Kylie+R’s+2016+OpEd+Article


 * Human encroachment onto Wildlife Preservations and Natural Parks **



Fast forward 5, maybe 10 years. Look around. All you see is building after building. House after house. There are fewer natural environments around cities now than ever before. If urban limits keeps progressing at the current rate, the natural habitats around the globe will eventually be taken over by cityscapes and will devolve into nothing. According to the Population Referance Bureau, the world could reach 9 billion people by the year 2050. At our current rate, cities will become overpopulated which will lead to the encroachment on to the national parks, wildlife preservations, and animal extinction. Technology is already invading California’s National Parks and permanate houses aren’t far behind. From my own perspective, technology should not be a part of the “nature experience”. For example, people can no longer READ a map. Maps use to be a part of the camping experince where you would hike around the park and follow specific trails. Nowadays, “city dwellers” can’t function (let alone have a basic understanding of direction) without their phone, or some other form of technology within one foot of their accessibility. I am dumbfounded by how far society has evolved to rely on technology. National Parks have been pushed to go as far as installing cellphone towers every few hundred feet within the forest, ruining the fragile ecosystems around the area. Yes I know the safety aspect of this new installation is essential, BUT STILL I believe the safety of the animals should be taken into consideration. The insertion of new technology into the Parks also has a negative impact on the wildlife. The giant cell towers crush the ecosystems of fish, birds, bears, trees, ect. Campers bring in tvs (yes i have sadly seen this atrocity) and other idiotoc accessories with them to the campsite and have no respect for the environment. People need to aknowledge the beauty of the trees and the animals around them, rather than sitting in their air conditioned RV watching the lastest football game. The “flora and fauna” around the globe need to be preserved to protect the beauty within it. The only wolf left in California is currently in northern Sacramento. The ONLY wolf. California used to be filled with wild wolves and other big cats, but due to farmers killing the animals to protect their crops and livestock, the overall population of the animals have plummeted. However, conservationists have saved specific species from the brink of extinction through means of reintroduction. The Mexican Gray Wolf was relocated to areas in Arizona and New Mexico which saved the animals from dying out, but recently the two states have denied any more wolf entry into their territorys which poses a difficult situation. The rapid death rate of numerous species, like the gray wolf, is leading to the decline in biodiversity. Biodiveristy allows ecosystems to adjust to the surronding environment after an extreme adjustment has occured like a tornado, fire, hurricane, or even…human disturbances! Thus, with its rapid decline the ecological community is less likely to adjust properly to the change, leaving permanate damage to the organisms. The overall population of free roaming lions in Africa have decreased over 9 0% in the last 10 years. Hunters have been infringing onto the African preserves, and taunting the unknowing animals with juicy pieces of meat to walk over into unprotected land. The boundary lines between safety and uncertain death are unprotected from temptation and unruly poaching. Wildlife preservations need to enforce harsher protection laws to better protect the endangered species living inside from poaching and illegal trading. Ten of the most critically endangered animals in Africa have been on the verge of extinction for over 20 years. No drastic change has taken place in order to better the survival rate of the species, if anything, their chance of survival has drastically decreased due to the rise in illegal poaching and trading.