"Unlike past mass extinction, caused by events like asteroid strikes, volcanic eruptions and natural climate shifts, the current crisis is almost entirely caused by us - humans. In fact, 99 percent of currently threatened species are at risk from human activities, primarily those driving habitat loss, introduction of exotic species and global warming". - Center for Biological Diversity
Extinct Species:
West African Black Rhinoceros - they were a subspecies of the black rhino, and were declared extinct in 2011. This was most likely due to increased poaching and demand for rhino horn.
Pyrenean Ibex - they were a subspecies of the Iberian wild goat, and went extinct in 2000. This was most likely due to hunting.
Passenger Pigeon - they once constituted 25 to 40 percent of the bird population in what is now the US. The 19th century brought widespread hunting and trapping of the birds. The last passenger pigeon, named 'Martha', died at the age of 29 at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.
Quagga - they were a subspecies of the common plains zebra. It was hunted for its hide and killed by ranchers who believed the animals competed with livestock for grazing area. The last known Quagga at the Amsterdam Zoo in 1883.
Caribbean Monk Seal - they were last seen in the early 1950's and declared extinct in 2008. This was most likely due to them being hunted for their fur, meat and oil.
Tasmanian Tiger - they were the largest modern carnivorous marsupial. They were believed to kill livestock and were often shot and trapped. They were declared a protected species in 1936, the same year the last known specimen died.
Tecopa Pupfish - they were native to the Mojave desert in California and could survive in water as warm as 108 degrees Fahrenheit. They became extinct by 1970 or soon after, due to human development around the Tecopa Hot Springs in the mid-20th century.
Javan Tiger - they were a tiger subspecies that likely became extinct in mid 1970s. This was most likely due to hunting and loss of forest habitat. The head of East Java's Meru Betiri National Park announced in 2011 that he was 'optimistic' that Javan Tigers were still alive; camera traps were set up in hopes of confirming this.
Great Auk - they were flightless coastal birds that were slaughtered in huge numbers until the late 18th century. The rare birds then became a prized specimen for collectors and were driven to extinction by the mid 1850s.
Spix's Macaw
Round Island Burrowing Boa
Dutch Alcon Blue Butterfly
Po-ouli
The Golden Toad
Extinction threat criteria:
'Extinct' - no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died'Extinct in the Wild' - known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalised population
'Critically Endangered' - facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
'Endangered' - facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild
'Vulnerable' - facing a high risk of extinction in the wild
'Near Threatened' - likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future
'Least Concern' - does not yet qualify for any of the above
WWF Species Directory:
Amur Leopard - Critically Endangered
Black Rhino - Critically Endangered
Bornean Orangutan - Critically Endangered
Cross River Gorilla - Critically Endangered
Eatern Lowland Gorilla - Critically Endangered
Hawksbill Turtle - Critically Endangered
Javan Rhino - Critically Endangered
Malayan Tiger - Critically Endangered
Mountain Gorilla - Critically Endangered
Orangutan - Critically Endangered
South China Tiger - Critically Endangered
Sumatran Elephant - Critically Endangered
Sumatran Rhino - Critically Endangered
Sumatran Tiger - Critically Endangered
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| Amur Leopard |
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| Black Rhino |
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| Sumatran Tiger |
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| Mountain Gorilla |
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| Przewalski's Horse |
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| Pyemy Tarsier |
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| Hawksbill Turtle |
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| African Elephant |
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| Black footed ferret |
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| Pangolin |
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| Pika |
African Wild Dog - Endangered
Amur Tiger - Endangered
Asian Elephant - Endangered
Bengal Tiger - Endangered
Black-footed Ferret - Endangered
Blue Whale - Endangered
Bonobo - Endangered
Borneo Pygmy Elephant - Endangered
Chimpanzee - Endangered
Fin Whale - Endangered
Galapagos Penguin - Endangered
Ganges River Dolphin - Endangered
Hector's Dolphin - Endangered
Indus River Dolphin - Endangered
North Atlantic Right Whale - Endangered
Red Panda - Endangered
Sea Lions - Endangered
Sei Whale - Endangered
Sri Lankan Elephant - Endangered
Tiger - Endangered
Whale - Endangered
African Elephant - Vulnerable
Bigeye Tuna - Vulnerable
Black Spider Monkey - Vulnerable
Forest Elephant - Vulnerable
Giant Panda - Vulnerable
Giant Tortoise - Vulnerable
Great White Shark - Vulnerable
Greater One-Horned Rhino - Vulnerable
Hippopotamus - Vulnerable
Irrawaddy Dolphin - Vulnerable
Leatherback Turtle - Vulnerable
Loggerhead Turtle - Vulnerable
Marine Iguana - Vulnerable
Olive Ridley Turtle - Vulnerable
Polar Bear - Vulnerable
Savanna Elephant - Vulnerable
Sea Turtle - Vulnerable
Snow Leopard - Vulnerable
Southern Rockhopper Penguin - Vulnerable
Whale Shark - Vulnerable
The Sixth Mass Extinction
Scientists have analysed both common and rare species and found billions of regional or local populations have been lost. The blame human overpopulation and overconsumption for the crisis and warn that it threatens the survival of human civilisation, with just as short window of time to act.
