Why is Wildlife Conservation Important?

 An introduction to the blog

Let's start from the beginning of our origin story. Around 300,000 years ago, the first Homo sapiens lived just like all the other animals that have ever existed. Food, water, shelter, and maybe a heavy stick for caveman purposes; it was all about survival back then. Fast forward the timeline of human evolution, and while it's true that other species have developed as well, the development of Homo sapiens has had the most significant effect on the planet. Although it is impressive to evolve from hunting and scavenging to creating artificial intelligence and space crafts, the path that led to where we are now has destroyed as much as it has created. 97% of the earth's natural landscape has been disturbed by humans, leaving only 3% untouched land. All of this destruction means the collapse of ecosystems; the loss of life in flora and fauna. Species unable to adapt to the environmental changes made by humans often go extinct. In fact, many people don't realize there are more species that have gone extinct than species alive today. 

So, why is wildlife conservation important? Well, based on the points made above, we should place more importance on conservation efforts because we've already caused the extinction of hundreds of species and have placed millions more under "threat of extinction" in just the past decades. We would look like assholes if we merely accepted past (and present) actions without correcting them, and although many of the existing conservation and environmental issues weren't caused directly by us, leaving our problems to the next generation isn't fair. If morals aren't enough to persuade, read on. 

One of the more effective arguments as to why conservation is important is that humans rely on nature for survival. We wouldn't have enough oxygen without trees, and we wouldn't have fruits without bees; the list goes on and on. A less commonly known fact is that over 50% of life-saving drugs were developed using plants and animals. Each organism on earth has its unique role in life; in many cases, that role benefits us. If these species have contributed to improving the lives of humans, humans should be able to do the same for them. 

Preserving wildlife means preserving ecosystems as well. Healthy ecosystems ensure that the food web stays balanced; an unbalanced food web often leads to new threatened species, turning this into a complicated cycle of losing more and more biodiversity from the world's various ecosystems. And since each organism has a role in its habitats, the disappearance of a whole species can cause environmental decay as well. The loss of wildlife clearly affects more than just the species gone extinct; our habitat (well, basically the whole world) is at risk of falling apart. 

Emma's Earth Explorations highlights the often underrated species on earth while educating readers on the importance of their niches and on ways to protect them. This blog also explores some of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems, showcasing their beauty and roles in the balance of nature. All of this is done with the goal of helping people understand that every species has value and that the uniqueness of each one is what makes them worth preserving. 

I hope this post has enlightened you, and more importantly, helped you gain awareness of the precious life around us.