Environment

Threatened habitats

The endangered rainforest

The rainforest is the most diverse habitat on our planet, and it's considered Earth's green lung. But over the past 50 years, more than half of its original area has been cleared - for wood or to plant palm oil trees and soya beans.

Threatened habitats

Threatened by lumbering

The orangutan is also affected by the destruction of the rainforest, and there's no sign of any change. More than 80 percent of the habitats for organgutans are located in regions that have been approved for clearing.

Threatened habitats

Palm oil trees as far as the eye can see

Palm oil plantations are beautifully green but such monocultures are not healthy for biodiversity. Huge rainforest areas in Indonesia and Malaysia continue to be cleared for palm oil plantations. The palm oil business is booming.

Threatened habitats

Disappearing coral reefs

Coral reefs are also called "the rainforests of the sea," and they are occupied by thousands of plant and animal species. But a fifth of the world's coral reefs have disappeared due to global warming and ocean pollution.

Threatened habitats

Only 1,600 giant pandas

Today, only 1,600 giant pandas still live in the wild, spread over six mountain regions in southwest China. Nature conservation groups are campaigning for new reserves and corridors to connect the existing reserves.

Threatened habitats

Pandas' food source

Every 12 to 150 years, a bamboo forest naturally dies. Then pandas, which feed on bamboo, typically migrate to other flourishing bamboo forests. But such migration is nearly impossible in China today because of settlements and development that block the way.

Threatened habitats

Poisioning lions

Many Africans hate lions because they kill and eat their goats and cows and so they often poison them. Lions have almost disappeared completely in some national parks in Africa.

Threatened habitats

Danger for the Savannah

There is less and less space for predatory cats that roam large teritories. So conflicts often arise between them and farmers - often with fatal consequences for the animals. The poison traps also kill vultures, hyenas and many other savannah inhabitants.

Threatened habitats

End of the cork oak?

People use the bark of cork-oak trees to produce bottle corks. Since the introduction of of plastic corks, many cork-oak forests have become superfluous and are being cleared. These forests are important habitats for many bird species.

Threatened habitats

Nature and cities can coexist

Bogota, with its car-free days, is a shining example of how nature and cities can coexist. Cities have become important habitats for plants and animals. In Poland, 65 percent of all bird species live in Warsaw. Brussels is home to half of all Belgian plants.

Threatened habitats

Biotope at the front door

In Germany, too, many animals are losing their natural habitats as meadow orchards disappear due to growing demand for development land. A meadow orchard is home for up to 5,000 animal species - and also to many endangered bird species.

Threatened habitats

What happened to the ponds?

Draining swamps and ponds threatens amphibians as they lose critical spawning grounds.

Author: Clara Walther / jrb | Editor : Michael Lawton