Happy Earth Day/Month everyone! This year's theme, as set out by the Earth Day Network is Protect Our Species! In the modern era, we have never seen a rate of extinction so extreme since we lost the dinosaurs over 60 million years ago.
With humans encroaching on habitats through deforestation, trafficking, and poaching, just to name a few, it's estimated around 0.01 to 0.1% of species go extinct each year, according to a study published in Science Advances in 2015. The article has a really long name, so I'll just link it here. A small number, right? Well if you estimate on the low end of there being around 2 million species on the planet, that means around 200 to 2,000 species die off each year. If you estimate on the higher end where we have 100 million species on our earth, then that small 0.01 to 0.1% means that 10,000 to 100,000 species die off each year. We still have no idea just how many species are on Earth, yet we are losing them at a rate 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than what would be considered the Natural Extinction Rate. Scientists have identified around 1.6 million species, but with only a little over 5% of our oceans explored, that number is just bearly reaching for the low estimate of how many species we have on Earth.
“Scientists were startled in 1980 by the discovery of a tremendous diversity of insects in tropical forests. In one study of just 19 trees in Panama, 80% of the 1,200 beetle species discovered were previously unknown to science… Surprisingly, scientists have a better understanding of how many stars there are in the galaxy than how many species there are on Earth.” – World Resources Institute (WRI).
Here are some species in danger of extinction and what you can do to help!
Bees:
200 - 100,00 is a lot of plants, incests, and animals dying off each year and a lot of them are also beneficial to the way humans live their lives too. Which brings us to Bees. Yes, Bees. We don't mean wasps which are angry flying things that pretend to be helpful, we mean the bouncy, little black and yellow fuzzy balls that actually help pollinate our plants. Short and sweet, we NEED bees. Almost 90% of all plant species require and depend on insect pollination. The estimates crop production pollinated by for the entire human race is valued at $577 billion. That's a lot of money riding on these little guys. Outside of humans, a lot of wildlife depends on bees as a source of food including nuts, fruit, and berries. Plant growth aided by bees, not only provides food but also can re-establish habits for other insects and plant life.
What can you do to help the bees? The Honeybee Conservancy suggests rethinking your gardens with bees in mind. Here are some tips from them on just how to do that!
- Replace your lawn with flower beds. Not only will this help feed and provide a habitat for bees, but planting flowers can also attract butterflies and other insects that help with pollination.
- Choose flowers that bloom independently. Flowers such as daisies and marigolds are easier for bees to get to and produce much more nectar, an essential food source.
- Provide a bee bath in our garden. Create a live water sculpture with stones above the surface for bees to bathe in!
- Plan for flowers season round. Not only will your yard look amazing with flowers, but you'll be providing bees with a food source year round!
- Spring calls for Crocus, Hyacinth, Borage, Calendula, and Wild Lilacs.
- Summer plants such as Bee Balm, Cosmos, Echinacea, Snapdragons, and Hosta.
- For Fall and Winter Zinnias, Sedum, Asters, Witch Hazel, and Goldenrods are your best bet.
- Inspire others. Get to work on social media and help get the word out! Share your bee gardens on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with #savethebees. We literally need bees to survive.
Elephants:
In Africa, Elephant populations have declined from 5-10 million in 1930 to near 5,000 today with a majority of them living in Big Game Reserves in Botswana. Over 20,000 elephant are poached each year. In Asia, elephant populations have gone from 200,000 to 40,000 and only around 2,500 Sumatran elephants remain today. Did you know that besides humans, a few other aminals, such as Elephants have the ability of self-recognition? That means when placed in front of a mirror they can recognize that instead of another animal in front of them, it is themselves. This self-recognition could also point to a sense of self or self-awareness within animals. Elephants also possess the ability of complex thoughts and deep emotion.
We need to protect elephants but how do we go about it? Join in boycotting the Ivory Trade. It sounds ancient using elephant tusks for decoration but the illegal and legal ivory trade is still a very real thing. But good news, China, who was once credited with destroying the elephant populations due to its massive Ivory trade, recently joined the US in declaring a near total ban of Ivory sales.
Speaking up against trophy hunting is another way to help. Keep the pressure on our current administration to reinstate the import ban of big game animal parts such as elephant tusks. Contact your local governor and tell them to change the law and make importing big game trophies illegal.
Avoid Elephant exhibitions. Not our local zoos, but events such as circus' to elephant rides. Most of these companies poorly maintain these animals and contribute to not only their endangerment but in many cases is a form of animal abuse.
And lastly, support sustainable Tourism. Do your homework. It's an amazing experience to see these majestic animals in their natural habitat, but make sure you are using a company that is respectful of the animals and one who might even give back! Wild Horizons in northern Botswana is an elephant sanctuary that works closely with other resorts to provide responsible safari outings. Here elephants, both injured and orphaned, live on a massive camp set up to rehabilitate elephants so they can live a life with as little human interaction as possible.
