Sean D. Gow
5-22-2014
5th
The Loss of the Tree Kangaroo
Have you ever heard of a tree kangaroo? If you haven’t, tree kangaroos are gentle, nocturnal mammals that share many characteristics with their ground dwelling ancestors. Tree kangaroos, however, are facing death at an alarming rate. Tree kangaroos face overhunting and their habitats being destroyed. You can make a difference, however. Sign petitions against deforestation, donate to trustworthy charities, and buy certified wood and wood products as well as avoid such products as coconut products that are the cause of deforestation.
Tree kangaroos are in danger of their habitats being destroyed and over hunting, but the everyday person can help these wonderful creatures. You can act through many programs such as the World Wildlife Foundation, National Geographic, Forest Programme Papua New Guinea, the Forest Stewardship Council (for wood products), the United Nations Environment Programme, and many more. You can donate to these organisations to support them and their fight against over exploitation or simply take into refe...
“By the time we’re done, it’s quite possible that there will be among the great apes not a single representative left, except, that is, for us,” Kolbert deduces (225). Hunting a species has caused the endangerment and extinction of many species of animals and plants. Six out of eight species of the world’s bears are categorized as “vulnerable” or “endangered” to extinct (222). Advocating for rights of endangered species, and protecting the forests they habitat is a noteworthy method to prevent extinction caused by humans. As an individual, one could help by supporting and donating to organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund, the National Wildlife Federation, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and more (262). Humans may ease their conscience by not actively killing endangered species, but protecting them
Ti watching a hippopotamus hunt was discovered in the tomb of a Fifth Dynasty official under the name of Ti. The piece roughly dates back to 2540-2350 BCE, during the Old Kingdom of Egypt; such date can be inferred due to the composition of the work, as works of the deceased in a narrative or singular picture were often created as relief sculpture in tombs during the Old Kingdom period. The painted relief sculpture was carved into limestone and found on the mastaba- rectangular brick or stone structure with sloping sides built over a tomb- at Ti’s tomb in Saqqara, Egypt.
Continuous human degradation of the Cross River gorilla is the primary cause of their dwindling numbers. An amazing species that once prospered in the jungle has been abused to near extinction. Because human interference is the cause of the gorillas decreasing numbers, it is humanities obligation to suspend the practices that lead to their demise. In doing so, we must also explore the options we have to repopulate a species with an intellect second only to humans. Aside from the obvious cruelty of this issue, repopulating the Cross River gorilla is important because the gorillas endangerment is just a byproduct of the unsustainable, and barbaric human interference that is destroying an entire ecosystem. In addition to the extinction of the Cross River gorilla, we will also lose a vast unexplored environment. To end this species demise, we must fight to control the issues that
In the novel, Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, Niska, Xavier’s aunt, makes reference to a story during her youth. This story took place during the winter and highlighted periods of starvation among Niska’s tribe because of the lack of ideal food resources. As starvation became a prolonged condition and desperation levels heightened, the tribe’s hunters brought back a black bear. Niska’s father, the leader of her tribe was disturbed as he associated the bear as man’s “brother.”
As destruction of the rainforest continues, man slowly paves the inevitable path to a clear end. It has been known that the rainforest is an essential provider for the balance of the mother earth and that it acts as a key for life as we know it. Yet, the world still decides to quietly watch the disappearance. In fact, most people realize what exactly is taking place. But however, instead of trying to aid in the termination of this disaster. They place this into the back of their ignorant little minds thinking that it will not directly effect them. Every day the removal continues, it actually occurs extremely fast and at a pace of 80 acres per minute. That means at 80 acres per minute with 60 minutes per hour and 24 hours a day, there is a loss of approximately 115,000 acres a day. This is an exorbitant amount forest loss in one day meaning that at this pace hastened by the roadrunner ethics, that the forest will not have a place in the environment for very long. The fact is that now is the time to voice your opinion before and act it is too late.
The Forest People seems like an unbiased book when you read it, but is it really? The answer is a resounding “NO”. There are many reasons including the conditions Colin Turnbull was in and where he was when he wrote the book, his history, and his views as an ethnographer being subpar from what is considered an accurate ethnographer. There are many reasons that methodology and ethical choices are questioned when it comes to Colin Turnbull’s The Forest People and they are all not unfounded.
Primates have long been understood to have a distinct connection with other animals of its kind, perhaps one of the reasons why their behavior has been most often than not closely related to how humans interact in social groups. However, between different emerging species, it could be analyzed how competition becomes a vital part of the connection they share between each other. This is the reason why it was easier to preserve species of different kinds of primates even within the same locations of habitat. Cross-breeding was not that common among primates due to being highly territorial in nature. Male primates often direct their groups specifically having a distinct distance from other types of other primates. This is why preserving intact social groups among monkeys have been a distinct characteristic of the animal, giving them a greater chance of propagating and preserving their own groups surviving within a specific habitat. When instances of environmental imbalance occurs, primates often move as groups, hence bringing their whole clan and community along with them as they follow their leaders find viable locations to become their new home.
