|
|
|
|
In the United States, it's estimated that more than 500 unique animal and plant species, subspecies and varieties have been driven to extinction since the Pilgrims parked their boat at Plymouth Rock. Add to that the fact that the planet contains an untold number of species -- so untold that scientific estimates have outrageous ranges, from 10 and 50 million according to one source, and with fewer than 2 million species currently classified. With so many species unknown, the prospect of saving them all from extinction starts to sound like a herculean task. Plus, while some extinction is normal, the current rate is greatly accelerated making rescue efforts a whirlwind sprint against time. Well, it would almost certainly require more resources than we've got. Look at the California condor, for example. San Diego Zoo, U.S. But that doesn't mean we should throw in the towel and not make any effort.
By focusing on certain species, we can have a broader impact on decreasing extinction rates and helping the ecosystems around us continue to function. Because that's a good thing. Flagship species are species that help draw attention to environmental issues. By working to save them, conservationists can also serve other distressed populations in a particular habitat. Take elephants, for example. Elephants are awesome, right? So someone looking to donate to a good cause can easily get excited about helping a herd of elephants. He or she can donate some money and help expand a wildlife reserve in Africa, which then means other endangered animals have more protected habitat as well. But it goes beyond that, because elephants are also fundamentally part of the greater habitat and fulfill many important roles that help promote biodiversity. This makes them a keystone species in addition to a flagship species. They alter the landscape, knocking down trees and stomping on plants, which encourages new tree growth and improves conditions for grazing.
They also distribute seeds throughout their territory, and in fact, as many as a third of the tree species in West Africa would be in big trouble if elephants didn't shuttle their seeds around, depositing them in different places. So even though it's unlikely we have the resources to focus on saving every single species in danger of extinction, by channeling our efforts wisely, we do have a shot at slowing down the alarming extinction rates that have accompanied the rampant habitat loss, the over-exploitation of land, the spread of invasive species and the growing pollution problems that have plagued the planet's animal and plant populations during the past couple of centuries. How did the bald eagle get delisted as an endangered species? What brought bison back from the brink of extinction? Why would there be no more fish in 40 years? Could a fungus cause the extinction of bats? 2010 International Year of Biodiversity Web site. Association of Zoos and Aquariums Web site. Austin, William et al. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Austin, William et al. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Borrell, Brendan. "How Zoos Kill Elephants." Scientific American. ICUN Red List Web site. Shogren, Elizabeth. "Plight For Pelicans: Oil Puts Nesting Season At Risk." NPR. Smithsonian National Zoo Web site. Snyder, Noel et al. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Zoo Atlanta Web site.
Mahalo strives to include only sites that are sources of expert information and provide the user with a pleasant, helpful experience. If a site doesn't meet those criteria, it's not likely that Mahalo will feature it on a SeRP. In cases of copyright infringement, Mahalo places the site on a list of banned sites and will never feature it on any SeRP. Other search categories, called verticals, have different layouts. Mahalo aims to group search results together by relevance and focus. For example, in travel searches, all hotel search results appear under one section, while sites dealing with air travel appear in another. The goal is to create a SeRP the user can scan quickly to find exactly what he or she is looking for, but to include plenty of other great links so that he or she can browse around to other related pages. In the next section, we'll learn about the steps a Mahalo guide follows to create a SeRP.
The FTGs primarily edit the SeRPs that PTGs build. Building a SeRP requires several steps to ensure that only the best links are displayed on Mahalo. The PTG begins building a SeRP by searching Mahalo's Most Wanted page to find a topic. Some of the topics on the Most Wanted page come from user requests or threads on Mahalo's message board. Others are gaps in Mahalo's coverage or breaking news stories. Mahalo divides the Most Wanted page into verticals, or broad topics. Verticals are very general categories, like food, business or travel. Verticals are then broken down into subcategories. For example, the food vertical has the subcategory beverages. Each subcategory has a specific template guides must use when creating a SeRP. Most Wanted topics are color coded -- red items are unclaimed search topics, while green items are already claimed by another contributor. Once a guide finds a good topic, he or she claims it by clicking on the topic's link.
|
|
