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Frightening Numbers from Nat Geo

by Kay King
38 replies
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Is it possible 50% of the earth's wildlife has disappeared in 40 years?

Has Half of World's Wildlife Been Lost in Past 40 Years?

That's truly frightening to me.
  • Profile picture of the author WalkingCarpet
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    I just wish mosquitoes would go extinct
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    • Profile picture of the author Sarevok
      Originally Posted by WalkingCarpet View Post

      I just wish mosquitoes would go extinct
      Mosquitoes are nothing.

      It's the TICKS that are terrifying.

      #arachnophobia for the win
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      • Profile picture of the author seasoned
        Originally Posted by Sarevok View Post

        Mosquitoes are nothing.

        It's the TICKS that are terrifying.
        BOTH are bad,and BOTH are blood suckers, which is why I generalized it. The kissing bug mentioned earlier is ALSO a blood sucker. HECK, RABIES is most often spread by a blood sucker.

        Steve
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        • Profile picture of the author Sarevok
          Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

          BOTH are bad,and BOTH are blood suckers, which is why I generalized it. The kissing bug mentioned earlier is ALSO a blood sucker. HECK, RABIES is most often spread by a blood sucker.

          Steve
          Just looking at the Kissing bug literally freaks me out.

          I hope they're not in MA.

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    • Profile picture of the author Ryan Raj
      We are told that the honey bee is totally responsible for the pollination of over 90 fruit and vegetable crops worldwide, so it would be devastating if we were to lose a majority or all of our honey bee pollinators for these crops which are not self-pollinating and rely on the insects and other pollinators such as birds to help them reproduce. The bee is a fragile part of our system and an important indicator of our out of balance world. Their weird disappearing act has far-reaching implications for our agricultural food supply and is definitely not an issue to be ignored.

      Where have all the bees gone? Until now, the cause of this strange phenomenon remains unknown. Some of the possibilities postulated by scientists include:

      • Global warming accelerates the growth rates of pathogens such as the mites, viruses and fungi that affect the health of bee colonies. The unusual hot-cold weather fluctuations wreak havoc on bee populations which are accustomed to consistent seasonal weather patterns.

      • Increasing use of chemical pesticides and herbicides, which honeybees ingest during their daily pollination rounds have weakened or killed them.

      • Increase in atmospheric electromagnetic radiation as a result of growing numbers of cell phones and wireless communication towers. Cell phone radiation interferes with bees' ability to navigate through the air.

      Please reply your view on this topic.
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      • Profile picture of the author Rick Rodd
        Originally Posted by Ryan Raj View Post

        We are told that the honey bee is totally responsible for the pollination of over 90 fruit and vegetable crops worldwide, so it would be devastating if we were to lose a majority or all of our honey bee pollinators for these crops which are not self-pollinating and rely on the insects and other pollinators such as birds to help them reproduce. The bee is a fragile part of our system and an important indicator of our out of balance world. Their weird disappearing act has far-reaching implications for our agricultural food supply and is definitely not an issue to be ignored.

        Where have all the bees gone? Until now, the cause of this strange phenomenon remains unknown. Some of the possibilities postulated by scientists include:

        • Global warming accelerates the growth rates of pathogens such as the mites, viruses and fungi that affect the health of bee colonies. The unusual hot-cold weather fluctuations wreak havoc on bee populations which are accustomed to consistent seasonal weather patterns.

        • Increasing use of chemical pesticides and herbicides, which honeybees ingest during their daily pollination rounds have weakened or killed them.

        • Increase in atmospheric electromagnetic radiation as a result of growing numbers of cell phones and wireless communication towers. Cell phone radiation interferes with bees' ability to navigate through the air.

        Please reply your view on this topic.
        Bees are aliens! And for the practical sense, honeybees have almost been decimated by the Africanized Killer Bees. Again, a fault of the scientific community.
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        • Profile picture of the author ThomM
          Originally Posted by Rick Rodd View Post

