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GLOBAL RATES OF DESTRUCTION
|
TYPE |
DESTRUCTION PER SECOND |
DESTRUCTION PER MINUTE |
DESTRUCTION PER DAY |
DESTRUCTION PER YEAR |
|
Rainforest |
2.47 acres (1 hectare) |
150 acres (60 hectares) |
214,000 acres (86,000 hectares) – larger than New York City |
78 million acres (31 million hectares) – larger than Poland |
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Animals:
Species (all life forms)
|
.10 species |
5.71 species |
137 species |
50,000* |
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- This is a rate unprecedented in human times and comparable only to rates of extinction experienced at the end of the dinosaurs. The number one reason for extinction is habitat destruction. It is certainly hundreds of times faster than any time in recent human history.
- Three major causes of rainforest destruction: farming, ranching and logging. In S.E. Asia, the main reason is commercial logging. – at today’s rates 35% of all species on the planet will be lost by the year 2040.
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Source: Deforestation Rates in Tropical Forests and Their Climatic Implications – Rainforest Action Network.
Note: At current rates 80% - 90% of all tropical rainforest will be destroyed by 2020.
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