Animal Habitat Destruction in Seattle - Research Paper Example

Running head: animal habitat destruction in seattle ESRM 100 8th May Introduction Habitat destruction refers to the process through which natural habitat is made functionally unable to support the animal and plant species present. One of the major causes of species extinction in Seattle is habitat destruction. Whenever a habitat is destroyed, the animals residing in that area experience a reduced carrying capacity an aspect that results into increased probability of extinction. One of the areas that have experienced high rate of animal habitat destruction is Seattle. Seattle is an intensely populated region with more than 652,000 residents as of 2014. The seaport city has approximately 85 square miles on undeveloped areas that have predominantly native vegetation that provides favorable habitat for wildlife. Even though the city is developed, the available network of habitat provides a significant support for the wildlife species especially the threatened species such as bald eagle and Chinook salmon (Jacob, 2012). The increased habitat destruction has resulted into establishment of Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation lands that is responsible for ensuring that the city’s habitat is maintained in the natural way (Pierce, 2003). According to American Lung Association, Seattle area is among the dirtiest areas in terms of fine particle pollution. These include microscopic dust, chemicals, diesel exhaust, aerosols, and metals. The aim of this paper is to discuss the Seattle animal habitat destruction by touching on the reasons that lead to habitat destruction, the impact of habitat destruction and most important the solutions of it. Reasons that lead to habitat destruction As the human population around Seattle region increase, the demand for fish and other forms of food varieties has increased. For example, salmon, which is the cultural icon in the area, has been used as the source of food resulting to their decrease (Arbault and Sastrapradja, 1995). Thus, the demand for food has been one of the causes of decrease in the number of animals. Seattle is a developed city that has various business activities and production facilities. As a result, there is extensive ocean water pollution due to the chemicals produced from the factories. Water pollution in Seattle region originates from human activities within the streets of the city that produce wastes that are carried to the ocean. Other pollutants that directly affect fish species in Seattle include pesticides and petrochemicals including gas and oil. Additionally, the nitrogen, phosphorus and animal waste cause algae blooms. Once they develop, the blooms occupy patches of the ocean and then create oxygen-free dead zones thus resulting to the extinction of the ocean fish species (Arbault and Sastrapradja, 1995). Being the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region and state of Washington, Seattle demand for salmon, rainbow trout, smallmouth and yellow perch among other fish species is high (Stabler, 1997). As a result, there is overexploitation of the species more that the rate at which they develop. Additionally, individuals within the city collect wild birds, amphibians, mammals, reptiles and other ocean animals or their eggs for the purpose of skins and scientific research and pet trade (Honey, 2008). Another major cause of the habitat destruction Seattle is development and pollution that significantly impact on diversity. For example, in 1900s, the construction of Elliot Bay Seawall led to the destruction of 68% of the Seattle shoreline habitat (Pierce, 2003). The bay, whose intention was to prevent the shore erosion and improve the waterfront development, affected the salmon population by reducing it by 90%. Similarly, the construction of roads and railway lines across the city affects the natural habitat where the wildlife resides (Kristi, 2014). With the establishment of industrialization and use of fuels instead of green ways of production, the climate change in Seattle is also a major cause of habitat destruction. Being a major threat to the ecosystem, the climate change has a direct influence on the kind of organisms that exist in Seattle. As the result of use of methane as well as the burning of fossil fuel in the region and in neighborhood, the environment has extensively been affected. Climate change, including precipitation and increased temperatures in Seattle, results into evaporation thus leading to reduction of water sources an aspect that negatively affects the breeding and nesting places for the animals. In various parts of Seattle, invasive species have been also the cause animal habitat destruction. This entails intentionally or unintentionally transferring plants and animals from one ecosystem to another (Arbault and Sastrapradja, 1995). As a result, they pose a threat to the existing biodiversity since they create a competition among the species or prey upon each other especially in fresh water habitat (Ravenga et al, 2000). One of the major occurrences that led to such threat was the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. After the eruption, the salamander adopted a survival hand whereby it kept its gills and lived as aquatic animals instead of going to the land where they were staying. With the trees growing, the emerged ponds are shaded while the shallow ponds are filled with leaf litter. As the result, the predators, parasites and pathogens feast on the amphibians in the ponds resulting to their diminishing. Impact of habitat destruction One of the direct impacts of habitat destruction is loss of homes for the animals in Puget Sound region due to the increasing needs of the human population. For example, the Eliot Bay Seawall that was a major cause of Seattle shoreline destruction acts as an obstacle for the Pacific salmon migratory path. Within the Puget Sound, there exists shallow water, estuaries, nearby wetlands, beaches and bluffs which are vital zones for the young salmon. It is vital to note that salmon travel through the estuaries two times in their lives and once a wall is constructed; the process of smoltification which refers to transformation from freshwater to saltwater is not achieved. Another impact of the habitat destruction is that it will cause imbalance in the ecosystem (Temple, 1986). For example, all the fish varieties are affected by the pollutants that disrupt their food supplies or sicken