Habitat+Loss

=__Habitat Loss__= by Alex Chi, Emily Cho, Chi-Chi Chuang, Chor-Hin Lo

Forests
= forests and rain forests damaged by deforestation; "conversion of forested areas to non-forest land for use such as arable land, pasture, urban use, logged area, or wasteland"

//Causes: -// slash-and-burn - deliberate removal of forest covers for agricultural or urban development - acid rain: the acid rain, primarily caused by air pollution, harm the plants directly as well as depriving the soil of nutrients, thus hindering future plant life - wild fires

//Effects:// //-// millions of species lose habitat; 70% of all animals and plants live in forests - drives climate change by the moist soil drying up due to lack of protection from sun rays; decrease in trees inhibit the water cycle as well - removal of portions of canopies stimulate extreme temperatures - fewer forest trees means larger amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere
 * learn more about forest loss from [|National Geographic]

//Solutions: -// forest perservation - sustainable logging: ensuring that only low volumes of forests are extracted when necessary as to preserve for long term - moratorium (temporary suspension) on timber sales and road construction on forest areas - reserve strategies: natural resereves would be more effective in preserving diversity of life
 * more solutions from [|rainforestinfo.org] and [|Greenpeace]

Freshwater
//Causes:// - wetlands are sought after for agricultural purposes, since the sediments filtered out are extremely rich in nutrients and assists in plant growth - before the 1970’s, wetlands were thought to be “wastelands” in the US, and cultivated it in an effort to make it more productive. The Swamp Lands Act of 1849, which allowed states to “reclaim” wetlands, wasn’t amended until 1977 - urban growth has caused wetlands to be pushed “outwards”, away from cities - polluted rivers carry contaminants downstream, therefore affecting all of the regions that they cross - dams are built for the production of hydroelectricity, but the loss of water downstream, and building up of water behind the dam, can severely change the ecosystems in the surrounding area

//Effects:// - Declines in the populations of fish, waterfowl, plant, and other organisms, particularly endangered species and those occupying wetlands, since wetlands are spawning and feeding grounds for a multitude of species - Destruction of lakes and rivers has prompted many animal species to move to new areas, causing in increase in population density, an increase in overall competition and, eventually, a subsequent decline of animal populations - Wetland destruction has caused the overall water quality to decline, because they assist in filtering out sediments and chemical contaminants, such as excess nutrients from fertilizers - protection of wetlands represents restrictions on development; the subject has become one of political controversy between property rights activists and environmentalists

//Solutions:// - Clean Water Act of 1972 (USA) marked the start of attempts to regulate the destruction of wetlands and other water-related habitats - Land developers are often required to build a wetland in exchange for destroying another, if they seek permission to build on a wetland - New (artificial) wetlands are being built and specially designed to function as environmentally friendly filters of human-produced contaminants

Marine
//Causes:// - Over-fishing - Fish populations decline or collapse, everyone is the poorer - Widespread depletion of the ocean’s apex predators, the sharks, tunas and billfishes - Oil spills from oil tankers will cause a major upset of the marine habitat and ecosystem - Rising ocean temperatures - Filling in oceans for more land area More on causes: [|Marine Conservation]

//Effects:// - Widespread depletion of the predators can upset predatory-prey relationships that took millions of years to evolve - Coral bleaching (dieing as they can't adopt to the rapidly changing temperature) - Confuses marine animals' migration patterns (they migrate based on the temperature of the water, if it changes, they will be confused) - Filling in oceans destroys many ecosystems and communities in the ocean, causing many species to die and others to become endangered More on effects: [|Habitat Loss (Greenpeace)], [|Habitat Degradation]

//Solutions:// - Identifying endangered habitats and conserving/protecting those areas (marine parks) - Building resilience of the protected areas - Restore habitats - Working with the public to increase public awareness - Work with partners to make this economically possible More on solutions (and the previous two points): [|Marine Conservation]

//Causes// - Increasing urbanization à destruction of natural plains and flat lands //- Desertification//: Long-term damage to dry lands caused by drought and by human activities such as over cultivation, deforestation, and poor irrigation practices that turn the land into a desert, unable to grow anything. - Existing dry lands, which cover over 40% of the total land area of the world, mainly in Africa and Asia, are most at risk for desertification resulting from drought caused by climate change. - Acid rains and overuse of pesticides for farm - Climate change; global warming causing surface water to evaporate plus lack of rain to irrigate land

//Effects// - Deserted land unable to produce vegetations to support local ecosystem as well as humanà lack of primary producers - the populations of many grassland birds are in serious decline - The vast expanse of North American prairie has been reduced by at least 90% of its original area - Could potentially lead to extinctions of large land animals such as moose - Wasted land space because of its lack of productivity; generally most land animals, including human, cannot live on deserted area

//Solutions// - Carefully plan urbanization so part of natural land resources will be protected - Artificial plantation; increase vegetation - Efficiently store water (such as from floods) to irrigate dry lands - Government restrictions on land-use; avoiding over cultivation, deforestation, urbanization