A severe drought has spread throughout the west like a plague, increasing the chances of wildfires, draining our sources of freshwater and harming any wildlife that relies on it. This change isn’t natural, the drought we are seeing today is a direct consequence of human behavior. We have single handedly depleted a massive amount of our fresh water through overuse of water, global warming, and many other problems due to our lavish lifestyles.
First of all to know how drought affects our wildlife (which then goes on to affect us) we must first understand how these droughts started and it’s no alien concept. It’s simply the work of us. Our power, our transportation, our food all release emissions of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, this combined with our overuse of water is the main cause of droughts seen today. And yes, while droughts have always been a thing way before the industrial revolution, today’s droughts are like nothing ever seen before, even with the recent flooding in California there is still a major drought and the effects of the heavy rain might just end up luring us into a false sense of security. Regardless if we continue our parasitic relationship with earth our water based habitats will continue to be effected such as wetlands
Animals and plants living in wetlands are one unfortunate victim of our droughts. TheA lack of water has turned our wetlands into small deserts. Wetlands are a crucial part of our ecosystem. They are an important source of food and shelter for land mammals, such as elk, deer, bears and others. As well as a crucial environment for many migratory bird species, including but not limited to herons, shorebirds and waterfowl. These migratory bird species need wetlands as essential breeding grounds and nesting sites. However, with the drying of these wetlands these birds lose the food and habitat they rely on and will most likely become more threatened because of this. And as these birds become threatened, the animals that rely on them will experience a domino effect. Herons, for example, control the population of fish and mollusks. If these predatory birds continue to decline then there will soon be an imbalance in the ecosystem as their prey reaches a population of instability, causing more damage to our ecosystem which will make its way to affect human life.
Wildlife relying on wetlands aren't the only victims, the drought will also lead many wild animals that normally dwelled in undeveloped areas to our front doorstep. As wild animals lose their sources of food and water in their natural habitat due to drought many of these animals go on a journey in search of new water sources that can lead them to highly urbanized and developed land. For example, the wild grazing mammals may experience a shortage of food and this soon leads their search for food to roadways, causing more risk of collisions with cars. This will cause a large decline in wildlife such as deer, elk and other native grazers. With this decline in grazers so do any of their predators (which are already threatened) decline as well. Wildlife also becomes a problem for humans. Due to a lack of their natural food supply some animals such as racoons will end up feeding off of garden plants in your backyard or pet’s food, making them a pest that could end up getting killed by the houseowner.
So, droughts affect not only us but the animals around us and even if you don’t care about these animals, you cannot deny that all wildlife has a role to play in the ecosystem. And if these animals and their habitats continue to be harmed, the harm will soon make its way to us. Action needs to be taken on this matter to protect us and our natural world. There are things that you can do to help with this matter. For example you should partake in sustainable activities such as taking shorter showers, biking or walking to places when possible, and using less electricity in your household. However, the most important action is to spread awareness, spread word to your friends and create a future where both humans and the natural world can thrive.
Sources:
https://www.neefusa.org/weather-and-climate/coexisting-wildlife-during-drought
https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/why-are-wetlands-important
https://news.mongabay.com/2020/10/for-global-wetlands-intensifying-droughts-pose-a-diabolical-threat/#:~:text=The researchers describe how droughts,things that rely on them.
https://dec.vermont.gov/watershed/wetlands/functions/wildlife#:~:text=For Migratory Bird Habitat the Wetland%3A&text=Supports a nest site%2C provides,cattle egret%2C or green heron.