07/02/2019
World
Land Trust (WLT) has launched an urgent appeal to save habitat in
southern Ecuador frequented by the recently described Blue-throated Hillstar, which is
under imminent threat from mining.
The
metal-rich landscapes of Ecuador have seen an increase in industrial mining
over the past 30 years and mining corporations have recently gained the rights
to mine the hillstar's habitat in order to extract metals. Swathes of Ecuador's
tropical forests have also been cleared so that metals such as copper, gold and
lead can extracted from large open pits, which have proven a disaster for local
wildlife.
WLT has
launched the Save the Blue-throated Hillstar appeal, which aims
to raise £30,000 to enable its partner Naturaleza y Cultura Ecuador (NCE) to
extend a Water Protection Area to include the hillstar's 70,000-acre range. By
incorporating the hillstar's habitat in this area, it will have
government-level protection and will eliminate the threat of mining, saving the
rare hummingbird's habitat.
"This
is a unique opportunity to save a Critically Endangered species from
extinction," said Richard Cuthbert, Director of Conservation at WLT.
"If we do not act now, mining corporations can move in on the habitat and
create a mine which would most likely wipe out the hillstar population.
"This
situation is the perfect example of why habitat conservation is so important.
Habitat loss is one of the greatest causes of species extinction worldwide, and
for every habitat we lose, we eliminate a stronghold for numerous plant and
animal species. For species such as Blue-throated Hillstar, with such a small
range, this can mean extinction. The fact that we are continuing to discover
new species in habitats facing threats like mining shows that we may not even
be aware of the ecological damage these activities are causing."
No comments:
Post a Comment