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Every plant or animal has a habitat. That’s where it lives.
Your habitat is likely a house or an apartment. Trees, plants, rocks, soil, and water are habitats for other animals. When we cut down trees to make room for people, animals and plants lose their habitats. Building cities, homes, roads, and highways all cause habitat loss. So does cutting down forests to sell the wood or farm the land. Habitat loss is made worse by drought and other effects of climate change. When plants and animals lose their habitats, they may be endangered. We say something is endangered if there are very few of them left. If all of them die, we say it has become extinct.
Rain Forests
Rain forests used to cover a huge amount of the Earth. But now they are being destroyed at a scary speed. The causes? Logging, farming, grazing, and mining. Every second, an area of rain forest as big as a football field is cut down. Every year, enough rain forest to cover Florida twice over is cut down. If this doesn’t stop, Earth will have no rain forests left in 50 years! ▼
◀ People want to save these precious places. Groups such as the Rainforest Alliance work with farmers, loggers, and others. They look for ways to use the rain forest’s resources without destroying it.
▲ No South China tiger has been seen in the wild in 20 years. Scientists think fewer than 20 are still alive in the wild. Just 50 are alive in captivity. With such low numbers, this subspecies is almost extinct. Three other species of tigers are already extinct. In just over a century, 97 percent of all tiger species have been lost to hunting and habitat destruction.
▶ Polar bears have a hard time surviving in their changing environment. But other animals have already lost the battle. One of those animals is a small rodent. The rodent is called a mosaic-tailed rat. It lived on a tiny island near northern Australia. In February 2019, it became the first mammal officially listed as extinct because of human-produced climate change. Global warming causes sea levels to rise. As a result, the island where the rodents lived often gets flooded. The flooding destroyed the rodents’ habitat. That’s why they couldn’t survive.
◀ This fish lives off California’s coast, in the ocean. When it’s ready to mate, it swims up freshwater streams. But the steelhead trout is endangered. Why? People are putting too much dirt and waste into rivers. And we’re taking too much water out of streams for farming, homes, and businesses. Result? The rivers and streams are drying up. Also, dams on the rivers control flooding and erosion. That might be good for people. But the dams keep fish from swimming upstream to the places where they mate.
▲ There are only about 100 Florida panthers left in the wild. Even though they can live in forests, on prairies, and in marshes, their habitat is endangered. People keep moving to Florida and nearby states. More homes and businesses means more habitat loss for this panther. So now it is endangered. But this big cat isn’t all alone. The Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge is helping the panthers rebound.
Your Part
Here are some things you can do to help plants and wildlife.
▲ Pet waste has bacteria that can threaten fish and wildlife. Clean up after your dog. That way, its waste can’t drain into lakes, rivers, and streams when it rains.
▲ Never disturb the natural habitat of plants and animals. Don’t pick wildflowers or try to make wild things into pets.
▲ Gardens are good for butterflies, birds, and bees. They provide habitats to replace those taken away by buildings, streets, and parking lots. Talk to people at home or to your teacher about planting one!
