According to UN estimates, by 2050 almost 1 million animal species will become extinct on Earth, including a huge number
This is mainly due to greenhouse emissions.gases. According to the organization, since 1980 the level of anthropogenic emissions has doubled - this has led to an increase in the average temperature on Earth of at least 0.7 ° C.
The researchers calculated the characteristics of the influence onecosystems of all living birds and mammals based on six traits—body mass, litter size, generational difference, habitat breadth, diet type, and diet diversity. This allowed them to identify the most distinct species and combine this data with information from the Red List of Threatened Species.
The work showed that mammals such asthe Asian elephant and Sumatran rhinoceros, and birds such as the bustard, Amsterdam albatross and Somali ostrich are threatened and very different from each other from an ecological point of view. Thus, the extinction of these species could result in the loss of unique ecological roles.
These roles are very diverse: herbivores, such as elephants and hippos, can affect the structure of vegetation and the nutrient cycle, and predators - white-tailed eagle, leopard, gray wolf and cougar - can prevent overgrazing, increase productivity and limit the spread of diseases.
Eliminating pesticides and creating insect sanctuarieswill allow slow down their extinction.An international team of researchers from 30 countries proposed these and seven other steps as measures to prevent a global insect extinction that could lead to a variety of adverse consequences.