The decline in populations of large terrestrial herbivores (those weighing more than 100 kilos), especially in Africa and Asia, could significantly alter many ecosystems on the planet.
This is reflected in a study published in the journal Science Advances , in which an international team of ecologists highlights that the number of rhinos, zebras, camelids, elephants and tapirs, among others, has decreased significantly in the savannas, deserts and forests in the that inhabit.
After studying 74 species of these animals, the biologist from Oregon State University William Ripple, who coordinated the trial, affirms that unless immediate intervention is made, large herbivores, as well as smaller ones, will irretrievably disappear from many regions. , which will have serious ecological, social and economic consequences.
“The two main factors involved in this phenomenon are the destruction of their habitat and human hunting activities , the source of livelihood for some one billion people,” says Ripple. Today, twenty-five of the world’s largest herbivores live on just 19% of the land they occupied until a few decades ago.
Today cattle have spread through them, competing with wild fauna for pastures and access to water reserves, and whose number has tripled since 1980. To all this must be added the illegal traffic of some of their parts. , like rhino horns, which drives a multibillion dollar market.
The disappearance of these animals entails, in turn, that of the main source of food for large carnivores, such as lions and tigers, and r educes the dispersal of seeds from plants , a process in which they play an important role.
In addition, experts believe that the chances of forest fires will increase , since the vegetation will tend to occupy areas where, due to the action of these herbivores, it now does so in a limited way, and that the cycle that occurs will be altered. allows nutrients to pass from vegetation to soil. This will have a direct impact on the habitat of smaller birds, amphibians, fish, and mammals.
