Science/Tech

Loss of Endangered Species Means Longer Life Expectancy For Humans

By Michelle Gil | Update Date: Oct 10, 2013 12:07 PM EDT

As humans, we know we aren't expected to life forever, but recent studies say there might be a correlation between our longer life expectancy than those of endangered birds and mammals. 

"Some studies have this view that there's wildlife and then there's us," said lead author Aaron Lotz, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology in a press release. "But we're part of the ecosystem. We need to start relating humans to the environment in our research and not leave them out of the equation. We need to realize we have a direct link to nature."

The study says that "land sickness" is to be thought to be a possible reason for the detriment of these species.

"Land sickness" is determined by social and ecological notes, researched through tourism and per capita gross domestic product (the market value of recognized goods within a country) to water stress and political stability.

The research was performed by taking data from 100 countries (87 percent of the world's population), 43 percent of global GDP per capita and 74 percent of the Earth's total land area.

Outside factors considered were agricultural intensity, rainfall, pesticide regulation, energy efficiency, wilderness protection, latitude, export-import ratio, undernourishment, adult literacy, female participation in government, and total population, according to the study. 

The study found that the United States had among the highest percentages of endangered and invasive birds.

In addition the findings presented GDP per capita as a top abundance. With the increase of it in different countries so did the percentage of invasive birds and mammals. As total biodiversity and total land area increased in a country, the percentage of endangered birds was also affected by the increase in total biodiversity and total land area. In this context biodiversity is referred to the number of species in an area.

"Human life expectancy, which is rarely included among indexes that examine human impacts on the environment, surfaced as the key predictor of global invasions and extinctions," said the University of California, Davis.

Researchers believe that what they found demonstrates the need for more scientific research to better understand the complexity in human interactions with the environment.

The findings are published in the journal Ecology and Society

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