          Bees are aliens! And for the practical sense, honeybees have almost been decimated by the Africanized Killer Bees. Again, a fault of the scientific community.
          Notice you haven't been hearing about those bees lately?
          The African Honey Bee (or killer bee) will end up not being the threat some people seem to think it will be.
          First it isn't much different from other honey bees, it just adapted to it's environment in Africa. Like other honey bees do. It is more aggressive in Africa where it has to be to compete for food sources. All bees release a pheromone when they sting something as an indicator to other bees as to where (or what) the threat is. The pheromone the African bees release is just a little stronger and lasts a little longer.
          Just like they adapted to a harsh environment in Africa they will and are adapting to a 'friendly' environment here.
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  • Profile picture of the author SteveJohnson
    The new method attempts to solve the problem of limited data on the world's wildlife. Even the 3,038 vertebrate species included in the report are just a fraction of the estimated 62,839 species that have been described around the world. The new index assigns a statistical weight to underrepresented groups to "provide a better representation of the results we would expect if a complete dataset was available—containing all vertebrate species," according to the report.
    Those two statements show one thing - they're just guessing. They massage their models and fiddle with the data to make it show what "we would expect". In other words, they're changing their methodology so the report reflects their opinions. That's not science. Can you name another area of "science" that does the same thing?

    The World Wildlife Fund has a reputation for using over-the-top scare tactics to get people's attention. Sometimes that helps, but it makes it difficult to determine when there is a real threat and when they're just crying, "Wolf!!"
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    • Profile picture of the author Kurt
      Originally Posted by SteveJohnson View Post

      Those two statements show one thing - they're just guessing. They massage their models and fiddle with the data to make it show what "we would expect". In other words, they're changing their methodology so the report reflects their opinions. That's not science. Can you name another area of "science" that does the same thing?

      The World Wildlife Fund has a reputation for using over-the-top scare tactics to get people's attention. Sometimes that helps, but it makes it difficult to determine when there is a real threat and when they're just crying, "Wolf!!"
      You mean it could be even worse?!?!
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        I'm not sure it matter if the 50% is correct....what if it's 'only' 30%...still not acceptable.

        What is most interesting to me is delving into the studies done, the activity deemed the least responsible for the wildlife population decline is global warming. Top of the destructive heap - is man.

        Too bad we can't reverse it and let the animal population grow while the homo sapiens population declines. Would be a better balance and more earth friendly, too.
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        • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
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          Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

          Too bad we can't reverse it and let the animal population grow while the homo sapiens population declines. Would be a better balance and more earth friendly, too.
          I've held that belief for 50 years. Always happy to see anyone share my point of view, but I wouldn't let that get out if I were you.

          Like I reported 2 months, ago. My area has been completely devoid of almost all of the wildlife that you would expect to see here. Every single species has been virtually non-existent, from bugs to bats. Makes perfect sense. No bugs - no bats. I haven't seen one since last summer. Anecdotal evidence to be sure, but 20 years of keen, daily observation has left no doubt in my mind that something is amiss in this area. Still no birds, anywhere. None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. In an area where you would see many dozens of turkey buzzards on any given day, there have been none, for many months.

          I guess they're all hiding from Ebola.

          The only good news I can report that last week I did see my local Blue Heron. First spotting since the spring.

          Of course, I'm making this up as I go along because it's how I get my jollies. That anyone would express skepticism rather than concern is beyond anything I can comprehend. Does it get any sadder than that? lol

          Cheers. - Frank

          P.S. Not a single flea or tick on my dog that spends hours each day rolling around in the grass. Didn't use Frontline once. Three houseflies all summer. Doesn't that at least make you think . . . . .???
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          • Profile picture of the author ThomM
            I guess they're all hiding from Ebola.
            I'm starting to think they moved to NY.
            Yesterday in a 32 mile round trip I had 4 deer try to cross the road in front of me a two small flocks of Turkey do the same. Those are just the ones I saw in the road and doesn't count all the deer and turkey I saw in the fields and woods.
            The other night I was woken at 2 in the morning by coyotes howling about a 1/4 mile from me. Today there most of been close to 200 ducks on the reservoir.
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            • Profile picture of the author MikeAmbrosio
              Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

              I'm starting to think they moved to NY.
              Yesterday in a 32 mile round trip I had 4 deer try to cross the road in front of me a two small flocks of Turkey do the same. Those are just the ones I saw in the road and doesn't count all the deer and turkey I saw in the fields and woods.
              The other night I was woken at 2 in the morning by coyotes howling about a 1/4 mile from me. Today there most of been close to 200 ducks on the reservoir.
              We got a run on black bear here. This year I spotted 2 "families" (meaning 1 momma and 1 cub, then 1 momma and 2 cubs) on one stretch of road, but miles apart, and just this past Friday I was out for a run on our local running path and I had to stop because a momma and 4 cubs crossed the path. THAT was interesting...

