Number Of Tigers

Image source: Wikipedia

Take for example the continued declining numbers of tigers, the largest of the big cats.

The population of tigers is believed to have declined by 95 percent in the last century.

Tigers continue to face challenges imposed by poaching, retributive killings and habitat loss.

Tiger bone is also in high demand for traditional medicines in China and some other parts of the world, often based on mistaken beliefs, or weak evidence for their effectiveness.

Tiger populations have declined over the past century © TigerHomes.org, December 30, 2006

IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is the world’s oldest environmental organization, working around the world.

Periodically, they produce theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species to highlight species that are extinct or extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable.

Their data suggests that the global tiger population has declined to an estimated range from 3,402-5,140 tigers, revised down from estimates of 5,000 to 7,000 made a few years earlier. The Bali, Caspian, and Javan tigers are already classified as extinct (in the 1940s, 1970s, and 1980s, respectively).

Interactive map of tiger issues around the world from WWF, accessed February 2010

Noting the above declines, the BBC released a collection of videos on tigers and other species. They also noticed that tigers have disappeared from over 90% of their historic range over the past century. They add that recent estimates suggest less than 1,000 scattered over India and fewer than 40 are left in China.

Year of the Tiger, BBC, accessed February 13, 2010 (video might not be available outside UK, but link also has other information)

It’s not just tigers either. Rare leopards, deer and other animals are also being illegally traded and many other animals are dwindling in numbers, some of which are mentioned below.

It’s An Uphill Struggle To Conserve

Unfortunately, despite the effort put into conservation by organizations and activists, their work can easily be undermined by those who have other interests. This occurs, for example, from habitat destruction, illegal poaching, to influencing or manipulating laws designed to protect species.

The current form of globalization has also been criticized for ignoring sustainable development and environmental concerns. For many years, critics, NGOs, activists and affected peoples have been accusing large corporations for being major sources of environmental problems.

As a recent example, a study reported by the journal Nature concluded that almost a third of threats to animal species around the world stem from trade to meet the demands of richer nations. And with some poorer nations such as China increasing their development, this picture will get more complex.

Consequently, helping species and ecosystems to survive becomes more difficult.

Back to top

Declining Number Of Large Carnivores

Three quarters of the world’s big carnivores are in decline. A study in the journal Science, notes that these large animals — such as lions, leopards, wolves and bears — are in decline, due to declining habitats and persecution by humans. In the developed world, most large carnivores are already extinct, while in the rest of the world, most face threats of extinction locally or globally.

This also has a negative impact on the environment, perhaps partly formed by outdated-views that predators are harmful for other wildlife. As the study notes, these large carnivores are an intrinsic part of an ecosystem’s biodiversity. As a simple example, the loss of a large carnivore may mean in the short term the herbivores they prey on may increase in numbers but this can also result in a deterioration of the environment as the herbivores can graze more, largely unchecked.

Current ecological knowledge indicates that large carnivores are necessary for the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem function. Human actions cannot fully replace the role of large carnivores. Additionally, the future of increasing human resource demands and changing climate will affect biodiversity and ecosystem resiliency. These facts, combined with the importance of resilient ecosystems, indicate that large carnivores and their habitats should be maintained and restored wherever possible.

— Status and Ecological Effects of the World’s Largest Carnivores, Science, 10 January 2014: Vol. 343 no. 6167, DOI: 10.1126/science.1241484

This observation applies to the seas as well, whereby a few decades ago some fisherman had justified hunting and killing whales because they were affecting the fish supply. It turned out that this disruption of the natural food chain led to a series of ecosystem changes that reduced fish supplies, and many fishermen’s livelihoods were destroyed. This is explained further in this site’s section on biodiversity loss (in particular the section on declining ocean biodiversity).

Declining Number Of Lions

Image source: Wikipedia

And another iconic animal, the lion, is also dwindling in numbers. The BBCreports (October 2003) that fewer than 20,000 lions now survive in Africa, compared to 200,000 in the early 1980s.

With such prominent and iconic animals dwindling, what of other less emblematic creatures, the BBC also asks?

Sport or trophy hunting was cited as a major cause of the decline with males — young or old — primarily targeted. Another reason was the population pressures that have meant encroachment onto lands closer to lions.

Tourism had not really benefited the people of such communities, and so they do not see the benefit in preserving them.

