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Endangered Habitats and their Wildlife

Wild habitats all over the world are fast disappearing. Forests are being cut down, rivers and seas polluted, heathlands built on, hedgerows pulled up, ponds filled in - the destruction seems endless. As the habitats decrease, so do their communities of animals and plants. Habitat destruction is one of the main reasons why many species face extinction. Other reasons include the hunting of animals and collection of plants.
There are now more than 5, 000 species of animal and about 25,000 species of plants threatened with extinction. During the last 200 years more than 200 species of mammals and birds have become extinct i.e. disappeared from the earth forever. It is possible that we are losing one species of animal or plant every day!

Gases

Certain gases in the atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide, methane and CFCs, act like the glass in a greenhouse, allowing sunlight through to heat the Earth's surface but trapping some of the heat as it radiates back into space. Without this the Earth would be frozen and lifeless. However, owing to Man's activities,'greenhouse gases' are building up in the atmosphere, causing a greater amount of heat to be reflected back to Earth. The result is an increase in average world temperatures and in the future this could lead to the flooding of cities world wide and more hurricanes etc.

The Ozone Layer

Fifteen to thirty miles above the Earth lies the stratosphere, a broad band of gases and one of these gases is ozone. It's only a small part of the stratosphere but very important because it prevents too many of the sun's ultra violet rays from reaching us. Too many ultra violet rays can give us skin cancer and destroy plankton, the important microscopic life in the sea. In the 1980s it was discovered that 'holes' were appearing in the ozone layer above the Antarctic and Arctic. CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, gases used in the manufacture of aerosols and fridges, are believed to be responsible for destroying the ozone layer.

Pollution

The air, water and soil of habitats all over the world have been, and are still being,polluted in many different ways. This pollution affects the health of living things. Air is damaged by car and lorry fumes, and power stations create acid rain which destroys entire forests and lakes. When fossil fuels i.e. oil, gas and coal are burned to provide energy for lighting, cooking etc. they form polluting gases.
Oils spills pollute sea water and kill marine life; chemical waste from factories and sewage works, and artificial fertilisers from farmland, pollute river water, killing wildlife and spreading disease.
The careless or deliberate dumping of litter in the environment is not only unsightly but dangerous too.

Rainforests

Rainforests are valuable habitats. About half of all the species of animals and plants in the world live in rainforests. Thousands of rainforest plants contain substances that can be used in medicines and the tribal people of the forests have great knowledge of them. Rainforests are being cut down to make way for 'civilised man', to grow crops and graze cattle, and provide timber. An area almost the size of Britain is burnt every year. Rainforests help to regulate the world's climate and atmosphere.

Waste

We humans create such a lot of rubbish! Each household in Britain produces about 1 tonne of rubbish every year! Most of this is taken away by dustmen and buried in enormous landfill sites or burned in incinerators - both of these actions can be dangerous for the environment. Is all our rubbish really rubbish? If you think about it, much of what we throw away could be used again. It makes sense to recycle and not just to solve the problemof where to put the rubbish. Much of our waste is made up of glass, metal, plastic and paper. Our natural resources such as trees, oil, coal and aluminium are used up in enormous amounts to make these products and the resources will one day be compl etely used up. We must cut down on energy use.

The Environment - How can you help protect it?

Our planet is in trouble! Almost every day we seem to hear of yet another problem affecting the environment - and what a list of problems! - pollution, acid rain, global warming, the destruction of rainforests and other wild habitats, the decline and extinction of thousands of species of animals and plants....and so on.
Nowadays, most of us know that these threats exist and that humans have caused them. Many of us are very worried about the future of our planet and unless we can find a way of solving the problems we have made then the environment will suffer even more.
It all sounds so depressing - but we certainly mustn't despair! Every one of us, whatever age we are, can do something to help slow down and reverse some of the damage. We cannot leave the problem-solving entirely to the experts - we all have a responsibility for our environment. We must learn to live in a sustainable way i.e. learn to use our natural resources which include air, freshwater, forests, wildlife, farmland and seas without damaging them. As populations expand and lifestyles change, we must keep the World in good condition so that future generations will have the same natural resources that we have.
Here are just a few examples of the threats to our environment and some ideas to help you to do something about them.

