> rising. I've never seen the phrase "habitat extinction" but it seems a
fair one to use under appropriate circumstances. Extinction seems more
appropriate than "destruction" where the loss is natural (i.e. not
caused by humankind).
I believe that the broader expression "habitat loss" is the usual term
for what you describe, as well as for any other habitat-related problem
that causes the extinction of a living organism. "Extinction" generally
refers in biology/conservation to the local or general loss of a living
organism, not usually to what is really a n-dimensional concept
("habitat"). On the other hand, "extinction" in other areas (scientific
and otherwise) is used more broadly, such as in extinct volcanoes, like
the one (that is not yet extinct) that caused the habitat loss you
described.
Sean Barry