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BIODIVERSITY
Humans are reducing biodiversity by overfishing the world's oceans; polluting land and water; allowing invasive species to crowd out native species; turning forests and grasslands into farms, cities, and other developments; and failing to curb climate change by allowing the widespread burning of fossil fuels. Fighting climate change and saving species go hand in hand because climate change is making it too hot, too wet, or too dry for many to survive.
"The biological diversity of this planet has been really hammered, and this is really our last chance to address all of that," said biologist Thomas Lovejoy, who was not part of the report but has done extensive research on biodiversity. --From Achieve3000, 《Humans Driving Species to Extinction》
WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY
The pure meaning of biodiversity is “The number and types of plants and animals that exist in a particular area or in the world generally, or the problem of protecting this” Now, you may be little confused, so let me break it down for you and provide you with a few examples to help you understand.
Biodiversity refers to all variety of life on planet Earth, whether it is terrestrial, marine and or natural systems. These things can include animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, microbes… And all of these things are interconnected, and the sudden change of one thing can influence the wellbeing of another.
Why is biodiversity important
At the start of the website, you learned about some of the basic information of biodiversity and what it is. Now, we will dig deeper and learn about why biodiversity is so important and how can it eventually influence us.
Just to refresh your mind, biodiversity is the system of life in which all living things such as animals, microbes, fungi and invertebrates are all interconnected and even one subtle change can influence multiple or little living things. Now, you might think that it can hardly influence your life, but you are wrong. First of all, the “welfare” of biodiversity can sustain the mother nature itself, such as, water purification, nutrient cycling and climate regulation. Without these controls we might not even have the life we have now. For example, without pure water, we might suffer from diseases, without climate regulation, there might be no ice in the north pole and the huge amount of sea water will submerge islands like New York and Maldives. So, if one vital part of biodiversity is negatively influenced, it might influence another part of the world and eventually lead to us.
THreats about biodiversity
Introduction to Snow Leopard.
Snow Leopard is a kind of mammal that lives in the cold high mountain ranges across Asia. Due to the influences of weather and geography, they have thick hair- in shade of grey to keep them warm and hard to detect. They also have powerful legs and long tail to enable them to move fast in the uneven mountain range. They weigh between 60-120 pounds and can grow up to four to five feet with a tail up to 36 inches. According to National Geography and WWF (Work Wild Life), their current status is currently vulnerable and are four stages apart from extinction. Their total estimated population is about 4080-6590 and is still decreasing.
Research on threats to biodiversity
The snow leopard's only predator? Human beings. Hunting, habitat loss and reprisal hunting are major threats to the big cats.
Revenge killing
Snow leopards are often killed by local farmers because they prey on sheep, goats, horses and yaks. Animals normally hunted by snow leopards, such as argali, are also hunted by local communities. As their natural prey becomes harder to find, snow leopards are forced to hunt livestock to survive.
Habitat fragmentation
The range of snow leopards' habitat continues to decline because of increased human settlement and grazing space. This development undermines the historical distribution of the species.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Snow leopards Panthera Uncia may be highly adaptable to the immediate effects of climate change in the short term: they can tolerate large ranges of temperatures, they have minimal demand for fresh water, and they have a strong ability to spread.
However, the small size of the snow leopard population, coupled with a wide gap in understanding of the species, makes the big cats vulnerable in a changing climate. In addition, snow leopards are vulnerable to the indirect effects of climate change. The impact of climate pressures on humans, and the resulting changes in livelihoods, are likely to exacerbate the continuing human impact on snow leopards, including poaching and habitat encroachment. Climate impacts on snow leopard prey can also have a negative impact.
Priorities for protecting snow leopards in light of climate change should include ensuring access to safe prey bases; Better understanding of the snow leopard's biology, particularly genetics and disease; To create conditions for humans within the range of snow leopards to better adapt to the effects of climate change; And continue to work to reduce current threats, such as poaching, reprisal killings and habitat degradation
Questions about biodiversity
