biodiversity

Cards (32)

  • Biodiversity
    Earth's rich variety of plant and animal species
  • Biodiversity
    • Consists of ecosystems and the bacteria, plant and animal species living within
    • Also referred to as Biological diversity
  • Scientists have estimated that there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence
  • Only around 1.2 million species have been identified and described so far, most of which are insects
  • Millions of other organisms remain a complete mystery
  • Ways humans affect biodiversity negatively
    • Destruction of habitats
    • Unsustainable hunting and fishing
    • Importation of alien plant and animal species
  • Habitat destruction
    The main cause for the destruction of wildlife
  • The human population is constantly on the increase, and we constantly need more land for housing, industry and agriculture
  • Habitat destruction wipes out entire ecosystems
  • Together with uncontrolled hunting, habitat destruction has brought plant and animal species on the verge of extinction
  • Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, it occurs at a natural rate of about 1 to 5 species per year
  • Scientists estimate we're now losing 1,000 to 10,000 species a year. Dozens are going extinct every day. 30 to 50 percent of all species are possibly heading toward extinction by mid-century
  • Endangered animals
    • Black Rhino (Africa)
    • Cross River Gorilla (Nigeria)
    • Hawksbill Turtle (Oceans)
    • Javan Rhino (Indonesia)
    • South China Tiger (China)
  • Tropical Rainforests
    • Generally found in the equatorial region which has a high annual precipitation
    • Disappearing at an alarming rate
    • Home to around half the species that live on Earth
  • Coto Donana National Park
    One of the world's most valuable wetland reserves in southern Spain, a World Heritage Site, of great ecological wealth and containing an enormous variety of bird species
  • Beach resorts were developed in parts of the Coto Donana ecosystem bringing about much harm
  • Coral Reefs
    • Can be described as the tropical rain forests of the sea
    • Support a diverse community of underwater wildlife such as hard and soft corals
    • Provide nursery grounds for many species of commercially important fish
    • Occupy less than 1% of the Earth's marine environment
  • There are also some Coral Reefs in Maltese waters
  • Hedgerows
    Mainly planted by humans to act as barriers for the division of fields, but over time they started attracting wildlife and became an ecosystem in their own right
  • Alien Species
    Organisms that are not native of a place, which may have a neutral, positive or negative effect on an ecosystem
  • Alien Species introduced in Maltese ecosystems

    • Eucalyptus trees
    • Cape Sorell (Ħaxixa Ngliża)
    • Chameleon (Kamalejonte)
    • Chilean Rat (Common Degu)
    • Crayfish
    • African Fountain Grass
  • Protection and conservation of endangered flora and fauna
    • It is pointless protecting individual species unless they have a habitat to live in
    • Preserving habitats has the added advantage of protecting many species all at once
  • Protected areas still cover a tiny fraction of the World's most important ecosystems
  • It is useless to protect an area without enforcing patrolling and law protection
  • Existing national parks are mainly small and fragmented. Animals can't move from one park to the next safely
  • Marine Parks
    Areas setup by countries to protect sea ecosystems and biodiversity, where no fishing is allowed
  • Several EU member states have declared stretches of their coastline as marine reserves
  • The Maltese Islands have Marine Protected areas
  • Fishfortomorrow is a Maltese NGO that provides information on fish to avoid consuming
  • Environment protection and legislation
    • All protected sites are covered by Legislation
    • The most important international wildlife law is known as CITES - the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna
  • Captive Breeding
    When an animal or plant species is critically threatened, captive breeding is the very last resort, involving the breeding of animal species in captivity
  • Translocation
    Involves the moving of animals and plants from a threatened habitat to a safer one