We often don't look at the places that species reside, so if I would ask you... where do you think all those cute and cool guys live? They live in places: glorious, complex, beautiful places. The species of the world couldn't live without the environments that sustain them, which is why deforestation, resource extraction, and climate change pose such global threats. And when we talk about protecting the "environment" we need to remember to protect particular environments... specifically, ecosystems.

Luckily, scientists have decided which ecosystems need the most protection. These are ecosystems that sustain a stunning range of flora and fauna that couldn't survive anywhere else. I thought the following 2 sites would be ironic to introduce internationally mainly because if these ecosystems could speak, I doubt they would want to be known, purely because I believe that one a beautiful, peaceful environment is made know to the world, it is only a matter of time before it gets destroyed by anthropogenic activities.

So here it goes... 

Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia

The Wet Tropics cover the northeast coast of Australia for some 450 kilometers. Its biodiversity is crazy: 3,000 vascular plant species, 107 mammal species, 368 bird species, 113 reptile species, and 51 amphibian species. Hundreds of those species are endemic to the Wet Tropics and are threatened or endangered.

Several of Australia's unique marsupials call the Tropics home, including the ringtail possum and the musky rat-kangaroo, one of two tree kangaroo species and the world's smallest macropod. There are great birds, too, including the flightless Australian cassowary, one of world's largest birds.

(Global Post, 2013).

The second site goes to... 

Sierra Nevada De Santa Marta, Colombia

The Sierra Nevada is the tallest coastal mountain in the world (5,775 meters). It's home to 120 species, including white-bellied spider monkeys, white-lipped peccaries, and little spotted cats. There are several species of amphibians and reptiles that don't exist anywhere else on Earth. Those that live above 3,000 feet evolved in total isolation.

The Sierra Nevada is also home to indigenous peoples. A popular site for tourists (although it’s quite a hike to get there) is the Ciudad Perdida, an ancient city built around 800 AD (650 years earlier than Machu Picchu) and likely abandoned during the Spanish conquest.

(Global Post, 2013).

There are hundreds, if not thousands of such environments exist. It may be a positive move to know of them and protect them, but I feel that as long as these ecosystems are kept isolated from the world, the better the chances of their security..

Reference list:

Global Post. November 25, 2013. By Timothy McGrath. Available at:https://www.pri.org/stories/2013-11-25/10-most-irreplaceable-ecosystems-earth.