Consists of ecosystems and the bacteria, plant and animal species livingwithin
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
Unsustainablehunting 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, habitatdestruction 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 ChinaTiger (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 enforcingpatrolling 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 lastresort, involving the breeding of animal species in captivity
Translocation
Involves the moving of animals and plants from a threatenedhabitat to a safer one