Hundreds of species have gone extinct in the last 100 years and more are endangered due to human activity leading to loss of natural habitat and death. The goal of wildlife conservation is to maintain species’ populations and to prioritize their survival as we encroach on their territory.
Rapid urbanization and increased population are shrinking natural spaces where wildlife has roamed for thousands of years. As the global population increases, the search for fertile land to ensure food security drives even deeper into the habitat of endangered species.
While we search for natural resources for economic gain, the existence of different types of wildlife is threatened with every inch closer we get. For instance, deforestation is not only causing habitat loss, it’s reducing food sources and natural shelter for certain species to elude predators.
Our survival is important, but it should not be to the detriment of wildlife and nature.
What Is Wildlife Conservation?
Wildlife conservation is the humane act to protect animal species, plants, and wild habitats. It involves human participation by implementing laws that protect wildlife and endangered species.
Wildlife conservation involves prioritizing protecting public lands and preserving, managing, and restoring wildlife. It’s only through a conservation process can we protect endangered species and regrow their population.
The protective measures for wildlife and marine species conservation are sometimes hindered by the growing population, as urban expansion cuts through natural habitats, limits food sources and shelter, and increases human-wildlife interaction.
I recently saw a video of a deer crossing a tarred road cutting through nature. It’s common for one to wonder why a deer is crossing the road instead of keeping a distance from moving vehicles. But the truth is, the deer is not walking or running across the road, the road is crossing the natural habitat of the deer and other animals.
Wildlife conservation is an initiative that long existed before now. Many organizations such as the United Nations, National Geographic, the World Wildlife Fund, and Conservation International are working to ensure animal and habitat conservation. These national and international organizations collaborate with the government to build and protect national parks and wildlife refuges.1
Learn more: Increase in the World’s Population Will Require an Increase in Sustainable Practices
Why Wildlife Conservation Is Important
From the moment humans were able to migrate to other parts of the world, we have occupied almost every fertile land that yields food and resources. Migrating for thousands of years played a role in our civilization through the years.
However, as the global population increased, human activity took its toll on wildlife species. Early humans hunted wildlife for various survival reasons. It was mainly for food sources, but animal skin was also used by humans to keep warm in colder climates.
In the last 100 years, the global population increased from 1.6 billion to 8.1 billion today. According to the World Bank, an estimated 56% (4.4 billion) of the world’s population live in cities today.2
The increase in the global population demands more living space to accommodate the growing number. Due to rapid urbanization, we are fast encroaching on the natural habitat of wildlife, exposing vulnerable species to predators and destroying their natural shade.
This could affect the population of certain wildlife species or introduce various invasive species to a natural habitat. The presence of foreign additions to an already existing ecosystem may affect the natural balance of animal and native plant species.3
Deforestation caused by agriculture, ranching, and commercial logging is also destroying natural habitats of wildlife at an alarming rate. It’s a fast-paced destruction of wildlife habitat and a major contributor to climate change.4
Protecting wildlife, especially endangered species should be prioritized regardless of our need to expand liveable spaces. Nature cannot exist without the various species that thrive in the wild. They play a key role in nature as the main distributor of seeds to expand forest cover. Ecosystems will collapse without the presence of wild animals in nature.5
This is why wildlife conservation is very important and why the public must be sensitized to protect animals and not hunt them to near extinction. National and international organizations are working to protect wild animals by collaborating with governments to establish national parks and wildlife refuges.
Conservation biologist Charudutt Mishra and conservation technologist Rebecca Ryakitimbo are also making efforts to slow the extinction of species. These National Geographic explorers are focused on protecting global biodiversity and habitats.
Mishra and Ryakitimbo are not the only ones working towards protecting global species. Thomas P. Peschak and Joel Sartore are environmental filmmakers and photographers taking every minute of documenting endangered wildlife species to enlighten the public on the importance of protecting these species.
What Is the Goal of Wildlife Conservation?
