Why the need to conserve our wildlife?

BY MUHAMMAD AZIM HAKIM BIN MOHD AZLI & DR HASMAHZAITI OMAR

WILDLIFE – You will probably picture animals and plants, whenever you hear that term. Wildlife species inhabit distinct ecosystems from one another – such as the forests, deserts, oceans, lakes, grasslands, and any other areas. They are also referred to as undomesticated living organisms that can only be found in the wild. However, with human interference of their habitat and through the ages of evolution some adapt themselves to reside urban environments.

From all sides, wildlife nowadays are currently under siege – getting endangered and suffering from the onslaught of deforestation. Human activity like illegal exploitations of their habitat for logging is affecting them. Worse, with the rapid increase in our populations over the past 200 years, the degradation of wildlife natural habitats has been uncontrollable.

Even though extinction is a natural occurrence, scientists say that the loss of many species is at 1,000 to 10,000 times the natural ‘background’ rate, with dozens going extinct each day. The IUCN Red List has listed 96,500 species where more than 26,500 of those are facing extinction and will expand over time. In a snapshot, 30% to 50% of all species are probably heading for extinction by the middle of this century. The wildlife population has declined by 68% since 1970 with 99% of threatened species are at risk – primarily from human activities.

Shall this issue be given attention? Obviously, yes! 

We must understand that every living thing is interconnected in a symbiotic dynamics. They play a role in environmental equilibrium, especially through the food chain. If one species is endangered or extinct, this would cause a “dominos effect” on the whole ecosystem. The entire food chain also gets interrupted such that, if there is no existence of individuals in the upper trophic (i.e. carnivores strata), the herbivores then gradually become abundant and competition will rise. Thus, they will emigrate and forage at our agriculture sites while damaging the crops. Economically, wildlife is also the main source of income for many people. The wild plants or herbs are turned into traditional remedies like aspirin, while trees produce good timbers for building. Wildlife provides our raw materials for clothing in the fashion industry such as the reticulated python skins. Most countries generate their incomes via worldwide trade and tourism by establishing zoos. Even in the laboratory, monkeys, and rats really contribute to medical tests before pre-clinical trials on humans. The diversity of plants also means a healthier ecosystem whereby it strengthens the resistance of wildlife to diseases.

Illegal wildlife trading has become the fourth largest criminal activity worldwide – with iconic species like rhinos and elephants being targeted for their tusks. Furthermore, half of the natural forests on the planet are already gone and habitat destruction risen from unregulated exploitations, poaching, mining, and deforestation for agricultural sites. Fires that swept across like in the Amazon simply tell us how fragile our ecosystems. Those accidentally introduced invasive species (e.g. poison ivy and mice) which gives 42% more risk to endangered species. In marine ecology, pollution is at an alarming rate where microplastics are 500 times more than the stars in the galaxy. For turtles, the plastics look similar to jellyfish and the fishing nets often look like tasty seaweeds. Moreover, in this industrialization era with lots of air contamination, climate change and global warming start to pop out. Ocean temperatures will increase which means the Arctic ice is liquefying. The aquatic wildlife is forced to adapt and the vegetation zones are shifting. Plus, the amphibians are sensitive to those changes and rapidly decrease in populations or might become extinct.

Fortunately, there is still ongoing wildlife conservation efforts to protect the plants and animals within their habitats. Many international bodies (e.g. Worldwide Wildlife Fund for Nature and United Nations) work to save at-risk wildlife globally. They collaborate with the government to secure national parks and wildlife refuges – by providing a legislation Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 in the United States. WWF also fights against illegal trade on African elephants and focuses on rescuing certain species. CITES is also developed in order to control the trading and overexploitation of many exotic species. Many well-trained rangers have been hired as front liners to manage the reserved forests. At the national level, Malaysia receives encouragement in its wildlife conservation development. This is due to the need to conserve the tigers that left only around 250. Therefore, Sahabat Alam Malaysia also creates a new battalion to assist PERHILITAN by managing national parks or forests – with Wildlife Act 2010 being enforced even in zoos. Malaysia Palm Oil Council works with PERHILITAN too to ensure that the palm oil industry in a sustainable manner towards wildlife. This is achieved by balancing both environment and development. In the meantime, there is another conservation strategy like in-situ and ex-situ where is to maintain plants in their original or outside habitats by building botanical gardens mainly for genetic research and education.

What can we do on our part? Firstly, by adoption. WWF offers ‘adoption’ of the wildlife that symbolises fundraising. If you do not have money to give, you may donate your energy and time by volunteering. Some agencies handle volunteer programs such as cleaning the beaches and tidal flats, replanting trees, and virtual run for the sake of fundraising. In our free time, probably visiting zoos or aquariums are the best way to get educated more about the wildlife refuges inside there. Many TV programmes such as National Geographic and Animal Planet really expose the need to conserve and preserve the wildlife. So that we could speak it up and tell our family and friends about the importance of protecting them. On the other hand, using biodegradable plastic and recycling items could help reduce plastic wastage in the ocean. We also must be responsible for ecosystems, which means simply do not throw rubbish or dump anywhere because that might taint the wildlife habitats.

Conserving is better than letting wildlife extinct, because extinction is forever. All of the organizations, NGOs, agencies involved – and including the public, must realize how worst this situation is. Once they’re gone, they will be gone forever. Therefore, we all should begin or pursue ongoing initiatives to protect that wildlife that are endangered and threatened. Our biodiversity and wildlife are our responsibility to sustain, but not to be taken for granted.