Extinction of Species - Research Paper Example

Extinction of species (animals, plants) Introduction: The modern times have improved the life style of mankind and has provided it with large number of facilities. All around us we see technology and science dominating us in one way or other. Technology, industrialization and machine dominance are the buzz words in modern times. However there are certain costs of this technological improvement. These costs are not only subject to the mankind rather the entire living beings which include the birds and animals equally. They also come in form of the threat to the natural balance of the environment and the species related to it. Thesis Statement: The recent times have shown alarming increase in the extinction rates and the speed at which the endangered species are falling victim to the human activities. Considering this, need is felt for creating awareness, and taking solid steps in this regard to promote eco friendly activities and protect the wild life for activities as such that endanger them directly. This paper aims at highlighting the sources of problem, their consequences, and the solutions finally. Many activities of mankind are in direct conflict with the existence of species and the plants that are otherwise helpful for the entire human existence. Polar bears: The polar bears are characteristic feature and species of North Pole. With ever rising temperatures and melting ice glaciers, these polar bears are directly exposed to it and included in the list of extinct species. An inter related process which includes the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by human activities namely the transportation means and industries which are increasing the global temperature and directly affecting the North Pole temperatures. The green house effect and extinction of species: The rapid destruction of ozone layer is another means of extinction of animals and birds. Some animals like polar bear need severe cold temperatures and piles of glacier to survive. With increase in temperatures the toll falls directly on the sensitive creatures. Factors affecting biodiversity: No single factor can be sidelined as the major or lone factor to the extinction of wild life. Various activities contribute towards them; all in all the mankind is responsible for them. The impact of population: As the population grows, the mankind expands its grip on different lands and areas which were once thick forests and house of wild life. As a result of all this, the wild life is getting compromised and their resorts are getting minimal every growing day. The population growth means more demand for land and apparently more forest cutting. The population of the earth is rising at a staggering rate and has surpassed a seven billion digit quite easily. With population rise arises a natural demand for space and human population utilization. Hence a direct threat and sword at the forests. With increase in population means increase in the demands, increase in the resources exploration and naturally disturbances of the natural stratosphere for fulfilling the human beings requirements. Industrialization: It is the heavy usage of industry and machines for various purposes. Many researchers’ studies have shown that the rates of extinction have increased with the introduction of industrial patterns in the society. These industries in place have no doubt provided large amount of benefits, enabled flights in the air, but their wastes, their raw material disposing are serious threats to wild life in general. The large sized buildings all over occupy the places that were once thickly covered forests and hence safe houses and shelters for the wild life. Use of wood for commercial purposes: Apart from the cutting of woods for land cultivation and usage of human beings, the wood is being cut and used for commercial furniture and other manufacturing purposes. Reduction in the green grasslands and its reasons: The Extinction Debt: Large amount of land in measures of acres is being cultivated and deprived of grass for commercial reasons. The green grounds and grass serves as resort for the birds of various kinds and natural beauty. Summary of factors highlighted by (Helm, Oja, Saar et.al) show that “Loss of plant species induced by adverse human influence and habitat fragmentation might be delayed due to a slow response to changed environmental conditions”. Large number of plants species have diminished or on the verge of disappearance and extinction due to the human activities Birds’ extinction: Researchers have investigated into the percentage damages caused to the wild life and according to one of the study by (Pimm, Raven, Peterson et.al), over 26 species of birds per million become extinct every year. This is a really alarming figure and asks for addressing the activities which are causing. (Faith. et.al) in the research show that new species protection policies including “the EDGE of Existence (EDGE) program” have been devised through proper set of actions. Brief history of extinction: Prior to the modern times, the middle ages did not exhibit any major threat to the atmosphere and the major factor that can be attributed to it is the lack of industrial methods and low mobility and stratification of social segments. Extinction between 16th-19th centuries when the industrial progress paced up: The footsteps of