But a decade later, by 2013, some nations are seeing a shift: Zambia decided to ban hunting of lions and leopards as it sees tourism for viewing the animals alive more lucrative than blood-sport tourism. Similarly, Botswana is banning all sport hunting in 2014.

While very welcome, it has come only when economics becomes a factor, which means that populations have to go through unnecessary declines before things are (easily) done to prevent it.

Declining Number Of Rhinos

Rhinos are critically endangered

Although almost all species of rhinos have been recognized as critically endangered for many years, the conservation organization, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) noted in 2009 that rhino poaching worldwide is poised to hit a 15-year-high driven by Asian demand for horns.

As with the killing of sharks just for their fins, whereby the body is discarded once the fin is cut off the shark, rhinos are often killed just for the horns. In some Asian countries it is wrongly believed the horns have medicinal value.

The IUCN is finding some 3 rhinos a month are being killed. In some places that number is even higher. In Africa, the total rhino population is estimated to be around 18,000 and in India/Nepal only 2,400.

At the end of 2011, the IUCN declared that the West African wild black rhino was extinct, while a subspecies of white rhino in Central Africa may be extinct. In addition, the last Javan rhino outside Java is believed to be extinct. Although overall numbers have been increasing lately, various subspecies are still vulnerable to poaching.

Ironically rhino protection has been one of conservations great triumphs given how decimated many populations were about a century ago. South Africa, home to the largest population of rhinos (around 80% of all African rhinos), has been at the forefront of conservation, but as the IUCN warned a few years ago, poaching is again on the increase and numerous species remain vulnerable.

New Scientist notes that the increase in rhino poaching since 2008 has been exponential bringing them ever closes to the tipping point.

In 2009, ICUN were fearing some 3 rhinos a month were being killed. In 2012, it was almost 2 a day in South Africa alone, up 50% from 2011.

This increased even more, to 1004 rhinos killed in South Africa in 2013.

TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network, reported that South Africa has witnessed a rising spiral of organized, violent rhino-related criminal activity. Much of this comes from Vietnam as well as other countries such as China, Thailand and Malaysia, all for the mistaken belief that rhino horns can help cure hangovers and cancer. Some of the criminal networks involved are also believed to be involved in other illegal activities such as drug and diamond smuggling, human trafficking and illegal trade in other wildlife products such as elephant ivory.

Declining Number Of Polar Bears, Penguins, & Amphibian Populations

© WWF, Where Polar Bears Live

The World Wildlife Fund for Nature lists toxic pollution, oil exploration, and hunting, as well as climate change, as the threats polar bears face.

Polar bears are found throughout the circumpolar Arctic on pack ice, along or near coasts, and on islands:

The situation has become dire enough for the Bush Administration in the US to propose to list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The polar bear depends on sea ice. (Source: Wikipedia)

This itself is an interesting turn of events as the Bush Administration has typically been reluctant to acknowledge concerns about climate change, and a lot of lobbying by environmental groups has led to this proposal.

Earlier in 2006, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) had already put the polar bear on their Red List of Threatened Species.

Back to top

Declining Number Of Penguins?

A concern about crashing numbers of a particular species of penguin in recent years, the rockhoppers, shows that there may be numerous complicated factors causing this, and it is not always easy to know for sure. In the Falkland Islands alone, the species numbers have dropped from 600,000 to 420,000 in just 6 years, and down from 1.5 million in 1932. But from all their habitats millions have recently vanished.

Scientists are struggling to wonder whether it is starvation due to overfishing, climate change, a combination, or some other factors affecting this species.

Back to top

Declining Amphibian Populations

The Golden Toad of Monteverde, Costa Rica was among the first casualties of amphibian declines. Formerly abundant, it was last seen in 1989. (Source: Wikipedia)

Amphibians are particularly sensitive to changes in the environment. Amphibians have been described as a marker species or the equivalent of “canaries of the coal mines” meaning they provide an important signal to the health of biodiversity; when they are stressed and struggling, biodiversity may be under pressure. When they are doing well, biodiversity is probably healthy.

Unfortunately, as has been feared for many years now, amphibian species are declining at an alarming rate.

As described further on this site’s biodiversity section, causes for such an alarming rate of decline is not entirely natural.

Declining Number Of Monkeys, Apes And Other Primates

A report by the world’s foremost primate authorities, the International Primatological Society, presented the state of primates around the world. They found that of the world’s 634 kinds of primates almost 50 percent are in danger of going extinct.

