Environmental Failure: Can We Fix It?

There is an unending number of environmental issues facing mankind today. Global warming, natural disasters, pollution, deforestation, and much more- how do we put them all into perspective? Each is a concern that must be examined by our society before the chance slips away, but one issue in particular touches my heart. It is critical that the world takes a stand on wildlife conservation, because the creatures around us affect nearly every aspect of our lives.
Research has found that since 1970, over 30 percent of the natural world has been destroyed by humans. Take for example the African elephant. Around 1962 the population of elephants in Africa was an estimated 3 million. By 1992 the population had dropped to fewer than 250,000 due largely to human hunting and mistreatment. In the past thirty years, the world rhino population has declined by ninety percent. In North Yemen alone, between 1972 and 1975, the legal trade of rhinoceros horns killed an astonishing number of nearly 8,000 rhinos. A ninety percent decline has also been recorded in the population of Southeast Asian green turtles over the past fifty years. This was caused mainly by a rising collection and sale of eggs in the region.
So how do these figures affect society today? Imagine for a moment the world without the critically endangered tiger species. Without the tiger to control the population of prey such as spotted deer, rainforests and farmlands everywhere would be consumed at an alarming rate. With dwindling rainforests, how would the soil be refurbished? With infertile soil, how could more plants grow? Without the large amounts of trees that are the distributors of oxygen, what would become of the environment as a whole? All life on Earth is intricately woven together, and the loss of one species is inevitably the loss of many more. The predator-prey relationship keeps population in check for the lesser and provides essential nutrition for the greater. Wildlife controls the environment as a whole, so we cannot afford to destroy its fragile balance.
There are many organizations now trying to raise awareness of this dire situation and correct the problem. WWF (World Wildlife Fund for Nature) works all over the world to conserve wildlife through the protection of habitats, monitoring of weather, and much more. The African Wildlife Foundation works exclusively on the continent of Africa, where many endangered species can be found. Organizations such as the Tiger Missing Link Foundation and the International Rhino Foundation focus specifically on the conservation of one species. A person who is interested in wildlife conservation has a myriad of opportunities to assist the effort. One might find an organization that works for a particular area or species. Volunteering, donating, and educating others about wildlife conservation are all ways people can become involved.
Wildlife conservation is a vital issue that must be explored by society. Fortunately, because of the efforts of critical organizations, the populations of most endangered species are slowly on the rise. Nonetheless, this cannot continue without the support of society. If everyone works together, we can save the world one animal at a time.


Works Cited


WWF - The Global Conservation Organization. 2005. World Wildlife Fund for Nature. 26 Feb 2005 <http://www.panda.org/>.

The Elephant Debate. Daphne Sheldrick. 1992. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. 26 Feb 2005 <http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/html/debate.html>.

Rhino Conservation. 2004. African Wildlife Foundation. 26 Feb 2005 <http:// www.awf.org/wildlives/rhino.php>.

Wildlywise.com. 2003. Wildlywise Adventures. 26 Feb 2005 <http:// wildlywise.com/index.htm>.

Tiger Education. 2002. Tigerlink. 26 Feb 2005 <http://www.tigerlink.org/go4.html>.

International Rhino Foundation. 2002. International Rhino Foundation. 26 Feb 2005 <http://www.rhinos-irf.org/>.