3 . The largest living land animal in Asia, Asian elephants once roamed grasslands and rainforests across the continent. Prior to the 1700s, habitats for the now-endangered animals were relatively stable (稳定的). But a new study shows that more than 64% of historic suitable elephant habitat across Asia has been lost.

Researchers found there was a rapid growth in habitat loss of Asian elephants from the year 1700, which is related to the expansion of European colonization (殖民化) of the region. During that time, logging, road-building, resource extraction and deforestation (森林砍伐) increased, and farming need more land that might otherwise have been home to wildlife. The industrial revolution in the middle of the last century also drove greater habitat loss.

Habitat loss means elephants are migrating (迁徙) from their usual living area, creating challenges for human communities that have little experience with elephants. In 2021, millions of people were frightened by a herd of elephants that migrated out of a protected area in China’s southwest Yunnan Province and walked more than 500 kilometers, destroying crops, wandering through towns and causing more than a million dollars’ worth of damage.

With the elephants not having enough habitat, there is increased potential for human-elephant conflict (冲突) — a situation that shouldn’t be accepted as unavoidable and one that can be avoided with proper planning. “We are going to reach a tipping point in which cultures of no conflict toward one another get replaced by cultures of antagonism ( 敌 对) and violence — by both species. We have to relieve this situation,” said Shermin de Silva, a UCSD faculty member who led the research team.

If the elephants can’t find suitable habitats, they will become endangered and near extinction (灭绝), which has an effect on the whole ecosystem. This is because elephants help spread seeds and vegetation cover (植被). Their habitats also include several other species of animals and plants. In the wake of satisfying their need for large spaces, and enough water and food, plenty of other species can survive. When we protect the elephant, we also protect thousands of other species.

Beijing is the capital city of China. It     1     (cover) an area of around 17, 000 square kilometers, in which there are different kinds of bird habitats (栖息地),     2     (include) grassland, scrubland (灌木丛林地), wetland, and also agricultural land. Researchers call these areas “service stations,” where migrating (迁徙) birds stop     3     (rest) and feed. But the birds ‘“service stations” re     4     (rapid) closing in Beijing, as the city considers scrubland, grassland and old agricultural land to be “dirty” and “ugly”.

The loss of grassland and scrubland is already having a major influence     5     Beijing’s bird life. In the north of Beijing, the land around Miyun used to be visited by thousands of cranes (鹤). Now, much of that land is covered with man-made forest and     6     number of cranes there has greatly fallen.

“Cranes are rare and valuable animals in China. At Miyun, a festival     7     (hold) to celebrate the migration of cranes every year,” one researcher, Townshend, says. “Because it is Beijing, we can attract many people—both local people     8     visitors.”

“More cooperation (合作) between     9     (country) is needed,” Townshend adds. “Migratory birds are a shared natural heritage (遗产), and with this comes a common     10     (responsible) to protect them and the places they need,” he says.

The conch (海螺) is       1     (wide) considered to be the national dish of the Bahamas. Queen conch is one of important food materials and can live for 30 years.

Conches can be very     2     (expense) in the U.S. and other places. But it is so common in the Bahamas     3     it can often be found in meals costing     4    (little) than two     5     (five) of the population in rural (农村的) parts of the Bahamas eats conches weekly. The country of about 400,000 is home     6     9,000 conch fishers-around two percent of the population. This number appears to be holding steady even as conches decrease (减少) in number. For many fishers here, fishing is both a family tradition     7     a path to middle class life. The meat of the conch     8     (be) worth millions of dollars per year, and it also helps increase tourism to     9     islands.

The conch is one example of the threat (威胁) overfishing presents to traditional foods around the world. Similar problems     10     (see) in Senegal now, where overfishing has taken away white grouper. The fish has long been the basis for the national dish of thieboudienne.

Most people suffer from     1     is known as “Just-me-ism” sometimes. As a result, they think their actions, for example, leaving the tap     2    (run) while they brush their teeth, leaving a light burning when they go out or dropping a piece of litter and not being bothered     3    (pick) it up, won’t be harmful     4     the environment or their community. But, in fact, they will and they could matter. Roots & Shoots was established in the early 1990s by Dr. Jane Goodall, who’s well-known     5     an expert on wild chimpanzees. Its purpose is     6    (educate) young people to build a future that is secure and live together in peace     7    nature. The idea is that if you educate enough individuals, they can change the world and make it a     8    (good) place for people, animals and the environment because as Dr. Jane Goodall says: “It is by     9    (act) together, in this exciting way,     10    we can involve thousands-millions-of people, and this is what is going to change the world.”