Here is a sobering thought: One-third of all animal and plant species on the planet could face extinction by 2070 due to climate change. Researchers studied recent extinctions from climate change to estimate how many species would be lost over the next 50 years. Specifically, scientists from the University of Arizona studied data from 538 species at 581 sites around the world and focused on plant and animal species that were surveyed at the same sites over time, at least 10 years apart.
Globally, up to 1 million species are at risk of extinction because of human activities, according to a United Nations report released in May. Many experts say a ‘mass extinction event’ – only the sixth in the past half-billion years – is already underway.
The key take away from this observation is that we should do everything possible to protect the earth’s biodiversity and wildlife, including marine species. The animals and plants that live in the wild have an intrinsic value and contribute to the ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic aspects of human well-being and to sustainable development. Wildlife is worth celebrating indeed.
World Wildlife Day, which falls on March 3, is an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora and to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that their conservation provides to people. At the same time, the Day reminds us of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime and human-induced reduction of species, which have wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts. Given these various negative effects, the UN Sustainable Development Goal 15 focuses on halting biodiversity loss.
The theme of World Wildlife Day 2020 is ‘Sustaining all life on Earth.’ It encompasses all wild animal and plant species as a component of biodiversity, as well as the livelihoods of people, especially those who live close to Nature. This aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 1, 12, 14 and 15, and their wide-ranging commitments on alleviating poverty, ensuring sustainable use of resources, and on conserving life both on land and below water to halt biodiversity loss.
“Humanity is an inextricable part of the rich tapestry of life that makes up our world’s biological diversity. All human civilizations have been and continue to be built on the use of wild and cultivated species of flora and fauna, from the food we eat to the air we breathe,” says UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in his message for World Wildlife Day.
Earth is home to countless species of fauna and flora – too many to even attempt counting. Historically, we have depended on the constant interplay and interlinkages between all elements of the biosphere for all our needs: the air we breathe, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the materials we need for all purposes. However, unsustainable human activities and overexploitation of the species and natural resources are imperiling the world’s biodiversity. Nearly a quarter of all species are presently at risk of going extinct in the coming decades.
The year 2020, known as ‘biodiversity super year,’ will host several major global events that place biodiversity at the forefront. It provides a unique opportunity to deliver transformative progress for the conservation and sustainable use of the species of wild animals and plants.
However, it seems that humanity has forgotten just how much we need nature for our survival and well-being. As our population and our needs continue to grow, we keep exploiting natural resources - including wild plants and animals and their habitats - in an unsustainable manner.
In its 2019 Global Assessment, the Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlighted how the current global rate of species extinction is rampant and accelerating - tens to hundreds of times higher than before humans inhabited the planet. By overexploiting wildlife, habitats and ecosystems, humanity is endangering both itself and the survival of countless species of wild plants and animals.
Our country, Sri Lanka is a wildlife and biodiversity hotspot well known for its unique flora and fauna. Hundreds of animal and plant species are endemic to Sri Lanka and we must ensure that these species survive and thrive. Otherwise, they will join the thousands of species that have gone extinct over the last few hundred years due to destructive activities of Man. It will be a sad day indeed if we have to visit a zoo to see an animal like the leopard or elephant and if we don’t tread carefully, even that chance may be lost.
Sri Lanka has earned a worldwide reputation for its unique leopard species Panthera pardus kotiya which can primarily be seen at the Yala National Park (it is called Diviya in Sinhalese and Siruththai in Tamil). However, they live in several other areas as well including some plantation areas. But they are rapidly losing their habitat as human settlements increase and jungle territory is being reclaimed for agriculture and livestock purposes. This decreases the area available for these apex predators to hunt and survive. As their food supply dwindles, they sometimes target livestock and may tend to attack any humans who stand in the way.
Much the same story goes for the Sri Lankan Elephant. The Human-Elephant conflict has cost many lives on both sides. Again, it seems that people have invaded the roaming space of this species, forcing them to come to villages in search of food. Villagers tend to kill both leopards and elephants, who they think may pose a danger.
We can also look towards India, which has a similar Tiger-Human conflict, to learn some lessons on co-existing with predatory animals. The Indian authorities and conservationists have devised many programs and conducted awareness campaigns on co-existing with the 4,000 Tigers living in the wild.
It is also quite necessary to conduct a survey on local wildlife to get an accurate count on at least the major species. This will give wildlife officials an idea about the next steps that should be taken to protect the various species, especially endangered ones. It is also vital to close any loopholes that could pave the way for the illegal capture and trade of wild animals.
Sri Lankan wildlife experts must join worldwide efforts to protect wildlife. Every species, flora or fauna, is a gift of Mother Nature and it would indeed be a disaster if they were to disappear forever, though today’s genetic engineering techniques may be able to prevent it and even bring back extinct species to life. But let us hope that we do not have to go that far to protect the existing species.