Tigers, polar bears, the leatherback turtle and the blue fin tuna as well as the graceful Monarch butterfly may only be seen in zoos, or much worse in museums, by future generations considering the rate at which many of the world\u2019s wildlife habitats have been disappearing.<\/p>\n
According to the Living Planet Report of 2014 by the World Wildlife Fund, as much as 52% of the populations of vertebrate species have steadily declined in the last four decades. This means that the populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish have done down by half in less than two human generations. The decline in both species population and diversity is a tell-tale sign that the habitat in which they thrive is also disappearing.<\/p>\n
The biggest contributor to this biodiversity crisis is human impact. Human demand on natural resources has taken its toll. This demand is unsustainable and rapidly increasing. Trees are cut even before they can mature. Fish are caught even before they can reproduce. More carbon is released into the atmosphere than the forests and oceans can absorb. Climate change is upon us and we are seeing its devastating consequences.<\/p>\n
Here are seven wild habitats that are quickly disappearing.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n The forest of Russia\u2019s Far East is home to the Siberian or Amur tiger, only one of the five remaining subspecies in the world today. Critically endangered and on the brink of extinction, the Siberian tiger is believed to number to about 350-400 adults found all throughout the Primosky Krai, in Khabarovski Krai and along the Russia-Northeast China border. Widespread illegal logging had the biggest impact on the fast decline of the Siberian tiger habitat. These trees provide food for tiger prey and with the trees cut down, there is less prey and less cover.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n As the Earth continues to warm, glaciers are melting and polar bears are treading on thin ice. Sea ice is not as barren as it seems and it is actually the source of life in the Arctic. It sustains the unique Arctic food web including the polar bears. In recent years, scientists have found out that sea ice are melting faster in the summer with the winter freeze coming later and later. Some 40 years ago, a polar bear can accumulate a thick layer of body fat before the winter sets in as they have stuffed themselves full in the abundance of spring and summer. Today, although the population is stable, polar bears are getting thinner.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The iconic symbol of World Wildlife Fund, the giant pandas are found in the high bamboo forests of central China today. These animals were once found in southern and eastern China to as far as Myanmar and northern Vietnam. Today, giant pandas live in over 10,000 square kilometers of nature reserves, a far cry from their original habitat range. As Chinese population exploded, bamboo trees were cut for timber as well as farming lands.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The Amazon rainforest encompasses a huge area of South America, from Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador to Peru. That is more than one billion acres of oxygen-producing, carbon-absorbing trees! However, Amazon deforestation is also very rampant and with that is the decline in flora and fauna as well as the destruction of indigenous communities living in the rainforest. Many species of plants and animals are endemic to these parts of the world. Most of them are critically endangered but haven\u2019t been studied by scientists. Trees are systematically cut down to give way to human settlements, plantations, and infrastructures.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The Coral Triangle is the Amazon of the sea. It is the most diverse spot in the world\u2019s oceans despite its small size. It has 76% of the world\u2019s coral species, 37% of the world\u2019s reef fish species, and six of the seven species of sea turtles call it home. One in every five tuna is caught inside the Coral Triangle. However, many factors are contributing to its steady decline which includes global warming, overfishing, and mangrove deforestation. There are 120 million people whose lives depend on the rich resources of the Coral Triangle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n2. Arctic glaciers<\/h2>\n
3. High bamboo forests of central China<\/h2>\n
4. Amazon rainforest<\/h2>\n
5. The Coral Triangle<\/h2>\n
6. Wetlands in the Greater Mekong Delta<\/h2>\n