Location Affecting Climate
The location of the African grasslands affects it's climate. The African grasslands, as well as all the other grasslands on the earth, are located on or near the equator. This makes their climates hot and mostly dry.
The Threats to this Biome
The African grasslands are home to the worlds most iconic animals and unique plants. However, this biome is dealing with a lot of threats to its ecosystem. It's important we protect this biome's biodiversity, because it's the only place in the world with some of these amazing organisms.
There are many contributors that have threatened this biome.
Poaching is one of the big problems. Animal poaching is the killing of animals illegally. It’s a deadly crime, yet millions of animals still get killed every year and the poachers hardly ever caught or punished. With the rate of killing that is occurring, the amazing animals in the African grasslands may be gone in our lifetime. If one species goes extinct, a trophic cascade will occur and the whole food web will collapse - wrecking the ecosystem with it.
Another contributor is overgrazing. Non-native species such as livestock (farm animals like cows, pigs and goats) are being brought in by humans. These animals are grazing the dry areas and preventing the plants from growing back in, which causes the native species to not have as much grass and plants to live off of. Usually, with the native species, there isn't a problem with overgrazing because they have a system where each animal can eat a different part of the grass. But with these non-native animals grazing the land and not controlling what they eat, the land is getting overgrazed and there is less grass and branches to eat.
Human development is another big issue. We may often think of this area as a place with not many people, but the development is on the rise and its harming the land. Its causing animals to loose their homes, its shrinking their free space, and bringing diseases over that the animals haven't been exposed to yet. Humans are clearing the land to use for farming land or living space. We are also bringing in new animals that don't occupy a niche in the ecosystem and don’t have any natural predators, so they are messing up the balance in the biome.
There are many contributors that have threatened this biome.
Poaching is one of the big problems. Animal poaching is the killing of animals illegally. It’s a deadly crime, yet millions of animals still get killed every year and the poachers hardly ever caught or punished. With the rate of killing that is occurring, the amazing animals in the African grasslands may be gone in our lifetime. If one species goes extinct, a trophic cascade will occur and the whole food web will collapse - wrecking the ecosystem with it.
Another contributor is overgrazing. Non-native species such as livestock (farm animals like cows, pigs and goats) are being brought in by humans. These animals are grazing the dry areas and preventing the plants from growing back in, which causes the native species to not have as much grass and plants to live off of. Usually, with the native species, there isn't a problem with overgrazing because they have a system where each animal can eat a different part of the grass. But with these non-native animals grazing the land and not controlling what they eat, the land is getting overgrazed and there is less grass and branches to eat.
Human development is another big issue. We may often think of this area as a place with not many people, but the development is on the rise and its harming the land. Its causing animals to loose their homes, its shrinking their free space, and bringing diseases over that the animals haven't been exposed to yet. Humans are clearing the land to use for farming land or living space. We are also bringing in new animals that don't occupy a niche in the ecosystem and don’t have any natural predators, so they are messing up the balance in the biome.
Why We Need to Save this Biome
It's important to save this biome because it's one of the last few places with clear air and open space. It's one of the only places where the natural world is still in tact, and humans havent completely destroyed it yet. The grasslands in Africa often seem like they don't need as much protection because they are still clear and open, but that's the reason why we need to protect it.
If we destroy this biome, all the incredible animals and plants that aren't found anywhere else in the wild will be gone. There will be no more lions, or zebras, or giraffes anymore - some of the most recognizable animals.
We need to save the African grasslands for the health of our natural world!
If we destroy this biome, all the incredible animals and plants that aren't found anywhere else in the wild will be gone. There will be no more lions, or zebras, or giraffes anymore - some of the most recognizable animals.
We need to save the African grasslands for the health of our natural world!