Taking Care of Mother Earth
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 ecosystems will be destroyed by the
year 2020.
Why rainforests are 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 overexploitation 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 website 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.
The gray 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
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