Wildlife on the Brink: International

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."

—William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida.

Americans have a profound effect on the global environment. We consume natural resources at a furious clip, often drawing upon the reserves of other nations or the shared wealth of the planet—the air, water and wildlife that moves across the globe without regard to international boundaries. In today's world, American consumption habits directly or indirectly affect wildlife that ranges far beyond our borders.

IMPORTANT WILDLIFE AREAS

THE INTERNATIONAL HIGH SEAS: The deep waters and undersea mounts of the ocean were once inaccessible to humans, but have always been crucial habitat for marine life, as breeding grounds and highways, for example, for migrating whales and sea turtles. And at the bottom of the deep sea, in cold, dark waters, lie newly discovered, exotic ecosystems, populated by corals, sponges and a host of strange deep sea species new to science.

LATIN AMERICAN RAINFORESTS: These rainforests are not only a source of valuable hardwoods, but immense biodiversity. In South America, the vast Amazon rainforest crosses eight nations, and is home to one-third of all the species on the planet. Seven hundred species of birds live in Panama's rainforest, while a single 700-acre rainforest reserve in Costa Rica was found to contain 320 tree species, 394 birds, 104 mammals, 76 reptiles, 46 amphibians, 42 fish and 143 butterflies.

THE BOREAL FOREST: An evergreen wreath circling the top of the earth, the boreal forest is the world's largest terrestrial ecosystem, larger even than the Amazon rainforest. The boreal's predominantly coniferous forests, rivers and wetlands support an enormous, intact web of wildlife, from carnivores like bears, wolves and lynx to caribou, snowshoe hares, songbirds, waterbirds, fish and insects.

Photo: Dawn in the Amazon © Minden Pictures