Nearly half of the 177 mammal species have lost more than 80% of their distribution between 1900 and 2015.
"The resulting biological annihilation obviously will have serious ecological, economic, and social consequences. Humanity will eventually pay a very high price for the decimation of the only assemblage of life that we know of in the universe."
"All signs point to ever more powerful assaults on biodiversity in the next two decades, painting a dismal picture of the future of life, including human life".
Wildlife is dying out due to habitat destruction, overhunting, toxic pollution, invasion by alien species and climate change.
But the ultimate cause of all of these factors is arguably "human overpopulation and continued population growth, and overconsumption, especially by the rich".
"The lion was historically distributed over most of Africa, southern Europe and the Middle East, all the way to north-western India. [Now] the vast majority of lion populations are gone"
Today, there are fewer than 25,000 lions left in the wild, down from an estimated 400,000 in 1950.
Earth's five previous mass extinctions
End-Ordovician, 443 million years ago
A severe ice age led to sea level falling by 100m, wiping out 60-70% of all species which were prominent ocean dwellers at the time.
Late Devonian, 360 million years ago
A prolonged climate change event, again hitting life in shallow seas very hard, killing 70% of species including almost all coral.
Permian-Triassic, 250 million years ago
More than 95% of species perished, including trilobites and giant insects, strongly linked to massive volcanic eruptions in Siberia that caused a savage episode of global warming.
Triassic-Jurassic, 200 million years ago
Three-quarters of species were lost, again most likely due to another huge outburst of volcanism.
Cretaceous-Tertiary, 65 million years ago
A giant asteroid impact on Mexico, just after large volcanic eruptions in what is now India, saw the end of the dinosaurs and ammonites. Mammals, and eventually humans, took advantage.
How to Help Stop/Slow the Mass Extinction
We need to deal with:
- Human-caused climate change that exceeds the pace and magnitude of change most species have seen in their evolutionary
- Growing enough food to feed seven billion people now and three billion more by mid-century without converting tropical forests to farms
- The trend of killing off species to make short-term profit, rather than banking them for perpetual wealth
Ways to do this:
- Spreading the word, so more people are aware of the issues.
- Reducing the carbon footprint. Reducing the per-capita use of fossil fuels will be essential for holding climate change below lethal thresholds for many species globally. You can figure out ways to lower your carbon footprint by using online calculators. eg. biking/walking instead of driving, using public transport, trip-chaining (go from one errand to the next) when you use the car etc.
- Buy products from companies committed to using sustainably produced palm oil in their products. Palm oil is an ingredient in many foods, cosmetics and soaps. Tropical forest, which harbour up to two-thirds of all land species, are rapidly being cut down to make way for palm-oil plantations. Some companies are committed to not using palm oil from newly deforested landscapes, The Union of Concerned Scientist provides a list.
https://www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/stop-deforestation/palm-oil-scorecard-2015#.Wl31hkx2tu0.
- Eat fish from only healthy fisheries. Overfishing has wiped out 90% of the big fish from the seas and caused near-extinction of many species. You can use the 'Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch' App to make sure the fish you buy are from healthy stocks.
- Eat less meat. If lands now used to grow crops for livestock were instead used to grow crops eaten directly by people, there would be 50 to 70 percent more calories available for human consumption. Which is enough to feed more than a billion more people than we are feeding today. And would prevent plowing over rainforests to make more farms.
- Never buy anything made from ivory, or any other product derived from threatened species. Buying ivory supports international terrorist groups and drug lords that orchestrate poaching so severe, that if it keeps up, will have killed all wild elephants on Earth within just twenty more years. Many other species under siege for use in traditional "medicines" that studies have shown to have no health value, like those using parts of rhinoceros, tigers, snow leopards and pangolins. If ever wondering if something come from an endangered species, you can check cites.org, a website that lists all species that are so endangered their trade has been banned by international law.
- Adopt a species or become a citizen scientist. You can get involved in helping conservation organizations by helping to nurture threatened species back to health or discovering where species live.
- Vote for and support leaders who recognise the importance of switching from a fossil fuel energy system to a carbon-neutral one, who see the necessity of growing crops more efficiently, whose economic agenda includes valuing nature, and who promote women's right to education and healthcare. Providing access to education for women, especially in poor parts of the world where it is presently lacking, is important with respect to the extinction crisis, because education tends to reduce birth rates — a reduction that is needed to keep global population below ten billion by mid-century, and humanity’s global footprint small enough to give other species a chance.
Sources:
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/10/earths-sixth-mass-extinction-event-already-underway-scientists-warn
http://www.iucnredlist.org/photos/2017
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/11-extinct-animals_n_4078988#gallery/317674/2
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/anthony-d-barnosky/10-ways-you-can-help-stop_b_5968774.html
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