We owe it to ourselves and the animal world to create a level of sensibility
that makes us care, deeply and constructively, about the entire planet and all of its varied inhabitants.
'Earth Facts'
Rainforest:
Rainforests cover less than two percent of the Earth's surface, yet they are home to some 50 to 70 percent of all life forms on our planet. The rainforests are quite simply, the richest, oldest, most productive and most complex ecosystems on Earth. As biologist Norman Myers notes, "Rainforests are the finest celebration of nature ever known on the planet." And never before has nature's greatest orchestration been so threatened.
Global Rates of Destruction:
2.47 acres (1 hectare) per second:
equivalent to two U.S. football fields
150 acres (60 hectares) per minute
214,000 acres (86,000 hectares) per day:
an area larger than New York City
78 million acres (31 million hectares) per year: an area larger than
Poland
Species Extinction:
Distinguished scientists
estimate an average of 137 species of life forms are driven into extinction
every day, or 50,000 each year.
While you were reading the above statistics, approximately 150 acres of rainforest were destroyed. Within the next hour approximately six species will become extinct. While extinction is a natural process, the alarming rate of extinction today, comparable only to the extinction of the dinosaurs, is specifically human-induced and unprecedented. Experts agree that the number-one cause of extinction is habitat destruction. Quite simply, when habitat is reduced, species disappear. In the rainforests, logging, cattle ranching, mining, oil extraction, hydroelectric dams and subsistence farming are the leading causes of habitat destruction. Indirectly, the leading threats to rainforest ecosystems are unbridled development, funded by international aid-lending institutions such as the World Bank, and the voracious consumer appetites of industrialized nations. If deforestation continues at current rates, scientists estimate nearly 80-90 percent of tropical rainforest eco- systems will be destroyed by the year 2020.
Why Are Rain Forests Important!
Tropical rainforests are by far the richest habitat on Earth. As many as 30 million species of plants and animals - more than half of all life forms - live in tropical rainforests. At least two-thirds of the world's plant species, including many exotic and beautiful flowers, as well as plants with medicinal value, occur in the tropics and subtropics.
Rainforests are part of the global weather system. Destroying them alters the hydrological cycle - causing drought, flooding, and soil erosion in areas where such events were previously rare. The cutting of forests also changes the albedo or reflectivity of the earth's surface, which in turn alters wind and ocean current patterns, and changes rainfall distribution.
Information from Rainforest Action Network
Please visit
their website to see how you can help!
Whales - the slaughter continues:
The history of commercial whaling is one of ruthless over exploitation and has lead to the near extinction of several whale species. Despite growing opposition to whaling by people around the world and the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium both Norway and Japan are currently hunting whales for commercial gain. Norway is openly flouting the moratorium, while Japan is hunting whales under a "scientific research" loophole in the IWC convention. Such whaling has been driven by greed with no concern for the protection and preservation of whale stocks. The income from the international trade in whale meat, whale products and associated illegal trade, is the catalyst driving the whaling industry. The whaling industry in both countries currently hunt the minke whale, the smallest of the great whale species and the only one left in anywhere near its original numbers. The minkes, although larger than elephants, were too small for whalers to bother with until the early 1970s when most of the larger whale poplulations were decimated by commercial whaling. Whales have inhabited the earth's oceans for millions of years and play a vital role in maintianing the balance in ocean ecosystems.
Information from:
Greenpeace
Please visit their web site to see how you can help!
WOLVES:
Wolves in the United States:
Wolves have had a long and troubled history in the United States since European American settlers began to share their territory. From fear and persecution, to respect and protection -- the relationship between people and wolves has been complex and controversial. Wolves were totally eliminated in the lower 48 states over the past century, but they are now bouncing back with the help of recovery programs under the Endangered Species Act and the commitment of dedicated citizens and organizations.
There are three types of wolves native to the United States.TheGray wolf (Canis lupus) is the largest member of the canine family, measuring 26 to 32 inches tall at the shoulder and weighing 70 to 85 pounds. The coloration of the gray wolf is usually tan with gray and black areas.
A subspecies of the gray Wolf, the Mexican Gray wolf (Canis lupus
baileyi), is a smaller canine whose geographical range in the U.S. once included central and southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and western Texas.
The Red wolf (Canis rufus) gets its name from the reddish color on its head, ears, and legs. It is somewhat smaller than the gray wolf, weighing 45 to 80 pounds, and its head is narrower than that of the gray wolf. Red wolves, whose original range is as far north as Pennsylvania, and as far west as central Texas, are also distinguished by their long ears and legs. This species has been known to interbreed with the coyote.
Wolves in Danger:
By the 19th Century, European American settlers had significantly depleted wild
populations of bison, elk, moose and deer. Because wolves relied on these
animals as a primary food source, they turned to sheep and cattle in the absence of natural prey. In order to protect livestock, ranchers and government agencies launched a massive campaign to exterminate wolves from the land. Bounty programs which rewarded individuals for trapping, hunting, poisoning, and killing wolves lasted as late as 1965. Simultaneously, wolf populations were also pressured by the loss of habitat from land clearing, drainage projects, logging, mining, and road development.
By 1930, the zeal of the predator control programs and the loss of habitat in the lower 48 states had caused the near extinction of all three types of wolves found in the U.S. Over 80,000 wolves were killed under Congress' extermination program in Montana alone, and the gray wolf occupied only one percent of its former range in the lower 48 states by 1984. Sightings of Mexican gray wolves have not been confirmed in the U.S. since the early 1970's and in Mexico since the early 1980's. Red wolves were considered extinct in the wild by 1980.
Information from: National Wildlife Federation
Please visit their website to see how you can help!
Ten Most Endangered Wildlands:
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (AK)
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (GA/FL)
Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges
(OR/CA)
Cabeza Prieta National
Wildlife Refuge (AZ)
Owyhee
Canyonlands (ID)
Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument (UT)
Whitney Estate (NY)
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
(MN)
I-90/Snoqualmie Pass
(WA)
California�s Mojave Desert (CA)
Information from The Wilderness
Society
Please visit their website to see how you can help!
Links:
Environmental WebDirectory
Defenders of Wildlife
GreenPeace
