Over the last hundred years became extinct more than 400 species of vertebrates.
the Current sixth extinction of flora and fauna, in which an important role plays the man, is much faster than predicted.
To such conclusion came researchers from Mexico and the United States in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Scientists have discovered that over the last 100 years extinct more than 400 species of vertebrates. Under natural conditions this species would take up to 10 thousand years.
As you know, in the history of Earth there have been five mass extinctions, each of which is destroyed from 70 to 95% of the species of plants, animals and microorganisms. The last of the major extinctions, kt, occurred 66 million years ago. At the time he disappeared naticia dinosaurs, marine sauropsida, flying reptiles, Ammonites, belemnites and many algae.
All mass extinctions have occurred due natural disasters, such as asteroid impact or the eruption of many volcanoes simultaneously. However, the sixth extinction is caused by humans. “It’s entirely our fault,” says Gerardo Ceballos. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that when one species in an ecosystem disappears, it destroys the entire ecosystem and encourages the disappearance of other species.
it is Expected that at the end of this year, the Convention on biological diversity (CBD), adopted under the auspices of the UN in 1992, will set new global targets for conservation. Participants of this international Treaty are 168 countries.
Anna Lysenko
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