Wildlife Conservation | Under 2 Minutes
About a million species are on the verge of extinction according to the UN.
Wildlife conservation is the practice of protecting wild species and their habitats in order to maintain healthy and natural ecosystems. A 2019 biodiversity report by the UN estimates that a million species could be on the brink of extinction.
Key Statistics
- Nearly 68% of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have declined from 1970 to 2016 — considered in large part due to human activities.
- 94% of the biodiversity in American tropics is also reported to be lost. This is considered to be the largest reduction in any part of the world.
- The Red List report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) highlighted that 27% of the more than 105,000 species (analyzed by the organization) are at risk of extinction. Which means a total of 28,338 different species. The UN reports an even higher number of threatened species — it is estimated to be at a million.
- Habitat loss and degradation is considered to be the greatest threat to species.
- Ecosystems are disappearing at an alarming rate. Nearly 20% of the Amazon rainforest has shrunk in 50 years, as per the 2018 report by WWF
- Wetlands, on the other hand, have shrunk by 87%.
- Coral reefs, too, have been halved in the last 30 years.
- Overexploitation among 55% fish species and their habitats is a leading threat.
Major Threats to Wildlife include:
- Unsustainable agriculture
- Logging
- Transportation
- Residential or commercial development
- Energy production
- Mining
Other threats to wildlife include climate change, pollution, poaching, hunting, fishing and also introducing invasive species from other parts of the world into another habitat.
Geographical Impact
Tropical regions are losing vertebrate species at an alarming rate, with South and Central America suffering an 89 % decline since 1970, followed by the Indo-Pacific (64%), Afrotropical (56%), Palearctic (31%) and Nearctic (23%).
A 2018 UN report also looked at the Species Habitat Index (SHI) which is related to distribution, extinction risk and biodiversity. The SHI for mammals has fallen by 22% overall since 1970, with the Caribbean region being at 60%. Central America, Northeast Asia and North Africa have a decline rate of more than 25%.
What Are We Doing About It?
World Wildlife Fund, Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the United Nations have been working tirelessly to educate, protect and promote the cause of wildlife conservation. They also work with the governments to protect wildlife habitats like national parks, and sanctuaries. Such organizations also work to build stronger constitutional laws to protect various species.
Government efforts include prominent conservation agreements like the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
