Wildlife
Table of Contents
Introduction
"More than one in four species on Earth now faces extinction, and that will rise to 50% by the end of the century unless urgent action is taken.
Scientists have labelled the biodiversity crisis as worse than the threat from climate change Over 37,000 species are directly threatened with extinction. That is 28 % of all species assessed." - According to The World Counts
How to Help Wildlife
If you want to skip the spiel about what's threatening wildlife, info about different threatened biomes, species, etc. and just jump straight to practical ways to help local wildlife in general, then please click the Help Wildlife button.
Threats to Wildlife: Order of Importance
Exploitation: 37 % (hunting, fishing).
Habitat Degradation and Change: 31 %
Loss of Habitat: 13 %
Climate Change: 7 %
Invasive Species: 5 %
Pollution: 4 %
Disease: 2 %
- According to The World Counts
Displacement from Land & Ocean Spaces Livestock farming and feed production are the greatest drivers of habitat loss. "According to the Living Planet Index, a metric that's been in existence for five decades, animal populations across the world shrunk by an average of 69% between 1970 and 2018." and "According to the report's authors, the main cause of biodiversity loss is land-use changes driven by human activity, such as infrastructure development, energy production and deforestation." - https://www.npr.org/2022/10/14/1128858953/animal-populations-are-shrinking-drastically
The following are also major threats which we will attempt to organize as we have with the topics above.
Pollution This includes can rings and balloon strings suffocating wild birds, shopping bags and lost balls causing organ ruptures in the organs of whales, and all the microplastics that have/continue to infiltrate's the food web from the bottom up. Air pollution harms the lungs or birds and causes acid rain which hurts aquatic animals. Oil, mining, and manure lagoon spills suffocate and poison the environments that they smother. Click here to learn how to help prevent plastics from entering waterways, or how to remove plastic once it has got into aquatic environments.
Habitat Fragmentation Makes it increasingly hard for species to find food, water, mates, or to migrate to safer climates as their ancestors were able to.
Water Shortages
Climate Change
Changes in climate and season can disrupt migrations, reproduction, and ability to find food or water. Warmer temperatures can be impossible for some species to survive, or may make all their offspring one gender, making mating in future years much harder. In aquatic ecosystems, hot water can't hold enough oxygen causing mass suffocation of species who can't escape these areas.
Climate change is primarily caused by our emissions which you can learn more about in our Transit & Energy related pages. Habitat changes also have an impact, with deforestation, desertification, urbanization (which causes "heat islands"), and changing from pale vegetation to dark monocrop plantations can also increase surface temperatures.
Click the graph to learn about which sectors create the most anthropomorphic greenhouse gasses, or click the buttons to learn about what we can do to combat emissions.
Land Use
Deforestation for the livestock industry appears to be the greatest threat to biodiversity, while mining and fossil fuel extraction are close behind. Industrial pollution can make places too toxic to live, while urban expansion only uses a small percentage of our planet, it is quickly expanding. Land and offshore energy production is also a concern, though scientists are constantly studying and learning how to lessen the impact of renewable energy cites.
Scientists warn that we need to keep at least 50% of Earth wild to maintain a habitable planet. Currently livestock use 27%, crops, 7%, and build up areas make up around 1%. Together that puts us at around 35% of Earths terrestrial space, 15% away from the tipping point, which is alarming because of the fast pace of our expansion, especially deforestation.
Understanding How to Reduce Our Land Use
Click any of the following links to learn how you can help (more topics on the way). Explore in the order listed, or just what interests you.
Pollution
Air pollution harms the lungs of wildlife and causes acid rain which harms aquatic species as well as disrupting soil health. PFAS alters soil and water, getting into and disrupting the biological functions of animals throughout the food chain. Plastic strangles and traps animals or rupture the organs of those who mistakenly eat it. Check out our pollution
Biomes & Rewilding
To learn more about rewilding efforts click any of the following buttons to see what's being done to help specific species or ecosystems.
Aquatic includes information shoreline rehabilitation, seagrass meadows, coral and oyster reefs. There are how-to videos, organizations, and funding opportunities listed. Reefs help protect our coastlines while providing important feeding and breeding space for many species.
Peatland
Wetlands
Mangroves
Mangroves are one of the most important, most biodiversity-dense biome types on Earth, but are under massive threat from deforestation for farm land, fuel, and materials. Aquaculture, urban expansion, sea level rise, and climate change also pose a risk, but countries around the world are working to restore them before it's too late.
Species on the Brink
Keystone Species
International
Why We Are Bringing Back the Lost Aspen Forests of Scotland 7:58 minute video about the importance and struggles of aspen
Aspen is native to Asia and Europe. These trees supports fungi, lichen, certain species of insect that only live on aspen. It's is also a favorite food of beavers.
North America
Keystone Plants by Ecoregion From Canada to Mexico
Apex Predators
Apex predators are vital for controlling the behavior and number of other species in the environment. They help prevent herbivores from eating and breading till there is no food left and everything collapses, as well as reducing the impact of mezopredators who can over eat prey animals which can also cause trophic cascade and mass extinction.
Some examples include:
Bears
Lions
Lynx
Whales
Wolves
How the Lynx is silently spreading all over Europe
Indicator Species
Indicator species are delicate creatures including frogs, fish, insects, etc. who are particularly sensitive to habitat disruption, climate change, and various types of pollution. Their presence or absence from an environment give us vital data about the health of the overall ecosystem.
