Essay Sample on the Importance of Habitat Loss Issue

Habitat loss refers to the destruction of the natural areas that support different species by making them incapable of supporting life. Habitat loss is a significant issue because it poses a threat to life sustainability on the planet. Habitats and biodiversity are significantly interconnected, and the destruction of habitats substantially affects the entire biodiversity and the survival of human beings. The existing balance in the biodiversity is a natural phenomenon that is maintained effortlessly by nature and help prevent over-population or the under-population of essential species in the biodiversity. As such, habitat loss poses a significant threat to the existing balance between organisms and the ability of the planet to support life. The continued unregulated exploration of the natural resources for the human economic advantage, which is fueled by human greed and overpopulation is one of the principal causes of habitat loss. Human population growth has led to the cutting down of forests, the encroachment of swamps, lakes, and rivers which has led to significant habitat destruction to make way for roads, mining fields, crop plantations, and housing areas. Therefore, continued development and human expansion is environmentally unsustainable and poses a threat to biodiversity balance, which will affect habitat life sustenance on the planet.

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Articles Comparison

New centers and scientific research articles have been at the center of information communication and research on the impact of habitat loss to life sustenance on the planet. The information credibility and reliability on habitat loss between news articles and the scientific articles vary significantly. The New York Times is a credible and established news organizations that seek to inform masses on different matters regarding the environment and climate change. In the article under review, Plumer (2019) aims to expound on how the problem of habitat loss is primarily being caused by humans and the political implications of handling the issue. Habitat loss due to human activity based on a United Nations report shows that it has led to the decline of biodiversity. The article identifies that the leading causes of habitat loss are farming, pollution, global warming, invasive species, and poaching. The article points out that despite the high magnitude of the problem, there has been less coverage, mainly because it is not easy to notice the negative impacts of human activities on the environment immediately. The information in the New York Times news article is very reliable because it is based on a recent United Nations report, which is up to date and credible because the United Nations has an excellent reputation. The research article by Wilkinson, Marshall, French, & Hayman (2018) which was published in the Royal Society Issue 149 is a reputable source due to its scope on the issue of habitat loss. The article identifies how habitat loss is negatively affecting human life and the life of other species. The article identifies explicitly that human beings expansion to habitats that were previously unoccupied exposes humans to new diseases. The article notes that the habitat fragmentation due to human growth poses a threat to human life due to the microbe hazard. The article provides a solution to the current risk posed by habitat loss by identifying high-risk areas and continued surveillance of new diseases to minimize the risk while at the same time conserving biodiversity.

Author and Publisher

Royal Society is a reputable and credible publisher that only support credible and high impact research, especially in terms of the environment and also health. The article published by Wilkinson et al. (2018) is peer-reviewed, which means that its information is reliable. Besides, the publisher offers a wide range of research that covers a range of 350 years and its one of the most preferred scientific journals. The New York Times is a new organization, and it has over time, established its credibility by employing research-oriented editors and authors. Brad Plumer who has authored the recent article on habitat loss impact on biodiversity uses a reputable research report by the United Nations as his primary source at the same time he has authored multiple articles concerning habitat loss and the environment which makes him knowledgeable regarding the topic.

How Habitat Loss is Being Addressed

Little is being put in place to curtail the problem of habitat loss with Palmer (2019) noting that in the last two and half decades, there has not been any global treaty aimed at protecting biodiversity. Nations are significantly divided on the issue of habitat loss with most countries focusing on the development and exploitation of resources with greed, which is further fueling the problem. Organizations such as the United Nations are at the forefront of informing the public on the looming danger due to habitat loss, and as a result, there is an increase in public pressure towards governments to invest more on habitat loss mitigation and biodiversity protection.

References

Plumer, B. (2019, May 10). To Tell the Story of Biodiversity Loss, Make It About Humans. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/10/reader-center/biodiversity-loss-species-extinction.html

Wilkinson, D. A., Marshall, J. C., French, N. P., & Hayman, D. T. (2018). Habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss, and the risk of novel infectious disease emergence. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 15(149), 20180403. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2018.0403