| environ. |
habitat destruction Destruction of wildlife habitats by increasing pressure for land by fast-growing human populations, pollution and over-exploitation. Whole species or populations of plants and animals have disappeared causing a loss of genetic resource that is not only regrettable from an aesthetic or philosophical point of view but also threatens man's food supply. Habitat loss takes several forms: outright loss of areas used by wild species; degradation, for example, from vegetation removal and erosion, which deprive native species of food, shelter, and breeding areas; and fragmentation, when native species are squeezed onto small patches of undisturbed land surrounded by areas cleared for agriculture and other purposes (由于人口的快速成长对土地需求的增加、以及污染和过度的开发，造成野生动物栖地的破坏。动、植物之物种或族群的全面消失使得基因源丧失，其不仅在哲学和美学的层面会留下遗憾，且威胁人类的食物来源。栖地的消失有几种型式：如，野生物种栖地的澈底消失；植被移除或腐蚀导致土质恶化，影响原生物种的食物、栖地、养育地；或因为农业或其他用地的使用，使原生物种被迫迁移至未受干扰但被其他用途所围绕的小块土地时，其活动区域遭到分割。) |
