[APWG] Fw: Human activity is driving Earth's 'sixth great extinction event'

Wed Jul 29 12:50:33 CDT 2009

Hi,

Um... Have a Nice Day? Please see article below. This is the first time
I've seen Population Growth included, and in first place!, in the title of
an article about the current environmental crisis. It could be the
beginning of a trend.

Thank you,

Jil

__________________
JIL M SWEARINGEN
Invasive Species Specialist
NPS National Capital Region
Center for Urban Ecology
4598 MacArthur Blvd. NW
Washington DC 20007
202-342-1443, ex 218
http://www.nps.gov/cue
http://www.invasive.org/weedus

----- Forwarded by Jil Swearingen/NCR/NPS on 07/29/2009 01:44 PM -----

             "Cleary, Ruark"                                               
             <Ruark.Cleary at MyF                                             
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                                                                   Subject 
                                       Human activity is driving Earth's   
                                       'sixth great extinction event'      

(Embedded image moved to file: pic07043.gif)guardian.co.uk home
Human activity is driving Earth's 'sixth great extinction event'
Population growth, pollution and invasive species are having a disastrous
effect on species in the southern hemisphere, a major review by
conservationists warns
·         Ian Sample, science correspondent
·         guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 28 July 2009 19.24 BST
(Embedded image moved to file: pic12531.jpg)A leatherback turtle in Surinam

The leatherback turtle is endangered - but scientiﬁc reports expose
worrying signs of mass extinctions among other wildlife species.
Photograph: Frans Lemmens/Getty Images
Earth is experiencing its "sixth great extinction event" with disease and
human activity taking a devastating toll on vulnerable species, according
to a major review by conservationists.
Much of the southern hemisphere is suffering particularly badly, and
Australia, New Zealand and neighbouring Pacific islands may become the
extinction hot spots of the world, the report warns.
Ecosystems in Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia need urgent and effective
conservation policies, or the region's already poor record on extinctions
will worsen significantly.
Researchers trawled 24,000 published reports to compile information on the
native flora and fauna of Australasia and the Pacific islands, which have
six of the most biodiverse regions on the planet. Their report identifies
six causes driving species to extinction, almost all linked in some way to
human activity.
"Our region has the notorious distinction of having possibly the worst
extinction record on Earth," said Richard Kingsford, an environmental
scientist at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and lead author of
the report. "We have an amazing natural environment, but so much of it is
being destroyed before our eyes. Species are being threatened by habitat
loss and degradation, invasive species, climate change, over-exploitation,
pollution and wildlife disease."
The review, published in the journal Conservation Biology, highlights
destruction and degradation of ecosystems as the main threat. In Australia,
agriculture has altered or destroyed half of all woodland and forests.
Around 70% of the remaining forest has been damaged by logging. Loss of
habitats is behind 80% of threatened species, the report claims.
Invasive animals and plants have devastated native species on many Pacific
islands. The Guam Micronesian kingfisher is thought to be extinct in the
wild following the introduction of the brown tree snake. The impact of
invasive species is often compounded by pollution and burgeoning human
populations on the islands, which have outstripped their capacity to deal
with waste. Plastics and fishing gear are an ongoing danger.
The impact of humans on wildlife is likely to increase in Australasia and
the Pacific islands. By 2050, the population of Australia is expected to
have risen by 35%, and New Zealand by 25%, while Papua New Guinea faces a
76% increase and New Caledonia 49%.
More than 2,500 invasive plant species have colonised Australia and New
Zealand, competing for sunlight and nutrients. Many have been introduced by
governments, horticulturists and hunters. In addition, the report says,
average temperatures in Australia have increased, in line with climate
change predictions, forcing some species towards Antarctica and others to
higher, cooler ground.
The report highlights several studies that point to serious threats from
diseases such as avian malaria and the chytrid fungus, linked to declines
in frog populations. An infectious facial cancer is spreading rapidly among
Tasmanian devils and populations of the world's largest marsupial predator
are believed to have fallen by more than 60% as a result.
Plants have also fared badly: a root fungus deliberately introduced into
Australia has destroyed several species.
The report sets out a raft of recommendations to slow the decline by
introducing laws to limit land clearing, logging and mining; restricting
deliberate introduction of invasive species; reducing carbon emissions and
pollution; and limiting fisheries. It raises particular concerns about
bottom trawling, and the use of cyanide and dynamite, and calls for
early-warning systems to pick up diseases in the wild.
"The burden on the environment is going to get worse unless we are a lot
smarter about reducing our footprint," said Kingsford. "Unless we get this
right, future generations will surely be paying more in quality of life and
the environment. And our region will continue its terrible reputation of
leading the world in the extinction of plants and animals."
Dead and buried
Cretaceous-Tertiary 65m years ago, the dinosaurs were wiped out in a mass
extinction that killed nearly a fifth of land vertebrate families, 16% of
marine families and nearly half of all marine animals. Thought to have been
caused by asteroid impact that created Chicxulub crater in the Yucatan.
End of Triassic About 200m years ago, lava floods erupting from the central
Atlantic are thought to have created lethal global warming, killing off
more than a fifth of all marine families and half of marine genera.
Permian-Triassic The worst mass extinction took place 250m years ago,
killing 95% of all species. Experts disagree on the cause.
Late Devonian About 360m years ago, a fifth of marine families were wiped
out, alongside more than half of all marine genera. Cause unknown.
Ordovician-Silurian About 440m years ago, a quarter of all marine families
were wiped out by fluctuating sea levels as glaciers formed and melted.
again.
·         guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009
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