THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY
v Extinction
is a natural event and, from a geological perspective, routine.
v In last
century, human impact has been so severe that thousands of species and
varieties are becoming extinct annually.
v Some of
the main causes are:
v Habitat
loss, degradation, fragmentation.
v Habitat
loss & degradation are major causes of species extinction, affecting 89% of
all threatened birds, 83% of mammals & 91% of all threatened plants
assessed globally (IUCN, 2000)
v The main
causes of habitat are agriculture activities, Mining, development of human
settlement, industry etc.
v According
to ICUN, UNEP report, more than 50% of wildlife habitat has been destroyed in
49 out of 61 old world tropical countries.
POACHING OF WILDLIFE
v Poaching
is another threat that has emerged in recent decades as one of the primary
reason for decline in number of species.
v Wildlife
is sold and traded in many countries for live specimens, folk medicines, furs,
Skin, and other products such as Ivory, horns etc amounting to millions of
dollars.
MAN – WILDLIFE CONFLICTS
v The
conflict between man and wildlife started with the evolution of man, but
intensity increased due to the activities of modern man
v Due to
the lack of stable food and disruption of movement, wild animals came out of
forest area and attack the agricultural field and humans and in turn got killed
by the humans.
1 Introduction of Exotic species
v Organisms introduced into habitats where they
are not native are termed as exotics.
v They can
be thought of as Biological Pollutants and are considered to be among the most
damaging agents of habitat alteration and degradation the world.
2 Climate change
A changing
global climate threatens species and ecosystems.
v The
distribution of species (biogeography) is largely determined by climate.
v Climate
change may simply shift these distributions but, for a number of reasons,
plants and animals may not be able to adjust.
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