What are the leading causes of extinction?
Habitat destruction is the leading threat to US species, followed by invasions of alien species like zebra mussels and kudzu. In the North Carolina Piedmont, land clearing as a result of suburbanization is the number one factor for habitat loss. Along the Outer Banks and in the mountains, habitat destruction is attributable to vacation home sprawl and poor forestry practices, while on the coastal plain, the loss of wetlands and riparian forest stems chiefly from large-scale industrial agriculture and logging. Global commerce, specifically transcontinental shipping that lacks proper biological customs checkpoints, is a major factor in the spread of invasive species.
