Human Intervention Risks - Deforestation
According to WWF Panda.org in from the years 1990-2000 African rain-forests have lost a total of 91,000 Square kilometers of forest, Deforestation is extremely bad for the health of an ecosystem as it results in a loss in biodiversity, which then leads to an imbalance in the ecosystem resulting in even more loss in biodiversity. Additionally some of the impacts of deforestation include desertification, climate change (when Co2 is released into the air from trees), and changes to the eco system by altering rain-fall or other parts of the water cycle.
When Humans cut down trees, not only are they killing the trees themselves, they are also destroying the homes of animals, other plants, insects and birds. As mentioned in the Display at the zoo, animals rely on trees for shelter, food, transportation and protection from natural predators. Without trees organisms die thus resulting in a loss of biodiversity. Desertification in Africa is caused when foresters cut down trees, once this happens there is nothing to protect the soil from the sun and this results in the soil drying up, causing the effect of desertification. What is desertification you might ask, well it is the process of fertile land becoming a desert, which is what we see happening in Africa. Africa is also very prone to desertification because it lies close to the equator making it very hot, resulting in soil drying up faster. Some of the negative effects of desertification include climate change, the soil become less usable for plants (destroying chances of forest revival), decreases plant eating animals, and it replaces perennials (long lasting plants such as trees) with short lived annual species. When trees are cut down massive amounts of CO2 are released into the air which only aids the green house effect in making the climate more hot. The climate aided with deforestation can only mean one thing: species adapt or die, and a loss in a species is never a good thing. As you can see on the last picture the endangered plants in Africa alone, you can see how many little circles their are. Every circle means a plant is endangered, and evidently Africa is one of the countries with the most endangered plants. As you can see all the negative effects of deforestation and the chain of events that leads to even more destruction of an ecosystem. We can call this a synergistic effect because deforestation leads to desertification and the both induce climate change. Deforestation must be stopped and humans should limit the resources the take, because in the end it won't be worth it, we need to take care of the earth because we live on it. We may be destroying the animals habitats, but in the long run we're also destroying ours. To help with the cause against deforestation you can go to: http://wwf.panda.org/ and do your part. |
Header Menu. (n.d.). Bailiff Africa. Retrieved April 27, 2014, from http://www.bailiffafrica.org/deforestation-africas-contribution-to-greenhouse-gas-emission-by-kehinde-fashua/ (For pictures above)
Desertification in Africa - Desertification. (n.d.). Desertification. Retrieved April 27, 2014, from http://www.earthonlinemedia.com/ebooks/tpe_3e/biog
Endangered plants - World Map - Sixth Wave of Extinctions Underway, World Conference To Stop Bio-Diversity Loss | Environment. (n.d.). Before It's News. Retrieved April 27, 2014, from http://beforeitsnews.com/environment/2010/10/sixth-wave-of-extinctions-underway-world-conference-to-stop-bio-diversity-loss-234003.html
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Poaching
Like deforestation poaching is another form of over-exploitation, it occurs when hunters hunt animals to the point of near extinction for only a few valuable items on the animals such as the ivory of and elephant or the hide of a tiger. Not only does poaching kill of animals thus bringing them on a verge of extinction but it also creates a trauma on the ecosystem. For example lets say hunters begin to start killing off wild lions, the lions prey will now then thrive, and the prey of that animal will diminish in size, now the prey of that species must compete and many will die. Overall this causes a food chain disruption and it causes the populations of many species to die. This is called Tropic cascade, which starts with the slow removal of the top predator and results in the diminishment of population within the community.
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Over-exploitation of Elephants just to obtain the ivory tusks
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“The supreme reality of our time is…the vulnerability of our planet.”
- John F. Kennedy
- John F. Kennedy