The Scarlet Macaw
By: Estefania Leiva 10A
​
Right now, we are living the era of technology and globalization, advances in almost any area: science, medicine, politics, economy. All this progress is mainly about one particular species: humans. Sometimes we tend to forget that we are part of an even bigger global community than our world’s 196 nations. We live with about 8.7 million different species, and sometimes we believe we are the only kind who is still alive. Each species has its own reason, its own purpose, and because of this, each one helps to maintain the equilibrium of our planet and its multiple ecosystems. However, humankind is in charge of distributing whatever the gift of mother nature is.
In this article, I’m going to talk about how we are destroying the species, and to be precise, I'm going to talk about the Scarlet Macaw, a majestic and bright bird found in tropical rainforests of Central and South America, including Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil. It is one of most endangered species in Latin America and it is estimated that now only about a 2% of the original populations exists in its wild habitat.
There are many reasons about why animals go extinct, most of the time it is because the organism is unable to adapt to some kind of changing conditions, for example, it’s not able to adapt to a new temperature, changing sea levels, or to new ways of food sourcing, or not being able to reproduce. As a consequence, each generation will be smaller and smaller, shrinking until they are extinct.
One of the main reasons why the Scarlet Macaw is going extinct is that of how easily it is sold in the black markets around the world. The Scarlet Macaw is known for their highly colored and exotic plumage, and for this, they are admired by pet-owners. The illegal poaching and pet trade has gotten so bad that they are not only living in captivity, but they are being captured in the wild. "The problem is that, instead of leaving in captivity the ones that are already there and trying breeding programs, they continue to be captured. There are even people who openly promote the possession of macaws as a pet, "explains Alejandra Estefanía Recalde, a doctor who studies these amazing birds.
Another reason is their habitat destruction. Every time we cut down a tree, destroy a forest or dig a new mine we are destroying a little bit of every species. The plants and animals that used to live in these forests either die or must find a new forest to call their home. Habitat loss and fragmentation are the results of the conversion of wild lands to agriculture, to industries or to expand our growing society and other developments.
Humans have made their impact on the world in both positive and negative ways. In regard to this issue, human activity has caused the destruction of habitat and the overuse of resources, but humans also have the power to do right for our global community. If we start doing something to help the planet we can make a change, not only helping our own species but 8.7 million of others.
