Video Transcript
Ras Mohammed National Park, Egypt,
is an example of a natural protectorate, or protected area. How does this help prevent
extinction of species? (A) It provides an area where
species can be bred in captivity to be released into the wild when they are
adults. (B) It provides an area of land
where no humans are allowed to go, and the ecosystem is left untouched. (C) It provides an area of land
that can be constantly deforested then reforested. Or (D) it designates an area where
species are protected from hunting, building, or other changes.
The question involves extinction,
so let’s briefly review the meaning of this term. A species is said to be extinct
when there are no more living individuals. All species eventually die out, so
extinction is a natural process. By examining fossil evidence,
scientists have calculated the normal level of extinction at around one species per
10,000 species per 100 years. This is called the background level
of extinction.
However, human activities, such as
climate change, pollution, and habitat loss, have increased the rate of extinction
beyond the background level. In fact, some scientists think we
are causing an ongoing mass extinction event. During a mass extinction, at least
50 percent and up to 90 percent of species go extinct in a relatively short period
of time.
Natural protected areas, like the
national park in the image, can help prevent the extinction of species. National parks and wildlife refuges
typically allow humans to use them as recreation areas. But hunting, fishing, and
harvesting of native species are either forbidden or tightly controlled by the
government agency in charge of the protected area. Governments also limit construction
projects within protected areas. For example, a national park may
get approval to build a visitors’ center that educates visitors about the native
species within the park. But drilling for oil or building a
new apartment complex would not be allowed.
Now let’s return to our
question. Choice (A) describes captive
breeding programs, which are usually found in zoos or other animal research
facilities. So, we can eliminate this
answer. Choice (B) is also incorrect
because humans are usually allowed to visit natural protected areas. Constant deforestation followed by
reforestation is not a way to prevent extinction. Reforestation takes decades or even
centuries, and often the ecosystem never recovers its original level of
biodiversity.
So, option (D) is the correct
answer. Natural protected areas can prevent
extinction by designating areas where species are protected from hunting, building,
or other changes.
