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Thylacine Commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger, the Thylacine was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. Virtually wiped out in the wild due to constant hunting (they were thought to be a threat to sheep and other small farm animals) and the encroachment of humans on their already limited habitat the Thylacine was finally recognized as being in danger of becoming extinct in 1936
Quagga The Quagga was a southern subspecies of the Plains Zebra. The last free Quaggas may have been caught in 1870. It was not realized that this Quagga mare was the very last of her kind. Because of the confusion caused by the indiscriminate use of the term “Quagga” for any zebra, the true Quagga was hunted to extinction without this being realized until many years later.
Passenger Pigeon • As recently as around 200 years ago they weren’t anywhere near extinction. In fact, they were actually the most common bird in North America, and some reports counted single flocks numbering in the billions. Pigeon meat was commercialized and recognized as cheap food, especially for slaves and the poor, which led to a hunting campaign on a massive scale. Furthermore, due to the large size of their flocks, the birds were seen as a threat to farmers. The last Passenger Pigeon, named Martha, died alone at the Cincinnati Zoo at about 1:00 pm on September 1, 1914.
Javan Tiger Javan Tigers were a subspecies of tigers which were limited to the Indonesian island of Java. In the early 19th century Javan tigers were so common, that in some areas they were considered nothing more than pests. As the human population increased, large parts of the island were cultivated, leading to a severe reduction of their natural habitat. Wherever man moved in, the Javan tigers were ruthlessly hunted down or poisoned. Natives carried much of the hunting out, a surprising thing since they considered the tiger a reincarnation of their dead relatives. The last specimen to have been seen was sighted in 1972, although there is evidence from track counts that the animal had lingered into the 1980’s.
Yangtze river dolphin A period of hunting by humans during the Great Leap Forward, entanglement in fishing gear, the illegal practice of electric fishing, collisions with boats and ships, habitat loss, and pollutionSince 1992 five protected areas of the Yangtze have been designated as baiji reserves. Also two of these stations consist of two observers and a motorised fishing boat with the aim of conducting daily patrols, making observations and investigating reports of illegal fishing.Scientists think ex-situ with in-situ would have saved. Preserve habitat but also raise large population in The ShishouTian-e-Zhou.
"Do our conservation efforts focus on large, charismatic species at the expense of many others which may be easier to save?"
Argument for… society's obsession over saving the cuddly animal is coming at the expense of focusing on broader "biodiversity hotspots.""It may well be that we can lose the cherries from the cake, but you don't want to lose the substance. Save the Rainforest, or Save the Kalahari: that would be better."If left to their own evolutionary devices, pandas -- which exist mainly in China -- wouldn't stand a chance. The once-carniverous animals now subsist on an herbivore diet that isn't nutritious, are susceptible to disease and for a long while refused to breed in captivity. “Where are you going to release them?’’ “You can’t release them back into the wild if there is no wild left and we shouldn’t rear animals just to put them into cages
Argument against… "Look at Borneo, where you instantly think of the orang-utans. In the southern oceans, you think of the blue whale. Then there are polar bears in the north. There are things you pull out from the picture because people can relate to them. And it does make a difference.““Pandas have adapted to where they live. They live in the mountains where there is plenty of the bamboo they want to eat. It’s like saying the blue whale is in an evolutional cul-de-sac because it lives in the ocean.”
Wildlife Corridors Among the most popular strategies for maintaining populations of both plants and animals in fragmented landscapes is to connect isolated patches with thin strips of habitat, called corridors. Corridors are thought to increase the exchange of individuals between habitat patches, promoting genetic exchange and reducing population fluctuations. Also increase pollination and seed dispersal
Edge effect • They offer unique habitats with easy access to adjacent communities and therefore can support more plants and animals from these adjacent communities. • These species can adapt and increase the areas biodiversity. • The easy flow of animals to adjacent areas creates travel lanes along borders. • There is an increased availability of light to plants along the borders that promotes primary production. For example, the increased availability of light can allow more plants to be supported, which increases herbivorous insects, and then nesting birds, and nest predators are attracted.
The narrow borders act as travel lanes for predators and increase predation along the edges. • Species can be restricted to one area if the border is too wide or overgrown. • Edge effect can cause changes in abiotic and biotic conditions which can cause the natural variation to be lost and make the habitat unsuitable for the original ecosystem. • Edge effect can also affect the physical and chemical conditions of the species on the borders. For example, fertilizer from an agricultural field can run off into a bordering forest and contaminate that habitat
