biodiversity

• 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