© Pam Wood

A breakdown showed the following numbers and percentages of primates fell into the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List classification for species as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered:

• Africa: 63 species and subspecies (37% of all African primates)
• Asia: 120 species and subspecies (71% of all African primates)
• Madagascar: 41 species and subspecies (43% of all Malagasy primates)
• Neotropics: 79 species and subspecies (40% of all Neotropical primates)

© Conservation International, 2008

Causes included habitat destruction, the hunting of primates for food and an illegal wildlife trade.

It’s also important to note that within the various species of apes are sub-species. For example, mountain gorillas are a species of gorilla, andmountain gorilla numbers are incredibly low, approximately 720, according to the International Gorilla Conservation Program.

Gorillas have often been stereotypes as aggressive, yet they are almost the opposite, and as this following award-winning video shows, there is much in their gentle and peaceful nature that humans can relate to.

Gorillas… 98.6% Human, Explore.org, June 2009

Back to top

AIDS Research Also Affected

In 1999 scientists revealed what they believed was the origins of AIDS. The source comes from a type of chimpanzee that is immune to the virus. Unfortunately, the forests in which they live are being opened up by logging companies, resulting in a destruction of the chimpanzee’s habitat.

Also hunting of these and other animals is on the increase in the forest. All these factors are preventing further studies of the possible cures for AIDS. (For more about the immense problems around the world from AIDS, including political issues, check out this web site’s section on AIDS.)

New Species Still Being Found; Makes Conservation More Important

As reported by University of California, Berkeley, using DNA comparisons, scientists have discovered what they have termed an “evolutionary concept called parallelism, a situation where two organisms independently come up with the same adaptation to a particular environment.”

This has an additional ramification when it comes to protecting biodiversity and endangered species. This is because in the past what we may have considered to be one species could actually be many. But, as pointed out by scientists, by putting them all in one group, it under-represents biodiversity, and these different evolutionarily species would not get the protection otherwise needed.

An example of this can be seen with the African elephant, where forest dwelling species are found to be different species to the ones found in the savannahs, as reported by the Telegraph newspaper. As the article also points out, “Instead of assuming that 500,000 elephants exist in Africa, it now seems that there are many fewer of each kind, and ‘they are both much more endangered than we presumed’, said Dr Georgiadis [of the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya.]”

In June 2002, it was announced that two never-before described species of monkey have been found in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. In October 2004, the BBC reported that a new giant ape has been found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, similar to a giant chimpanzee but behaving much like gorillas. In December 2004, a new species of monkey was discovered in India. These remarkable finds shows that there is still much to discover and learn about biodiversity in general.

In February 2006, scientists revealed that they had discovered hundreds of new species in a remote mountain rainforest region of western New Guinea. These species included birds, frogs, butterflies, palm trees, and many other plants yet to be classified. Other animals such as tree kangaroos, wallabies, and anteaters—all extremely rare elsewhere—were also found. In addition, scientists noticed that many of the animals were not afraid of humans, and some were even easily picked up, suggesting they had generally not encountered humans before.

In March 2006, Scientific American reported that in Laos, a rodent, believed to have been extict for 11 million years, was found alive and so “provides a compelling argument for preservation efforts in Southeast Asia.”

In December 2008, WWF released a report noting that over 1000 new species have been discovered in the Greater Mekong Region of Southeast Asia in just the last decade from 1997 to 2007.

The region covers Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan, the six countries through which the Mekong River flows. The species include 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, 4 birds, 4 turtles, 2 salamanders and a toad.

In addition, it was also estimated that thousands of new invertebrate species were also discovered during this period, further highlighting the region’s immense biodiversity.

Images of some of the species were also published:

Conservation, protecting and preserving is therefore more about the species in question; it requires the protection of their habitat too, which in turn helps many other species in those same areas.

Back to top

Sustainable Development And Conservation

The factors described above that affect AIDS research also highlights a deeper aspect of other related issues affecting conservation. In Europe, for example, threats such as increased agricultural/land requirements, hunting, persecution and land-claims etc are contributing to a shrinking biodiversity in Europe.

Efforts to move towards sustainable development and conservation efforts are therefore beginning to be based on the understanding that issues such as poverty need to be addressed, to provide people with alternatives.