              I can't even count how many deer I see around here.

              Local reports say that the rise in sightings of both the bear and the deer are a result of the hunting seasons recently (less deer taken and bear off limits) as well as over development (big surprise there).

              No shortage of other wildlife around here either.
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              • Profile picture of the author Sarevok
                Originally Posted by MikeAmbrosio View Post

                We got a run on black bear here. This year I spotted 2 "families" (meaning 1 momma and 1 cub, then 1 momma and 2 cubs) on one stretch of road, but miles apart, and just this past Friday I was out for a run on our local running path and I had to stop because a momma and 4 cubs crossed the path. THAT was interesting...

                I can't even count how many deer I see around here.

                Local reports say that the rise in sightings of both the bear and the deer are a result of the hunting seasons recently (less deer taken and bear off limits) as well as over development (big surprise there).

                No shortage of other wildlife around here either.
                Black bears are so awesome.

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              • Profile picture of the author seasoned
                Originally Posted by MikeAmbrosio View Post

                We got a run on black bear here. This year I spotted 2 "families" (meaning 1 momma and 1 cub, then 1 momma and 2 cubs) on one stretch of road, but miles apart, and just this past Friday I was out for a run on our local running path and I had to stop because a momma and 4 cubs crossed the path. THAT was interesting...

                I can't even count how many deer I see around here.

                Local reports say that the rise in sightings of both the bear and the deer are a result of the hunting seasons recently (less deer taken and bear off limits) as well as over development (big surprise there).

                No shortage of other wildlife around here either.
                Bear in mind that you see more deer and the like even if there are few deer! IRONIC, but TRUE!

                It USED to be that the deer had plenty of habitat, and kept mostly in that area. That area shrunk, so they end up having to roam outside of it, and you are more likely to see them. There have been a LOT of mountain lions that were killed ONLY because humans encroached on them, people strayed too close, and the lions attacked. HEY, they are hungry and have little space. ALSO, they are territorial. So they did what one could expect.

                GEE, if you go to a national park, you are likely to see some wild animals. WHY? I mean they probably DON'T stock the park. The animals aren't caged. They are there because there is space, and it was their territory. If they can stay in their area, they will try to, as they are less likely to get hurt.

                STILL, I heard recently that one place has to now be even MORE careful with their trash. It USED to be that they would see a raccoon or two. NOW, they are seeing BEARS! HEY, you are NOT supposed to do it at a campsite. If the space is reduced and/or they are too close, the bears will smell the stuff and seek it out. CAMPING 101!

                Steve
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                • Profile picture of the author ForumGuru
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                  • Profile picture of the author ThomM
                    Originally Posted by yukon View Post

                    [source]Explosive growth nationwide
                    New York's Department of Environmental Conservation estimates there are now 1 million deer living in the state. Nationally, the white-tailed deer population has increased from about 500,000 in the early 1900s to 25 million to 30 million today, according to various researchers.
                    I've been a big fan of the way our D.E.C. manages the wildlife here. I've lived in this area where I am for a good 50 of my 61 years. Growing up I would rarely see a deer, turkey, or even turkey vulture. Now they are common occurrences in my yard. There are many more animals like that, for example Bald Eagles are getting common here as are Falcons. Years ago you never saw an eagle or falcon.

                    Originally Posted by MikeAmbrosio View Post

                    We got a run on black bear here. This year I spotted 2 "families" (meaning 1 momma and 1 cub, then 1 momma and 2 cubs) on one stretch of road, but miles apart, and just this past Friday I was out for a run on our local running path and I had to stop because a momma and 4 cubs crossed the path. THAT was interesting...

                    I can't even count how many deer I see around here.

                    Local reports say that the rise in sightings of both the bear and the deer are a result of the hunting seasons recently (less deer taken and bear off limits) as well as over development (big surprise there).

                    No shortage of other wildlife around here either.
                    I know more hunters than non hunters (around here) and I think I can explain some of that. Almost all the hunters I know concentrate most of their efforts up in the northern zone where the deer are suppose to be bigger. I say suppose to be because I'm seeing bigger deer being taken around here then ever before.
                    Naturally now that bow season has started there are more people in the woods moving the deer into "safe" areas.
                    But we do have an abundance of wildlife here in NY.
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          • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
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            Originally Posted by BigFrank View Post

            Like I reported 2 months, ago. My area has been completely devoid of almost all of the wildlife that you would expect to see here. Every single species has been virtually non-existent, from bugs to bats. Makes perfect sense. No bugs - no bats.
            Box of stink bugs on the way.

