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Habitat Loss, Degradation and Fragmentation
A primary threat to the world’s biodiversity is habitat destruction, which alters and potentially eliminates the conditions needed for plants and animals to survive. Habitat fragmentation leaves isolated patches of ecosystems disrupt pollination, seed dispersal, wildlife migration and breeding. Humans destroy, degrade and fragment natural habitat in a variety of ways. · Large scale industrial logging
Industrial Logging Industrial clearcut logging is of particular concern to the David Suzuki Foundation. Despite current knowledge, almost all logging in Canada is done in old-growth forests by government-sanctioned clearcut logging. Everyday in British Columbia, coastal temperate rainforests - one of the world’s most rare ecotypes - are being logged. For more on industrial logging in coastal temperate rainforests see: www.canadianrainforests.org Conversion to Agriculture Throughout the world, grasslands, forests, wetlands and desert are converted to agricultural uses, including raising livestock. This removes native species and severely alters ecosystem processes, such as water filtration. On a positive note, in eastern North America, many areas that were previously deforested for agriculture in the 19th century are reverting back to forest. Tropical forests are among the most biologically rich areas on Earth. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently estimated the annual rate of loss of these ecosystems was nearly two per cent by the end of the 1990s. This means that an area the size of Florida is clearcut each year in forested tropical regions alone. Much of the logging in tropical forests is done to create grazing areas for cattle. Urban Sprawl Natural ecosystems are often most seriously affected by urban development. When developers build shopping centres, housing developments and office spaces critical habitat is not just degraded habitat, it’s obliterated. Urban sprawl may be the most important issue facing endangered species in Canada. For example, the Quebec-Windsor corridor is home to intense urbanization and home to almost half of Canada’s known threatened or endangered species. See: Canadian Biodiversity Information Network Industrial Accidents Incidents like the Exxon Valdez oil spill can permanently damage sensitive ecosystems. Leakages from mining tailing ponds, nuclear waste facilities, and chemical spills all pose significant problems and have the potential to severely damage a variety of ecosystems. Habitat and Captive Breeding projects |
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