Intro
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CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: Gold, orange and green coral in Alaska (AP Images)
Biodiversity encompasses the earth and the seas, the air that surrounds the planet, and all life sustained upon it. Wise human stewardship is required to safeguard the earth’s continued abundance. A dazzling display of corals can be seen in Alaska’s Aleutian Island Gardens. A recent federal rule is helping to save Alaska’s rare corals by protecting 962,000 square kilometers of ocean floor from bottom trawling, creating the largest protected marine habitat in the United States.
Photo 1
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CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: Close-up picture of seahorse (AP Images)
The Seahorse Trust has called for action to protect seahorses after finding the United Kingdom’s largest known colony off the cost of Purbeck, in Dorset. Britain’s native breeds are under threat from boat anchors that destroy their natural habitat of eelgrass.
Photo 2
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CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: Bumblebee perched on flower (AP Images)
Many species of flowers and plants will decline in number the year after a severe drought. Here, a bumblebee looks for pollen in a Texas bluebonnet following a year of reduced rainfall.
Photo 3
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CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: Panda eating bamboo (AP Images)
Pandas are rare and protected by law in China, their natural habitat. There are more than a dozen pandas in zoos around the world, including in Washington, Mexico City, London, Tokyo, Madrid, Paris and Berlin. Protecting these handsome creatures and their habitat is an important part of saving the estimated 700 pandas that remain in the wild.
Photo 4
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CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: Two puffins standing on rock (AP Images)
The population of puffin birds has been falling in recent years. On the Farne islands off the Northumberland coast, one of the most remote places in the United Kingdom, puffins were fitted with tiny GPS devices in a bid to help scientists discover the reasons for their dramatic decline. This is just one instance of how technology may assist in preserving biodiversity.
Photo 5
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CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: Close-up shot of green iguana (AP Images)
A green iguana is seen at the National Biodiversity Park near Heredia, Costa Rica. Once found from Mexico to South America, iguanas are now extinct in some countries and endangered in Costa Rica and others. Green iguanas are popular as pets and as a food source in Latin America. Efforts are under way in some countries to protect the remaining iguana population.
Photo 6
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CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: Sea otter lying on its back in water looking at camera (AP Images)
The sea otter is native to the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean coasts. In most of their range, sea otters control sea urchin populations, which would otherwise inflict extensive damage on kelp forest ecosystems. But sea otters face a number of challenges, including their particular vulnerability to oil spills. Populations in the Aleutian Islands and California have recently declined or stayed at depressed levels, and the sea otter remains classified as an endangered species.
Photo 7
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CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: Great blue heron in flight (AP Images)
The great blue heron is a solitary feeder, feasting on many fish and some land animals. Its North American habitats include coastal Alaska, south-central Canada, and Nova Scotia south to Mexico. They can also be found in the West Indies and the Galapagos Islands. Characteristically, the bird flies with labored, great and slow wing beats, its head folded on its shoulders and its legs trailing behind. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada has designated the great blue heron as a species to be given “special concern.” Threats include disturbances by humans, including noise and habitat loss.