Loss of Biodiversity and Extinctions

Indeed, humans are the most invasive species. they can greatly change an environment and impact living things residing there. According to the report from the World Wide Fund of Nature (WWF) in 2006, it confirmed concerns from the previous year, noting that:

Already resources are depleting, with the report showing that vertebrate species populations have declined by about one-third in the 33 years from 1970 to 2003. At the same time, humanity’s Ecological Footprint—the demand people place upon the natural world—has increased to the point where the Earth is unable to keep up in the struggle to regenerate
- Human footprint too big for nature,WWF, October 24, 2000

Is this the kind of world we want? After all, the short video concludes, that our lives are inextricably linked with biodiversity. Ultimately its protection is essential for our very survival.

Consider the following observations and conclusions from established experts and institutions, Jaan Suurkula, M.D. and chairman of Physicians and Scientists for Responsible Application of Science and Technology (PSRAST), noting the impact that global warming will have on ecosystems and biodiversity:

The world environmental situation is likely to be further aggravated by the increasingly rapid, large scale global extinction of species. It occurred in the 20^th century at a rate that was a thousand times higher than the average rate during the preceding 65 million years. This is likely to destabilize various ecosystems including agricultural systems.

…In a slow extinction, various balancing mechanisms can develop. No one knows what will be the result of this extremely rapid extinction rate. What is known, for sure, is that the world ecological system has been kept in balance through a very complex and multifacetted interaction between a huge number of species. This rapid extinction is therefore likely to precitate collapses of ecolosystems at a global scale. This is predicted to create large-scale agricultural problems, threatening food supplies to hundreds of millions of people. This ecological prediction does not take into consideration the effects of global warming which will further aggravate the situation.

Industrialized fishing has contributed importantly to mass extinction due to repeatedly failed attempts at limiting the fishing.

A new global study concludes that 90 percent of all large fishes have disappeared from the world’s oceans in the past half century, the devastating result of industrial fishing. The study, which took 10 years to complete and was published in the international journal Nature, paints a grim picture of the Earth’s current populations of such species as sharks, swordfish, tuna and marlin.

…The loss of predatory fishes is likely to cause multiple complex imbalances in marine ecology.

Another cause for extensive fish extinction is the destruction of coral reefs. This is caused by a combination of causes, including warming of oceans, damage from fishing tools and a harmful infection of coral organisms promoted by ocean pollution. It will take hundreds of thousands of years to restore what is now being destroyed in a few decades.

…According to the most comprehensive study done so far in this field, over a million species will be lost in the coming 50 years. The most important cause was found to be climate change.

…NOTE: The above presentation encompasses only the most important and burning global environmental problems. There are several additional ones, especially in the field of chemical pollution that contribute to harm the environment or upset the ecological balance.

- Jaan Suurkula, World-wide cooperation required to prevent global crisis; Part one— the problem, Physicians and Scientists for Responsible Application of Science and Technology, February 6, 2004 [Emphasis is original]

In every angle to an argument, whoever you ask, it will always be the human's fault of what ever global crisis happens world-wide. It is always an unending cycle of loss to our biodiversity and as well as extinction to a variety of creatures, simply because we never care and only act when there is nothing we can no longer do to fix what we destroy. It is always a domino effect to what ever cause we make, from the starting point of Massive Extinction From Human Activities so as to the decline of amphibian populations, dwindling fish stocks, decline of ocean biodiversity, and loss of forests which equates to the loss of many species. It is important to become aware to the loss of biodiversity and extinctions as to help each other form a greater loss. Becoming aware of this issue and sharing them to others would greatly help in little ways and would largely grow to retain the importance of biodiversity and prevents more destruction.

Decline of Amphibian Populations

Massive Extinction From Human Activities






Sources:

http://www.globalissues.org/article/171/loss-of-biodiversity-and-extinctions#MassiveExtinctionsFromHumanActivity