Destruction of wetlands and grasslands (habitat destruction)

• Wetlands are home to a rich diversity of plants and animal species
• Their destruction removes the natural habitats of a wide range of species, thus threatening their existence
• Grasslands are simple in structure, but rich in species
• Grasslands face increasing pressure for the production of food and wood products
• Changing land use to crops or commercial forest immediately reduces biodiversity as one species replaces many others
• Heavy grazing in grasslands also increases the risk of weeds dominating an areas and threatening the survival of other species
• South Africa is one of the world's top coal producers and exporters and most of our coal is mined in grasslands. The increasing demand for coal threatens the existence of our grasslands