SPECIES EXTINCTION

BIODIVERSITYAccording to National Wildlife Conservation • It is the variety of life.• The different species on the entire Earth. • On a smaller scale: the species living with a pond ecosystem or

neighborhood park• Identifying and understanding the relationships between all

the life on Earth

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary• The existence of many different kinds of plants and animals in

an environment.

EXTINCTIONAccording to Rabago (2014)

• It is the irreversible loss of a species.

• It means the death of all members of the population.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary

• It is the state or situation that results when something (such as plant or animal species) has died out completely.

The following are terrestrial species that are in danger of extinction in the Philippines

• Tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis)

• Mouse deer (Pilandok)

• Philippine deer (usa)

• Monkey-eating eagle or the Philippine eagle

• Palawan peacock pheasant

The following are terrestrial species that are in danger of extinction in the Philippines

• Giant scops owl (kwago)

• Kock’s pitta (liaco)

• Mindoro’s imperial pigeon (balud)

• Eastern sarus crane (tipol)

• Rufous hornbill (kalaw)

The following are aquatic species that are in danger of extinction in the Philippines

• Dugong (duyong)

• Green sea turtle (pawikan)

According to Conservation International (2007). Biodiversity Hotspots shows the number of endemism for each taxonomic group.

Taxonomic Group Species Endemic Species Percent Endemism

Plants 9,253 6,091 65.8

Mammals 167 102 61.1

Birds 535 186 34.8

Reptiles 237 160 67.5

Amphibians 89 76 85.4

Freshwater Fishes 281 67 23.8

According to the Center for Biological Diversity our planet is now in the midst of its 6th mass extinction of plants and animals.

• Now losing species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate ( 1- 5 species/year)

• Dozens of species are going extinct everyday.

• 30 to 50 % of all species possibly heading toward extinction by mid-century

There are two factors that contribute to species loss.

NATURAL CATASTROPHIC CAUSES

According to Elewa and Joseph (2009)

• Global cooling and warming• Major glaciations or ice ages

• Fluctuations in sea level

• Global reduction of oxygen levels• Volcanic eruptions

• Asteroid, comet or meteor impacts

• Plate tectonics, continental drift• Gamma radiation

• Diseases

HUMAN ACTIVITIES

DIRECT CAUSES• Overexploitation• Deliberate extermination of

undesirable speciesINDIRECT CAUSES• Habitat destruction and

fragmentation• Introduction of exotic species• Pollution

According to Solutions for a sustainable and desirable future (2009), there are nine steps to save biodiversity. (pre-empting species extinction)

1) Biodiversity Parks

• offer explicit protection for endangered species and evolutionary

features or honor important historical events in human affairs

• oceans require safeguard against overfishing and networks marine reserves

2) Ecologically reclaimed and restored habitats

• Focus on long-term recovery and biological revival is essential (restoration ecologists)

According to Solutions for a sustainable and desirable future (2009), there are nine steps to save biodiversity (pre-empting species extinction)

3) The Fabric of Local communities

• Promote traditions of stewardship in the local community

• Ecotourism (Ex. Rwanda – Gorilla watching)

• Nature education and bioliteracy

4) Diversity in Human Landscapes

• Human density is a good predictor of conservation conflict: nearly 20% of all people now live within biodiversity hotspots and their growth rate is faster than the human population at large

• Make 4/5 of the planet more hospitable to biodiversity

According to Solutions for a sustainable and desirable future (2009), there are nine steps to save biodiversity (pre-empting species extinction)

5) Legislation

• Present laws, commissions and treaties must be fully enforced. (Convention on International Trade in Endagered Species and the International commission’s moratorium on commercial whaling; Endagered Species Act in the US; Ivory ban of 1989)

6) Economics

• People are willing to pay to keep species alive. (Existence value)

7) Endowment: Biodiversity Funds

• Creating a conservation trust fund

According to Solutions for a sustainable and desirable future (2009), there are nine steps to save biodiversity (pre-empting species extinction)8) Bioliteracy

• Transforming human attitudes about nature (love of nature)

• Biodiversity loss and habitat transformation have increased the prevalence of various vector-borne diseases

9) Toward Zero Extinction

• Convention on Biological Diversity (ratified by 188 countries in 1994)

Its target is to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss significantly by 2010.

• Non-profit groups: Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund, Polar bears International, Alliance for Zero Extinction

References

• Roman, J., Ehrlich P. Pringle, R and Avise, J. The Solutions Journal. Facing Extinction:Nine Steps to Save Biodiversity. 2009

• Capco, et.al. Biology. You and the Natural World. 2010

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPnTJ0Nvm1o

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3hayGbPxyA

• Merriam-Webster dictionary.