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Endangered Habitats

Earth has many habitats. Habitats are areas in which different kinds of plants and animals live. The desert is a habitat. The rainforest is a habitat. Some habitats are being threatened by the building of roads and homes and industries and by pollution and exploitation. But habitats and animals and humans are all part of the balance of nature. When humans cause habitats to diminish or disappear, all organisms are affected.

Sample some of the following activities to learn more about endangered habitats.

 

Places To Go    People To See    Things To Do    Teacher Resources    Bibliography

Places To Go

The following are places to go (some real and some virtual) to find out about endangered habitats.

Aquarius Reef Base
An undersea pressurized chamber where scientists study ocean life. Take a virtual tour that provides a panoramic view of the Aquarius, and find how scientists are using this remarkable underwater craft to study the endangered coral reef habitat.
Congo Virtual Tour
Take a virtual tour of the Congo at the Bronx Zoo. This is a tour of a rainforest environment with a Great Apes Gallery, a Mandrill Forest, an Okapi Jungle, and more. It's full of information about rainforest plants and animals.
Great Barrier Reef
Visit the world's largest coral reef. It is over 1250 miles long. It is not really one big reef but is actually made up of about 2900 separate reefs that are situated very close together.
Virtual Rainforest Tour
Take a virtual tour of the rainforest and learn about the different kinds of rainforest and why they are important to the welfare of the earth.

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People To See

Al Gore
Read about the Nobel Prize winner, and his presentations called an Inconvenient Truth.
The Nature Conservancy
The Conservancy is a world leader in cutting-edge environmental science. Keep up with our 550 staff scientists around the globe.
Rachel Carson
Helped the world see what chemicals are doing to the environment.
Ranger Rick
He's the main raccoon to see to learn about habitats, wildlife, and environmental issues.
Sea Rangers
Find answers for anything and everything under water.

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Things To Do

Arbor Day Foundation
Participate in habitat restoration. Plant a tree. National Arbor Day is the last Friday in April, but many states observe Arbor Day on different dates according to their best tree-planting times.
Effects of Oil Spills
Discover the effects that oil spills have on our oceans and marine life.
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is the leading independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful direct action and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and to promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
Oceans Alive
Coral reefs are in particular danger. According to this site, the anchor from one cruise ship can destroy a coral sea bed area the size of half a football field.
Temperate Rainforests
Did you realize that the United States has rainforests, too? It has temperate rainforests in the Pacific northwest. Find out what clearcutting is and how it is endangering this habitat.
WWF - Types of Forests
Forests come in all shapes and sizes. The many different types of forest are generally classified according to location and climate.

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Teacher Resources

Lesson Plans/Webquests

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Bibliography

  • Harlow, Rosie. Nature in Danger. New York: Kingfisher, 1995.
  • Simon, Noel. Nature in Danger: Threatened Habitats and Species. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.