Are we in the middle of the sixth extinction?

In the last five centuries, hundreds of species have disappeared from our world and our environment. About a quarter of the vertebrates and an even greater number of the invertebrates have reached the brink of extinction

In the last five centuries, hundreds of species have disappeared from our world and our environment. About a quarter of the vertebrates and an even greater number of the invertebrates have reached the brink of extinction. The numbers show that species are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. Some have already defined the state of wildlife as a sixth extinction.

Not only a sixth extinction but this is probably the fastest extinction compared to the previous five extinctions that occurred in ancient ages over millions of years. The current extinction occurs within hundreds of years when the blame lies mainly and perhaps only with the immoral and irresponsible activity of one species - the human race.

I have written a lot about the need to preserve nature, about the need to preserve the natural environment for many different reasons, among others the more obvious reason is that we are part of the natural environment and without a healthy environment human society will also lose its mental and physical health. Indeed, things are becoming clear and the influence of an unhealthy environment is becoming clear in extreme and difficult forms and ways. Maybe the world is waking up to the urgent need to preserve nature? Maybe the chance to improve the human attitude towards the natural environment is being realized?

At various environmental conferences, some defined the state of the environment as a "sixth extinction". Conferences on environmental issues have published information on the relationship between environmental destruction and human activities, which apparently have no connection with nature conservation... is it true?

In the headlines they reported: "Disappearing wild animals 'contributes' to child slavery and human trafficking." "Increasing violent phenomena around the world - due to the extinction of species in nature". "The phenomena of hunger and lack of water are increasing - because of serious damage to the environment." These are just some of the headlines that came out following a meeting of researchers in Cameroon in Africa.
Researchers from twenty universities from African countries, Asia, Europe and America declared that "Africa (south of the Sahara) is losing forest and woodland areas faster than anywhere else in the world." As a result, by the end of the century, "Africa will lose more than 30% of its wild animals and plants." The reasons for the gloomy forecast and destruction are "global warming, population explosion and accelerated development that is not properly managed and regulated."

Forests are cut down to satisfy the ruthless demand of the markets in China, Europe and the USA. At the same time, the population is growing by more than 3% every year, areas that were once covered with forests are becoming residential areas, and industrial areas or plantations where "cash crops" are grown - crops that do not contribute to the locals but whose produce is exported to other countries. Such are the crops of oil palm, soy, jojoba, jatropha and more. The result is the loss of many African species, both plants and animals.
Many species believe that global warming has weakened their resilience and therefore the damage to them is severe and significant. One of the most prominent and well-known examples is the disappearance of the chimpanzees. The forests in the Congo basin, which constitute the habitats of the chimpanzees, are cut down, the chimpanzees are hunted and sold as "game meat" to the highest bidder. Following changes in the habitats, within the next 20 years the chimpanzees will lose their habitats and disappear.

so what to do?
According to the researchers, Africa can be developed without environmental destruction. It is necessary to develop a green economy while making sure that the development is sustainable. For example, it is possible to preserve forests that will provide food products and products that can be sold. The fact that the forest will provide the locals with their livelihood will be an impetus to preserve and protect the natural environment.

The Congo Basin is home to the second largest equatorial rainforest in the world, yet it is one of the areas that has been severely affected by climate change. Proper management will preserve the forest and provide millions of locals with a sustainable source of livelihood.

In the last four decades, the population of people in the world has doubled. At the same time, populations of invertebrates are affected and reduced by about 45%. The loss of wild animals (large and small) constitutes "one of the impulses for the increase in violence" This is what researchers who publish their words in "Science" claim (Science) as part of a series that deals with the disappearance and extinction of animals.
The importance of invertebrates stems from their ecological role in pollinating crops, "controlling" pests, filtering water, adding nutrients to the soil and more. The disappearance of invertebrates is similar to that of terrestrial vertebrates, according to an analysis of scientific literature written by an international team led by Ben Cullen from University College London. In the last five hundred years, 322 species of terrestrial vertebrates have disappeared from nature. Among the remaining species, there is a loss of about 25%.

The researchers say that "we were surprised to find a similar loss in invertebrate populations." The "astonishment" stems from the assumption that invertebrates cope well with changes. The researchers blame the loss on two main factors: habitat loss and global climate change.

According to them, the solution to the problem is complicated, but the first step must be an immediate cessation of the overexploitation of environmental resources, which will be adapted to each region and situation in a changing environment. Increasing awareness of the ongoing extinction and its consequences must bring about change.

There is a tendency to think of extinction as the disappearance of a certain species from the face of the earth, which is true and important. However, there is a loss that harms the functioning of ecosystems - the loss of animals that play a central environmental role, to which attention should be directed.

According to American researchers in another study, "the great loss of animals causes violent friction, the increase of organized crime and child slavery, around the entire world." "The impetus for restlessness comes from a lack of food and loss of work, a situation that causes the increase in human trafficking and the increase in crime."
The researchers state that "it is clear that the loss of wild animals and plants is a source and not the symptom of friction?

Billions of people depend and rely directly or indirectly on vegetable sources and meat for their livelihood, which are getting depleted.' For example: the livelihood of millions of fishermen from the Horn of Africa, especially from Somalia, was damaged by the entry of foreign fishing boats into the fishing areas near Somalia. To compensate for the loss of livelihoods, many of the fishermen underwent "professional retraining" and became pirates.

Another example is the ongoing killing of thousands of elephants driven by market demand and which has caused international criminal organizations to engage in the murderous trade.

The loss of wildlife "pulls the rug" from under societies and populations that depended on wildlife as a source of sustenance. Therefore, not only species are lost but children and natives are also lost, settlements and communities fall apart and criminal organizations and militias grow stronger and emboldened. The recognition of the situation demonstrates how important it is to preserve wildlife and preserve nature.

It seems to me that the connection of the next paragraph to the above is clear and understandable: at the annual conference of the "Society for the Study of Reproduction" a topic opposite to the name of the organization was discussed, at the opening of the conference the attendees discussed: contraception.

With the understanding that in less than a decade the human population will reach eight billion inhabitants, when the maximum increase will be in Africa. High birth rate is related to poverty. Children are born into families where they "earn" less than $2 a day. That means most of the addition to the world's population will be in areas where there is no access to education, energy, clean water or basic living options.

A small increase in the quality of life in these places will make it possible to stop the population explosion. This information was brought by doctors, public health workers, researchers, donors, entrepreneurs and others who see the urgency of finding new methods and measures to prevent pregnancy, and making the measures available to anyone who needs them.

After all, I have been arguing for a long time that the time has come that instead of controlling the environment for the sake of the human population, there was control of the human population for the sake of the environment!