The most unique feature of the platypus is the soft and pliable bill. The bill surface is perforated with openings that contain nerve endings, which allow the animal to locate food and aid movement under water. These pores contain two types of sensory receptors: mechanoreceptors, which respond to tactile pressure, and electroreceptors, which respond to electric fields. The eyes and ear openings are located behind the bill in a muscular groove, which contracts and closes as the platypus dives (Griffiths, 1998). The nostrils are positioned towards the tip of the bill and are slightly elevated upwards to allow breathing whilst the body is beneath the surface (Figure 1).
Great Apes are at the brink of extinction due to deforestation, hunting, and bushmeat trade. Our closest cousins are now viewed as economic commodities rather than valuable agents to the environment and humanity. In order to explore this issue, there must be an examinitation of why primate populations are dwindling, if these populations can replenish themselves, and what measures the international community is taking to alleviate the problem.
This is alarming since recent data indicates these enormous forests are land-dwelling carbon absorbers that could help to slow worldwide climate alteration. The United Nations ' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates “eighteen million acres of forests have been destroyed worldwide;” and NASA forecasts “that if current deforestation rates are not reduced, rainforests could become entirely eradicated in a century.” The nations with substantial deforestation are Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Africa (The Democratic Republic of Congo included), and remote areas of Eastern Europe. Indonesia, the country with the greatest deforestation within the last century, has lost approximately forty million acres of indigenous
The Australian Rainforest Memorandum, which recognizes the rights of traditional land owners is endorsed by over 40 NGO’s. Working Towards an end to foreign debt is yet another crucial role to ending deforestation. The condition imposed by the International Monetary Fund often forces heavily indebted countries to sell their national resources far in excess of sustainable exploitation.
One of the most evident problems associated to the environment is the issue of the logging of trees, mainly in undisturbed places such as the Amazon basin. Trees are considered the lungs of the Earth. They recycle all the polluting carbon in the air and return oxygen back into our atmosphere, creating a stable cycle of carbon in our atmosphere. However, the impeccable rates which trees are being cut down in our forests have grown to ever increasing and alarming rates. Trees that are made way for farming are burnt up releasing deadly amounts of carbon and thus leading to the problem of global warming. As its names suggest the world is slowly warming up and without any notice the environment which God has gave us will be slowly eradicated. The daily lives which humans carry on about every day are also a factor influencing on our environment and global warming. By driving cars that have a thirst for petrol we are releasing carbon dioxide and furthermore impacting on the world?s climate. In Australia environmental impact has always been evident. Land clearing especially in places such as Queensland has caused land to lay dry and lifeless where all forms of life is destroyed. By clearing land we are not only affecting our climate but are also destroying animal habitat and the usage of the land. Senseless actions by commuters in Australia, emitting tons and tons of lethal gases vulnerable to the atmosphere are starting to take its toll on our climate. We are seeing a harsher climate and at the same time less rain. If we want to preserve our world we must take a stance on this issue and take action for what is right, not carrying on the actions that will lead to a desolate, destroyed Earth.
The Earth is far and away the most biodiverse planet in our solar system, with about 8.7 million more unique species than the other 8 planets (UNEP). However, the Earth’s commanding lead is shrinking; not because the other planets are increasing biodiversity, but because Earth’s is decreasing. According to the World Wildlife Fund, we as a planet are losing 1,000 to 10,000 more species than the natural rate. Since the total number of species is hard to pin down, this can mean anywhere from 200 to 10,000 species going extinct per year (World Wildlife Fund). This obscenely high extinction rate is dangerous not just to ecosystems directly affected by the loss, but also creates a domino effect that circles around the globe and up and down the food
Recently over the years elephant populations have drastically declined. This is due to human encroachment on their habit and poaching. Demand for ivory has increased the number of poaching kills in Africa. In 1988 congress passed the elephant African Elephant Conservation Act which placed a ban against illegal ivory imports and authorizes government funding for elephant field conservation projects. Although some African countries have initiated African elephant conservation programs, many do not have the sufficient resources to properly manage, conserve and protect their elephant’s populations. Unfortunately, we are possibly undergoing “the greatest percentage loss of elephants in history” (Ruggiero). Without the proper conservation of elephant survival we will see a drastic shift in the environment.
In our world today we have approximately 26,021 endangered species. Endangered species are organisms that may possible become extinct. The term 'endangered species' refers to all species that fits this description. However some conservation biologists and scientists normally use the term ‘endangered species’ to refer to species that are put on the IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature)Red List. Many factors can be looked at when considering the conservation status of a species. Factors such as human threats or environmental threats can cause a species to become endangered.