industrialization can be traced back to early 15th and 16th century when first traces of vehicles, engines and other machine related substances were introduced in the societies. As a result of this, it brought about its wastes, its evils along with in the name of natural imbalances. Before that, the extinction rates were relatively slow. 19th century till modern day extinction: The pace of animals and birds extinction has paced up ever since 19th century. This is a pure attribute of the industrialization and the technology which has to do with the growing needs of individuals and subsequent cut in the number of forests and safe heavens for the animals and birds. Pollution is another factor which has come as a gift of industries, automobiles in major. The surveys conducted in this regard show that if the activities continued in this manner, the current century ( 21st) would see further increase in the percentage of extinction of birds and the percentage values are quite high and alarming. The target list is not just the birds but animals and various other creatures. Coral Reef: The destructions are not just limited to birds and polar bears. Rather the sea life is equally at threat. Coral reefs which are the beauty and heart of sea life are at direct threat from the activities of mankind. Fish in the water is ever unsafe. The wastes being disposed off in the rivers and seas and oceans on large scale directly impact their life cycles. Past has seen the nuclear submarine incidents where the fuels have leaked into the waters and resulted in thousands of deaths of sea animals in clusters. Global warming: A hot topic and a gift of modern times. Its constituents and responsible hands are many and all from the 19th century onwards. The sources of energy, the automobile wastes, the population, the deforestation, the use of coal and other gases, the balance distortion in the natural gases, all these are the reasons to global warming. Birdlife extinction report findings: Climate change: studies show that nearly 15 to 35 percent species at direct threat of the global increasing in temperatures that is continuing presently and the rates could go high if the overall temperatures keep souring with time. Forests destruction: Chopping of forests and trees is a trend in business these days and plenty of reasons are associated to it. While some are for commercial purposes, others for domestic usage, others for investment and business plans which include the usage of large number of dead wood for various reasons. The forests serve as safe house for all these birds and species of various kinds. Their destruction threatens not only the wild life but the natural balance of gases, greenery and other elements necessary for the healthy existence of world. The(White) in his study show “that white cheetah, polar bear, and certain other species are at the front line of risks from the mankind and as a result are becoming extinct every growing day”. Consequences: The rate at which the entire wild life, the natural balance, the atmosphere is decaying and is exposed to the threats, the world would be in real turbulence (Barnosky et.al) “show that if the pattern continued in this manner for next century or two the Earth could reach that extreme if current threats to many species are not alleviated”. It would result in loss of all the green areas, the beautiful flora and fauna and other attractive sites of the world. Conclusion: Strong regulations need to be introduced which would ensure the wild life safety and discourage the practices that are at a direct threat to the beauty of the world. De forestation should be stopped immediately. Plantation should be encouraged, natural resources should be persevered and the usage of all those natural resources energy sources that eliminate various hazardous gases and chemicals in the atmosphere must be avoided. The carbon emission in the atmosphere must be reduced. While human population is another factor that’s contributing to the land occupation, forest cutting, it should also be controlled in a balanced manner along with the green house gases balance facilitation. Hunting on individual level is another factor that should be discouraged since many a times the hunters set out hunting those animals and those birds which are very rare and already endangered. Due consideration of the wild life, cruel means of slaughtering and hunting should be strongly discouraged at every level and campaigns should be run in this regard. Wild life agencies must get active in this regard. Extra activities must be initiated on emergency basis to stop the killing of the white leopards, polar bears, birds and fishes in the seas. References: Barnosky, Anthony D., et al. "Has the Earth’s sixth mass extinction already arrived?" 2011. FAITH, DANIEL P. Threatened Species and the Potential Loss of Phylogenetic Diversity: Conservation Scenarios Based on Estimated Extinction Probabilities and Phylogenetic Risk Analysis. Sydney: The Australian Museum,, 2010. Helm, Aveliina, et al. Human influence lowers plant genetic diversity in communities with extinction debt. Estonia: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 2009. Pimm, Stuart, et al. "Human Impacts on the Rates of Recent, Present, and Future Bird Extinctions." 2006. White, Rob. Transnational Environmental Crime: Toward an Eco-global Criminology. Routledge, 2011. Read More