Vultures have long had a bad reputation as spooky scavengers, but a new study is bringing to light how important this creature that's part of "nature's cleanup crew" is to humans.
What's happening?
The New York Times reported that by 2006, India's vulture population had declined by 95% because of mass poisoning from exposure to an anti-inflammatory medicine for cows that is toxic to these birds. Though the drug was banned from veterinary use that year, the damage was already done.
Now, a forthcoming study has revealed that the sudden near-disappearance of this keystone species led to more than a half million excess human deaths estimated over five years, as the Times detailed. The news outlet explained that rotting livestock carcasses — no longer cleaned up by vultures — began to pollute waterways. This, in turn, led to an increase in feral dogs, which can carry rabies.
Why is this study important?
This is just one example of the unintended consequences of the loss of wildlife. For instance, the Times also cited a Wisconsin study that found that the presence of wolves reduced deer-vehicle collisions by about a quarter.
"Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning do matter to human beings," Eyal Frank, an economist at the University of Chicago and one of the authors of the vulture study, told the Times. "And it's not always the charismatic and fuzzy species."
Meanwhile, we are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis. Human-driven species loss is happening at 1,000 times the rate it did in the 60 million years before humans arrived, according to one study. As an example of such loss, 21 species were recently removed from the Endangered Species Act listing after it was determined that they had gone extinct.
What's being done about biodiversity loss?
Though the situation seems grim, there is hope. For instance, Cambodia announced a conservation success for the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin, whose population had dipped to 89 in the country by 2020. Now, about 105 of these marine mammals are present in Cambodia's waterways, thanks to government-led efforts.
And in the United Kingdom, a national meadow restoration project has led to the return of a rare native bumblebee. Plus, officials in the United States are putting $90 million into rescue efforts for the threatened Arkansas River shiner, a fish that they believe could be delisted within the next three decades.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has asserted that, though the destruction of ecosystems for agriculture and land use is "the main driver" of biodiversity loss, rising global temperatures and associated effects are "playing an increasingly important role."
To this end, it's important that we all do our part to protect species from the threat of an overheating planet. One way you can get involved is by reducing your dependence on dirty energy in your home, which will also save you money. Some ideas include signing up for community solar, washing your clothes with cold water, installing a heat pump, and unplugging energy vampires.
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