Habitat on Wildlife importance

Since the 18th century, social views and concerns about the need to maintain environmental conservation measures have been consistently expressed. Such points of view are intended to emphasize the relevance of habitat to the lives of different wild animals, as well as the repercussions of losing it. Despite the ongoing effort to protect wildlife resources, the landscape appears to suffer diverse degradation from a variety of sources. Wildlife restoration efforts also focus on developing potential methods for manipulating ecosystem elements to benefit certain species of animals. Before engaging wildlife habitat conservation measures, it is first important to know the importance of habitat on wildlife and the relationship between the two. This paper will thus discuss some of the importance of habitat and how to improve the habitat of certain species.

Importance of Habitat

The wildlife largely depends on both the specific and the general features of the habitat. The ecosystem provides the wildlife with the basic requirements for survival which include; space, food, cover, and water. The distribution of the four basic components dictates the type of wild animals that survive at a specific place. The food is provided by plants, insects or other animals while the rivers in the forests provide fresh water for various animals (McComb 2015). The cover is an essential part of the wild animals. Besides nesting, it offers shelter against predators and other elements such as a cold climate. Underground burrows and plants provide secure covers for quite a number of animals. Space provides a platform in which the wildlife can undertake activities such as mating and feeding. Change in the distribution, quantity, and type of various components in the habitat result in a significant effect on the kind of wildlife species found within the same habitat (Bean et al., 2014). The change in the plant community affects the kind of wildlife present in a specific area. While grassy field provides cover and herbaceous food as well as insects to the small mammals such as rabbits and meadows, the red fox and red-tailed hawks which eat the small mammals are present in the open fields as the environment is beneficial for them (Tellería 2016).

Habitat conservation plays an important role in the maintenance of biodiversity. The trend in the continuous erosion of genetic resources of animals and agricultural plants is quite dangerous in the campaign towards global food security (Tellería 2016). Reports have shown that the wild species of agricultural plants are more resistant to diseases that have detrimental effects on human grown plants (Crate, & Nuttall 2016). Maintaining the appropriate habitat, therefore, ensures that plant diversity is maintained for the purposes of food security. While the large animals such as lions and bears also feel the effects of habitat destruction, it is the small creatures who occupy the lowest positions in the food chain that suffer more (McComb 2015). The sea habitat is comprised of a chain in which the diverse plants and micro-organisms work together so as to ensure the survival of the other. The silty mud and sandy beaches houses various microorganisms such as microalgae and bacteria. These microorganisms are tasked with various roles such as the production of oxygen. Their habitats also serve as nurseries for the fish. In a study, to determine the importance of microbial and habitat diversity, the results indicated that the ecosystems with two or more organisms registered a high functionality compared with those that had single-habitat ecosystems (Nyman et al., 2013).



Through the protection of the habitat, animals are able to grow in an environment that has less disturbance and favor their multiplication. The increase in the number of wild animals has serious economic advantages to the human population (Tellería 2016). Many countries currently rely on the revenue generated by the tourism sector. The animals also provide meat and valuable skin in controlled measures. Besides the animals, the wild plants provide food, drugs, oils, and paper. All the mentioned components are quite essential for the survival of the human beings.

Causes of Habitat Destruction

Habitat destruction and loss can happen both naturally or through other anthropogenic events. Natural habitat loss can happen through catastrophic scenarios such as volcanic eruptions or invasion by other dangerous species. Natural climatic changes are the largest cause of habitat loss (McComb 2015). Dry climatic conditions or alternate warming events, for example, have resulted in the drastic decline of the big five in the wild. The previously warm areas in the tropics have currently witnessed extremely cold conditions which have led to the death of the fauna and flora (McComb 2015). Human actions form one of the most significant causes of habitat loss. Even before the current industrial era, human beings have been the major destructors of the natural ecosystem. Hunting activities that include the burning of large sections of the forests have changed the vegetation to the extent that the herbivores such as buffalos lack the source of fresh vegetation. Once the herbivores become extinct, then the next to encounter the same situation will be the carnivores as they entirely depend on the herbivores for meat. Pollution and deforestation have also resulted in the change of the animal habitat. The fact that the rainforests serve as a home to various animal species mean that its destruction will lead to the destruction of various habitats. The entire ecosystem is thus on the verge of extinction because the survival of one species depends on the other. For the aquatic animals, human activities such as oil spills and the dumping of wastes in the water bodies are the leading causes of their deaths (Lambert 2017). The construction of in-land dams has also prevented the fresh flow of water into the marine habitat. The destructive fishing techniques such as poisoning and use of uncertified fishing materials have also resulted in significant destruction of the marine environment. The oceans have also absorbed high levels of carbon dioxide that are generated through industrial processes and the burning of various fossils. The mixture of the gas with water leads to the creation of carbonic acid that seriously affects the marine ecosystem.

