Scarica educazione civica in inglese sull’ambiente e più Guide, Progetti e Ricerche in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! CIVIC EDUCATION PROJECT ANIMAL EXTINCTION -INTRODUCTION : An endangered species is a type of organism that is threatened by extinction. Species become endangered for two main reasons: loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation. -CAUSES: Loss of Habitat Human activity can also contribute to a loss of habitat. Development for housing can eliminate habitat and native species directly like deforestation, as trees are cut down, this habitat is lost. Species have less room to live; industry and agriculture reduces the habitat of native organisms. 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 interaction with people can be deadly. Even the habitats that aren’t destroyed become too different for animals to adapt to. it’s possible that species extinction is happening a thousand times more quickly because of humans. Pollution has also made the environment toxic for animals, whether in the air, water, or the land itself. Large numbers of animals are also hunted with little regulation and often illegally. Ocean acidification is causing the population of important species to decline. Droughts and floods destroy natural habitats and sources of food and water. Loss of Genetic Variation Genetic variation allows species to adapt to changes in the environment. 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. Overhunting and overfishing have reduced the populations of many animals. With fewer breeding pairs, genetic variation shrinks. Why Is This So Important? -CONSEQUENCES: Each time a species goes extinct. The consequences are profound, for all of us. These are tangible consequential losses, such as crop pollination and water purification, but also spiritual and cultural ones. Although often obscured by the noise and rush of modern life, people retain deep emotional connections to the wild world. Scientists are debating whether Earth is now in the midst of a sixth mass extinction. If so, it may be the fastest one ever with a rate of 1,000 to 10,000 times the baseline extinction rate of one to five species per year. Humans are largely responsible for the striking trend. Scientists believe that pollution, land clearing, and overfishing might drive half of the planet’s existing land and marine species to extinction by 2100. Our planet is becoming warm faster than in the past 10,000 years. There are new climate patterns that animal species have to adapt to or go extinct. Rising temperatures are causing thousands of wildfires every year. Polar ice caps are melting, and animals that live in the polar regions, such as polar bears, are going extinct. Solutions: Among the most critical steps is the 30x30 campaign, which will protect wildlife places and wildlife habitat, including oceans, rivers, forests, deserts and swamps. A more radical approach is the assisted migration of species endangered by climate change to new habitats, species which are extinct in the wild may be kept alive in artificial surroundings until a suitable natural habitat may be restored. In cases where captive breeding fails, embryo cryopreservation Many of the species at risk are Arctic and Antarctic fauna such as polar bears Species that rely on cold weather conditions may be negatively affected. -WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? : Using fewer fossil fuels, which is one of the primary causes of environmental degradation and pollution, by lowering the thermostat, driving less frequently, and recycling is one good way to slow the rate of extinctions. Eating less meat and avoiding products, like ivory, that are made from threatened species also can make