            More where that came from.
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            • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
              Banned
              Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

              Box of stink bugs on the way.
              Where did you find a box large enough to cram yourself into?
              More where that came from.
              Oh, mercy. :-)

              Cheers. - Frank

              P.S. I saw a bird at 10:20 AM. That was it for the day.
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        • Profile picture of the author Cali16
          Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

          I
          Too bad we can't reverse it and let the animal population grow while the homo sapiens population declines. Would be a better balance and more earth friendly, too.
          Couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, except for enforcing zero population growth (which, of course, raises all sorts of moral and ethical issues) or a global pandemic, the planet will continue to become increasingly overcrowded with humans while more and more animal species become extinct or very limited in numbers. I remember thinking 25-30 years ago that we needed to start doing something to slow down population growth or our planet was going to be in serious trouble (which I think we've been in for a while now).

          There's a beautifully poignant kid's book by Shel Silverstein called "The Giving Tree". The tree keeps giving (or rather, man keeps taking), until all that's left is a stump on which to sit. It's really a perfect analogy of how we're treating the planet, and how we need to start taking more drastic measures to protect it now (e.g. even small things like requiring the use of reusable bags for groceries and doing away with plastic and paper bags). Considering the snail's pace at which it takes a law (that helps protect the environment) to get passed, though, I don't feel optimistic.
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          • Profile picture of the author HeySal
            Originally Posted by Cali16 View Post

            Couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, except for enforcing zero population growth (which, of course, raises all sorts of moral and ethical issues) or a global pandemic, the planet will continue to become increasingly overcrowded with humans while more and more animal species become extinct or very limited in numbers. I remember thinking 25-30 years ago that we needed to start doing something to slow down population growth or our planet was going to be in serious trouble (which I think we've been in for a while now).

            There's a beautifully poignant kid's book by Shel Silverstein called "The Giving Tree". The tree keeps giving (or rather, man keeps taking), until all that's left is a stump on which to sit. It's really a perfect analogy of how we're treating the planet, and how we need to start taking more drastic measures to protect it now (e.g. even small things like requiring the use of reusable bags for groceries and doing away with plastic and paper bags). Considering the snail's pace at which it takes a law (that helps protect the environment) to get passed, though, I don't feel optimistic.
            That's what the Melenium talks and docrtine (United Nations) is all about. Scientists knew the population was about to go over carrying capacity and they were trying to figure out how to enforce negative population growth. They didn't think they could do it without major backlash, riots, etc. So they elected to do a lot of financial damage instead.

            We are in the midst of the 6th great extinction and epochs have chaged - we're now in the Anthropocene era. What's sad is we might die off before too long if they can't reverse population growth and do it real fast. We've started a chain reaction that they aren't sure they can reverse yet. Then you have politicans pushing fake science to get money instead of trying to handle ecosystem failure.

            What people have to get a grip on as in yesterday is that we are part of nature, not above it. I guess we have to kill enough of the web of life for us to become victims to understand that en mass. Unfortunately - learning too late's not gonna do much for us.
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
    Steve,

    There's a difference between an educated estimate and a "wild ass guess." Calling a statistical adjustment "just guessing" can be as misleading as the "just a guess" you're suggesting this is.

    I don't know if that's the case here. Unless you're familiar with the field of study, the statistical model, and the accepted validity of the technique used to make the adjustment, either do you.


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  • Profile picture of the author ForumGuru
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    @ Thom

    Yeah, I have been reading the deer population is high in almost all areas of the country. That makes pretty good sense as my wife and I have been seeing a lot of deer while driving around the city of Cedar Rapids as well as seeing them along the bike trails that run along the river.

    Small animals like coons, groundhogs, beavers and possums? Seeing those too...in-fact we hit a darn coon or something on the highway headed back from a Korn concert a couple months ago and it did $3200 damage to the front end of the car. Expensive damn concert even after insurance took care of most of the bill. A few weeks ago were were woken from a deep sleep when two coons were fighting in one of the trees out front. Talk about loud screaming!

    Small birds? Got a ton of those too as I am spending $30 a month or more feeding the yellow finches, purple finches, barn finches, chickadees, grosbeaks, nuthatches and cardinals. The sparrow and pigeon counts around here are off-the-charts and the owls hoot almost continuously in my neighborhood.

