HUMAN ACTIONS ON THE WORLD’S ECOSYSTEM IS LEADING TO THE EXTINCTION
OF MANY SPECIES AND LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
by : balqis binti hashim
Biodiversity
can
be
defined as the variety &
the richness of life that
exist on earth. It is
shortened form of two
words
which
are
“biological”
and
“diversity”. Biodiversity is
the most important thing
and every single species
has its role to keep the
health
of
earth.
Biodiversity loss can
affect our life.
PRIMARY CAUSES OF
BIODIVERSITY LOSS
There are a lot of causes
that lead to the extinction
of many species and loss
of biodiversity. The main
cause is because of
deforestation. This action
can
change
our
ecosystem
drastically.
Forest may be cleared for
residential use and for
agriculture. Other than
that, deforestation also to
support
the
rapidly
growing
livestock
industries. As results, a lot
of wildlife species lose
their habitats because
forests are home to them.
The greenhouse effect
may increase due to the
rise of temperature.
Besides
that,
agriculture
also
contributes
to
the
biodiversity loss. What is
agriculture? Agriculture is the practice of cultivating the soil,
producing crops, and raising livestock. People often cleared
the forest to make
more
space
for
plantation. This lead
the wildlife to the
verge of extinction.
Other than that, rise
of temperature on
earth
lead
to
greenhouse
effect
and
cause
the
climate to change. So, because of that, the cycle of
condensation and evaporation is disrupted.The aquatic
dead zone increases too because of the chemical that flows
into the river and sea from the fertiliser that contains nitrogen
and phosphorus. A lot of fish are dead because the toxicity.
Furthermore, overpopulation of humans will effect
the forest. It increases the clear cutting of trees and of
course because
of
that,
the
carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere
will increase. The
gas composition
of air will be
interrupted and
not balanced. On
top of that, when
there’s more human, so more resources are needed. Hence,
there are coal mining, animal and fish hunting excessively
and more fossil fuels needed to be used which will result in
environmental impacts.
Last but not
least,
plastic
production is harmful
for our biodiversity
and environment. It
can be hazardous to
the workers and the
chemicals are also
harmful. Even though plastics are discarded, they still
remain in the environment for a long period and leads to
pollution. Most of wastage also dangerous to the animals
because they accidentally swallowed it because confused
either it’s food or not. In results, many animals died because
of choking.
SUGGESTION OF SOLUTIONS TO PROTECT THE
ENDANGERED SPECIES
As far as we know, there are a lot of ways to protect the
endangered species of animals and plants in this world. It’s
all start by ourselves. The least that we can help to
contribute in helping
to
sustain
our
environment is by
practicing
reuse,
reduce and recycle.
In short, we can
purchase
secondhand
household items. This will reduce the cutting of trees and
production of new plastic. We also can use reusable bottles
or containers so that there’s less packaging wastes. A little
action
by
bring
drinking water in our
own tumbler helps to
reduce plastic waste.
If we forget to bring
our tumbler and had
to buy a packaged
drinking water bottle,
we can recycle the
plastic bottle after
that. It helps to lessen
the pollution.
Next, the way to preserve the endangered species is
by not using the products that contain harsh chemicals. As
solution, purchase the non-toxic products so they are not
harmful for the environment. Also, never buy a product that
made from endangered species like handbags that made
from snakeskin or wallet that made from crocodile skin. This
can helps to ensure that there will be less animals hunting
for their body parts. When there’s no request from the
market, there will be less animal that’ll be hunted.
Moreover, nowadays,
people are lacking common
sense. They will litter the
garbage everywhere as if the
surrounding itself is a disposal
bin. As a human being, we
should use our ability to think
by dispose the waste in correct way. For example, we can
dispose in recycling bin properly so that it can be recycle for
future use. For chemical products such as bleach and paint,
we should dispose them at the specialised facilities so that
it will not flow into the river and threaten the aquatic
environments.
Last but not least,
as a consumer, we can
protect
our
beloved
animals from extinction by
reduce or remove meat
and dairy from our diet.
On the other hand, we can
practice to be a vegetarian
or consume plant-based
food. For example, we can
replace dairy milk by
buying almond mlik or soy
milk. We also can use
other substitute for meat.
To
summarise,
taking care of the world is
the duty of every human
being on this earth. Earth,
a planet that can also be
said as our home should
be taken care by us. We
can change our habits in
order to slow down or
even stop the world
destruction. By working
hard to conserve our
world, maybe it will give us
hope to live a harmony
life. We should work
together to change what’s
happening on earth.
REFERENCES
1.
Atmospheric composition. Atmospheric Composition - an overview | ScienceDirect
Topics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2022, from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/atmosphericcomposition
2. Biodiversity loss: What is causing it and why is it a concern?: News: European
parliament. Biodiversity loss: what is causing it and why is it a concern? | News |
European Parliament. (2021, June 9). Retrieved March 24, 2022, from
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20200109STO69929/biodi
versity-loss-what-is-causing-it-and-why-is-it-a-concern
3. Ifa, U. A. (2022). Biology for Matriculation Semester 2. SAP Malaysia.
4. Kelly, E. (2019, September 25). Global biodiversity is in crisis, but there is hope for
recovery. National Geographic Society Newsroom. Retrieved March 24, 2022, from
https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2019/09/23/global-biodiversity-is-in-crisis-butthere-is-hope-for-recovery/
5. Knapp, B. S., By: & Knapp, S. (2020, October 28). Biodiversity - definition, examples
and threats. Biology Dictionary. Retrieved March 24, 2022, from
https://biologydictionary.net/biodiversity/
6. Lee, S. C., Sudin, S., B., N., S., J. R., & Zakaria, F. (2015). Biology for matriculation:
Semester 2. Oxford Fajar.
7. Mckenzie, K. H. & R. (n.d.). 12 environmental effects of coal mining. Environment
911. Retrieved March 24, 2022, from
https://www.environment911.org/12_Environmental_Effects_of_Coal_Mining
8. PTF: Environmental impacts. Ecology Center. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2022, from
https://ecologycenter.org/plastics/ptf/report3/
9. Singh, V., Shukla, S., & Singh, A. (2021, January 21). The principal factors
responsible for biodiversity loss. Open Journal of Plant Science. Retrieved March 24,
2022, from https://www.peertechzpublications.com/articles/OJPS-6-126.php
10. What are the biggest causes of biodiversity loss?: Earth.org - past: Present: Future.
Earth.Org - Past | Present | Future. (2022, January 27). Retrieved March 24, 2022,
from https://earth.org/causes-of-biodiversity-loss/
11. What is the human impact on biodiversity?: Royal Society. What is the human impact
on biodiversity? | Royal Society. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2022, from
https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/biodiversity/human-impact-onbiodiversity/