Predictions for the Future
The future of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park seems to be bright for the environment and the organisms living in the park. Although there is now the constant threat of pollution, this affects nearly every corner of the earth, so it is not unique to the Park; however this can cause a devastating effect on the Park. Even with all of the pollution the Park still provides a safe home for many different organisms. More major threats to the park are those that affect the entire world; for example the global temperature trend in which the temperature is increasing, more commonly known as global warming. This may lead to plants no longer being able to survive in the environment they used to survive in. This would cause animals to no longer have their usual food sources, which would cause the migration or death of many of the animals that live in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The majority of animals that live in the park are not at risk for extinction, but there are a few that are endangered or at risk. There are efforts on a national and international level to protect endangered species, like the IUCN Red List and endangered species protection laws. There are also local protection acts in effect to protect many species. In particular there are many efforts in place by the state governments as well as organizations to protect individual species that are endangered, like the Indiana brown bat and the red cockaded woodpecker, which mainly aim to protect the environments of these organisms along with their food sources. The park is not at risk of deforestation, so the park itself is providing a place for many endangered and non-endangered species to live in. In the future the park will still provide a safe haven for many different species from the harsh conditions of the world that we are causing.
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A major cause of changes in temperature and air quality is the constant driving of tourists around the park. There are many different major tourist attractions near the park, which causes large numbers of people to burn fossil fuels in order to get to these tourist attractions. A major example of these huge tourist attractions is Dollywood, which is located near the park. The park will also continue to be afflicted by acid rain and growing acidity levels in the water due to pollution of humans. Acid rain is rain mixed with chemicals to become acidic. This leaves chemical deposits in the soil as well in the streams throughout the park. When the pH of streams drops below 6.0 pH the stream can no longer support life to the extent that it normally can. This is mainly due to the release of chemicals into the air and environment by humans.
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