HABITAT DESTRUCTION

• Humans are the leading cause of plants and animals becoming endangered or extinct.   An endangered species has so few members that there is a good possibility it will not last much longer. If something is not done to protect endangered species,   they will die out and we will not have any more of that kind of plant or animal on Earth. The most dangerous thing we as humans do that harms plants and animals is that we destroy their habitats because we do not pay very close attention to living things that may already be in an area that we want to use.

• Thousands of acres of tropical rain forest habitat has been destroyed so the land and lumber could be used for building projects.   The loss of plant and animal life in this one habitat alone has been horrible. Many of the organisms that live in the tropical rain forests cannot be found anywhere else in the world.  We are just beginning to discover medicines and other resources that we risk losing if more species die out.

• Most of us don’t live near the tropical rain forests, but that does not mean we are far removed from habitat destruction.  Every time a town expands, building more houses and businesses, it pushes the local wildlife farther from its natural habitat. Wetlands and grasslands are unique habitats that are especially at risk. Thankfully, people are becoming more aware of how human actions impact nature. This is the first step toward protecting habitats.

 Name:__________________________________

Answer the following questions based on the reading passage. Don’t forget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find or confirm   your answers.

1)  Why are so many plants and animals endangered?

2)  What do we risk losing in addition to plants and animals if we continue to destroy rain forests?

3)  What should towns do if they want to expand onto more land?

4)  What kinds of habitat are especially at risk?

5)  How can we help prevent more habitat destruction?