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what is the emuseum of natural history?
This eMuseum is dedicated to wildlife education. Whether you are using it to identify a species you have come across or simply learning about the ones present here, hopefully this eMuseum will also help persuade you to help fight for their conservation and the environments they reside in, which will ultimately help to decelerate biodiversity loss across your region and the planet as a whole. If we collectively work together with one another as a society, we will be on the path to fostering a harmonious relationship with the natural world that we have drifted so far from.
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What is Biodiversity and Why is it so important if it is affected?
Biodiversity is simply the variety of organisms that reside in a given area, which can range from a small patch in the woods to the entire planet, depending on the discussion. A healthy diversity of organisms helps to sustain themselves and the environment that surrounds them such as in coral reefs. Biodiversity also helps to sustain us by providing valuable ecosystem services such as clean water and air (not to mention the therapeutic benefits!). Biodiversity loss occurs in a variety of ways. The main way it occurs is through human influence on the environment. We have fragmented habitats for ages through land conversion such as the building of roads and agricultural and urban development. Fragmented habitats are simply the small patches of what was originally in an area such as a dense forested canopy or a vast grassland full of native vegetation, which provides the needed sustainability for wildlife. This can be drastic for many species who are not able to traverse through fragmented habitat patches. Whereas, some mobile organisms that can travel from one area to the next, are not nearly as affected such as the White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Those that are affected through habitat loss tend to decline in population numbers, which affects the overall biodiversity in a given area, thus reducing the health of the entire ecosystem.
Video courtesy of Our Changing Climate and the National Center for Science Education
WHAT DOES Biodiversity loss mean FOR HUMANS?
This means that we must do better as a whole. Does this mean that the entire human race should be condemned? No. Should we stop the progress of society? No. One thing we need to do is to research and find better ways and alternatives to how we go about our lives, which will require some lifestyle changes (some outlined below). Do they have to be drastic? Some might say so and I would partly agree. A complete overhaul of such changes will not happen overnight and should not be expected to. As a society, we have had it engrained in our heads to take what we want, when we want. A great, popular example of this is the decimation of almost the entire bison population of North America in the 1800's. Such a mindset has led to situations such as this and continues to do so today. The desire to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has been going on for decades. This refuge is the last and greatest expanse of natural wildlife area in the United States. It's home to migrating populations of caribou which indigenous groups of people rely on for sustainability. If drilling occurs, I believe we will not only forfeit such a beautiful landscape, but our dignity in working towards a harmonious relationship with the environment (mentioned above). As a human race, we need to fight against such desires to take from the land that we have been blessed with and not give anything in return. Doing so, we will become the good stewards that we were set out to be.
"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise" - Aldo Leopold
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"Aldo Leopold trip to the Rio Gavilan”, by Pacific Southwest Forest Service, USDA, licensed under CC BY 2.0
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Aldo Leopold, regarded as the father of wildlife ecology, wrote about a Golden Rule in one of his works, A Sand County Almanac. Being one of the most famous quotes regarding conservation, it portrays a call to action for a harmonious relationship between humans and the environment.
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To learn more about Aldo Leopold, check out The Aldo Leopold Foundation!
First Let'sDiscover
Discover and learn about some of the diverse flora (plants) and fauna (animals) that the United States has to offer!
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Check out some of the latest national
conservation news from The Wildlife Society!
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