7 Plagues and Crises Caused by Humans Meddling with Nature

The harm caused by humans meddling with nature is apparent in many scenarios today. Here are 7 plagues and crises brought on by destructive human behavior.

1. Decline of Indian Vultures, Rise of Rabies

Early in the 1990s, vultures in India began dying after being exposed to diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug that was then frequently administered to cattle in south Asia. The vultures were poisoned before they began eating cow carcasses.

Chain Reaction. Rats and wild dogs multiplied, cow carcasses began to accumulate, and vulture populations plummeted. Dogs replaced vultures as the primary scavengers at dumps. According to data, there were 7 million more dogs in 2003 than there were in 1992. Tens of thousands of people died each year as a result of an increase in rabies cases and dog bites. Diclofenac was outlawed in 2006, and since then, vulture populations have been slowly beginning to rebound.

2. Sparrow Slaughter, Insect Plagues, Famines

In China, the "four pests campaign" of the 1950s targeted sparrows, rats, flies, and mosquitoes. To increase the amount of rice and grains available to people, Mao Zedong ordered the killing of all the country's sparrows. Sparrows were almost driven to extinction in China after citizens were instructed to kill the birds.

Because the majority of the birds' diet consisted of insects, which destroyed the nation's crops, there was an explosion of insect pests after the mass killing. Professor Marc Cadotte, an ecologist from the University of Toronto, said that this ecological disaster, a protracted drought, and poor agricultural practices combined to cause one of the worst famines in recorded history, which claimed the lives of about 45 million people.

3. Frog Fungus, Malaria Spike

From the 1980s to the mid-1990s, Panama and Costa Rica were devastated by a deadly chytrid fungus known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which caused the extinction of numerous amphibian species. The tragedy was said to be the largest loss of biodiversity due primarily to a disease, but the majority of people would not have been aware of it.

In Central America, malaria cases increased dramatically for eight years after the deaths, likely as a result of the absence of frogs, salamanders, and other amphibians to eat mosquito eggs. The number of malaria cases increased fivefold at its height.

4. Mangrove Decline Aggravates Tsunami Death Toll

Mangrove coverage decreased by 28% in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, and Thailand between 1980 and 2000. Over 230,000 people perished in a tsunami and earthquake in the Indian Ocean in 2004. More people were killed and more homes and livelihoods were destroyed when the waves pierced further inland in areas where the trees had been destroyed.

5. Pesticides Kill Bees in China, Much Effort Needed for Food Production

According to Dave Goulson, a professor of biology from the University of Sussex, the widespread use of pesticides and habitat destruction in Sichuan province, southwest China, force farmers to carry pots of pollen to personally pollinate pear and apple trees.

To do this, dab a paintbrush on a long bamboo pole inside each flower. According to a 2015 study published in the journal Beekeeping and Bee Conservation - Advances in Research, about 30% of pear trees in China have to be artificially pollinated because of the lack of natural pollinators.

6. Pesticides Kill Helpful Insects Too

Artificial pesticides have served as the primary line of defense against crop pests since WWII. However, these chemicals also kill beneficial insects like parasitoid wasps, lacewings, and ladybirds that help farmers and gardeners by consuming common pests.

Ants are better at killing pests, minimizing plant damage, and increasing yields than pesticides, according to Brazilian researchers who found that ants can help farmers produce food more efficiently than pesticides. They hunt pests that harm fruit, seeds, and leaves because they are "generalist" predators.

They thrive in diverse farming systems, such as agroforestry and crops grown in shade because there are more spots for the ants to nest, according to the paper, which was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

7. Marinas Damage Reefs, Coastal Communities Unprotected

Natural defenses against storms and waves are coral reefs. They can shield coastal communities from erosion because of their abrasive, ragged formations. They increase the likelihood that waves will break offshore, which lowers the energy of the waves by an average of 97% by the time they hit the ground.

Around 200 million people depend on coral reefs for protection in coastal areas all over the world, according to estimates. According to research, they benefit the US economy with flood protection benefits worth more than $1.8 billion annually.

These reefs are harmed by pollution and developments like docks and marinas, The Guardian reports.