1. Habitat Destruction and Fragmentation: Humans are constantly altering landscapes for agriculture, development, and infrastructure. This leads to habitat loss, which directly impacts wildlife populations. Fragmentation, the division of large habitats into smaller, isolated patches, makes it harder for animals to find food, mates, and resources, disrupting their natural behavior and increasing vulnerability to threats.
2. Climate Change: Human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, are causing a rapid change in Earth's climate. This leads to more extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns. These changes directly affect wildlife habitats, forcing animals to adapt, migrate, or face extinction. For example, polar bears are losing their ice habitat, while some species are being driven to higher altitudes to find cooler temperatures.