Methods of Habitat Conservation

In efforts to mitigate the high levels of natural habitat destruction, many conservation groups focus on the lives of the larger animals. True conservationists, however, know that wildlife is a complete ecosystem in itself and thus cannot flourish without the organisms on the lower part of the food chain. Protecting the small creatures is thus important just as protecting the large wild animals. Since their prevention helps to create a balance in the ecosystem, it is important for every member of the society to champion towards the protection of such animals. In the struggle for wildlife conservation, it is important to protect the area which the species occupies. The areas classified as biodiversity hotspots should thus be the first one even as the other sectors are looked at. By starting with the conservation of the species that is on the verge of extinction, all the other animals in an ecosystem will be protected because they all depend on the existence of the other. Many authorities have developed legislation that is aimed at safeguarding the species that face extinction. Taking an example of the Endangered Species Act in the US, the law provides strict rule and punishments on those that alter the environment that is occupied by the species that are likely to become extinct (Seminoff et al., 2014). Efficient monitoring measure also needs to be adopted so as to ensure that the various species are tracked. The process will ensure that appropriate ensure to curb the dangers facing the wild animals can be developed before the animals become extinct. Human activities such as livestock grazing should also be minimized. Apart from displacing and destroying the wildlife habitat, the cattle are responsible for spreading diverse kinds of diseases that can be very dangerous to the wild animals. Poaching should also receive high levels of punishments. The international community should enact measures aimed at developing serious punishments against those found with the transportation of wildlife products. Despite the measure that has been developed in this area, the coordination amongst many states is still quite low and thus must be improved. The protection of the aquatic habitat also calls for various drastic measures. The strategies should include the end of water pollution that is caused by oil spillage or waste dumping on the rivers. Oil spills lead to insufficient oxygen for the water plants as well as the death of the fish and other important microorganisms. Controlled fishing activities should also be adopted so as to ensure that the small aquatic animals are not removed from the water. Reports have overtime indicated the use of small fishing nets that end up capturing the small fish that would have helped in the sustaining the presence of fish in the ecosystem.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the struggle towards wildlife conservation requires the efforts of all human beings. Despite various wild animal protection efforts, there is still a big number of them that face extinction. The conservation efforts should thus be heightened and must involve wise management of the environment as well as the diverse animal species. The extinction of wild animals is attributed to various factors which occur naturally or are caused by human factors. Although the human activities serve to promote the welfare of the humans, they have caused adverse effects on the survival of animals. The conservation of the wildlife comes with diverse advantages such as the provision of skin and meat. The plants also provide oils, drugs, paper, and gums. As much as the fight towards wildlife conservation may not be realized in the near future, continued conservation measures will result in success.





























Reference

Bean, W. T., Prugh, L. R., Stafford, R., Butterfield, H. S., Westphal, M., & Brashares, J. S. (2014). Species distribution models of an endangered rodent offer conflicting measures of habitat quality at multiple scales. Journal of Applied Ecology, 51(4), 1116-1125.

Crate, S. A., & Nuttall, M. (Eds.). (2016). Anthropology and climate change: from encounters to actions. Routledge.

Lambert, T. (2017). The Effect of Petroleum Fuels and Biofuels on Aquatic Plant Life. Journal of McPherson College Science, 25, 29.

McComb, B. C. (2015). Wildlife habitat management: concepts and applications in forestry. CRC Press.

Nyman, J. A., Baltz, D. M., Kaller, M. D., Leberg, P. L., Richards, C. P., Romaire, R. P., & Soniat, T. M. (2013). Likely changes in habitat quality for fish and wildlife in coastal Louisiana during the next fifty years. Journal of Coastal Research, 67(sp1), 60-74.

Seminoff, J. A., Balazs, G. H., Dutton, P. H., Eguchi, T., Haas, H. L., Hargrove, S. A., ... & Poussardt, E. E. (2014). Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) status review under the US Endangered Species Act. NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, MD.

Tellería, J. L. (2016). Wildlife habitat requirements: concepts and research approaches. In Current Trends in Wildlife Research (pp. 79-95). Springer International Publishing.