them. Another impact of habitat destruction is excessive carbon in the atmosphere as a result of burning of oil in Seattle industrial sector leading to rapid warming. As the human population continues to use carbon fuels in their vehicles and factories, the temperature rises. This is followed by absorption of the extra heat by the ocean (Ravenga et al, 2000). The temperature changes, however small have extensive repercussions on the marine animals ranging from whales to corals. Additionally, the high temperatures result to glaciers, flooding of estuaries and raising of sea levels. Another impact of the increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is that once it is absorbed by the ocean, it dissolves into carbonic acid resulting into increased acidity thus inhibiting the life of marine animals. This also results to disrupting the food web in the ocean. Even though Seattle region is built on a high land and some of it is at sea level, the increased atmospheric temperatures results into rising sea level making the more than 800 acres of the region to become marsh and tidal flat. Additionally, majority of the estuarine beaches will be lost. The most vulnerable habitat in the ocean neighboring Seattle is the estuarine beach. Estuarine beaches provide important areas for forage fish such as sand lance and surf smelt. In turn, beaches provide food for marine mammals, birds, wild life and other types of fish (Buller, 2004). Another impact of the habitat destruction is that it results into pollution of the freshwater wildlife due to the waste that emanates from big companies such as Boeing and Corixa. As the result of the pollution, the food web of the aquatic animals in Seattle are negatively affected resulting to an imbalance in the ecosystem since some animals may adopt a survival strategy and start feeding on other animals instead of feeding on the plants as they do normally. Implications of habitat destruction to human society Apart from the effects of habitat destruction on plants and ocean animals, it has adverse implications on human population. First, such destruction increases the possibility of an area to experience natural disasters such as spread of diseases, drought, flood, water contamination and crop failure. On the other hand, if the human society maintains a healthy ecosystem, and emulates good practices to maintain it, the chances of experiencing natural calamities will be mitigated or reduced (Buller, 2004). As the result of destroying the surrounding landscape, the agricultural land can vastly suffer. Seattle is noted due to its extensive mineral and natural resources. This implies that once the habitat is destroyed, the economic position of the residents who rely on the natural resources is lowered. Additionally, human society loses direct uses of the natural habitat once it is destroyed. It is worth to note that Seattle has very attractive sites such as Woodland Park Zoo, Wing Luke Asian Museum, Discovery Park, Northwest Seaport Maritime Heritage Center, and the Seattle Waterfront (Wight, 1993). Such areas do not only attract the domestic tourists but also foreign visitors from other states. Ecotourism usually rely on the undestroyed habitat (Randall, 1987). Thus, the local Seattle communities should take care of the existing attractive sites in order to benefit from the tourism trade that generates significant amount of revenue for the city. Another notable impact of the destruction of the habitat on human population is the loss of important ecosystem services. For example, the destruction has altered sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon cycles. As a result, this has increased the frequency of algal blooms, acid rain and the fish kills in the ocean leading to global climate change. Other vital ecosystem services that are affected include nitrogen fixation, pollination, watershed management, oxygen production, waste treatment and nutrient recycling (Sahney, et al, 2010). Loss of biodiversity is the major cause of losses of many species in the environment. By interfering with the biodiversity in the neighboring ocean, Seattle communities may contribute into the crashing of ecosystem, which would not only negatively affect animals but also the people. Loss of biodiversity also leads into losing animals that act as the biological control agents. It is vital to note that rural populations are more affected as compared to urban populations (Wight, 1993). This is based on the fact that rural populations are more close to natural habitat. While most of the negative implications of habitat destruction are direct, the aspect of opportunity cost of not disturbing a habitat can also be noted (Tuohino and Hynonen, 2001). This entails determining what the people for example Seattle residents would lose out by taking a particular habitat. For example, by fishing and hunting the birds, the communities may increase their food, however, the value of the fish and birds may be higher if the two habitats are allowed to supply natural resources and services such as pollination, ecotourism and drought control. Impact of habitat destruction on ecology Habitat destruction negatively affects the ecology of any region. Ecology refers to the interactions that exist among organisms and between the organisms their environment. Once a certain habitat is destroyed, it implies that the linkage between the animals or plants in that area in broken thus affecting the ecosystem diversity (Richard, 2011). Within the city of Seattle, habitat destruction has resulted to destruction of the ecosystem resulting to endangering of 50 species of animals within the Woodland Park region. This implies that these species are facing a very high risk of extinction in the region unless a serious conservation action is undertaken. Examples of endangered birds are Blyth’s tragopan, Bali, Edward’s pheasant, Brown eared-pheasant, hooded crane, and peregrine falcon among others (Kristi, 2014). Similarly, the destruction of ocean habitat has rendered to endangering of reptiles and amphibians such as Oregon spotted frog, and Egyptian tortoise among others. Another implication of habitat destruction is that it reduces the carrying capacity of the ecology making the population of the organisms to lack something to rely on resulting to extinction. Additionally, some of the major victims of habitat destruction are endemic organisms with limited ranges (Jeffrey, 2001). This is based on the fact that these organisms