Sea Turtles:
Sea Turtles have been around for a long time, around 100 millions year long. Sea Turtles were even able to survive the mass extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. This was due in part to their slower metabolism and the fact they lived in the water. But what is the biggest threat to a species that was able to survive an event that caused a mass extinction of almost all land animals and plants? Pollution.
Sea Turtles eat a lot of jellyfish, and floating plastic bags look a lot like them. Once the plastic is ingested, it can cause a life-threatening blockage. They can also get tangled up in debris in the ocean which can cause them to drown. Fishing nets also cause a problem to Sea Turtles who accidentally get caught up in the nets, cause them to also drown.
Lastly, Global warming is also playing a part in the decline of Sea Turtles. Temperature plays a huge role in determining the gender of a turtle. The colder it is, the more males hatch, the warmer the more females. The rise in earth's temperature has many concerned that the reproduction rate will drop with fewer males.
What can we do to help? The biggest thing we can do to help Sea Turtles is to reduce plastic waste. While some of our plastic trash is recycled, a lot of it is not and ends up in our oceans. Switching to reusable water bottles, reusable grocery bags, or reducing the amount of waste, in general, is a great place to start. Asking for no straw when you go out to eat is also a great way to help prevent plastic waste and even try to buy food with as little packaging as possible. Get yourself a real loofah instead of the plastic ones. Even when going out for a coffee date, ask for a real cup instead of a plastic one if you plan on staying!
Little things add up over time and before you know it, you can reduce your plastic footprint and in turn help not only the Sea Turtles but a lot of ocean-dwelling animals. Want to test your pollution knowledge? Check out this short Ocean and Plastic Pollution Quiz!
Trees:
Yup, trees can go extinct too. Wild Apple and even Giant Redwoods are actually very close to not being around anymore. With an estimated 60,000 different types of trees, deforestation and basic human growth are causing a lot of poplar trees to die off. in 1990 over 31.6% of the Earth surface was covered by trees, compared to now whereas only about 30.6% of the world is. the biggest decrease was seen in 2015 to 2016 where around 73.4 million acres of trees were lost. That's roughly the size of the country of Panama. Even locally, with new buildings and new neighborhoods going up year round, we are losing more trees then we are planting. Check out this interactive map where you can locally see tree loss.
Did you know, the oldest tree ever recorded was found in Sweden and was over 9,500 years old!
Trees are imperative to human life. They are literally our air. Basic science taught us that tress as well as plant take out the carbon from our environment and replace it with oxygen. What we need to survive. They help control the carbon balance of our planet, help keep soil usable and help with the global water cycle. They also can help prevent mudslides and flooding. They are the lifeblood of a lot of other species on the planet. They provide food, shelter, and a habitat for a lot of animals such as jungle cats and snakes. They are connected to a large number of religions and are an icon in our world. They also have some mystery and uniqueness to them. The Quaking Aspens are not just a single tree in the woods, yet are a series of connected root systems that thrive as a group.
How can you help? Encourage your local government to create and support tree planting initiatives throughout your community. Not only will this benefit the environment, but trees also provide health and economic benefits. Join tree planting movements across the country such as the National Forest Foundation.
You can also reduce your waste and reliance on plant-based products such as paper plates ect. Start recycling! There are a bunch of recycling centers all over Gwinnett that will take items such as cans and paper, to large scale items like old cars and fitness equipment. The full list can be found here.
Every person can make a difference!
All GVA hospitals will also be selling reusable bags the entire month of April! For $2 help support the environment and ask for a reusable bag at check out, or swing by and pick one just for fun!
Get inspired and check out some local events this Earth Day.
- Saturday, April 13th head on out to Smyrna for their free Earth Day Festival! From 10 am to 3 pm check out food and gift vendors, educational booths, live performances including an Eco-Fashion show, and a special kids area.
- On Saturday, April 18th, join Global Paint for Charity and Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful from 9 am to 12 pm at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds. The event is free to the public and will include free paint can collection, free paper shredding, electronics recycling, tire recycling, toner/printer cartridge collection and more! There will also be free kids activities such as Touch-A-Truck for a large array of public safety trucks and free face painting and balloon animals! For more info on the event, click here.
- Head out to Fort Yargo State Park and journey alongside members of the Upper Oconee Watershed and test water quality within the park. Registration isn't required but is encouraged. Meet at the Birdberry Trailhead and learn more about how we test and evaluate our water. For more info check out the event page here. While the event is free, the purchase of a parking pass is required and only $5.
- Celebrate earth day at the Children's Museum of Atlanta April 22nd to the 26th! They will have reading and music programs, scient labs, and classes scheduled all week. Entrance to the museum for online non-peak times start at about 13$ and can range up to 18$.
Have any Earth Day Plans? Let us know on facebook!
Russell Ridge ~ Hamilton Ridge ~ Apalachee Ridge ~ Georgia Veterinary Associates
GVA is not affiliated with any events or groups as posted above.