A large number of animal species are threatened with extinction due to human activities on land and in the ocean. This essay will discuss the reasons behind this issue, and then offer some feasible solutions.
There are several factors responsible for animal extinction. Chief among these is the pursuit of personal interests. At present, collecting can be regarded as the most enjoyable hobby of some people, especially collecting wildlife specimens. They will find it rewarding after a successful hunt and feel satisfied because when owning rare and valuable animal parts, like ivory and fur. As a result, it is undeniable that not only endangered species but other wild animals are hunted and traded to meet this illegal human demand. For instance, a pessimistic reality is that the scientists are trying to save the last remaining rhinos because of such cruel and immoral activities that people mistakenly believe are harmless. Another reason for this is the overexploitation of sea tourism. Lots of people tend to go to the beach in hot weather, and sometimes these huge numbers of people can often cause serious consequences, particularly for marine life. Evidently, most beaches are found to be messy, covered with many plastic wastes, like water bottles or food packages, and the amount of shampoo and body wash gels in the sea. Therefore, the marine environment can be polluted, which detrimentally causes death of corals and loss of the marine animals’ habitats.
Nevertheless, various measures will be adopted to handle these problems. The first possible approach is that the government should implement strict species conservation policies. The acts of illegal hunting and trading endangered animals should be punished heavily. This would discourage people from exploiting wildlife and help maintain ecological diversity. For example, many traders in Vietnam have been arrested for transporting elephant ivory by the police, which prevented them from poaching. Secondly, well-managed sea tourism is an effective way to preserve the biodiversity of species. Authorities and tour operators should limit the number of visitors to avoid uncontrolled situations, like overcrowding or environmental damage, and raise the awareness of protecting nature among tourists; so that the economy will not come at the cost of environmental destruction.
In conclusion, animal extinction results from various factors, among which are poaching, trading and sea overexploitation. However, if people’s awareness is raised and preservation laws are imposed, the situation can be alleviated.