4. Exploitation of wild animals
Hunting and fishing are Man’s two oldest survival techniques. Once again though, it is not Man’s actions per se which is the threat, but the intensity of those actions.
Fishing is an excellent example of how cock-eyed our approach is. Many species are under severe pressure due to overfishing. Once these species have collapsed they will lead to chaos within their ecosystems as a major player in the food chain is removed.
However rather than drastically curb the trawler fleets and suffer some localised economic pain, we prefer to keep the trawler fleets going so that a) we can continue with the food to which we’ve become accustomed for a short time longer and b) we don’t make those fishing communities deeply unhappy.
No one knows what will happen when ecosystems such as these lose a major predator either through over fishing or illegal hunting but it’s likely that like the introduction of a alien species it will lead to a dramatic loss in biodiversity.
About Chris Milton
Firstly nice image.
Biodiversity – good idea!! (thumbs up)
An incredibly stunning image that adds impact to your words Chris.
I have yet to visit the area, I hope it will still be as rich and as beautiful when I do.
Sarah
Thanks for the comments coirgreen and Sarah!
That certainly is a beautiful picture .. if you’re on flickr be sure to check out the photographer’s home page and give the photo a “thumbs up” there.
Photo credit on the last page