The process of reducing the number of certain species of plants and animals on Earth has been observed for several centuries. The urgency of this problem in our days has not become less.
Questions about the protection of flora and faunathey were raised by the international community as early as the 19th century, but the first organization that seriously took up this problem was created only in 1948. It is called the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
An organization of the Rare and Endangered Species was established. The purpose of the Commission in those days was to collect information about animals and plants threatened with extinction.
After 15 years, in 1963, the organization waspublished the first list of such species. The Red Book of Facts was the name of this list. Later, the publication was renamed, and the list was called the Red Book of the World.
The reasons that led to the reduction of species of flora and fauna, the most diverse. But all of them are mainly associated with human economic activity or his thoughtless intervention in the life of nature.
The most common cause of reduced speciesWildlife is a massive shooting of animals during hunting, fishing, destruction of egg clutches, collecting plants. Here we are talking about the direct destruction of species.
Другая, не менее распространенная, причина reducing the number of wild animals and plants of the planet is not associated with their direct extermination. Here we must say about the destruction of habitat: plowing of virgin lands, the construction of hydroelectric power plants and reservoirs, deforestation.
There is a natural reason for reducingor the disappearance of species of wildlife - climate change on Earth. For example, the relic seagull today lives only on some lakes of Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan and the Chita region. The number of species is 10 thousand individuals, and the number of breeding pairs varies from year to year depending on weather conditions. The Red Book of Peace devotes one of its pages to this rare bird. But millions of years ago, when there was a huge inland sea in its modern habitats, relic seagulls, according to scientists, were widespread, and their numbers were not threatened.
The plants and animals of the “Red Book” made a man not only to understand the reasons for their disappearance from the face of the Earth, but also to develop a set of measures aimed at saving wildlife.
Today it is clear that to restorethe number of some species, it is enough only to prohibit hunting or collecting. To save other rare animals and plants, it is necessary to create special conditions for their living. At the same time, any economic activity in this area should be prohibited.
The species that are on the verge of complete extinction, a person tries to save by artificial breeding in special nurseries while creating all favorable conditions for existence.
"The Red Book of Peace" distributed listed onIts pages are animals and plants by category. For this, the current state of the species, its propensity to reduce the number or disappear is taken into account.
Pages of the book, where the views of the firstcategories are the most disturbing. Here are recorded endangered wildlife representatives. If humanity does not urgently take special measures, the salvation of these animals and plants will be impossible.
These pages contain a list of livingcreatures of the planet, whose number is still quite large, but there is a process of their steady reduction. Scientists are convinced that if not to take concrete actions, then these species may face death.
«Красная книга мира» разместила списки видов, which is not threatened today, but their number is small or they live in small territories. Therefore, any changes to the environment where they are common can lead to unpredictable results.
The most vulnerable plants and animals livingon small islands. For example, the Komodo monitor lizard inhabits the islands of Eastern Indonesia. Any thoughtless human actions or natural phenomena (floods, volcanic eruptions) can lead to the disappearance of the species in a very short period of time.
Несмотря на то что наука сегодня движется вперед at a tremendous pace, on Earth there are still representatives of flora and fauna, which are little studied. They are represented on the pages of the “Red Book” in the fourth category.
For some reason, scientists are concerned about the number of these species, but due to lack of knowledge, it is not yet possible to classify them among other categories of plants and animals of the “alarm list”.
Пятая категория видов животных и растений located on the pages of green. These are special pages. Here are the species that managed to avoid the threat of extinction. The number restored by the actions of man. These representatives of the species have not been deleted from the pages of the Red Book for the reason that their commercial use is prohibited.
In the publication of the "alarming" book, referring to 1996year, contains a description of 34 thousand species of plants that are threatened with extinction. They were taken under their protection by the public organization IUCN and the Red Book.
The flora most often becomes a victimbeauty. People, admiring the unusual and exquisite plants, begin to thoughtlessly destroy the plantations for the sake of a bunch of flowers. Not the last role is played in this case by the person’s desire for profit. Such is the fate of the Alpine edelweiss, Ossetian bell, narcissus.
There are many plants that have suffered from human activities and environmental pollution. These include tulips, chilim, yew berry, some species of pine and many others.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, about 5.5 thousand species of animals need protection today.
Paying tribute to fashion or satisfying yourgastronomic needs, a person intrudes into the life of the wild, causing irreparable damage. The list of animals affected by this reason is incredibly extensive: the European pearl oyster, the giant salamander, the desman, the Galapagos giant tortoise, the Asiatic lion and many other species.
IUCN is a public organization, and itsdecisions are not binding, so the leadership works closely with governments to ensure the implementation of those recommendations that will help preserve the life of the planet.
