Global Context
Throughout the world there are millions of different life forms whose interactions with one another help shape our world. Wildlife is essential to our lives because they maintain a balance in the natural world on which we depend on. This is a social justice issue because we are threatening many species we depend on with extinction. Some scientists estimated in a recent study that there are “8.7 million species on the planet, plus or minus 1.3 million”, and many more yet to be identified (How Many Species? A Study Says 8.7 Million, but It's Tricky). Out of all those species, “16,928 are listed as threatened with extinction” (Total number of known threatened species: 16,938). You may think that a thousand out of a million isn’t enough to cause much damage, but it can have a major ripple effect that can affect us in many ways. Biodiversity plays an important role in how environments are shaped and how they function. If these species are wiped out, there will be devastating consequences on the environment that will eventually impact us. Many of these species are threatened because of illegal poaching, habitat destruction, and climate change. Wildlife such as elephants are hunted illegally for their tusks which are highly valuable in the black market. However many people do not realize that elephants are keystone species, meaning they are crucial at shaping their environments. The Amazon Rainforest and rainforests around the world harbor huge amounts of wildlife, and yet they are being cut down for their resources and to make room for other developments. What’s worse, when these forests are cut down they release a massive amount of stored carbon that contributes to climate change. Climate change affects every species on earth and has been increasing at a rapid rate. Species that are threatened the most are those that live in the arctic and Antarctic regions, such as polar bears, who rely on ice to survive. In order to help protect wildlife, special laws and sanctions must be made at the political level. Also, people must be educated of the importance of wildlife and the consequences it may have on future generations if not acted upon, this must be done at the social level. Of course the economy must also change in order to stop the illegal trafficking of animal parts, and embrace further appreciation of ecotourism and other wildlife friendly forms of profit.