The goal of wildlife conservation is to ensure the survival of wild animals, especially endangered species with small populations in nature. Wildlife conservation is an initiative to educate the public in adopting sustainable practices to protect animals and their natural habitat.
Wildlife management is also an important aspect of protecting animals. It involves managing natural habitat for game species by providing essential elements needed for survival, such as food, cover, space, and water.
Community Conservation and the Future of Wildlife in Africa
Community-based conservation (CBC) is a wildlife conservation effort in which rural people are integral to the conservation policy. The local communities’ participation in resource planning and management is a key element of this program.6
CBC is one program that gets rural people involved in conservation efforts. It aims to make local communities a constituency of wildlife protection. However, challenges that local communities in Africa face may affect the application of community-based conservation (CBC) to occur as successfully intended.7
Another initiative to improve wildlife conservation in Africa is the integrated conservation and development projects (ICDPs). These projects have been established in Africa for better wildlife conservation and the welfare of local communities.
Again, a project like this is affected due to challenges such as illegal harvesting and conflict in local African communities.8
Learn more: 5 Sustainable Ranching Practices
Wildlife Conservation in North America
Wildlife conservation in Mexico
Ranked in the top six countries in biodiversity, Mexico is a faunal corridor and a crucial element in the conservation and management of North American wildlife.
However, the country’s wildlife has been affected by human activity such as land use and socioeconomic factors. About more than a decade ago, it was estimated that over 60% of the land area in Mexico has been severely degraded.9
Mexico’s wildlife and conservation practices are evolving, with forest managers engaging in maintaining population and natural habitat for various wild species.
Wildlife Conservation in Canada and the United States
Wildlife conservation varies globally in terms of function, form, and principles. The United States and Canada’s wildlife conservation programs differ from that of the rest of the world and it has existed for decades.
In Canada, responsibility for wildlife conservation is assigned by the country’s constitution. It’s then shared between provinces or territories and the federal government.10
Provincial and territorial authority is detailed in Canada’s sub-federal jurisdiction act and laws for wildlife – unspecified authority is considered “residual”.
The Canadian federal government is responsible for animals on federal lands, which include marine mammals and all migratory wildlife that crosses international borders.
The Canadian Federal Species at Risk Act (2002) may include applications that allow provincial or territorial measures to protect endangered species. This Act focused on identifying measures to help regrow the population of endangered species in the wild.
In the United States, governance over wildlife management is split between the federal government and states. Agencies within the Department of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Defense are assigned the responsibilities for wildlife at the federal level.
They include the Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, and Geological Survey for the Department of the Interior; the Forest Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and Natural Resources Conservation Service for the Department of Agriculture.
Wildlife Conservation Methods
Both national and international organizations are working to protect wildlife, especially endangered species with small global populations. Their goal is to promote wildlife conservation through sustainable and natural methods.
A promising method to protect natural habitats includes providing:
Learn more: 5 Effects of Deforestation on Animals
Nature Reserves
A nature reserve is not just a wildlife sanctuary, it’s a conservation area of importance for flora, fauna and funga. Nature reserves are more strictly protected and they fall into various IUCN categories.11
Providing nature reserves is important with rapid urbanization fast encroaching on natural habitats of wild species.
Animal Rescue
Wildlife rescue is a humane act that involves rescuing, treating, and caring for vulnerable native animals injured, sick, or orphaned. The aim is to help the animal regain its natural freedom by releasing it back into the wild or to a more habitable wildlife sanctuary.12
Some wildlife charities take the responsibility of rescuing endangered species that would later be released back into the wild.
Species Reintroduction
Animal reintroduction projects are aimed at restoring species into habitats they once thrived in. However, these projects often encounter resistance from residents who lack trust in agencies and professionals spearheading the project.13
Without any challenge, reintroduction projects are great for restoring local species to their rightful habitat.
