By Arya Jyothi | CNN
Wildlife is under unprecedented threat from human activity, but research suggests that given space and time, even animal and plant species on the brink of extinction can bounce back.
A 2022 report commissioned by the non profit Rewilding Europe found many European bird and mammal species were making a comeback, “highlighting the propensity for wildlife to rebound and recolonize when given the opportunity.”
Sometimes, that opportunity can be as simple as humans leaving a place to be reclaimed by nature. All over the world, from temple ruins overrun with tree roots to former war zones bustling with new ecosystems, there are striking examples of nature proving that once humans move out, wildlife has the opportunity to move in.
Ta Prohm, Cambodia
Originally known as Rajavihara (royal temple), Ta Prohm was built in honour of King Jayavarman VII’s family.(Alexander Arndt/Alamy Stock Photo via CNN)
Used as a backdrop in Angelina Jolie’s 2001 movie “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” this temple is located east of Angkor Thom, an ancient capital of the Khmer Empire.
Built in the late 12th century as a Buddhist monastery and university, over 12,500 people lived around and served the temple, with 80,000 more in the neighboring villages. The temple and surrounding forested areas were abandoned three centuries later, when the king moved the capital of the empire away from Angkor.
Since then, the temple has been left largely untouched, allowing trees to grow throughout the complex, the most Instagram-famous being the gigantic fig, banyan and kapok trees whose roots envelope the temple walls and tower over visitors.
According to global environmental group Wildlife Alliance, animals thrived in the forests surrounding Angkor before over-hunting and illegal trade in the last century seriously reduced populations, leaving behind just small numbers of common species including muntjac deer, wild boar and leopard cats.
In response, Wildlife Alliance, along with Cambodian government bodies, have reintroduced a number of animals to Angkor since 2013, including pileated gibbons, silvered langurs, smooth-coated otters, hornbills and endangered green peafowls.
Houtouwan, Shengshan Island, China
Frozen in time, Houtouwan, on Shengshan Island, receives thousands of visitors each year.(Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images)
It once housed a population of over 3,000 residents, but its remote location, over five hours travel to the mainland, made it hard to access education, jobs and food. People started moving out in the 1990s and by 2002, the village was completely abandoned.
Once a bustling fishing village, Houtouwan on Shengshan Island, part of the Zhoushan Archipelago, now looks like a post-apocalyptic ghost town.
It once housed a population of over 3,000 residents, but its remote location, over five hours travel to the mainland, made it hard to access education, jobs and food. People started moving out in the 1990s and by 2002, the village was completely abandoned.
Decades of disuse have allowed nature to reclaim the land, with lush green climbing plants blanketing everything that was left behind.
Today, the village is a popular tourist destination, welcoming over 90,000 visitors in 2021, according to local news reports.
Mangapurua Valley, New Zealand
The “Bridge …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
