Endangered African Wildlife - Research Paper Example

Endangered African Wildlife Endangered African Wildlife Loss of biodiversity is becoming a global concern. The threat of speciesextinction is increasing despite conservation efforts. Various environmental pressures like industrialization, deforestation, climate change, and so on have contributed to major extinctions in the past. There are still so many endangered species around the world that are at the verge of extinction, if not conserved at the earliest. The African continent, one of the biodiversity-rich tropical regions, has been facing environmental challenges for decades, with many of its animal and plant species being threatened. There are so many factors that are causing wildlife extinction in the African continent. Rapid human population growth, unsustainable use of wildlife resources, lack of local support for conservation policies, inadequate government funds allocation for enforcement policies against illegal activities, commercialization, and so on are few of the reasons that are endangering African wildlife. So, the central issue of endangerment of wildlife species in the African environment and its causal factors is discussed. Furthermore, the impacts of habitat loss, over-exploitation, and poaching of the endangered species along with its conservation measures are also analyzed. Africa is a continent rich in biodiversity because it harbors thousands of species of flora and fauna. “Africa is home to some one quarter of the world’s 4,700 mammal species, including 79 species of antelope. It also has more than 2,000 species of birds – one fifth of the world’s total – and at least 2,000 species of fish, alongside 950 amphibian species”.1 The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has over 2 million km of protected eco-regions mainly for their biodiversity values. These eco-regions include the Savannah habitats, Ethiopian montane forests, Western Guinean lowland forests, the succulent Karoo and Bioko area. According to the Red List categorization of IUCN, some of the endangered species of Africa include the Giant Golden Mole, white-tailed Rat, Riverine Rabbit, African Wild Dog, and Mountain Zebra. Threats of wildlife species extinction continue to increase, despite global measures to reduce the impact of the external pressures. It is estimated that among “the 44,838 species included in the 2008 IUCN Red List database, about 17,000 (38%) are threatened with extinction”.2 Killing and exploitation of these wildlife species and importantly habitat loss are the major reasons for the increase in endangered species count. The constant poaching by individuals and existence of organized illegal wildlife killing and trafficking is few of the human-induced reasons causing the wildlife of Africa to become endangered. On the other hand, habitat loss because of the global warming and the resultant climate changes are also contributing to endangerment of wildlife. The alarming drop in wildlife population in the recent years has increased the global attention to the factors contributing to it. On the government side, inadequate enforcement of conservation laws, violation of laws in protected areas, as well as government officials’ failure to combat poaching and deforestation are the common factors that threaten the African wildlife. One of the major problems that is visible in the African wildlife areas and threatens the wildlife is the rapid increase in human population growth and the resultant occupation of wildlife lands by those people. In the African continent, wild resources has been the foundation of survival in the local communities, with 40% of people relying on fishing, 28% on hunting, and 33% on gathering terrestrial resources.3 Moreover, high populations cause human induced disturbances on the ecosystems. That is, as people occupy more forest or wildlife lands, they destroy the habitats of wildlife. In addition, few of these people mainly indulge in wildlife poaching and trafficking, leading to the loss of many animal and plant species. It was estimated that more than “100 million tonnes of fish, 1.5 million live birds and 440,000 tonnes of medicinal plants were traded in just one year”.4 Illegal trade in Africa is a major threat to wildlife species and is practiced even in those protected areas, because of inadequate governance. For instance, in South Africa, it has been reported that rhinos and elephants are being poached and killed by organized criminal gangs who hunt these endangered species for their lucrative rhino-horn and ivory tusks respectively. Reports have estimated that between 2001 and 2006, more than 70 rhinos were killed because of increased poaching at various parks in South Africa including Kruger.5 It is estimated that more than 80% of the world’s biodiversity loss is caused by habitat loss. Reports suggest that countries in Africa are experiencing “loss of dry forest at 39%, moist forest 80%, savannah ecosystem 49% and mangroves 60%”.6 Habitat loss in Africa is escalating at a high rate due to high population growth, increased poverty rate, unsustainable practices, and technology based commercialization .This loss of habitat is expected to contribute to some or many of the wildlife extinctions in various regions in addition to increasing the vulnerability of those wildlife. For instance, Mkomazi Game Reserve has lost eastern white-bearded wildebeest, greater