10 disappearing natural treasures

Spanning nine different countries in South America, the expansive tropical rainforest is a critical carbon sink and home to a wealth of different plants and animals. Deforestation levels hit a 12-year-high in 2020, as ever more of this precious ecosystem has been cleared for cattle breeding, agriculture and mining. The amount of rainfall has fallen by a quarter in some places due to the clearing.

400 types of coral, 500 species of fish and over 4000 different mollusks such as sea turtles live in the Great Barrier Reef off Australia's northeast coast. But at higher water temperatures the corals shed the algae they require to survive. Half of the reef has already been lost. With a global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius, the world's largest coral reef could be dead by 2100.

Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, located 1000 kilometers off the South American west coast, are a World Heritage site due to the wide variety of fauna and flora that flourish on the volcanic archipelago. While some species are unique to the islands and their evolution inspired Charles Darwin, this rare natural paradise is threatened by tourism, invasive species, pollution, and overfishing.

In 1980, Reinhold Messner succeeded in making the first solo ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen. In the decades since, the world's highest mountain has been climbed more than 10,000 times. It’s summit attracts increasing numbers of tourists who leave more and more garbage behind. The Himalayan mountains are also seeing high rates of glacier melt due to global warming.

By the end of the century, Joshua trees, which give California's national park its name, may have almost disappeared due to rising temperatures. Seedlings of the desert yucca plant are struggling with increasing drought. And even for those growing at higher and cooler elevations, there are fewer yucca moths to pollinate the flowers. More grass growth in the area is also increasing the fire risk.

Africa’s largest mountain consists of three volcanic "cones," the highest of which, named "Kibo," reaches 5895 meters above sea level. It's white peak lost roughly 85% of its ice between 1912 and 2009. Researchers suspect that the decreasing snow cover on the Tanzanian landmark is linked to global warming.

More than 1.5 million annual tourists visit the historic Incan citadel in the Peruvian Andes. UNESCO recommends fewer visitors, arguing that the vibrations from millions of footsteps make the ancient structures unstable. The tourist hordes are also having a negative impact on the area’s environment.

Planning on flying to the Maldives while it's still around? You might just contribute to its disappearance. No other means of transport has such a negative impact on the climate as air travel. As global heating accelerates, global sea levels are rising up to 3.7 cm per year. With the Maldives lying only 1.5 meters above sea level, every centimeter counts.

In the future, massive container ships could sail in Central America’s largest lake instead of rowboats as part of the proposed Nicaragua Canal connecting the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. Environmentalists fear it will negatively impact the entire ecosystem of the freshwater lake, which is home to sharks and swordfish and supplies drinking water to the local population.

Lying at 420 meters below sea level, the landlocked Dead Sea is the lowest body of water on earth. But the unique salt lake is slowly drying up. Withdrawal of drinking water from the Jordan River by Israel and Jordan has caused its levels to drop by roughly a meter every year.