Pátek, 29. března 2024

Watchdog says North America biodiversity shrinking

MONTREAL - Some 235 North American animal species such as the Monarch butterfly and northern codfish are threatened by pollution, human encroachment on their natural habitats and aggressive harvesting practices, says an environmental agency set up under the continental free-trade pact.
Watchdog says North America biodiversity shrinking
A broad study by the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation, a Montreal-based agency created under the North American Free Trade Agreement comprising the United States, Canada and Mexico, says the continent faces a \"biodiversity crisis\" in which threatened species could disappear. That harms evolution and depletes the natural environment humans depend on to survive. Half of North America\'s most biodiverse eco-regions are severely degraded, says the report, which will be formally released to the three governments on Monday. \"Our report shows that over the past few decades, the loss and alteration of habitat has become the main threat to biodiversity,\" said Janine Ferretti, executive director of the commission. \"A significant proportion of the plant and animal species of North American is threatened.\" The striking Monarch butterfly, which migrates from Canada to Mexico, faces a number of threats, including coastal development in California, deforestation of oyamel fir forests in Mexico and the use of pesticides on milkweed plants, its main food. The report notes that some experts believe humans are \"fishing down the food chain\" in over-harvested stocks such as salmon, cod, halibut and swordfish. That means catching fish that are needed to rebuild depleted species. Freshwater species such as crayfish, 48 percent of which are at risk, are even more vulnerable to extinction because they cannot escape to new ecosystems when their own habitats are degraded by pollution. An apparent inability to develop North America\'s economies while sustaining its environment not only threatens biodiversity, but imperils people\'s future, the report says. \"At the turn of the millennium, North Americans are faced with the paradox that many activities on which the North American economy is based impoverish the environment on which our well-being ultimately depends,\" the report says. It notes that the poor are the hardest hit by environmental problems. In an interview with Reuters, Ferretti said the United States, Canada and Mexico had made progress in creating refuges for wildlife, protecting species and gathering data on biodiversity. Much more was needed to reverse the degradation of biodiversity, she said, saying she hoped the commission\'s report, The North American Mosaic, would become a key resource for planning and policy-making. \"It\'s a panoramic view of the state of the environment in North America and it\'s the first time that information from all three countries has been collected on such a broad sweep of issues,\" Ferretti said. ALARM BELLS Future studies would focus on a core set of indicators to provide a snapshot of the state of the environment, she added. The current report raises alarm bells on a number of fronts, including the effect of modern transportation systems on the environment, the over-use of water resources and rising threat of drought, and bio-invasion, the spread of nonnative species imported into North America. \"Bio-invasion, that is something that wasn\'t in our lexicon 10 years ago. The magnitude of this threat is quite significant,\" Ferretti said. Canada and the United States fare poorly in the report\'s assessment of their economies\' impact on the environment. More than 80 percent of all commuting trips in the two countries are by private automobile rather than less polluting public transit. They are also the world\'s largest per-capita users of water, and demand is growing. Canada has about half of North America\'s renewable freshwater resources, but 60 percent of its water flows north, whereas 90 percent of its population lives in the southern part of the country. Agriculture and thermoelectric power generation account for about 80 percent of water withdrawals in North America. Irrigation is a particular threat. The Ogallala Aquifer underneath the U.S. Great Plains has water resources equivalent to Lake Huron, but it is being depleted by irrigation faster than it can recharge, the report says. Story by Robert Melnbardis REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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