kudu, sable antelope and colobus monkey. Similarly, Kilimanjaro National Park and Forest Reserve has lost mountain reedbuck and klipspringer. In Tarangire National Park, the black rhinoceros is locally extinct. These localized extinctions is spreading to newer territories, with many wildlife animals and plant species on the verge of joining the endangered list. The typical endangered species of Africa include the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and African elephant (Loxodonta africana). Statistics suggest that the rhino population in Africa is at the verge of extinction with only 2,707 in the entire continent.7 Similarly, the African elephant population has significantly reduced in numbers owing to poaching and massive illegal trade for its ivory. According to the World Wildlife Foundation, it was estimated that the total population of African elephant was around 300,000 in 2014, a sizable reduction from previous decades. The number is said to see a steep decline, if the poaching and illegal activities continue to exist. It has been estimated that more than 100,000 African elephants are being killed every year by poachers.8 Most of the elephant population is now confined to well-protected areas. The population of African Wild Dog is also facing high probability of extinction. The species have been added to the IUCN Red List of endangered species in 2008 because of its continuing decline in numbers. Conservation efforts for protecting these endangered species have shown some positive results. For instance, the total number of the Black rhino population has grown from 2,599 in 1997 to 4,848 in 2010. Similarly, the white rhino, which numbered around 2,360 in the last few decades of the 20th century, has now reached some 20,000, most of which are in protected regions and private game reserves.9 Exploitation of wildlife resources and natural habitats has always been a threat to African endangered species. Despite conservation and development programs, demand for wildlife products particularly in the black-market economies has contributed to over-exploitation of wildlife in this region. Increased surveillance efforts and government restrictions are less effective in reducing the poaching rates of rhinos and elephants in Africa. This is because poaching has spread sizably due to the increased involvement of local people caused by deteriorating social conditions. That is, driven by material gains, illegal wildlife trade flourishes in Africa. Moreover, high poverty rates in the African communities induce their people to indulge in illegal trafficking and poaching networks. Also, economic decline and organized crime networks further facilitate the local people to involve themselves in poaching. However, the countries in Africa are combating this crisis through anti-poaching operations and military-style tactics thereby protecting its endangered wildlife from further demise and eventually extinction. Apart from the governments’ role, conservation of African wildlife particularly the endangered the species has to become a widespread community campaign among the various local communities. The foremost measure that is being taken and has to be taken with more effectiveness is to reduce the prevalence of poaching and other illegal activities. Creating awareness among the people of these communities regarding the need to protect the endangered wildlife species and actively involving them in conservation efforts can optimize the campaign. This is because they play a major detrimental role in endangering the species through habitat destruction and poaching. So, if these people are weaned away from doing both these above mentioned activities by offering them good livelihood options, other benefits, and so on, then they can play a constructive role. Support from the local community members, who are well-versed of the local animal and plant species, can go a long way in protecting the natural wildlife resources. Implementing projects for reducing deforestation can help mitigate the effects of loss and fragmentation of wildlife habitat. Based on the above analysis, it is evident that many endangered animal and plant species in Africa are on the verge of becoming extinct because of the increased ecological disturbances, habitat loss, and poaching. Habitat loss is taking place because of global warming and climate changes, along with human actions. Moreover, heavy poaching and illegal trade of animal parts further intensifies the rate at which the wildlife declines. So, to avoid extinction of the animal and plant species, and instead proliferate its numbers, numerous conservation programs are being initiated by the government, its related bodies, local activist groups, and even international activist groups, Bibliography Alam, Shawkat. Handbook of International Environmental Law. London: Routledge, 2013. Kidegheshoa, Jafari, R. “The Potentials of Traditional African Cultural Practices in Mitigating Overexploitation of Wildlife Species and Habitat Loss: Experience of Tanzania.” International Journal of Biodiversity Science & Management 5, no.2 (2009): 83-94. “African rhinos.” WWF Global. Accessed on November 11, 2014, http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/rhinoceros/african_rhinos “African elephants.” WWF Global. Accessed on November 11, 2014, http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/elephants/african_elepha nts/ Read More