The sixth mass extinction is currently underway, warn scientists. But 'What is the sixth extinction?' And 'Why is the sixth extinction currently underway?' What is the sixth extinction? The sixth extinction the current ongoing extinction of species. This extinction that we are currently living in (and creating) is resulting in the decline and extinction of both plant species and animal species. It is not only plant species and animal species which are suffering because of the sixth extinction, entire ecosystems are also suffering. The ecosystems which are most notably suffering are coral reefs and rainforests. Why is the sixth extinction happening?
There are several reasons why this extinction is happening. There are two main reasons, partly it is to do with humans destroying ecosystems such as coral reefs and rainforests and partly is down to humans hunting or killing wild animals. What exactly is happening? The sixth extinction is not a new term or realisation. It has been known about for years. If you want to read about it, you can find more about the extinction in a book called 'The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History', which you can find below.
What hasn't been known is the extent to which this extinction is occurring. The report has been published because scientists now know that the Sixth Extinction is more severe than previously thought. In other words, species are declining faster than we thought and habitats are being destroyed faster than we thought. What did the scientists find? The findings by scientists are alarming. They have found that billions of animals have been wiped out all over the world. Between 1900 and 2015 the 177 mammals surveyed had lost 80% of their distribution range.
This has happened through a collection of human activity. Things such as humans hunting animals, destroying their habitats (forests, meadows, oceans etc). This is largely the result of an overpopulated planet; human overpopulation.