http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/science/04conv.html?_r=1
This article highlights an interview with Stuart L. Pimm, whose specialty is extinction. He first decided to specialize in extinction as he was observing Hawaii. He had a book with all the Hawaiian species and was trying to look for them, but couldn't because they were either extinct or critically endangered. Since, he has dedicated his life to finding solutions to the extinction problem.
Everyone recognizes that extinction is a problem. Nothing is being done, though, because of human's needs. We need shelter, we need food. Our population continues to grow, and we need to be able to sustain it. All the things we buy and consume-paper, cars, computers, water bottles- has to be made somewhere. We need the land in increasing increments. But by doing this, we are causing extinction. When we use the land for roads, or power plants, or logging, or development, we are disturbing the habitats and niches of species, leading to extinction. Without people like Pimm, we would pretty much be slaughtering animals to no avail. All these species can't stop the destruction that is being done to them and their habitats, so we need to.
I know we all live busy lives, and don't have the time to travel to the Amazon like Pimm to take inventory on species, but there are some simple things we can do to help. Visit national parks and get involved with local conservation movements. Help native species out by removing weeds and non-native species from your yard or a park nearby. And just let people know what you know about extinction, the more people who are aware, the more people there are to help with the movement.
Dreifus, Claudia. "Asking 'Why do Species go Extinct?'" The New York Times 3 Nov. 2008: D2.
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Very good points, and ideas about ways to help locally and abroad. Since education is key to preventing extinctions maybe you could of added links to local programs but thats just nit-picking.
ReplyDeleteThis is to Michael V: You should have said could have instead of "could of." But thats just nit-picking.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, the first step is to raise awareness about this issue and start simple. But I don't think doing things the "easy" way is going to do as much good as we need it to do in the end. Everyone always talks about easy ways to do things, but there isn't an easy button for things like this. It is something that will require time and effort to fix.
ReplyDeleteI think Pimm has some great idea. I especially liked his creation of "corridors" between fragmented habitats. Joining surviving habitats is a very cost effective way to deal with habitat destruction. It is much more efficient to buy 250 acres of land joining two chunks of forest than to buy 250 acres of forest surrounded by farm land.
ReplyDeleteI hadn’t realized that Hawaii had lost so much biodiversity. It makes you wonder what the world must have been like before humans.
It is a tragedy that Hawaii, once a hotspot for biodiversity has lost so many organisms. I believe that the government needs to begin taking action to preserve biodiversity. But in the mean time people should get involved on a small scale by working with local grass roots organizations. I do my part by working to preserve an endangered species of salamanders through my mentoring project.
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