Durban — According to the Living Planet Report 2022, a comprehensive study of trends in global biodiversity and the health of the planet revealed an average decline of 69% in species populations since 1970.
The World Wildlife Fund said that, while conservation efforts were helping, urgent action was required to reverse nature loss.
As people, we can only thrive when nature thrives. We are reliant on nature for our food, water, fresh air, energy, and so much more. And yet, our planet is in dire straits. It will require a concerted effort to work together to rebuild what we have destroyed, and to live sustainably.
The Johannesburg SPCA highlighted five reasons conservation concerns all of us.
Climate change
Forests help to slow the rate of climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it. Yet, lesser known is that wild animals that live in the forests also play a crucial role.
For example, plant-eating wild animals can help reduce the frequency of wildfires by reducing the amount of grass that can fuel fires through grazing.
By way of illustration, in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, white rhinos have been known to reduce the spread and intensity of fires, especially after high rainfall when grass grows more rapidly.
Food source for billions
Wild animals serve as a critical food source for billions of people around the world.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that 34 million people rely on fishing for a living, providing protein to more than 3 billion people, while consuming wild meat, such as ostrich meat, also has health benefits.
Support for health practices
Chemicals from nature have been a part of human civilisation since our early ancestors began using them. Today, they continue to provide valuable insights to researchers and medical practitioners with crucial implications for medical sciences. Amphibians are especially important for modern medicine with compounds extracted from frogs alone used for treating depression, seizures, strokes and memory loss.
Therapeutic benefits
Wildlife offers numerous therapeutic benefits. Research has shown that people are most drawn to landscapes that are tranquil, aesthetically appealing, have a historic significance and contain wildlife. Wildlife also provides us important spiritual and emotional benefits.
Animals improve our soil
Wild animals play a key role in enhancing the health and fertility of soil. Their dung and urine help replenish the nutrient content of the soil by providing it with enriching minerals. Wildlife can also move nutrients around – for example, hippos’ night-time grazing in grasslands brings nutrients back to the river through their dung, helping fish productivity
Independent on Saturday
