The Earth is generally full of lush forests and diverse wildlife. However, changes in the way we humans live have threatened this rich habitat. Changes in the landscape and the introduction of new building structures have destroyed a significant amount of animal habitat.
Though some of these animal habitats have been restored to sustainable or balanced populations thanks to environmental organizations like GreenPeace and teh World Wildlife Fund, subsequent losses still have to be taken care of. Restoration does not only involve restoring habitats that have been damaged, but maintaining them as well. This is because taking care of animals is not enough. The environment where they live must be properly maintained, if not sustainable. If you’re one of those who are interested or want to be involved in restoring animal habitats, read on.
Restoration revolves around two categories of factors – abiotic and biotic factors. Abiotic factors include soil chemistry, disturbance and water content. These are important since these factors, like human diet, determine what types of plants will grow and where they will grow. Mineral content, soil moisture, aeration and microorganism or fungi presence are also equally important. The relationship between the plants and microorganisms are vital in establishing the survival of native plants. In addition, earthworms or bacteria that are beneficial in a balanced soil food chain and soil aeration can also be introduced to preserve disturbed habitats. Proper information about the necessary organisms that naturally exist in each habitat must be known beforehand, since their unavailability may lead to the inability to properly restore the habitat. A properly reestablished plant ecosystem ensures that there is an ample supply for animals, especially for those in the wild, thus ensuring that their population is restored.
On the other hand, biotic factors, such as species composition and species interaction must also be restored. A restoration of the entire animal ecosystem ensures diversity within the area, instead of one species being restored in a monoculture. Aside from these two factors, there are also other methods for restoration. There are situations when removing dense underbrush or removing young trees are imperative in restoring a habitat to a healthier state. Sometimes, controlled fires are necessary to remove young trees that have been stunted due to competition for limited resources. There are also methods of altering drainage patterns through large earth-moving machines, and soil water content shaping to reestablish natural vegetation. Likewise, flooding is an essential method in the restoration of wetlands. Wetland birds can then disseminate seeds from other wetlands. Once the natural environment of the habitat is restored, re-vegetation can start with the other species appropriate to the area.
Stream habitats that are generally destroyed by flooding, due to the destruction of the forests, greatly decrease the fish population. As heavy rains reach the streams directly and with force, fish eggs are covered in silt and are thus suffocated. Furthermore, they are easily washed away into the main stream channel where they can be easily targeted as prey. Restoration projects for stream habitats focus mainly on redirecting the stream beds and placing in-stream obstructions such as rocks and logs to prevent flooding, while at the same time creating spawning areas. Since most of these methods appear to be too technical for ordinary citizens, these methods are made simpler through depiction in toys and clothing.
Due to the complexity of different types of habitat, restoring them is not an easy task. However, the knowledge of how species interact with each other are sure to make it easy, not just for conservationists but for ordinary people as well, to save these animal habitats.
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