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3. Biodiversity eLearn.Punjab
Many plant and animal species have gone extinct in Pakistan. Examples of endangered and extinct
animal species are lion, tiger, Asiatic cheetah, Indian one-horned rhinoceros, swamp deer, Indian
wild ass, hangul, blackbuck etc (Figure 3.6).
Figure 3.6: The animals that have gone extinct in Pakistan
3.6.1 Impact Of Human Beings On Biodiversity
By 10,000 years ago there were about 5 million people on Earth. With the advancement in agriculture
and industry, human population began to grow rapidly. Today around 600 million people live on
Earth.
To improve the living conditions for 600 million humans, we are imposing serious threats to the
survival of biodiversity. Habitat loss, deforestation, over-hunting, introduction or removal of species,
pollution and climate change are the major causes of species extinction.
In an ecosystem, a species is called extinct when there is no doubt that the last individual of that
species has died in that ecosystem. A species is called endangered when it is at risk of extinction
in near future.
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