Endangered Animals - Don't Waste

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ANIMALS AT RISK OF EXTINCTION

About eighty years, less than a century. A very short time for nature, almost a breath, and in which we could find ourselves facing a true catastrophe: the loss of more than half of living animal species. Already today, a fifth of species are at risk of extinction, while by 2100, at this rate, half of them could no longer exist . We must not give in to catastrophism, not even when it comes to a nature we too often fail to respect and protect, but this time the alarm comes from a very authoritative source, the global community of biologists. They are the ones warning us of a gigantic planetary waste, and they are the ones calling for serious measures to avert the danger.

CAUSES OF ANIMAL EXTINCTION

Professor and biologist Peter Raven, from the Missouri Botanical Garden, reminds us that: "By the beginning of the next century, we risk losing half of our wildlife. The extinctions that will occur are an even greater threat than that posed by climate change, for the sole reason that they are irreversible ." The stakes are high, and the responsibility lies entirely with humans. As biologist Paul Ehrilch of Stanford University reminds us: "Western countries are robbing the world of its resources, destroying its ecosystems at an unprecedented rate. […] We are robbing the seas of all their fish, demolishing coral reefs, and spewing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. We have begun a massive process of extinction. The question is: how do we stop it?"

Scientists' warnings paint apocalyptic scenarios for a future that is no longer too distant. Numerous species are already at risk of extinction, having played a fundamental role in our ecological history and ecosystems. Now they risk disappearing forever, because of us. The following are just a few of the most significant examples of animals facing extinction, but the danger is much broader and affects hundreds of thousands of species.

ANIMALS IN THREAT OF EXTINCTION

Monkeys, lemurs, apes, slow lorises, and many other primate species are at risk of permanent extinction. Currently, more than half, approximately 60 percent , are at risk, but there are serious doubts about the survival of over 300 of these species, including gorillas, gibbons, marmosets, lemurs and slow lorises, and chimpanzees . The causes are all attributable to humans' thirst for new territories to exploit, who, between 1990 and 2010, robbed 1.5 million square kilometers of these primates' habitats. Suffice it to say that in the four countries where two-thirds of the world's primate population lives (Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo), an average of 70 percent of species are at risk of extinction. Furthermore, the illegal trade in these primates generates a market of thousands of specimens each year, depriving these animals of other opportunities to continue populating their lands.

HOW TO AVOID ANIMAL EXTINCTION

The latest report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has drawn a worrying map monitoring the populations of certain species over the last thirty years. The most frightening numbers are those relating to giraffes, whose numbers have plummeted by 40 percent , while the African lion has seen its numbers more than halve, as has the rhinoceros . The causes are always the same: human encroachment on these animals' natural habitats, hunting, and the illegal trafficking of specimens or parts thereof—such as rhino horns or lion teeth. Barbarous practices and reckless deforestation are phenomena that, the report states, risk leading to a loss of two-thirds of wildlife by 2020, compared to 1970. Unacceptable.

DROMEDARIES IN ENDANGERED EXTINCTION

Another decimation that threatens to bring the economy and biodiversity of a country like Somalia to its knees is the one affecting the dromedary camel population . In Somalia, a years-long drought is causing the death of many of the seven million camels . This damage is not only serious because of the loss of wildlife, but also because the dromedary provides 223 liters of milk per capita in Somalia , and the trade in these animals brings in as much as 50 million liters a year.

ELEPHANTS IN ENDANGER

On the island of Sumatra , however, deforestation and poaching are further threatening the survival of many of its wild animals. Numerous species are at risk, including orangutans. However, those most at risk of extinction are elephants . The cause is obviously the precious ivory, which elephants carry in abundance in their imposing tusks and which is a prized possession of poachers and ivory hunters.

LIONS IN ENDANGERED

From 1993 to 2016, 43 percent of African lions disappeared. A silent and hidden massacre. Only 35 remain, and they are considered extremely endangered. In short, the population of these magnificent felines is undergoing a dramatic decline, in numbers and presence, in the habitats of most African countries, so much so that they are currently present in only 8% of their historical range . Poaching is one of the causes: lion trophies account for 42% of exports of lion products.

AQUATIC SPECIES AT RISK OF EXTINCTION

Tuna, salmon, sharks, rays, swordfish, cod, sardines, anchovies, eels. They are all at risk of extinction. Our seas are being emptied of their inhabitants, and the blame, once again, lies with us for fishing as much fish as we can . According to Greenpeace, we have lost 99 percent of European eels and 95 percent of southern tuna, while salmon have almost completely disappeared from the Atlantic, sharks and rays are decimated, and 80 percent of the sea's large predators are absent from the North Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

At this rate, by 2048, if current fishing rates remain unchanged, we will have no fish left : we will therefore be forced to rely solely on fish born and raised in farms. Currently, according to biologist Boris Warm, 29 percent of the marine animals on our menu are already in enormous difficulty.

INIA DOLPHINS

This is a beautiful species of Dolphins of river, very concentrated in the rivers of theAmazonThey are victims, and at risk of extinction, of water temperatures reaching 39 degrees Celsius and the severe drought that has hit the Amazon River. Another cause scientists are investigating is increased pollution.

CETACEANS

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies endangered species by color: brown indicates danger of extinction, orange signals a definite threat, yellow-orange indicates vulnerability, and green indicates a potential threat. In the case of cetaceans, one in four species falls into the first category (endangered) out of a total of 92 species. Another 11 percent are potentially threatened.

BIRDS AT RISK OF EXTINCTION

Unfortunately, the situation is no better in the skies. According to the Global Red List compiled by BirdLife International (LIPU in Italy), 13 percent of the world 's 100 bird species are at risk of extinction . The risk is even greater if we consider the birds of the Amazon, where approximately 100 bird species are at high risk of extinction, primarily due to deforestation. According to a study published in PNAS, the bird population in Europe has declined by 25 percent since 1980. Birds in cold regions have been more affected than those in warm regions due to the climate crisis. However, in addition to rising temperatures, the use of fertilizers and insecticides and the degradation of forests have also played a role in the decline of birds.

VULTURES

In Africa the vultures They have declined by 90 percent. Killed by humans, who poison animal carcasses to keep livestock predators at bay. In Italy, until the mid-twentieth century, there were four species of vulture: the black vulture, the Egyptian vulture, the bearded vulture, and the griffon vulture. Of the former, there is no trace, the latter is at risk of extinction, and the latter two they are found in Sicily and in the AlpsVultures protect the environment and the ecosystem, primarily by scavenging dead animal carcasses. Their highly acidified stomachs protect them from viruses and bacteria in carcasses and, indirectly, protect humans as well. Vultures are considered a natural barrier against diseases caused by decomposing animals.

LEARN MORE: Climate change: One in six plant and animal species at risk

HOW TO PROTECT ENDANGERED ANIMALS

We urgently need global, effective, and permanent solutions to ensure our ecosystem's biodiversity remains healthy and thrives again. Regulations appear insufficient, and are merely bureaucratic barriers that must be overcome. The seas and oceans alone are overrun by dozens of regulations, increasingly disregarded in the name of human profit and sustenance. This enormous process of extinction is a problem that risks irreversibly changing the fate of the Earth system and our lives . The solution must be widespread, with a radical shift in our lifestyles, starting with our food and the responsible consumption of all products of animal origin. Finally, it is unthinkable to continue taking away space from animals to install other sources of production, pollution, and consumption on our part.

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