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Asked by anon-177577 to Andrew, Becky, Daniel, Helen, Nicola, Urslaan on 11 Jun 2018.
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Becky Thomas answered on 11 Jun 2018:
Excellent question, but I’m not sure where to start! Extinction is a natural process, but currently it’s at a level that is far higher than is should be. Human’s have already caused the extinction of many species, and every day we are losing species that we haven’t even found and described yet. For species where we have data, they are put into different categories and the ones at most threat are ‘critically endangered’ – these are the most threatened with extinction and they include the orangutan, gorrila and hawksbill turtle.
The reasons for their decline vary a lot, but range from over-hunting, to habitat change (especially as cities and towns expand), to climate change. Stopping it is really hard as it’s driven by over-population and over-consumption. But there are ways to do our bit at home; we can all make small changes like thinking about what we eat and how we travel… and we need a new generation of scientists to get out into the field to collect data, or to work in conservation 🙂
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Andrew Singer answered on 12 Jun 2018:
Humans are contributing to the loss of the majority of species on earth, with the exclusion of animals we use for food, like cows, pigs and chicken and pets. As a priority, we need to protect the habitat of the species at risk (i.e., all of them). We also need to teach our young people the value of having a world in which there are animals other than cats, dogs, cows, pigs and chicken.
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Urslaan Chohan answered on 12 Jun 2018:
All species, in theory! When one species dies out, another does too usually. There is what is known as a symbiotic relationship between species generally, which means two species depend on one another to share food and improve survival chances. If two species are linked in this way, they find it difficult, if not impossible, to survive. Many different species of animals are going extinct. The best ways to conserve animals is to stop destroying their lands and using reserve lands which are safe for them to live in, like nature parks.
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Daniel Marsh answered on 13 Jun 2018:
There are lots of species that have already become extinct, possibly some that we didn’t even know about, and others that are close to dissapperaing with a massive decline in their numbers. There has been a lot of research in more recent years looking at the decline in the species that pollinate our crops, these include birds, bats and many insects. Combined there loss would affect about 35% of the worlds food production, thats one in every three mouthfuls of food you eat so we really don’t want to wipe them out!
You can help the insects in your garden by making bug hotels, planting bee friendly plants and making sure that your parents are not using toxic chemicals for weed or pest control that might posion them.
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