Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability 1

BiophiliaBiologist EdwardO. Wilson contendsthat becauseof the billions ofCONNECTIONS years of biologicalconnections leadingto the evolution of the humanspecies, we have an inherent affinityfor the natural world. He calls thisphenomenon biophilia (love of life).Evidence of this natural andemotional affinity for life is seen inthe preference most people have foralmost any natural scene over onefrom an urban environment. Givena choice, most people prefer to livein an area where they can see water,grassland, or a forest. More peoplevisit zoos and aquariums than attendall professional sporting eventscombined.In the 1970s I was touring thespace center at Cape Canaveral inFlorida. During our bus ride thetour guide pointed out each of theabandoned multimillion-dollarlaunch sites and gave a brief historyof each launch. Most of us wereutterly bored. Suddenly peoplestarted rushing to the front of thebus and staring out the windowwith great excitement. What theywere looking at was a baby alligator—adramatic example of howbiophilia can triumph overtechnophilia.Not everyone has biophilia.Some have the opposite feelingabout many or most forms of life.This fear of life is called biophobia.Biophobia varies in intensity anddegree with individuals based onheredity and experience with variousforms of life. For example,some movies, books, and TV programscondition us to fear or berepelled by certain species suchas snakes, spiders, insects (especiallyones that bite, sting, or crawlaround our houses such as cockroaches,bats, sharks, rats, andbacteria). Throughout this book Ihave tried to show you the importantecological roles such speciesplay.But I understand that many ofyou will fear many of these speciesregardless of how useful they are tous and the functioning of ecosystems.Fear is a difficult emotion toovercome.Critical ThinkingDo you have an affinity for wildlifeand wild ecosystems (biophilia)? Ifso, how do you display this love ofwildlife in your daily actions? Whatpatterns of your consumption helpdestroy and degrade wildlife?12-3 EXTINCTION THREATS FROMHABITAT LOSS AND DEGRADATIONWhat Is the Role of Habitat Loss and Degradation?Creating Homeless SpeciesThe greatest threat to a species is the loss and degradationof the place where it lives.Figure 12-6 shows the basic and secondary causes ofthe endangerment and premature extinction of wildspecies. Conservation biologists sometimes summarizethe main secondary factors leading to prematureextinction using the acronym HIPPO for habitat destructionand fragmentation, invasive (alien) species,population growth (too many people consuming toomany resources), pollution, and overharvesting.HabitatlossHabitat degradationand fragmentationIntroducingnonnative speciesOverfishingClimate changePredator and pest controlSecondary CausesPollutionCommercialhunting and poachingSale of exotic petsand decorative plantsFigure 12-6 Basic and secondarycauses of depletion andpremature extinction of wildspecies. The two biggest directcauses of wildlife depletion andpremature extinction are loss,fragmentation, and degradationof habitat, and deliberate or accidentalintroduction of nonnativespecies into ecosystems.• Population growth• Rising resource use• No environmentalaccounting• PovertyBasic Causeshttp://biology.brookscole.com/miller14231