Natural Wonders that Humans could Destroy in near Future

A number of fascinating natural wonders are disappearing quick and fast due to the ever-increasing greed and desire of humanity.

In recent times, quite a lot of habitats and species that existed on the Earth for thousands, or even millions, of years have come to a destructive fate in a matter of decades. The rate of consuming the natural treasures of the planet is increasing all the time. Consequently, Earth suffers as it cannot sustain with this rapid pace. According to a report from the World Wildlife Fund, the demands of natural resources have exceeded all the expectations in the last 40 years and it is literally impossible for the planet to cope up with this alarming rate. If things continue to flow in this manner, our coming generations will not be able to see some of the most beautiful species and natural wonders of the world. Below is a list of 5 natural wonders that are endangered by humans.

Mount Everest

The tallest mountain of the world, Mount Everest, is also not safe from the destructive nature of humans (climate change). Regarded as one of the top natural wonders of the world, it has a height of 8,848 meters and attracts many climbers, every year, from around the globe. Research showed a decrease of 13% in the glaciers of this mountain peak, merely in the last 50 years. In addition to that, the snowline is shifting upwards by several hundred feet which could lead to some extremely devastating consequences. For instance, the melting of glaciers could lead to large-scale flooding, avalanches, and landslides that could worsen the situation, even more.

Dead Sea

This salt lake is the lowest elevation of Earth on land that is about 304 meters deep. This makes it the deepest hypersaline lake in the world with a salinity of 342g/kg. Just like the above mentioned natural wonders, this historical site is also a victim of the desires of humans. The continuous usage of the Jordan River, the main tributary of the Dead Sea, for multiple purposes (agriculture and farming) is depleting the lake rapidly. Likewise, the extraction of minerals by the cosmetic companies has sped up the decline of this amazing place. Therefore, it is shrinking at an average rate of 3 feet a year.

The Everglades

The Everglades National Park is a natural region of tropical wetlands in Florida which homes a diverse variety of water inhabitants, birds, and threatened species. This system of fragile wetlands begins at around Orlando (with the Kissimmee River) and continues to flow southwards in the form of a lake called Lake Okeechobee. It ultimately reaches the Florida Bay at the southern end of the state. The encroaching expansion of urban development has reduced the water flow to the Everglades due to which they experience drought during the dry season. Despite the fact that this site became a part of the UNESCO World Heritage program in 2010, more than half of the original Everglades has been destroyed and the situation is expected to become even worse.

Congo Basin

Spread over an area of 500 million acres, the Congo Basin is the second largest tropical rainforest of the world that stretches across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, and Gabon. It is teeming with different forms of life, including 10,000 different species of plants in this region. Researchers believe that humans have been living in this part of the world for more than 50,000 years but the depleting resources of this rainforest are threatening the future of this natural wonder. A report of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization revealed that the Congo Basin was deprived of about 700,000 hectares of forest annually between 2000 and 2010.

Amazon Rainforest

The largest tropical rainforest of the world has 20% of the world’s fresh water and provides habitat for millions of rare species. Similarly, this moist broadleaf forest covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America. A number of reasons are playing a substantial role in destroying this natural wonder but the disastrous effects of climate change and deforestation have the biggest impact. According to researchers, the forest is unable to regulate the climate as the rate of illegal logging is a bit too much for the natural mechanism. They believe that several rare species of the world will be completely wiped out from the surface of the planet if the current rate of burning the forest is not checked.