The Ecology Book

236

GOD CANNOT

SAVE THESE

TREES FROM

FOOLS

ENDANGERED HABITATS

T

he origin of the movement

to conserve natural habitats

is usually credited to the

Scottish–American naturalist John

Muir, described as the “father of

the national parks.” He was one of

the first to realize that in order to

survive, wild places needed legal

protection. Of the many types of

natural habitat on Earth, some are

more fragile than others, but each

faces different threats, whether

anthropogenic (human-made) or

from natural causes, or both, and

many are critically endangered.

Habitats have, of course, always

been affected by destructive natural

events. Every year, lightning strikes

trigger large grassland and forest

IN CONTEXT

KEY FIGURE

John Muir (1838–1914)

BEFORE

1872 Yellowstone, in the states

of Wyoming, Montana, and

Idaho, is declared a national

park—the first in the world.

AFTER

1948 The International Union

for Conservation of Nature

(IUCN), a partnership of

governments and civil society

organizations, is founded.

1961 The World Wide Fund for

Nature (WWF), initially known

as the World Wildlife Fund, is

formed, to protect endangered

species and habitats.

1971 The Man and the

Biosphere Programme (MAB)

is founded by the United

Nations, to promote sustainable

development. It has a global

network of Biosphere Reserves.

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