ated a number of established reserves in the panda’s habitat range, there has been little in the way of effective enforcement. As such, the ecological integrity of these areas has continued to decline as a result of illegal logging and poaching, greatly effecting the panda’s ability to survive. Then there’s the Royal Bengal tiger, with it’s majestic stance, golden yellow coat and stripes black as night. Classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Bengal tiger population is estimated at less than 2,500 individuals with a decreasing trend. A new study by the World Wildlife Federation, and other partner organizations, has found that the Sundarbans Mangrove, the tiger’s natural habitat, could shrink up to 96% by the year 2070, meaning this unique place could disappear before the end of this century. “If we don’t take steps to address the impacts of climate change on the Sundarbans, the only way its tigers will survive this century is with scuba gear,” says Colby Loucks, WWF’s deputy director of conservation science. Like the mangrove forest of the Sundarbans, the sea-ice of the Polar Bear is one of the habitats most immediately threatened due to global warming. While many people correctly assume that the polar bear spends much of its life at sea, it still uses the Arctic ice to harvest food and otherwise make a living. Exacerbating the issues of the lost hunting ground is the decline in the polar bear’s main prey, seals. Polar bears are known to go hungry for extended periods of time, which results in cannibalistic behavior. The reduction in ice beds near productive areas to their food further affects their nutritional health, reproduction rate and ability to survive.
It is critical than to act now to curb greenhouse gas emissions and find alternatives to fossil fuels if we are going to save polar bears and avoid the worst impacts of global warming. Due to illegal hunting and pet trade, habitat loss and disease, the beautiful and complex Africa Great Apes are fighting to survive. If road building, mining camps, and other infrastructure developments continue at their current pace, less than 10% of the remaining habitat of the great apes will be left in tact by 2030. In addition to the struggle to survive against our human activity and loss of habitat, Great apes also struggle with diseases such as Ebola. Urgent action is required to develop plans to stop the habitat loss of all earth’s creatures, for what effects them impacts us all. So what can you do to help our majestic and treasured species of the world? Beyond watching how your own lifestyle choices impact climate change through greenhouse gas effects, you can contact organizations like the World Wildlife Fund. They offer educational information and ways to put your time and resources to support those who are on the frontline fighting to save these animals and their habitats.** WORLD WILDLIFE FUND www.WorldwildlifeFund.org