climate change, introduction of invasive species, ecosystem nutrient depletion, water and noise pollution are some examples. 

2. Loss of Genetic Variation

Genetic variation is the diversity found within a species. Genetic variation allows species to adapt to changes in the environment. Usually, the greater the population of a species, the greater its genetic variation.

Inbreeding is reproduction with close family members. Groups of species that have a tendency to inbreed usually have little genetic variation, because no new genetic information is introduced to the group. Disease is much more common, and much more deadly, among inbred groups. Inbred species do not have the genetic variation to develop resistance to the disease. For this reason, fewer offspring of inbred groups survive to maturity.

Loss of genetic variation can occur naturally. For example Cheetahs cannot adapt to changes in the environment as quickly as other animals, and fewer cheetahs survive to maturity. Cheetahs are also much more difficult to breed in captivity than other big cats, such as lions.

Human activity can also lead to a loss of genetic variation. Overhunting and overfishing have reduced the populations of many animals. Reduced population means there are fewer breeding pairs. A breeding pair is made up of two mature members of the species that are not closely related and can produce healthy offspring. With fewer breeding pairs, genetic variation shrinks.

Monoculture, the agricultural method of growing a single crop, can also reduce genetic variation. Modern agribusiness relies on monocultures. 

Let us take a look at the reasons for endangerment shared by our Instagram family:

@aisha_bagha - 

"Invasion of their natural habitat by humans" 

@_nussy.nus_ -

"Degradation & loss of habitat mainly caused by deforestation, natural disasters due to climate change, human over-exploitation of species e.g. hunting & overfishing, pollution and spread of diseases."

@zainab_akadir -

"Degradation of natural habitat like deforestation. Hunting too" 

@_real_rizwana -

"People and their greed"

@souqbazaars -

"Lack of knowledge"

@rewireyourmindsetstrategy -

"Ignorance"

@leafypaths_freya -

"Human corruption"

REFERENCES:

www.natioanalgeoghraphic.org

CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Geological records show that there have been a number of large variations in the Earth’s climate. These have been caused by many natural factors, including changes in the sun, emissions from volcanoes, variations in Earth’s orbit and levels of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Global climate change has typically occurred very slowly, over thousands or millions of years. However, research shows that the current climate is changing more rapidly than shown in geological records.

The mechanics of the earth’s climate system are simple. When energy from the sun is reflected off the earth and back into space (mostly by clouds and ice), or when the earth’s atmosphere releases energy, the planet cools. When the earth absorbs the sun’s energy, or when atmospheric gases prevent heat released by the earth from radiating into space (the greenhouse effect), the planet warms.

 A variety of factors, both natural and human, can influence the earth’s climate system.

The main driver of climate change is the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface. When the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases.

Some gases in the Earth's atmosphere act a bit like the glass in a greenhouse, trapping the sun's heat and stopping it from leaking back into space and causing global warming.

Many of these greenhouse gases occur naturally, but human activity is increasing the concentrations of some of them in the atmosphere, in particular:

• carbon dioxide (CO2)
• methane
• nitrous oxide
• fluorinated gases

NATURAL CAUSES

• Sun's Intensity
• Volcanic Eruptions 
• Changes in Earth's Orbit, Axial Tilt & Precession 
• Quality of Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere
• Ocean Currents 
• Changes in Land Cover
• Meteorites Impact

CAUSES FOR RISING EMISSIONS ( HUMAN INDUCED) 

• Burning coal, oil and gas produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
• Cutting down forests (deforestation). Trees help to regulate the climate by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. When they are cut down, that beneficial effect is lost and the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere, adding to the greenhouse effect.
• Increasing livestock farming. Cows and sheep produce large amounts of methane when they digest their food.
• Fertilizers containing nitrogen produce nitrous oxide emissions.
• Fluorinated gases are emitted from equipment and products that use these gases. Such emissions have a very strong warming effect, up to 23 000 times greater than CO2.

Thank you to all those who responded to our question on our social media platforms. Here are some of the answers we got as being causes of climate change: 

eaglewingorganization (Instagram)-

"Human activities are the leading causes of climate change...from deforestation to make a living, improper use of fertilisers especially those containing nitrogen, burning coal and use of gas emitting devices."

earthlab (Instagram) -

"Climate change is a combination of natural factors and human activities."

Amina Shah (Whatsapp)- 

"Our own actions. We burn the forest and we don't plant back, we create a lot of plastic items, we manufacture harsh chemicals which in turn affect the lands and the oceans, the list is endless." 

https://linktr.ee/theseedoflifefoundation

WHAT CAN BE DONE

 Animals are going extinct—but it’s not too late

Around the world, animals are facing extinction. For some, there may be time for us to change their fate.

Research shows that animal agriculture is a major threat to many species facing extinction, from habitat loss to deforestation and more. Climate change, putting countless animals and ecosystems at risk, is also driven in part by animal agriculture, which causes an estimated 14.5 to 51 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN reports that around 44 percent of livestock emissions are in the form of methane gas, and 27 percent in the form of carbon dioxide. So, with animal agriculture taking such a heavy toll in the climate crisis, is taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint enough?

Many experts and environmental advocates say that dietary change is also needed, and individuals who are able to can take action by reducing or eliminating our consumption of meat. This is especially needed in the U.S., where meat consumption is growing at an alarming rate and around 99 percent of farmed animals are raised on industrial factory farms.  

One step you can take today is to calculate your carbon footprint using this tool from the Nature Conservancy, then work to reduce it. 