Fireflies are highly sensitive to light pollution, pesticides, and habitat disruption. The simple acts of providing an undisturbed leaf pile, darkness, and refraining from pesticide use can help these enchanting creatures return. They eat slugs and snails, while providing food to birds, bats, other beneficial insects, and more.
Pollinators such as Monarch Butterflies are particularly susceptible to pesticides, which can be an especially problematic for migratory species passing through areas with looser pesticide laws.
Seed Dispersing Species
Invasive Species
These are species that have been moved or escaped into ecosystems where they don't belong. They can cause millions in financial loss to farmers, and other part of our society, but even worse is that they can undermine biomes, and even public safety.
Click the Invasive Species button to learn what can be done about invasives and how to identify them. Scroll down on the pages to see our growing directory of resources including apps and encyclopedias of invasive species.
Strategies to Improve Rewilding Success
Monitoring is vital to ensure success or rewilding efforts, to adjust maintenance strategies or apply emergency interventions, and to learn lessons that can help improve future success.
Ensure adequate resources such as water and food are available to introduced species, and adequate care such as temporary fencing, mulching, and watering for planted spaces.
An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Restoring the World's Intact Large Mammal Assemblages "Ranges of many large mammals have receded in the last 50 years. Even where complete species rosters remain, overall population numbers for many species represent a fraction of historic densities. The results presented here, however, offer scope for reversing range collapse and erosion of intact faunas through proactive, science-based restoration programs. These opportunities exist in all biomes and could be used to chart a pathway towards recovery of robust large mammal communities across much of the terrestrial realm."
This paper includes a list of Red Listed mammal species who's introduction could help replenish their historical ecosystems. The list includes an estimate of how much area could be restored with their reintroduction, the number of ecoregions that could be restored
Below is a collection of articles we've posted about Wildlife in our community over on Reddit. I hope you find them useful :)
Camera Taps
How To Set Up A Camera Trap
Camera Tutorial 4:13 minute video from the Urban Wildlife Information Network (UWIN)
Tools & Apps
Bee Score: Flower Finder "Select the flowers you have in your garden, then hit continue to find out your current bee kind score. If you’re not sure exactly which plants you have, try clicking the filters on and off to help identify the bee-friendly flowers in your garden." This is hosted by and for UK residents, so you won't get a bonus for "native species" if you live outside the UK, and might see your local natives listed as "non-native" or get an "invasive penalty" even if those plants are fine where you live, but this is still a fun and educational resource.
Africa
Namibia
Atlasing in Namibia "Citizen science projects recording biodiversity and cultural heritage in Namibia"
Europe
UK
Bee Score: Flower Finder "Select the flowers you have in your garden, then hit continue to find out your current bee kind score. If you’re not sure exactly which plants you have, try clicking the filters on and off to help identify the bee-friendly flowers in your garden." This is hosted by and for UK residents, so you won't get a bonus for "native species" if you live outside the UK, and might see your local natives listed as "non-native" or get an "invasive penalty" even if those plants are fine where you live, but this is still a fun and educational resource.
Examples of Success
Europe
Wild Mammals Are Making a Comeback in Europe Thanks to Conservation Efforts
"Hunting and habitat loss drove many large mammals in Europe close to extinction. New data shows us that many of the continent’s mammal populations are flourishing again."
"In short, stopping the activities that were killing mammals off in the first place. Effective protection against hunting, overexploitation, and the destruction of habitats have been key.
Agricultural land use has declined across Europe over the last 50 years. This allowed natural habitats to return where agriculture had previously taken them over.
Another essential development was to stop hunting them. Countries brought in effective protection policies such as complete bans on hunting or hunting quotas; designated areas with legal protections; patrols to catch illegal poachers; and compensation schemes for the reproduction of certain species."
Organizations
International
Half-Earth Project "The Half-Earth Council is composed of thought-leaders across the wide-ranging fields of expertise necessary to comprehensively address the extinction crisis and support a movement culture that works to protect half the Earth for the rest of life. The Half-Earth Council has scientific leadership at its core. Members of the Council include population, sustainability and restoration specialists; public and private conservation leaders; indigenous peoples advocates; biodiversity-minded economists; business engagement experts, creative media producers and celebrity icons."
Asia
Kazakhstan / Қазақстан
Қазақстан биоалуантүрлілікті сақтау ассоциациясы (АСБК) "Табиғат пен адамзатқа деген ілтипат 2004 жылдан бастап біз жануарлар әлемінің алуандылығын ғылыми негізде сақтау жолында ұлттық және халықаралық ұйымдармер серіктестікті нығайтып, жергілікті бастамаларды қолдап, кадрларды даярлаймыз" "АСБК ұйым болып құрылған кезден бастап студенттермен жұмыс жасап келеді."
North America
Canada
USA
Alaska
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) "Most of the animals that have come to AWCC have either been orphaned or injured. With consent from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, animals taken in by AWCC are cared for by our animal care staff and are given a permanent home at AWCC."
Grants & Funding
Europe
UK
National award schemes There are a number of key organisations offering grants and advice to community based projects e.g.
Big Lottery Fund "Groups can apply to us for funding under £20,000, or over £20,001, depending on what they want to do."
Heritage Fund "We fund projects of all sizes that connect people and communities to the UK’s heritage."
Grow Wild UK "Bringing people together to value and enjoy wildflowers and fungi"