A recent survey conducted by the American Museum of Natural History, concluded that 70% of biologists see the current era as a mass extinction event. According to them, this is the fastest event to have ever occurred.

American entomologist and biologist E.O. Wilson predicts that the destruction of the biosphere is likely to lead to the extinction of half of all animal species in the next 100 years.

"Now when you cut a forest , an ancient forest in particular, you are not just removing a lot of big trees and a few birds fluttering around in the canopy . You are drastically imperiling a vast array of species within a few square miles of you. The number of these species may go to tens of thousands.

Many of them are still unknown to science, and science has not yet discovered the key role undoubtedly played in the maintenance of that ecosystem , as in the case of fungi , micro-organisms , and many of the insects ."

(E.O. Wilson, 2000)

According to Wilson, we are losing 30,000 species a year.
This can be alarmingly broken down into the loss of 3 species an hour.

For more information about Mass Extinction:
http://www.actionbioscience.org/newfrontiers/eldredge2.html

Apart from understanding the reasons why we a facing such a catastrophe, we need to immediately encourage and support the importance of "sanctuaries"

The idea of sanctuaries can be divided into three parts:

Firstly, there are natural areas on this planet with an incredible range of wildlife and plants. Many of these areas are under threat from future mining, logging and human destruction. These already existing areas or so called "hot-spots" are sanctuaries for some of most incredible species that have histories thousands of years old. We must value these areas as our natural treasures that must be preserved. We must let the animals, birds, insects, plants and trees continue to live in their natural habitat without interference.

Second, in some areas the homes of many species are being destroyed so rapidly that it would take hundreds of years for those areas to recover. In the meantime, we need to continue to build or section off areas of forest and bush where endangered species can take refuge in an environment that is similar to what they are used to. This is partly human controlled so that the wildlife can to be protected.

Thirdly, there are the zoos as sanctuaries. Not animals imprisoned in cages for us to go and laugh at or stare stupidly at from a distance, but zoos under much stricter human control. Zoos provide a protected comfortable space and environment for endangered animals and so that we can appreciate and further understand them more.

Of course, the best place for wildlife to exist is in their natural state in their own environment. But the human impact is now on such a scale that we need to also support and build sanctuaries and zoos so that wildlife can continue to survive against the threat of extinction. Left only out in the wild, many species would more rapidly disappear.

 

 

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