Dr. Jane Goodall has said, “With language, we can ask, as can no other living being, those questions about who we are, and why we are here. And this highly developed intellect means, surely, that we have a responsibility toward the other life forms of our planet whose continued existence is threatened by the thoughtless behavior of our own human species.” 

Just as we have the power to threaten other species, we have the power—and the responsibility—to save them.

Here are some other ways which we can help:

•  Be sure that fish and other food you buy don’t come from overharvested areas.
• Before you buy wood, make sure it comes from a “sustainable forest,” a forest where trees are replanted.
• Don’t let your pets hunt wild animals.
• Don’t use many plastic bags when they’re not necessary.
• Help reduce traffic and exhaust: Support bike-friendly cities and roads. Use public transportation when you can.
•  Don’t buy wood or wood products from threatened native forests like Pacific maple, California redwood, mahogany, ebony, or teak.
• Don’t release pets—including aquarium fish, turtles, and birds—into the wild.
• Always make sure you throw away your garbage in a trash can and avoid releasing balloons into the air.
• Save energy: Use energy efficient light bulbs and appliances. Turn off power when it’s not in use.
• Buy recycled or salvaged wood whenever possible.
• Don’t travel with wild plants and animals.
• Buy Eco-friendly products
• Follow the 3 Rule - Reuse, Reduce, Recycle
• Don't buy souvenirs made from endangered (or any wildlife) species 
• Eat less meat
• Spread Awareness : Get involved 

We have the power to stop animal extinction, and we must act now. Everyone can make a change, small may it be, to protect not only the animals, but the whole environment (including ourselves).

“The sixth mass extinction we are going through could be the most serious environmental threat to the survival of our civilization since it is irreversible”

By killing them, we are actually killing ourselves.

HUMAN INDUCED CAUSES OF EXTINCTION

Current rates of human-induced extinctions are estimated to be about 1,000 times greater than past natural (background) rates of extinction, leading some scientists to call modern times the sixth mass extinction.

 This high extinction rate is largely due to the exponential growth in human numbers: growing from about 1 billion in 1850, the world’s population reached 2 billion in 1930 and more than 7.8 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach about 10 billion by 2050. As a result of increasing human populations, habitat loss is the greatest factor in current levels of extinction. 

Here we take a look at some of the human-induced causes of extinction: 

1. Over harvesting 

Humans use thousands of the world’s species in their daily lives for food, shelter, and medicine. But these natural resources are limited. People can take only so many fish from the sea or cut down so many acres of forests without permanently damaging ecosystems and threatening species. For many species, this “overharvesting” may mean total extinction.

2. Habitat Loss 

When people cut down forests, build cities, or make roads, they destroy habitats–the places where plants, animals, and other organisms live.

3. Pollution 

Acid rain destroys forests. Oil spills kill coastal plants and animals. Poisons wash into waterways. Plastic trash entangles wildlife. It’s easy to see how pollution is a big problem for biodiversity.

Thank you Ted Decker from our Facebook Family for your input: 

"The mere fact that today we are surrounded by all animals, prove they have survived climate change for 4 million years. I don't think we have to worry. The problem is that man's garbage is contributing to the escalation of the process, not causing it." 

REFERENCE: 

John L. Gittleman

Dean of the graduate faculty at the University of Georgia's Odum School of Ecology. Editor of Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution; co-editor of Carnivore Conservation.

Deforestation Part 2: HISTORY

Now that we know what deforestation means. Let us focus on how it started. Learning the history of deforestation will help us get a clear view as to how it affects us and the environment, and we can also make better decisions or future plans.

According to History Today, deforestation has been gaining momentum in the tropical regions of the world since 1950. But its history is long and stretches back to when humans first occupied earth. Their needs started to grow as they learnt how to cook on fire or stay warm during cool nights. This dates back to half a million years ago.

All that changed since then is the rate of acceleration, and that, compared to previous ages, environment has become more sensitive and irreversibly damaged. Before 150 about nine-tenths of all deforestation had occurred.

We will focus more on 'how' deforestation occurred in our next chapter. However, we need to know how early man came to a conclusion of chopping down trees for use. The first evidence of deforestation appears in the Mesolithic period (1), closed forests were converted to open ecosystems favorable to game animals. In the Neolithic period there was extensive deforestation for farming lands and wooden tools(2). In this way, as time and evolution of man went on, deforestation kept on increasing at a faster pace.

Let us note that deforestation is part of climate change. It is to take a natural cause no matter the involvement of man in speeding up the process. The Carbinoferous Rainforest Collapse (3) was an event that occurred 300 million years ago. The climate change causing the extinction of many plants and animal species, was abrupt as the climate became cooler and drier which were not favorable to the growth of rain forests.

Here an important question arises. Did we really have the need to cut down trees to survive? Yes climate change would have eventually set in deforestation but would we have survived without cutting down those trees? Did the early man have the knowledge that their actions will one day have adverse affects on humans and animals? and if they would not have cut down a single tree would man have survived today?

History does make a think and helps us find better ways in solving current issues as well as putting in place effective measures for a better future.

"Recognize your history in the present, to know your future "

1. Brown, Tony (1997). "Clearances and Clearings: Deforestation in Mesolithic/Neolithic Britain". Oxford Journal of Archaeology. 16 (2): 133–146. doi:10.1111/1468-0092.00030.
2. ^ "hand tool: Neolithic tools". Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
3. Sahney, S.; Benton, M.J. & Falcon-Lang, H.J. (2010). "Rainforest collapse triggered Pennsylvanian tetrapod diversification in Euramerica". Geology. 38 (12): 1079–1082.