    Hawks and Turkey Vultures? Yeah, lots and lots of hawks can be seen hunting the fields around us and plenty of turkey vultures are working the river.

    Waterfowl? Yeah, I have been seeing a lot of ducks and geese down by the river so all seems pretty normal around here.

    Squirrels? Plenty of those around too...and I live on a small lot in the middle of the city.

    Rabbits? Yeah, seeing plenty of bunnies around.

    Bugs? Check...2 or 3 cans of bug spray out on the porch for those days when the smoke from the grill does not clear enough of them out.

    Cheers

    -don
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by ForumGuru View Post

      @ Thom

      Yeah, I have been reading the deer population is high in almost all areas of the country. That makes sense as my wife and I have been seeing a lot of deer while driving around the city of Cedar Rapids as well as seeing them along the bike trails that run along the river.

      Small animals? Yeah, we hit a darn coon or something on the highway headed back from a Korn concert a couple months ago and it did $3200 damage to the front end of the car. Expensive damn concert even after insurance took care of most of the bill. A few weeks ago were were woken from a deep sleep when two coons were fighting in one of the trees out front. Talk about loud screaming!

      Birds? Got a ton of those too as I am spending $30 a month or more feeding the yellow finches, purple finches, barn finches, chickadees, grosbeaks, nuthatches and cardinals. The sparrow and pigeon counts around here are off-the-charts... The Owls hoot continuously in my neighborhood.

      Squirrels? Plenty of those around too...and I live on a small lot in the middle of the city.

      Waterfowl? Yeah, I am seeing a lots of ducks and geese down by the river so all seems pretty normal around here.

      Bugs? Check...2 or 3 cans of bug spray out on the porch for those days when the smoke from the grill does not clear enough of them out..

      Cheers

      -don
      Well, insects can survive just about EVERYTHING! EVERY time I think about that, I get reminded of an episode of the OLD cosby show(on in the 60s-70s). The show was about Bill Cosby as a bachelor, and it was like it was about his life. Anyway, one time he spoke about ants. He said something like he used 2 cans of RAID, and he looked closely and saw the ant relaxing with a cup and DRINKING the stuff!

      BTW just ONE insect could practically repopulate the GLOBE! I once hatched 2 praying mantis sacks, You might think there weren't many, right? There were HUNDREDS!!!!!!!

      BIRDS can feed on insects and, luckily, most people leave most birds alone. STILL, their habitat is disappearing.

      Squirrels? See birds!

      As the size increases, the number HAS dwindled.

      I could believe that 50% or more are GONE! But that is due to cities GROWING and human populations growing. It is NOT due to "climate change".

      As for mosquitos? The blood suckers(Of which mosquitos are only ONE small example of) only accomplish what humans should do THEMSELVES! The blood suckers are otherwise just a NUISANCE! I wish they would ALL disappear.

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    [source]
    Explosive growth nationwide
    New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation estimates there are now 1 million deer living in the state. Nationally, the white-tailed deer population has increased from about 500,000 in the early 1900s to 25 million to 30 million today, according to various researchers.
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  • Profile picture of the author feeosh
    I live in a country that expounds the "clean, green" image to the world, when in actual fact it's all just BS. We have the worst record for endangered wildlife (mainly birds), most of our rivers and streams are so polluted they are starting to die and yet we continue to expand our dairy industry removing more and more forest/bush area in order to make way for larger and more intensive farms ..... yup, the dairy farmers are getting massive payouts - in the last couple of weeks our dollar has been devalued which is great for the exporters (dairy and beef), but terrible for the consumers here .... gas goes up and so does everything else.

    Our environmental policies are a joke. Recently the govt allowed oil exploration in part of a marine sanctuary that has the world's rarest dolphin - only 10 left! .... go figure.

    Ah, the mighty dollar!!!! Who cares about the wild life that gets in the way!!!!

    Hang on, I'll just step off my soap box.
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  • Profile picture of the author ForumGuru
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    @ Steve

    I've been hunting (but not killing) and photographing wildlife in Iowa and Illinois since 1970 and to be honest I have not seen a decline in area wildlife except for a couple of years when I noticed a decrease in the number of bees and butterflies...which of course is not good for pollination.







    I love my little buddies...



    Not only do I photograph the pollenators and the 4 legged critters I also photograph lots of waterfowl.







