Conservation and Governments

Wildlife conservation was a movement that started many years ago but was finally adopted by many governments throughout the world in the early 1970s. Governments became involved when they were finally convinced that many species were being overexploited and may soon become extinct.

How Do Living Things Become Extinct?

Extinction means that the animal, bird, plant, coral reef or conifer has become a terminated species. It says that it will never exist again. Many issues contribute to extinction, but one that can be prevented is when humans are the main reason for the disappearance. For instance, in 2011, the West African Black Rhinoceros became extinct primarily because of poaching.

Factors that Contribute to Extinction

Several factors impact extinction. However, on a positive note, there are things each of us can do to reduce these factors. We can learn to reduce, reuse and learn all we can how humans affect the environment. The factors that contribute to extinction are:

• Climate Change. The world’s climate is changing. Earth’s temperature is getting warmer which affects natural habitats and those species that live in that particular habitat. Global warming has also made itself known with the intense weather that is occurring all over the world. Hurricanes, floods, and droughts also affect life on earth.
• Deforestation. When humans chop down the trees in the forest, it upsets the species who live in those trees and those forests. Humans need to leave woods alone and find other places to live, like a high-rise.
• Overexploitation. Some species are overhunted for individual sport or consumption. These species need to be carefully protected.
• Pollution: Pesticides can harm habitats and make those living areas toxic to all that lives there.
• Population. As of today, there are about 7.7 billion on earth. All of these humans consume a lot of land, water, and food. More for humans, less for other species. We are responsible for finding ways to reduce the space we use.
• Unregulated Hunting and Poaching. When hunting and poaching is not regulated, humans can kill whatever they want to — even if it means the last of a species.

What Can We Do To Stop Extinction

We can do plenty. First, educate yourself about conservation and then choose a species or area you would like to focus your efforts. From there you can use your skills to help an organization or donate money or resources. If each one of us does something like this, conservation will be better equipped to succeed.

To the Ends of the Earth

To the Ends of the Earth is a beautiful documentary where renown photographer Todd Gustafson shares his experiences with the animals of the world as they share our human experiences of eating, sleeping, playing, mating, giving birth, raising young and dying, co-existing with humanity in a battle of survival on this wondrous planet we call Earth.