wildlife

Why Should We Save Wildlife?

Our previous post highlighted the threats facing wildlife. The next question some may ask, is why we need wildlife. We put together a few reasons below:

 Ecological Balance

A great yet delicate balance exists in nature, and losing, changing or damaging natural elements can upset this balance. Living elements (known as biotic factors like plants and animals) and non-living elements (known as abiotic factors like rocks, minerals and the weather) work together to form this balance. In order to maintain it we need to protect animals, which means conserving their natural habitat. Game reserves and national parks are important in providing a natural home for various species. Letting them roam free in their natural surroundings helps maintain biodiversity and, by extension, an ecological balance. Species-interaction allows for the transfer of energy and materials within and between ecosystems. It also keeps important watersheds intact and ensures clean, fresh water. Animals and plants depend on one another, so the extinction of one species could lead to the extinction of another and so on. The disappearance of one species can thus cause a negative ecological chain reaction, which will inevitably affect us too.

Genetic Value

Fauna and flora have unknown or undeveloped characteristics, which are important to their survival. A gene poll is created when the genes of individual members are placed together, becoming representative of that species. Preserving gene pools could prove valuable to us in future. We do not know enough about interspecies relationships or ecological balance, and losing a gene pool could be a great risk to our survival. It is also important in plants, because even crops and livestock are derivatives of indigenous plants and animals. The latter are required to provide new genetic traits that may help solve current food production problems.

Economic Value

Human beings use many things which are derived from plants and animals. Food, medicine and clothes are just a few examples. Not only do we need these for our own basic survival, but it generates jobs and creates income through trade and industry. A prime example of the latter is fishing and safari lodges, which provide jobs and contribute to the GDP through the tourism industry.

Health & Sustenance

As pointed out above, fauna and flora are important to sustain human life. Various medicines have been derived from plants, as well as the chemicals produced by animals.

They’re Awesome

We love animals, and so do many people. From the pets in our homes to the animals we see when we go on safari, go diving or whatever the case may be. Animals provide comfort and wonder. They make the world more interesting and diverse. They play an important role in culture and heritage too – just think of the movies you watched and the books you read as a child, and I’m sure you will remember many characters that weren’t human. Their place in human culture reaches even further back to the art of storytelling, their use as symbols and emblems for tribes and nations in ages past. Animals have always been inextricably bound with humanity, and the world would be a much emptier place without them.

Originally published on Best Safari

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