Environmental Destruction!

The planet's natural eco-systems and regenerating bio-capacity are being severely impacted and as a result compromising the ability of the planet to sustain life. Forests, fisheries, oceans, rangeland, fresh water systems (lakes, wetlands, rivers), and other natural ecosystems are all threatened and many on the verge of collapse. Water, land, air is getting increasingly polluted, water tables are falling across the world, soil erosion is leading to expanding deserts, global warming is well underway, and species are dying at an unprecedented rate - 1000 times faster than their natural rate of extinction.

Craze Of Cells!

Can you imagine your life without a cell phone? If not, you have plenty of company. Nearly 20 percent of Pakistani teens (24 percent of girls, 15 percent of boys) own a wireless phone, according to a study conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited. And those numbers are expected to double in the next year.Even though we have cellular phone stores on practically every street corner we're just catching on to the cell phone craze found in places like Finland and other parts of the world. In thPakistan, about 28 percent of the population uses mobile phones, compared to 67 percent in Finland, where teens refer to there wireless phones as “mobile,” which means “extension of the hand.”Sarah Khan, an eighth-grader who is home schooled, says she doesn't use her phone very often, but when she does she finds that she somehow gets carried away. “One time, an automated voice came on while I was on the phone and told me I had gone 80 percent over my spending limit. My parents don't usually make me pay for the time I use the phone, but I know I'll be paying for that call.”

Misuse ur cell & lose it!

Cell phones are becoming so popular among teens that school administrators are starting to monitor use more closely. Some states have made laws against students using communications devices in public schools. But in Islamabad, school administrators simply take phones away when they find students talking on them in the halls or in class. Kids hear the message loud and clear: You use it, and you lose it. “Respect for all people and property is one of the four major school rules at Lahore College,” said Qasim Chaudry, head of Upper School (that’s like a high school principal). “To use a cell phone during class time would only serve as a distraction to that environment.” Even though most kids have cell phones for the sole purpose of checking in with their parents, there has been a shift in the true need for the phones. The focus is rapidly changing from personal safety to simply personal use among teens. In fact, some families are now requiring their teens to pay for any additional personal time they use on the family cell phone plan. However, other parents keep tight reins on cell-phone spending by using plans that operate on prepaid minutes. That means you can’t overspend your budget, but it’s also a very expensive way to buy talk time – typically about a rupee a minute. Aila Pervaiz, an eighth-grader at Punjab University, shares a cell phone with her sister. “Since my sister is older, she usually has it. I only get to use it if I'm going out somewhere with friends, or if it's urgent, like if I'm going to be late or something.”

Do U Need 1!

Cell phones may seem like the “must-have” accessory of the moment, but don’t feel bad if you don’t own one. Remember, most other kids don’t either.While they can be a lot of fun, and they are handy to have around to keep in touch with friends and family when you are away from home, they are not really a “necessity” for most teens and pre-teens.Also, remember that they can be expensive. The cheapest plans available don’t give you a lot of talking time, especially in the prime-time daylight and weekday hours. And if you go over your designated time, that additional chat can get really expense – 40 paisas or more a minute!Think that doesn’t sound like a lot? At that rate, if you talk just an extra half hour over your limit, you’ll rack up an additional Rs.12 on your monthly bill.

Did U Know?

Most new digital cellular phones have some sort of entertainment programs on them, ranging from simple dice-throwing games to memory and logic puzzles. • Cellular phones are more popular in Eastern countries than they are in the Western States – more than 60 percent of Easterns own a cell phone, compared to about 40 percent of Westerns • A cell phone is actually a radio – an extremely sophisticated radio, but a radio nonetheless. Sources: http://www.howstuffworks.com; The Nando Times, Nando Media, 2002; “Students and school cell phone rules,” CNN.com, January 2002; “Cell phones are hot with teens,” The Detroit News, June 2002; Cingular Wireless; SunCom.