The rare primate golden-headed sifaka, one-horned rhinoceros, Kalamian deer, flying foxes are not fairy-tale characters from books about wizards. These are animal species that will soon disappear forever.
The first noticeable influence of human activity on the rate of extinction of species was manifested in the example of the destruction of large mammals in Australia, North and South America by people who populated these continents thousands of years ago.
Soon after the advent of man, 74% to 86% of the megafauna - mammals weighing more than 44 kg - disappeared in these areas. This may have been directly related to hunting and indirectly to the burning and clearing of forests, as well as the spread of diseases.
Across all continents and numerous islands, there is a variety of vivid evidence that the change, fragmentation and destruction of habitats produced by prehistoric man coincide with high rates of species extinction.
Researchers have long suggested that habitat fragmentation increases the risk of animal extinction, but could not measure it on a global scale. In the first study of its kind, scientists successfully measured the fragmentation of habitats of over 4,000 land mammal species.
Among the findings, the researchers found that species with more fragmented habitats are at greater risk of extinction, The Daily Mail reports.
The study's lead author, Professor Kevin Crookes of Colorado State University, points out that for the first time in Earth's history, only one mammalian species is dominant - Homo sapiens. We have settled all over the planet, and the more of us there are, the more the animals around us are “out of work”.
Crookes' team used habitat suitability models to measure the degree of fragmentation, and then studied the relationship with extinction risk (information gathered from the Red Book).
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After that, scientists received a global picture of the state of protection of endangered species. Maps of key areas of intact habitat and hotspots of habitat fragmentation were also prepared.
Due to the latter factor, many mammals are doomed. For example, the bristly hare, the golden-headed sifaka, the one-horned rhinoceros, flying foxes from the Solomon Islands, and the Kalamian deer.
Human activities lead to the displacement of these animals from traditional habitats and isolates them, making it impossible to migrate from one area to another. The numbers of large carnivores, mountain lions and lynxes are gradually decreasing due to fragmentation. Scientists are urging to focus on this factor, without losing sight of the conservation programs.