Georgie Kennett
Professional Make-Up Project
Deforestation
Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses. An estimated 18 million acres (7.3 million hectares) of forest, which is roughly the size of the country of Panama, are lost each year, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.
Deforestation is clearing Earth's forests on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the world’s land area, but swaths the size of Panama are lost each and every year.
The world’s rain forests could completely vanish in a hundred years at the current rate of deforestation.
Forests are cut down for many reasons, but most of them are related to money or to people’s need to provide for their families.The biggest driver of deforestation is agriculture. Farmers cut forests to provide more room for planting crops or grazing livestock. Often many small farmers will each clear a few acres to feed their families by cutting down trees and burning them in a process known as “slash and burn” agriculture.
Logging operations, which provide the world’s wood and paper products, also cut countless trees each year. Loggers, some of them acting illegally, also build roads to access more and more remote forests—which leads to further deforestation. Forests are also cut as a result of growing urban sprawl.
Not all deforestation is intentional. Some is caused by a combination of human and natural factors like wildfires and subsequent overgrazing, which may prevent the growth of young trees.
Deforestation has many negative effects on the environment. The most dramatic impact is a loss of habitat for millions of species. Seventy percent of Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests, and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes.
Deforestation also drives climate change. Forest soils are moist, but without protection from sun-blocking tree cover they quickly dry out. Trees also help perpetuate the water cycle by returning water vapor back into the atmosphere. Without trees to fill these roles, many former forest lands can quickly become barren deserts.
Removing trees deprives the forest of portions of its canopy, which blocks the sun’s rays during the day and holds in heat at night. This disruption leads to more extreme temperatures swings that can be harmful to plants and animals.
Trees also play a critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases that fuel global warming. Fewer forests means larger amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere—and increased speed and severity of global warming.
The quickest solution to deforestation would be to simply stop cutting down trees. Though deforestation rates have slowed a bit in recent years, financial realities make this unlikely to occur.
A more workable solution is to carefully manage forest resources by eliminating clear-cutting to make sure that forest environments remain intact. The cutting that does occur should be balanced by the planting of enough young trees to replace the older ones felled in any given forest. The number of new tree plantations is growing each year, but their total still equals a tiny fraction of the Earth’s forested land.
There are many causes of deforestation. The WWF reports that half of the trees illegally removed from forests are used as fuel.
Some other common reasons are:
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To make more land available for housing and urbanization
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To harvest timber to create commercial items such as paper, furniture and homes
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To create ingredients that are highly prized consumer items, such as the oil from palm trees
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To create room for cattle ranching
Animal Extinction
Just to illustrate the degree of biodiversity loss we're facing, let’s take you through one scientific analysis...
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The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.*
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These experts calculate that between 0.01 and 0.1% of all species will become extinct each year.
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If the low estimate of the number of species out there is true - i.e. that there are around 2 million different species on our planet** - then that means between 200 and 2,000 extinctions occur every year.
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But if the upper estimate of species numbers is true - that there are 100 million different species co-existing with us on our planet - then between 10,000 and 100,000 species are becoming extinct each year.
*Experts actually call this natural extinction rate the background extinction rate. This simply means the rate of species extinctions that would occur if we humans were not around.
14LondonLucy (2013) Top Ten CRITICALLY Endangered Species. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHgu1nEjx48 (Accessed: 10 April 2015)
Island Fox
The island fox is small, colorful, and primarily found on the Channel Islands of California where many of them exist in packs. Some of their subspecies can be found uniquely on each of the six islands located within the area, which amounts to a total of only 700.
Mountain Gorilla
The mountain gorilla is primarily found in various regions all across Africa namely Uganda, Rwanda, and Virunga. They have thicker and longer fur, which makes them easily adaptable to cold environments. Aside from poaching, their population of 880 has decreased due to traps, kidnapping, loss of habitat, interaction with tourists, being killed for meat, and even lack of food.
Hawaiian Monk Seal
One of only two monk seal species left on Earth, the small population of about 1,100 individuals is threatened by human encroachment, very low levels of genetic variation, entanglement in fishing nets, marine debris, disease, and past commercial hunting for skins.
Addax
One of the rarest animals in the Sahara Desert is the Addax, also known as the white antelope or screwhorn antelope. It’s a rather unique creature whose coat actually changes color depending on the season. Due to its slow speed, however, it is a welcome meal for predators and an easy target for hunters. Its population hovers around 1,600.
