They were overhunted in the 18th and 19th centuries and their population dropped from 300,000 worldwide to only a few thousand in Alaska. (Cohn, 1998) The 1911 International Fur Seal Treaty saved the otters and other marine mammals from extinction. (Bodkin 2002) The sea otter population is very important to many parts of the ocean’s ecosystem because they help keep sea urchin populations at a safe level. Too many sea urchins mean decreased kelp beds. Beyond the overhunting, there are many other threats to the sea otter population.
There is an expressive concern from the public about the cane toad epidemic and the impact on the natural ecosystem, domestic pests and native wildlife. Although not endangered, the cane toad is slowly declining in numbers due to the increase in human population and developing infrastructure. There are a number of conventional management methods including habitat manipulation, quarantine checks, detection and surveillance programs at the boundaries of their current locations and the public involvement in ‘toad hunts,’ all in an attempt to prevent their species further spread. These control methods have proven to be unsuccessful to the total eradication of the cane toad hence the current research by the CSIRO being undertaken to discover a bio control method of gene technology. The potential to battle the problem using parasites and diseases is being processed, however agencies have discovered that the work continues to acquire extensive studies including an assessment of the potential impact of the control agent on native wildlife, particularly native frogs, before the parasites and diseases could be used
The cases of Anderson et al v. Pacific Gas and Electric and Jones v. Scotchwood are very similar yet have significant differences. Four decades after one of the world’s largest utility started dumping 370 million gallons of cancer-causing chemicals into unlined ponds in Hinkley, California, their actions were uncovered. There negligence caused many people and domestic animals in the high desert town of Hinkley to get sick. In the town of Scotchwood, the water pipes running throughout the town were deteriorating causing the parasite “Pindia” to contaminate the water. This parasite was not an immediate threat to healthy people of Scotchwood but to the people already sick with diseases causing weakened immune systems.
One con is that there will be many jobs at the mine, but just not nearly as many jobs that Bristol Bay employs in the salmon industry. Another, and possibly the biggest, disadvantage of building the Pebble Mine is the negative effect on the environment in Bristol Bay. Although the company managing this says that there will be a bad affect on the environment, history tells us otherwise. We can look at the Mount Polley gold mine disaster. In this environmental disaster, 10 cubic meters of water and 4.5 million cubic meters of potentially toxic slurry were spilled into virtually untouched forest, lakes and rivers.
At dusk males will come out to begin a high shrieking call of “ko-kee” to attract females. They choose to lay its eggs in the folds of leaves and remain hidden during the day; therefore the movement and sale of potted plants have been linked to their spread (Coqui Frog Information, 2009) the spread of invasive species must be taken seriously because of the destructive impact they have on the environment. Environmental Impact There are many environmental impacts of the Coqui frog in Hawaii however the most prominent impact is its appetite and the explosion of its population. According to Coqui frog information (2009), “Coqui frogs consume more than 50,000 insect’s per-night.” These insects that it consumes consist of native snails and spiders. By consuming such high numbers of insects, the Coqui is jeopardizing native birds and bats that also consume the same insects that the Coqui frog vastly
3. The frog we have were dissecting was female, the reason why we knew that it didn’t have enlarged padded thumb. 4. We used an a lab worksheet to help us better identified frog’s external parts, such as Mouth, nictitating membranes, tympani and eyes, 5. We have placed frog on its back, and pinned it with needles, so it would not move around the plate, because of water on it and when we used cutting tools 6.
On the other hand the article “Seal hunt stirs strong passions” by Sean Gordon (www.thestar.com) affirms that according to the association, more than 6,000 people derive income from sealing, which brings in roughly $17 million annually; however comparing it to the article “Canada’s harp seal hunt kicks off” by Charmaine Noronha (www.mcnbc.msn.com) it comparably recites that the latest probably hardest blow to the hunt has been the EU’s ban on seal products, the ban made an effort to force Canada to end it’s annual hunt and will take action in August. These innocent creatures are part of our future. Harp Seals are facing an ecological disaster, The ice habitat of these ice-breeding seals is
Firstly, the Everglades are an important ecosystem which reduces flooding and replenish aquifers but human actions are having a huge impact on the landscape. The rapid urban and agricultural development in the area has decreased the size of the wetlands dramatically which affects the organisms found there. This is especially important as it is home to several endangered species. Not only that, but invasive species that threaten existing wildlife by preying on or competing with them. According to Everglades.org, they’ve “contributed to nearly 70 percent of extinctions in the United States” and are the “primary cause of species endangerment.” The water itself is a major cause of decline to the area, firstly because of poor water management leading to water levels being too low or too high at the wrong times has caused a decline in many species.
According to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture is participating in a multi agency campaign to stop the spread of the coquis in Hawaii. The reason for this is because the coqui doesn’t have a natural enemy to keep the population down, also because of the warm temperature they breathe year around. The Hawaii Agriculture department stated that “in some area’s the population of the coqui is around 10,000 frogs per acre” no wonder people in Hawaii can’t sleep It is like a law mower running all night. If someone in Hawaii is caught transporting or selling a coqui is in violation of the Hawaii state law. Which is a class c felony and they will be fined of $50,000 to $200,000 plus three years in prison.
As a result of this, plants and animals are forced to adapt to significant changes that threaten their way of life. As explained by Suzuki in the article, every year at least twenty thousand species disappear forever and the rate of extinction is speeding up largely due to human activity. Many living things are now paying the price for all the man made pollution that has been created as a result of global warming. Furthermore we as a community do nothing to stop global warming and feel no sense of responsibility or duty to care for the overall well being of our world. Big businesses are releasing harmful chemicals into the atmosphere and oceans.