The final installment in our pseudo-environmental look at possible locations of geographic extinction and adverse change begins with what for many is the site most under the gun. The destruction it endures to the present day began a movement of sorts, which has since swept the globe but not unfortunately, had enough of a positive effect to reverse the consequences of negative human activity against Mother Nature.
No amount of hyperbole can fully illustrate the environmental importance of the Amazon rainforest. Over half of the rainforest left in the world is made up of the Amazon and the amount of life the landscape supports, both human and otherwise, is titanic. The poster child for the dire consequences of deforestation and climate change, the Amazon is en route to depletion even still.
The rainforest, subject to drought conditions in recent years, is at a perilous crossroads. Scientists now predict that it may be too late to reverse course and stop the Amazon’s transformation into savanna or even desert. Enjoy it while you can.
Stay in exotic Peru before you journey into the Amazon.
Much like Kilimanjaro, the glaciers of the Himalayas are in danger. However, the problems that would occur in Tanzania pale in comparison to what would happen if this peerless mountain chain were to melt off. The fact is that over 1.3 billion people depend and live in the drainage basin of the Himalayas. The glaciers form the most immense body of ice in the world, apart from the polar caps. Imagine the accrual of natural disasters then, if they were to melt. The results in Nepal, India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan would be apocalyptic. Floods would inundate the area and damage from mudslides would be catastrophic.
The eventual epic recession of water could elicit worse devastation for the hundreds of millions of people who depend on the Ganges, Indus, Yangtze and other major rivers of the Himalayan basin. If you plan to visit the mythical mountain range in the near future, take a lot of photos for posterity.
Discover the best hotel rates in India before you venture to the Himalayas.
In a trend that seems to have no cheerful end, the ice sheet that forms the gargantuan island of Greenland is under threat. At rates that alarm even the most cynical scientists, the ice has shrunk back to reveal islands and alter the geography of the landscape in dramatic fashion. Although there is widespread debate about whether the glaciers of Greenland can sustain a world rise in temperature – plant DNA from millions of years ago may suggest they have the ability to do just that – most concede the obvious.
Greenland in the next century will simply not look the same on the world map. The ultimate consequences of the depletion of what amounts to 1/4 of the planet’s surface ice is guesswork at this point in time.
Sundarbans mangrove forests in the Bay of Bengal
At 6,000 square km, the Sundarbans mangrove forest that spans Bangladesh and India is by far the most important and immense in the world. Though the forest represents one of the most diverse ecological zones on Earth, it remains under threat. The erection of dams in India has cut off a vital supply of fresh water to the Sundarbans. The ripple effect has been disastrous for vegetation and wildlife in the region. As a result, the royal Bengal tiger, the emblem of Bangladesh, is on the verge of extinction.
Worse yet, illegal commercial activity robs the forest of precious trees it can ill afford to lose. Pollution and human encroachment have also been ruinous factors in the demise of the Sundarbans. Unless government recognition of the problem results in positive action soon, the mangrove forests may be lost forever.
Biodiversity in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Years of civil war and strife, economic hardship and political corruption have not been kind to the environment in the DRC, or the continent of Africa for that matter. The Congo River basin in particular however, is home to a wondrous array of biodiversity the likes of which exist nowhere else on the planet.
Population growth however, in tandem with warfare and general unrest, have done untold damage to the region. As a result, animals like the bonobo chimpanzee, mountain gorilla, white rhinoceros and okapi, not to mention half of the rainforest in Africa, may dwindle into extinction.
The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
A bonus entry at number 21 on our list, the Galapagos Islands represent one of the most famous natural world wonders also in grave danger. If Charles Darwin were alive, he would be in shock to discover that the islands that gave birth to his theory of evolution suffer at the hands of illegal fishermen and the curse of overpopulation. Worse, officials who justify exploitation of the Galapagos as a way to boost the local economy do irreparable harm and earn the tacit approval of the people who elect them.
Time will tell if recent pleas to restrict tourism, commercial development, poachers, invasive foreign animals and recreational activity will fall on deaf ears. If these practices endure over time, the Galapagos will become just another set of islands, no more special or diverse than the next.
Photo credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
well disappearing glaciers of himalyas greatly troubling -