    I had so many animals and birds in my 3/4 acre yard in Rockford in a single day I could see all of these animals --> possums, groundhogs, chipmunks, raccoons, red squirrels, gray squirrels and turkeys to go along with 1-2 dozen species of small birds. In-fact I had so many animals I would wake up to these guys many a morning on my back porch.



    Cheers

    -don
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      Those are nice - love the possum
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by ForumGuru View Post

      @ Steve

      I've been hunting (but not killing myself) and photographing wildlife in Iowa and Illinois since 1970 and to be honest I have not seen a decline in wildlife except for a couple of years when I noticed a decrease in the number of bees and butterflies...which of course is not good for pollination.







      I love my little buddies...



      Not only do I photograph the pollenators and animals but I also photograph plenty of waterfowl.







      I had so many animals and birds in my 3/4 acre yard in Rockford in a single day I could see all of these animals --> possums, groundhogs, chipmunks, raccoons, red squirrels, gray squirrels and turkeys to go along with 1-2 dozen species of small birds. In-fact I had so many animals I would wake up to these guys many a morning on my back porch.



      Cheers

      -don
      WOW! And I was happy with the few I saw on my roughly 1/2 acre.

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author ForumGuru
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        Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

        WOW! And I was happy with the few I saw on my roughly 1/2 acre.

        Steve
        Yeah, the place I had in Rockford was like living in a mini open air zoo or wildlife preserve. I thought we might retire there, but my wife wanted to move back "home" to Iowa.

        Cheers

        -don
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  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    Actually I think that this is another case of over hyped headlining by Nat Geo. The over hyping of headlines seems to be a disturbingly trending journalism style.

    Because if you read the first few sentences in the article it actually says: "A compilation of wildlife trends suggests that populations of some wild animals have fallen by half". Notice the word "some" that they leave out of the headline, basically making the headline un-true. (Well not exactly untrue - because they did carefully submit the headline as a question) And if you read down further, they admit that not even 5% of all vertebrate species were included in the report.

    While personally as a hunter and fisherman, I have seen a disturbing decline in some of the species that I hunt, I've also seen an incredible increase in others.

    But 50% is definitely an agenda driven headline.
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  • Profile picture of the author candoit2
    Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

    Is it possible 50% of the earth's wildlife has disappeared in 40 years?

    Has Half of World's Wildlife Been Lost in Past 40 Years?

    That's truly frightening to me.

    Outside N.America and Africa you will be hard pressed to see much wildlife.(in my experiences) The poorer nations essentially kill and eat anything they see. Many countries lack conservationism or the ability to enforce it. Loss of habitat is a factor as people sell their farmland to developers. The animals will come back once the human population declines.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Not an "agenda" Gary. Scientists are convinced we're in the 6th great extinction. That's scientists, not reporters. There are areas that are being dessicated that are starting chain reactions, too. There are chain reaction hot spots that are really troubling.

    There isn't anything live that isn't part of the web of life in its ecosystem. I've heard people wanting to kill off this or that animal/insect, etc because it's not necessary. We know that isn't true now. Ants, while really pesky are absolutely necessary to their ecosystems. Termites are the reason the African Savannahs have been successful ecosystems. Mice - people think they are pests and disease carriers. They actually aerate soils and spread seed and nuts for plant proliferation. When one member of an ecosystem becomes unbalanced, the whole ecosystem can go off whack very rapidly.

    There is nothing exaggerated about this extinction. We are losing lifeforms at the rate of one per hour.........and the die off is accelerating. This isn't a joke or game. IF you don't like the Nat'l Geo reporter - find the info at a science site. It's there if you look for it.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
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  • Profile picture of the author Kurt
    Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

    Is it possible 50% of the earth's wildlife has disappeared in 40 years?

    Has Half of World's Wildlife Been Lost in Past 40 Years?

    That's truly frightening to me.
    Another consideration is the "40 year" period. Much wildlife was serverly impacted before this time period.

    America used to have an estimated 30,000,000 - 60,000,000 million buffalo living on the Great Plains. How about now? When was the last time you saw a brown bear or wolf where you live?

    Sure, some animals like bald eagles are more plentiful than they were 40 years ago, but compare the number today with 200 years ago.

    I read about how flocks of birds in America were so large that they would block out the sun and how early settlers would blast them out of the sky with guns just for "kicks".

    Ever seen an old picture of a blue fin tuna? They were HUGE, as big as whales. Not today, because they don't live long enough to get that big.

