Species need protection [Archives:2005/858/Health]
By Amal Mohammed Al-Ariqi
Yemen Times Staff
Scientists estimate that upwards of 10 million – and some suggests more than 100 million -different species inhabit in earth . the scientists have discovered and named only 1.75 million species. On other hand, most biologists agree that life on earth is now faced with the most sever extinction episode since the event that drove the dinosaurs to extinction 65 million years ago. Species of plants, animals, fungi, microscopic organism are daily expose to extinction . in fact the biologists estimate that three species go extinct every hour.
There is no strict data or study named the rarely unique species in Yemen , but many researchers believe that Yemen enjoys biodiversity due to its distinguished geographic location .Socotra island for example contains 850 plant species 254 of them can not be recognized in the other regions in the world. Yemen registered 71 species of wild mammals , third of these mammals are rarely found in Arab countries. There are also 363 species of birds stand for 18 classes 61 families . some of these birds are threatened extinct internationally , but they can be found in Yemen such as greater spotted eagle, imperial eagle, comerake, ferruginous duck and white eyed gull.
Although this biodiversity many species became extinct such as acinonyx jubatus ,oryx leocoryx and bilkis gazelle. Many other species are threatened extincted such as pantlera pardus nimr ,canis aurerus ,capra ibex nubiana ,Yemen warbler, white eyed gull, sterna bergill . population expand , deforestation, either cutting or burning of trees, random hunting , and pollution are some reasons that create disorder in the ecosystems of these species that lead to extinction .
Recently, Yemeni government is working to pronounce many natural shelters that grantee suitable environment that help to supply ecosystems that enable species to survive the massive changes that human beings have wrought on those areas.
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