We should protect endangered species

The world celebrated the World Environment Day (WED) Sunday.

This day is aimed at raising global awareness on taking positive environmental action towards protecting nature and the planet. This year's theme for WED – Go Wild for Life – calls for the world to celebrate all the endangered species and take action that promotes their conservation.

Although climate change, industrialisation and population growth have posed a great threat to our wildlife, there is a serious threat to our already fragile natural systems that can be attributed to the atrocities committed against wild animals and plants.

For instance, in Africa, elephants are slaughtered and their tusks sold. Asia provides one of the biggest markets for these tusks and tiger skins among other wild gems. The use of wildlife products has had a negative impact on human health. Wildlife crime has been directly linked to the outbreak of various zoonotic diseases like Ebola.

Going with the current trend, experts warn that elephants will become extinct in 10 years. With their extinction, local communities that rely on them for tourism will be economically affected.

Thirdly, although the environmental impacts may not be easy to identify in the short-term, elimination of one species from an ecosystem causes a huge ecological imbalance. The negative effects on an area's biodiversity are also adverse and often irreversible. This automatically poses a challenge to the animals or plants that rely on the eliminated species for survival and regeneration.

There should be increased efforts in creating awareness for people – especially the sellers and buyers – to know the damages caused by the illegal wildlife trade to the environment,security and communities.