How Humans Threaten Wildlife Flashcards
How do humans deliberately exploit wildlife? (unsustainably)
Deforestation
Eutrophication
Mining/ resource extraction
Overfishing/ bottom trawling/blast fishing
Agriculture/ food production
Examples of unsustainable exploitation for food:
Steller’s sea cow - hunted to extinction
Dodo - relied on by sailors - eaten by invasive species brought on boats
Mammoths
Bison
Examples of unsustainable exploitation for fashion:
snake skin
ivory
leather
tortoise shell
coral jewellery
bear skin
leopard skin
How and why have humans exploited snow leopards?
poached for illegal trade
bones are used in traditional medicine
killed by farmers because they prey upon livestock
captured as pets for entertainment
deforestation has lead to habitat loss
How many skins are needed to make a snow leopard coat? How much are they worth?
seven
£7,000
Examples of unsustainable exploitation for pets and entertainment:
circuses
sea world
bullfighting
safari parks
horse racing
Yellow headed parrot case study: where?
Mexico and Central America
Yellow headed parrot case study: why?
Imitates human speech
Yellow headed parrot case study: what?
population decreased by 90%
half of all birds captured are thought to die in the process
threatened by habitat loss
Yellow headed parrot case study: how are they protected?
nest monitoring and protection
illegal to trade them
What does CITES stand for?
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
CITES: appendix 1
all of the species that cannot be traded internationally
CITES: appendix 2
trade of these species is closely monitored and restricted - varies depending on the population in the area
Examples of unsustainable exploitation for furniture and ornaments:
Taxidermy
Leather - seating
Mahogany - wooden furniture
Animal skin - rugs
Examples of unsustainable exploitation for traditional medicines:
Pangolins - keratin - scales and bones
Tigers - whiskers/eyes/teeth - treats malaria and insomnia
Sharks - fins - prevent heart disease/lower cholesterol
Reasons for the eradication of predators and pests
herbivores = damage crops
diseases vectors (badgers - TB, mosquitoes - malaria)
protected livestock
protecting plants from damage via pesticides
to protect human life/self-defense - e.g. from wolves/sharks/crocodiles