Biodiversity and Conservation Efforts

In Module 2 you learned about the history of mass extinctions on Earth and the threat of global climate change. You also explored ways that economic growth can both help and harm Earth’s biodiversity. In this module we learn more about economic principles: how they apply in the natural world, and how they drive some of the positive and negative effects of economic growth on biodiversity.

For this discussion, read the following articles:

1. Hearts and minds: Stopping the slaughter of endangered species takes imagination. (2013). The Economist. Available in the Trident Online Library.
2. Illegal wildlife trade. (n.d.). World Wildlife Fund. Accessed August 16, 2016, at http://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-wildlife-trade.

What is the driving force behind the destruction of the elephant population? What other animal trades are mentioned on the World Wildlife site? Choose one to research further and describe the market demand for the product related to the animal at risk. Are any regulations in place? How are these regulations enforced? Do you think these regulations are effective at preserving biodiversity? Why or why not? Compare and contrast your findings with those of your classmates.

ANSWER

Biodiversity and Conservation Efforts

Introduction

Effects of biodiversity loss are being felt in almost all the regions of the world. Wildlife is continuously facing the threat of extinction in many countries. Elephants are one of the major species that is facing extinction, on the endangered species list. Conservation and protection efforts in the 1990s bore fruit, with the increase in elephant populations, especially in Africa (The Economist, 2013). However, in the recent past, the populations have been going down following an opening in the ivory market in China. Elephants are hunted and killed for their ivory, which is then sold in international markets such as China. The driving force behind the elephant population destruction is this ivory market, as many people shift to poaching to earn a living from the high-priced ivory.

Animals Affected By Poaching

Elephants are not the only animals suffering from poaching activities. Tigers are hunted for their beautiful skins and their bones. Rhinos are also poached for their horns, with the last male northern rhino passing away a few days ago (Illegal Wildlife Trade, 2018). The rhino has been adversely affected by poaching, with the market for its horn being readily available. The best illustration would be the Vietnamese market, where the belief that rhino horns are able to cure cancer resulting in massive demand for the horn. South Africa got wind of the news and excessive poaching resulted in the price of the rhino horn rising even higher than that of gold. About 1,300 rhinoceros are killed in Africa, every year, for their horns. In 2008, the number was a mere 100. This number has drastically risen as a result of the rhino horn market in Vietnam (Dixon, 2016). By 2016, the country had not conducted any prosecutions against rhino traders, which resulted in the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) organization to put pressure on the country to control the illegal trade.

Enforcement on Conservation of Wildlife

Various countries have enforced a ban on the sale and dealings involving wildlife body parts and products. Kenya, for example, has put in place a ban on ivory trade, even burning a shipment of elephant tusks in a bid to discourage the vice and boost conservation efforts (Duggan, 2016). Trade bans and hefty fines and long jail terms are effective in controlling poaching. However, education of the masses on the benefits of wildlife conservation would really help in the efforts. Many people still continue to poach, because they are not aware of the negative effects of biodiversity loss. Abolishment of the ivory trade in China should also be enforced, to save the remaining elephants from extinction. More pressure should be put on countries condoning wildlife products trade and poaching, by conservation organizations such as WildAid and CITES. The public should also be involved in this movements. Governments have the obligation to support conservation NGOs in a bid to minimize the rate of biodiversity loss in every country. They should also set up game reserves and conservation parks, to offer protection of wildlife and boost tourism.

References

Hearts and minds: Stopping the slaughter of endangered species takes imagination. (2013,  September 14). The Economist. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21585089-stopping-slaughter-endangered-species-takes-imagination-hearts-and-minds

Dixon, R. (2016, September 26). Vietnam, the biggest hub for illegal rhino horn trafficking, has done little to stop it. LA Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-vietnam-rhino-trafficking-20160926-snap-story.html

Duggan, B. (2016, May 01). Kenya burns record amounts of ivory. Retrieved March 27, 2018, from https://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/30/africa/kenya-ivory-burn/index.html

Illegal Wildlife Trade. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2018, from https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-wildlife-trade