Importance Of Wildlife Conservation

1600-1849: Era of Abundance Americas being settles and Jamestown first settlement in history and abundance of wildlife (Shaw, 316)

A report from Recovering America’s Wildlife Crisis states, “More than 150 species have already gone extinct and about 40% of freshwater fish species are imperiled.” Animals are being killed off by the minute. Now the wildlife species are going to abolished from Earth.

Wildlife overpopulation is a controversial topic. Some believe that wildlife overpopulation is not a real problem. I personally, believe that wildlife overpopulation is a true issue. Wildlife especially, the eastern whitetail deer population is in these modern times, is out of control. “There are an estimated 30 million whitetail deer in the United States today. Under optimal conditions, whitetail deer populations will double every two years”(Rooney). As the numbers of whitetail deer rise the land for them to live on gets smaller this may lead to deer walking on to roads and causing accidents.

In areas of the world different species are becoming extinct at a rapid pace. This could be due to the environmental forces acting against them or through acts such as hunting. The reason why conservation biology has a deadline is because the effects of rising populations and the destruction with habitats as a result of the increase. If the event where extinction could occur is caught early enough then scientists would be able to perform conservation biology; however, in many instances if the environmental forces such as pollution or warming climate continues then the species affected would perish. This is the deadline for many species as scientists have been able to predict what might happen in the future and have until that time to get the problem solved.

We started Wildlife Planet earlier this year and we continue to grow but, to really carry out our goals like ending the Yulin Dog Meat Festival or Co-ordinate with Shelters to bring you daily pet adoptions we need to hire more workers and build up our infrastructure to better serve our followers.

My interest in wildlife biology was sparked by a trip I took the summer before my senior year. I was given the opportunity by my AP Biology teacher through Ecology Project International to join her and a few of my classmates in Costa Rica. While there, we worked with researchers from WIDECAST (Wider Caribbean Sea Turtles) who taught us how to properly catch, measure and release sea turtles. They also later took us to their mangrove conservation area where we helped in the recovery process of Costa Rica’s diminished mangrove population by planting more than 80 trees in an afternoon. Mangroves provide a safe and essential habitat where sea turtles can go to find food.

Despite the large ranch size, opponents of conservation hunting argue that the nearly ubiquitous use of high fenced enclosures on ranches is unethical. In fact, even some hunters oppose the use of high fencing as it prevents the animals from roaming freely and potentially removes the fair chase from the hunt, making the hunt feel less legitimate. However, ranchers are unwilling to remove high fences, as they are necessary to prevent herds that they have invested thousands of dollars and years breeding from leaving the property onto another ranch. They assert that a sufficiently large enclosure ensures a fair chase while still protecting their investment. Furthermore, proponents of conservation hunting argue that the alternative methods of preservation, namely zoos, are comparatively worse. In fact, many animal rights activists disparage zoos, expressing concerns about the poor conditions, small enclosures, and overall high stress environment they create for animals. At the very least, a hunting ranch provides a more realistic enclosure and less direct human interaction than a zoo, minimizing the most stressful factors zoos contain. Still, the opposition is large.

There are 6.5 million species of land mammals. Wildlife biologists get the privilege of studying and spending time with these animals as their everyday life. I should be a wildlife biologist so I can study land mammals.

When a species is endangered, how are they going to be saved? People, from all over the country, work together and perform tasks to help wildlife. Endangered means a species is close to extinction, and it is up to humanity to make the efforts needed to save wildlife from this tragedy. All it takes is a simple gesture in the right direction, like focusing on special rights that protect animals from being nonexistent. Many efforts have been made to protect endangered wildlife, such as, the Endangered Species Act, restoring habitats, and reducing wildlife threats.

Since approximately 1250 B.C., ancient Egyptians had created and practiced the capture and display of animals in what are now known as zoos (Fravel). Records describe such exotic animals as birds, lions, giraffes, and tigers in captivity (Fravel). Since then, zoos have continued to entertain millions with the exciting chance to view exotic animals up close and personal. Even in ancient Greece, exotic animals were on display in fighting arenas, and in enclosed viewing areas. Originally in America, zoos were just created so that royalty and the wealthy could flaunt their exotic animals to the public (Leolupus). Today, with species threatened and habitats disappearing worldwide, zoos are serving a new purpose other than the mere exhibition of

Hunting wildlife plays a huge role in protecting our society and economy as well. The United States is undergoing a growing population of wildlife and it is becoming a problem for the economy and environment.” An estimated 1.23 million deer-vehicle collisions occurred between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, according to the Insurance Journal. A total of 2,083 animal collisions resulted in human fatalities between 2001 to 2011,according to the New York Times ( When you buy meat in the grocery store, chances are it was slaughtered in a horrifically inhumane way. When you buy meat in the grocery store, chances are it was slaughtered in a horrifically inhumane way. Hunters and hunting organizations promote the idea that the environment benefits from the act of hunting because it keeps wildlife populations in balance. Overpopulation of a species can lead to serious problems and hunting has always been a way to regulate that. Deer is one of the most common species hunted in the United States. This species is also commonly overpopulated. Hunters defend themselves by stating that it is necessary to hunt this species to protect them and spare these animals and others, a slow and painful death. Hunting is beneficial to the world because it simulates the economy, helps stop the spread of disease, and also controls the population of wildlife.

The biology aspect of this paper is ecology. So, how is wildlife conservation related to ecology? Since the suffix “-ology” means “the study of” and “eco” is short for ecosystems or environments, ecology is the study of environments and how the living organisms interact within these habitats. The word “wildlife” was used to refer to animal species that are undomesticated, but was revised and currently includes a larger variety of organisms. These organisms were not introduced by humans and include species like animals, fungi, and plants. Both wildlife and ecology are used to describe organisms and where their habitats are located. If someone wanted to directly compare ecology and wildlife, they could almost say that ecology is the study of wildlife because wildlife includes biotic (living) factors that are located in an ecosystem. Another example of how the two are related is that they are both constantly changing. Both wildlife and ecology can be affected by multiple influences. These factors could be natural, like natural disturbances or an introduction of a new species. They could also be impacted by man-made

The main goals of wildlife conservation are to preserve and protect nature so that it will be around for future generations of both wildlife and humans to enjoy. It is essentially the attempt to protect endangered animal and plant species and their natural habitats. In researching two different vertebrate species in the United Kingdom, one that has benefitted from a population increase in recent years and one that has recently seen a decline in population, the similarities and differences in the various challenges that they face can be investigated. The proposed solutions to improve the situation for the declining species will then be discussed.

Contrasting the great expanses of Africa to India, one is immediately struck by the emptiness of the former or perhaps the emptiness of the latter. Yet, it is within these sparsely populated settings that some of the greatest injustices and threats to the local communities are presented. Land tenure statuses are greatly contested. The studies – particularly in Kenya and Tanzania look specifically at the Maasai – but more than that – there is a need to juxtapose their story among a larger story of land rights to all groups and the power dynamics and policies that have defined them.

What does the concept of ‘ecosystem services’ add to the theory and practice of conservation?