Mediterranean Monk Seal
Related to the Hawaiian monk seal, the main difference between the two is their choice of habitat with the Mediterranean monk seal living in…the Mediterranean (surprise!). This species is much closer to extinction, however, with only 510 seals accounted for.
Philippine Eagle
Also known as the monkey-eating eagle, the Philippine eagle is the national bird of the Philippines. Due to deforestation and illegal logging activity the eagle is considered to be critically endangered as its population is down to 500.
Catarina Pupfish
The Catarina pupfish of Mexico no longer exists in the wild so by some standards it would be technically extinct. Thanks to the efforts of environmentalists, however, their are still a couple aquariums housing the last remaining members of their species.
British Camel
Two humps are indeed better than one, especially if you are looking for a pack animal, but it certainly is a lot rarer. Unfortunately, however, this group of camels is numbered at only about 800. They are often found in Mongolia and China, but they can also be seen in nearby countries like India, Pakistan, and even Russia due to their migration habits.
Vaquita
The direct translation of its name from Spanish means little cow and its habitat is limited to the northern parts of the Gulf of California. There are only 300 left in the wild.
Samatran Rhinoceros
Although the rhinoceros is considered to be one of the biggest mammals on the planet, this specific breed is actually the smallest of its kind. Their exact population is unknown but researchers are projecting that there may be 275 of them left in the wild.
Amur Leapard
Found in the southeastern regions of Russia near the Chinese border, the amur leopard population is down to only 349 as they are being constantly poached for their skin.
California Condor
Although the condor has been attributed to California, it is primarily found in areas along northern Arizona and southern Utah, which makes it a resident bird of the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. It has a wingspan of over 3 meters, it scavenges for carrion, and it can live over 60 years. Sadly there are only 405 left.
Hawaiian Crow
The Hawaiian crow, also known as the Aumaka in the native Hawaiian tongue, is now extinct in the wild, with only 109 remaining in captivity.
Kakapo
The kakapo is one of the most unique birds you will ever see and it is the only parrot incapable of flight. Found in New Zealand it only comes in one color, yellow green, and it even has whiskers under its beak. The 126 remaining birds are extremely endangered.
Brazillian Marganser
Often mistaken for a pigeon or a duck, the Brazilian Merganser is usually found within the country of Brazil although a few of them are located in Argentina. Because of farming and mining activities that have interrupted the ecological balance, this merganser’s population has declined to about 250.
Arakan Forest Turtle
The Arakan forest turtle is so rare that it can only be found in the Arakan hills of western Myanmar. Many believed that it went extinct in 1908 until it was rediscovered in 1994 although it has been determined that there are less than a hundred left in the wild.
Javan Rhinoceros
Poached for their horns they are often used as ingredients in formulating Chinese medicine and each kilogram (of their horn) costs over $30,000 on the black market. There are only 72 of them known to exist in the wild.
Spix's Macaw
Often identified as a blue macaw, the Spix’s macaw is native to Brazil and only 93 are accounted for, all in captivity.
Axolotl
The axolotl, sometimes called the water monster, is a kind of fish salamander that is highly sought after in research circles due to its abilities to regenerate, but it is quickly becoming extinct.
Iberian Lynx
Found on the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal) the extinction of the Iberian lynx would actually be the first of all the feline species in the modern world.
Baji Dolphin
With less than twenty left in the world, the Baiji dolphin is one of the most endangered species on Earth
Mexican Wolf
The Mexican wolf holds the title of being the rarest and most genetically distinct subspecies of the gray wolf, which is found in North America. There are now 340 of them in over 49 research facilities all over the US and in Mexico. The decline was primarily due to the decreasing number of elks and deer, which they hunt for food.
Brown Spider Monkey
The brown spider monkey received its name due to its long limbs, which help it to swing and climb on trees. Its tail is also flexible enough that it is considered more of a limb due to its precision and usability when being used to hang on branches. The population of 60 has been the result of relentless hunting and wild animal trades, which usually occur in northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela.
Siamese Crocodile
The Siamese crocodile is native to parts of Southeast Asia and presently there are less than 70 left in the wild. Their survival has been compromised by people taking lands for farming, which affected the crocodiles due to the increase of cattle, use of pesticides, and chemical fertilizers that corrupted the clean water.
Northern White Rhinoceros
The northern white rhinoceros is considered extinct in the wild and the last 10 white rhinos in the world are now being protected in conservation centers located in California and the Czech Republic. These animals are so protected that they even have guards by their side night and day to prevent them from being killed by poachers.
Picture and information reference: (no date) Available at: http://list25.com/25-most-endangered-species-on-earth/5/ (Accessed: 5 April 2015)