Breeding Programs
Breeding programs are ideal for wildlife that are naturally poor at breeding. Aquariums, zoos and botanical gardens are used in captive breeding programs to help animals regrow their population. This is an extreme form of conservation that is only necessary when species cannot be conserved in their native habitat.14
World’s Most Endangered Species
Increased human population and search for liveable spaces and farmland are shrinking the natural habitat of animals. Our activities are impacting the population of wildlife, as hundreds of species have gone extinct in the last 100 years.
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) 2022 Living Planet Report, the stats show that the worldwide wildlife population have declined by 69% since 1970.15
The International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) also red-listed over 41,000 species that are currently been accessed to likely go extinct if protection measures are not prioritized.
Top Five Endangered Animals
#1. Javan Rhino
Native to the Indonesian island of Java, the Javan Rhino is a rare species on the brink of extinction. According to the World Wildlife Fund, these are the rarest of the rhino species and just about 75 Javan rhinos roam the island of Java.
#2. Amur Leopard
Another rarest species of the big cat family is the Amur leopard. The population is quite small with only about 100 of these big cats left in the wild.16
#3. Sundra Island Tiger
Also known as the Sumatran tiger, this big cat weighs about 308 pounds (140 kilograms), and is the smallest tiger subspecies in the world according to WWF. They are an endangered species with about 600 of them left in the wild.17
#4. Mountain Gorilla
Naturally found in the mountainous regions of Rwanda, the DRC, and Uganda, mountain gorillas are endangered with a small population of just above 1,000. Poaching, deforestation, and disease are major factors reducing the population of these primates.18
#5. Tapanuli Orangutan
The Tapanuli orangutan is another endangered primate, a rare species with just an estimated 800 individuals left in the wild. They remain the most endangered ape species on the planet.19
Conclusion
Wildlife conservation is an initiative to protect animals and restore small populations.
The United Nations, National Geographic, the World Wildlife Fund, and Conservation International are organizations working to ensure animal and habitat conservation. Individual efforts are also made to create public awareness of wildlife protection.
Sources
- National Geographic: Wildlife Conservation ↩︎
- Urban development. (n.d.). World Bank. ↩︎
- Invasive Species | National Wildlife Federation. (n.d.). National Wildlife Federation. ↩︎
- Deforestation and Forest degradation | Threats | WWF. (n.d.). World Wildlife Fund. ↩︎
- Gvi. (2023, April 1). Why it’s Critical to Protect Wildlife and Endangered Species | GVI. GVI. ↩︎
- Hackel, J. D. (1999). Community conservation and the future of Africa’s wildlife. Conservation Biology, 13(4), 726–734. ↩︎
- Jeffrey D. Hackel: “Community Conservation and the Future of Africa’s Wildlife.” ↩︎
- Anne Borge Johannesen & Anders Skonhoft: “Tourism, poaching and wildlife conservation: what can integrated conservation and development projects accomplish?” ↩︎
- Raul Valdez et al: “Wildlife Conservation and Management in Mexico.” ↩︎
- The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation: “Technical Review 12-04 December 2012.” ↩︎
- Wikipedia contributors. (2024, May 24). Nature reserve. Wikipedia. ↩︎
- Alan B. C. Kwok et al: “Trends in wildlife rehabilitation rescues and animal fate across a six-year period in New South Wales, Australia.” ↩︎
- Cristina E Watkins et al: “Risk perception, trust and support for wildlife reintroduction and conservation.” ↩︎
- Tsui, S. (2024, March 22). Do breeding programs for endangered species help? | Earth.Org. Earth.Org. ↩︎
- World Wildlife Fund: “The World’s Most Endangered Animals.” ↩︎
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. (n.d.). Amur leopard Archives – CMZoo. CMZoo. ↩︎
- Sunda Tiger | Species | WWF. (n.d.). World Wildlife Fund. ↩︎
- Mountain Gorilla | Gorillas | WWF. (n.d.). World Wildlife Fund. ↩︎
- Orangutans. (n.d.). WWF. ↩︎