<
https://theconversation.com/ravaged-jungle-just-25-of-the-worlds-surviving-tropical-rainforests-are-in-good-condition-245475>
"We are now in the middle of the sixth mass extinction, caused by our emergence
as a planet-shaping force. Species are going extinct far faster than the
average natural rate of loss.
In response, conservationists are working to safeguard biodiversity strongholds
such as tropical rainforests, famed for their remarkable richness of species.
Many of these rainforests are household names, from the Amazon to the Congo to
Australia’s Daintree and Wet Tropics.
But these rainforests are being steadily cut down or degraded. It’s entirely
possible for rainforests to look good in satellite images even though logging,
mining or road-building mean they have become poor homes to species able to
thrive only in the absence of major human disturbance, such as West Africa’s
iconic Diana monkey (
Cercopithecus diana).
How much rainforest is still in good condition and able to sustain the
Daintree’s cassowaries and tree kangaroos, the Amazon’s sloths and anacondas
and the Congo Basin’s forest elephants, bonobos and okapi? We looked at over
16,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians in our new research
to answer this question.
At first glance, it seemed like good news – up to 90% of the geographic ranges
of these species were still covered in forest. But when we drilled down
further, we found the real problem. Barely 25% of the world’s remaining
tropical rainforests are still of high quality. For threatened species and
those in decline, there’s just 8% of their habitat left in good condition."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
