VS.
In 1990, under the Endangered Species Act, the Northern Spotted Owl was declared threatened. Over the past twenty years, efforts have been made to protect this valuable species. Despite these endeavors, the populations of northern spotted owls have continued to decline all along the west coast of the U.S. It turns out, however, that the main concern for these little owls is not humans but other owls. The barred owl, whose native habitat is in the eastern U.S., has made its way to the west and has now fully encroached on the northern spotted owl’s domain. Both the northern spotted owl and the barred owl rely on the same prey for survival so competition for food has become fierce. Because barred owls are not native to the west coast, however, they have fewer predators and, as a result, have begun taking over the area. According to research done by the USGS, the northern spotted owl had an 81% chance of survival from one year to the next while the barred owl had a 92% chance of survival [3]. Barred owls also have six times as many young as spotted owls. In February 2012, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a draft Environmental Impact Statement that explores options for removal of the barred owl from the region. They have considered both lethal and non-lethal methods for removing the barred owl and are currently looking into the best way to solve the problem.
This story is a prime example of how a seemingly small change within an ecosystem can become a major ecological disruption. It will also prove to be a good test of whether or not human intervention will actually be beneficial or not. This could be a good opportunity for people to take a step back and see if nature can correct the imbalance that has been created. Humans have been futilely trying to help the northern spotted owl over recent years and have failed to remove them from the threatened species list. Perhaps the difficulties facing the northern spotted owl are a good example of how human intervention is causing more harm than good.
How Biodiversity Applies to My Major:
As an environmental science major, this topic fits perfectly into what I am studying. These kinds of issues are exactly why I decided to study environmental science. It’s easy for humans to forget that all the species on the planet play an important role in sustaining the global ecosystem and the more people study topics such as biodiversity, the better we will understand what role we can and should play.
Source: http://www.memecenter.com/fun/31739/Creative-WWF-ad-What-will-it-take-before-we-respect-the-planet
References:
[2] Vijayaraghavan, Akhila. “Why Biodiversity Loss Deserves As Much Attention As Climate Change.” Triplepundit.com. 27 Jan. 2012. http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/01/biodiversity-loss-deserves-attention-climate-change/ Date Accessed: Apr. 28, 2012
[3] “Invasive Barred Owls Interfere with Spotted Owls in Critical Ways.” USGS. 12 Apr. 2012 http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article_pf.asp?ID=3165 Date Accessed: Apr. 28, 2012
- Stephanie Dolan
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