    There are species of lions and elephants that were killed off by the Romans just for entertainment for their gladiator shows.

    Seafood used to be a staple of people all over the world. Now, it's considered a luxury. How many oysters are in the Chesapeake Bay now compared to 200 years ago?

    Saying half of the wildlife may have disapeared in the past 40 years, is like saying I had $1000, spent $999 yesterday. Then today I spent 50 cents, so I "only" spent half of my money.
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    • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
      Originally Posted by Kurt View Post

      Saying half of the wildlife may have disapeared in the past 40 years, is like saying I had $1000, spent $999 yesterday. Then today I spent 50 cents, so I "only" spent half of my money.
      That's a good analogy. The sad truth is that our species has been destroying other life forms on the planet for tens of thousands of years.

      The first great wave of extinction happened when Homo sapiens first spread to Australia (around 45,000 years ago) and to America (around 16,000 years ago). In each case countless indigenous species were wiped out. It's estimated that within 2,000 years of our arrival in North America, 34 out of its 47 genera of large mammals were lost. South America lost 50 out of 60. Thousands of species of smaller mammals, reptiles, birds and insects also became extinct.*

      The Agricultural Revolution ushered in the second wave of extinction and we're now deep into the midst of the third wave - caused by our remorseless industrial activity. At this rate, it won't be too long before the only earthly survivors are humans and their farm animals.


      Frank

      * Source: Sapiens by Yuval Noah HarariSapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
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  • Profile picture of the author ForumGuru
    Banned
    The reality is that honeybee populations are not declining. According to U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization statistics, the world's honeybee population rose to 80 million colonies in 2011 from 50 million in 1960. In the U.S. and Europe, honeybee populations have been stable--or slightly rising in the last couple of years--during the two decades since neonics were introduced, U.N. and USDA data show. Statistics Canada reports an increase to 672,000 honeybee colonies in Canada, up from 501,000, over the same two decades.
    In February, the Australian government issued a report on bee health from the only continent unaffected by the Varroa destructor mite, a pathogen of bees. It found that, "Australian honeybee populations are not in decline, despite the increased use of [neonicotinoids] in agriculture and horticulture since the mid-1990s."

    In April the EU released the first Continent-wide epidemiological study of bee health in Europe, covering 2012-13 (before the EU's neonic ban went into effect). Seventy-five percent of the EU's bee population (located in 11 of the countries surveyed) experienced overwinter losses of 15% a year or less--levels considered normal in the U.S. Only 5% of the EU's bee population (located in six northern countries) experienced losses over 20%, after a long, severe winter.

    Henry I. Miller: Why the Buzz About a Bee-pocalypse Is a Honey Trap - WSJ
    Cheers

    -don
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  • Profile picture of the author ForumGuru
    Banned
    The United Nations Report - Global Honey Bee Colony Disorder and Other Threats to Insect Pollinators

    Conclusion

    Currently available global data and knowledge on the decline of pollinators are not
    sufficiently conclusive to demonstrate that there is a worldwide pollinator and related
    crop production crisis. Although honey bee hives have globally increased close to
    45% during the last 50 years, declines have been reported in several locations,
    largely in Europe and Northern America. This apparent data discrepancy may
    be due to interpretations of local declines which may be masked by aggregated
    regional or global data. During the same 50-year period, agricultural production
    that is independent from animal pollination has doubled, while agricultural
    production requiring animal pollination has increased four-fold (reaching 6.1% in
    2006). This appears to indicate that global agriculture has become increasingly
    pollinator dependant over the last 50 years.

    However, human activities and their environmental impacts may be detrimental to
    some species but beneficial to others, with sometimes subtle and counter-intuitive
    causal linkages. Pollination is not just a free service but one that requires
    investment and stewardship to protect and sustain it. There should be a renewed
    focus on the study, conservation and even management of native pollinating species
    to complement the managed colony tradition. Economic assessments of agricultural
    productivity should include the costs of sustaining wild and managed pollinator
    populations.

    http://www.unep.org/dewa/Portals/67/...ollinators.pdf
    Cheers

    -don
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  • Profile picture of the author ForumGuru
    Banned
    Our president has recently ordered a Federal Pollinator Health Task Force. White House links below...

    New Steps to Protect Pollinators, Critical Contributors to Our Nation

    Presidential Memorandum -- Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators | The White House

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-...or-populations

    Cheers

    -don
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