Conservation of Endangered Animals

The need for conservation of endangered animals indicates the possibility of these animals becoming extinct. The human activities are responsible for their endangerment. It is important to take necessary and effective steps for wildlife conservation.

In this regard, 199 countries have agreed to create Biodiversity action plans to protect the endangered animals. The Red List prepared by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) includes animals falling between critically endangered and vulnerable categories. IUCN is actively involved in the conservation of endangered animals.

Why so many animals are becoming endangered? The answer to this question is not difficult to find. The loss of habitat is an important cause for animals becoming endangered. Human activities for rapid development have forced the wild animals to lose their home. Similarly, pollution, diseases, overexploitation, and global climate change has played a significant role in the lives of endangered animals.

There are, however, some negative effects of an animal being listed as endangered. Putting an animal in the list of endangered animals makes it more vulnerable. This effect can be considerably reduced by allowing commercial farming of the endangered animals. In China, for example, commercial farming of turtles have increased their number and reduced the threat to their life.

Wildlife conservation can be ensured by making laws to forbid hunting, restricting land development, and creating wildlife preserves. Some wildlife conservation laws are controversial, and have created confusion in the minds of the people. People fear of losing their land to the government, and uncertainty of compensation to be paid to them for the loss of uses of their land.

The criteria for placing an animal on the endangered animals list and removing it from the list once its population has recovered have also created controversy. Moreover, intensive lobbying from various industries like petroleum, construction, timber, etc. has created problems in making endangered animal laws.

The factors to be taken into consideration for conservation of endangered animals are not only the number of animals alive, but several other factors have to be considered -- the overall increase or decrease in the number over time, the rate of success in breeding, and the potential known threats to these endangered animals

Captive breeding can conserve the endangered animals from becoming extinct. Captive breeding is the process of breeding rare and endangered animals in an artificial environment controlled by the humans. Zoos, wildlife preserves, and other conservation facilities can stabilize the population of the endangered animals, which is at risk of disappearing.

However, captive breeding techniques are difficult to implement in the case of migratory birds and fishes. Moreover, the problem of lack of immunity to diseases in these endangered animals may occur due to inbreeding.

Therefore, the conservation of endangered animals in their natural form is important. They are a beauty of nature, and important to maintain the ecological balance. Several wildlife projects have been started by the governments to make this world a natural living place.