Final answer:
Habitat destruction is the process by which natural environments are altered or destroyed, leading to the endangerment or extinction of species. It is the main cause of species loss, driven predominantly by human activities such as agriculture, logging, and urban development.
Step-by-step explanation:
The removal of a species from its habitat is referred to as habitat destruction. This process occurs when natural environments like forests, wetlands, or other ecosystems are altered or destroyed to such an extent that they no longer can support the species that originally thrived there.
The leading cause of species endangerment and extinction is primarily due to habitat loss coupled with habitat fragmentation, where large expanses of natural habitats are reduced in size, often due to human activities like agriculture, logging, urban development, and the construction of roads and buildings. As habitats diminish and become more fragmented, plant and animal populations suffer, leading to a decrease in biodiversity and, potentially, species extinction. For instance, tropical rainforests like those in Sumatra and Borneo, which are rich in biodiversity and home to many unique species, have seen significant forest loss due to timber extraction and agricultural expansion, such as palm oil plantations.
Habitat restoration attempts to reverse this trend by bringing areas back to their natural states and has shown success in boosting biodiversity and ecosystem health, as seen with the introduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. However, many habitats are so critically damaged that restoration is a challenging and often long-term process.