You don’t need to be an avid environmentalist to appreciate the beauty of the places on this list. But
breathtaking beauty isn’t the only thing these places have in common, one way or another these places have made their way to this list because they are facing a major threat. Across the globe, changes in climate, human interaction, and other environmental factors are altering the natural habitats that created these havens of biodiversity and wonder.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the biological diversity supported by these places is disappearing at an alarming rate. Nearly 10,000 species go extinct per year. Many of these species have adapted to live in very specific environmental conditions. While some environmental changes may be inevitable or irreversible, there is still much that we can do to help protect these endangered places. Even the smallest acts can have a big impact! Comprised of 4,500 islands across the south Pacific Ocean, Micronesia and Polynesia is considered the epicenter of the current global extinction crisis. Since humans settled on these islands (between 2,000 and 3,000 years ago), thousands of species have gone extinct. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as much as a one meter rise in sea level would submerge many of these islands by a minimum of 4 square miles. More information; http://www.onegreenplanet.org
You don’t need to be an avid environmentalist to appreciate the beauty of the places on this list. But 