are not found anywhere else and once their homes are destroyed, they cannot be recovered. Some of the major areas that have experienced high level of habitat destruction in US are wetlands and marine. This has resulted to lack of sufficient living conditions for the marine animals. Solution to habitat destruction One of the solutions that should be considered to address habitat destruction is to ensure that chemicals are not put in the surrounding sources of water, since the birds in Seattle region can be affected. Chemicals that are used in the plantations should be tested in the laboratory so that the public can be aware of the chemical that is not hazard to the birds and other animals (Chiras, 2000). Hummingbirds attract tourists due to their body types and other standing features that make them beautiful (Tuohino and Hynonen, 2001). It is important to make sure that the life expectancy of these birds is increased by making sure that chemicals are not put in the water. Land clearing in Seattle is taking place where vegetations are cleared so that the soil can be productive in terms of agriculture or setting human residential places. Whenever the habitat is destroyed by deforesting or clearing the areas that are used by residence, it means that food, water and their shelter of animals have been destroyed (Jacob, 2012). When vegetations are cleared, it means that chances of these animals to survive are reduced since their habitat and homes have been destroyed. The solution is to make sure that deforestation and clearing of the land that is not productive is not allowed since these animals are source of the revenue to the economy. Being the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region Seattle is surrounded by aquatic animals that play a significant role in ensuring that nutritious dish is available. The use of ships and machine driven boats to transport products from neighboring areas to Seattle destroys the aquatic animals by occasionally oil spillage (Jeffrey, 2001). Oil spillage results to the death of the aquatic animals that later get access to the human being when they consume the animals’ products (Buller, 2004). It implies that death will occur in the aquatic animals and even to human being due to consumption of chemicals that are as a result of oil spillage in the sea. The solution is to make sure that oil spillage in the sea it totally avoided and stiff penalties established to punish individual engaging of polluting the ocean. The last solution to the habitat is to make sure that those industries and vehicles that emit carbon gas in the atmosphere in Seattle comply with rules and regulations of the carbon trade emission. The aim is to ensure that poisonous gas that is released to the atmosphere and results in global warming is reduced (Peter, 2009). Habitat destruction as a crucial issue nowadays Nowadays, habitat destruction has become an important issue that countries cannot overlook. This is based on the fact that it has significant impact on the global ecosystem. Some of the areas that have been affected by human destruction are tropical forest. Originally, there existed 16 million square kilometers of the forest but today, only 9 million square kilometers exist. This is an indication that human population has extremely affected the ecosystem an aspect that calls for urgent action. As noted earlier, US marine and wetland areas have endured significant amount of habitat destruction. For example, more than 50% of the wetlands have been destroyed for the last 200 years. Similarly, more than 70% of the wetlands in Europe have been completely destroyed while human modifications have been experienced in 20% of the marine coastal regions. The notable drivers of habitat destruction globally include economic, technology, demographic and sociopolitical (Sahney et al, 2010). Unless an urgent strategy is undertaken by the Seattle authority and other countries, the drivers can adversely affect the world ecosystem. According to Geist and Lambin (2002), technological drivers contribute 70% to habitat destruction, economic factors 81%, socio-political factors 66%, and demographic factors 61%. Conclusion Based on the above discussion, it is clear that habitat destruction is a challenge in Seattle. With the diversified natural resources and high population, Seattle habitat destruction has been experienced by the demand from human population. Other reasons for the destruction as indicated in the paper include pollution, development, establishment of infrastructure and construction of sea walls. As the result of the habitat destruction, the global temperature has significantly increased resulting to rising sea level that exposes the coastal regions to more natural calamities. Based on the importance of the natural resources and animals in enhancing ecotourism, it is essential for the human population globally to adopt sustainable methods of conserving the habitats available (Honey, 2008).Within the city of Seattle, there are vast tourist attraction centers such as Washington and Eliot Bay and Lakes Union among others. While habitat destruction has direct effect on the animals and plants, it also has implication on human population. For example, by use of fuel and polluting the ocean, the possibility of natural calamities increases. The global ecosystem is also at risk if the current habitat destruction continues. This implies that governments should initiate effective policies and regulations to curb the rising environmental destructions as a way of protecting the habitats and ecosystem. References Arbault, R and Sastrapradja. D. (1995). Generation, maintenance and loss of biodiversity. Global Biodiversity Assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. Buller, N. (2004). Bacteria from fish and other aquatic animals a practical identification manual. Oxford: CABI Pub. Chiras, D. (2000). Lessons from nature: Learning to live sustainably on the earth. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. Climate Impacts in the Northwest. Available from http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/northwest.html Honey, M. (2008). Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise? Washington DC: Island Press. Jacob, U. (2012). Global change in multispecies systems. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Academic Press. Jeffrey, C. (2001).Seattle and the Roots of Urban Sustainability: Inventing Ecotopia. 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