Term Paper on "Destruction of Wilderness"

Term Paper 4 pages (1320 words) Sources: 0

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Diminishing Wilderness

Most people are aware that as human beings encroach on previously wild area, this new use of old land can have negative effects on the environment. No person takes joy in seeing an animal, even one considered obscure, go extinct, but at the same time, people need some place to live, and people like to live in beautiful surroundings. That human tendency often puts human desire and the needs of individual species in conflict.

The area in which a plant or animal lives is called its habitat. An animal's habitat suits that animal's needs for food, shelter, and reproduction. In return, the animal contributes to the maintenance in various ways. A bird might eat a specific berry, and the seeds, contained in the birds droppings, have a fertilizer-enriched dot of land in which to germinate. Thus a habitat can be defined as "an ecosystem, [or] a community of organisms functioning as a unit in nature" (Editor, PAGE).

The main reason for most endangered species is habitat destruction. While some animals are resilient enough to cope with major habitat destruction, others cannot, in particular those animals who have evolved to live in very specific types of habitat.

There are numerous examples of habitat destruction and its effects on wildlife. For instance, the Richmond birdwing butterfly is a beautiful butterfly found in subtropical rainforests in Australis (Pyper, PAGE). This butterfly feeds almost exclusively on one plant -- the Richmond birdwing vine. As habitat shrank, a second problem developed: a vine called Dutchman's pipe pushed out the Rhichmond birdwing vine. The butterflies laid their eggs on the Dutchman pipe, which made a good environment for the eggs but was poisonous to the caterpillars (Pyper, PAGE). The result was that the butterfly lost nearly 70% of its habitat, and a further decline because of the intruding vine, which was not native to the area.

The example of this butterfly shows that it is not always obvious what interferes with a specie's survival, and not always obvious what needs to be done to support its continuance.

Not always obvious what features in an environment help support the species. Another example is The red-cockaded woodpecker. This southeastern United States bird lives in Southern pines. The sap that oozes from the trees as the bird drills under the bark oozes out and prevents snakes from eating its young (Nickens, PAGE). Birds seem to be animals easily affected by habitat change: the least tern used to be very common in much of the United States before 1880, when hunters nearly pushed them to extinction (Gerhardt, PAGE). They live in river basins, dive into the water to catch small fish, and nest in open sandy shorelines. They stay away from vegetation where predators might lie in wait. Water programs to create dams, recreational areas and irrigation have made much of their former habitats unsuitable for them (Gerhardt, PAGE).

One animal that has been brought back from the edge of extinction and studied extensively is Australia's mountain pyygmy-possum. The pygmy-possum is an unusual marsupial because it lives in mountains and hibernates. It was thought to be extinct until well into the 20th century, when one was found living near a ski hut (Thwaites, PAGE). Since then, ecologists found several populations, but with only about 1,800 females old enough to reproduce. The females live away from the males, who must travel up the mountain to them in order to reproduce (Thwaites, PAGE).

The ecological problem for the pygmy-possum was that the mountain the females live on became a popular ski resort area, with a road cutting across the path the males had to take to get to the females (Thwaites, PAGE). Ecologists solved the problem by constructing a corridor -- a man-made, rocky tunnel under the road, for the males to use to get to the females. This "corridor" approach worked. The males used the tunnels, and the population immediately began to rise (Thwaites, PAGE).

A corridor of habitat… READ MORE

How to Reference "Destruction of Wilderness" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

American Environmental History Term Paper

Environmental History

In "The Trouble with Wilderness," William Cronon illustrates the cultural biases inherent in the very term "wilderness" and shows how those biases may be at the heart of… read more

Term Paper 7 pages (2134 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Animals / Nature / Zoology

---

Environmental Ethics There Are Few Issues Today Essay

Environmental Ethics

There are few issues today more widely discussed and more controversial than the environment. The specter of global warming has taken the spotlight from other environmental issues, but… read more

Essay 3 pages (1002 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Philosophy / Logic / Reason

---

Environmental Ethics Ethical Responsibility Essay

Environmental Ethics

Ethical responsibility to the environment must be approached from two perspectives: first, the responsibility a man has to himself, his generation, and future generations to preserve a rich… read more

Essay 4 pages (1358 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Weather / Climate / Meteorology

---

Environmental History Thoreau Muir Leopold and Carson Term Paper

Environmental Science

Four pivotal people - whose collective positive impact on the environment and on society's understanding of the natural world is powerful - are featured in this paper. They… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (1926 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Animals / Nature / Zoology

---

Margaret Atwood's Theory of Natural Survival Term Paper

Margaret Atwood's Theory Of Natural Survival

Margaret Atwood is arguably one of the most influential female Canadian writers of the last four decades. Her best-selling books have one many awards… read more

Term Paper 25 pages (8410 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>