The Earth, where we live, has its own stable ecosystem. Not only live human beings here, but also other species like animals and plants. A balanced environment is vital for the sustainability of our planet. However, there have been a lot of species under threat of extinction nowadays. Do you know how many species are facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the world? There are more than 28,000 critically endangered species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (The IUCN red list of threatened species, n.d.).
What is the reason for these endangered species? There are two main reasons, such as loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation (Endangered species, n.d.). For example, human activities, like developments, can directly destroy the habitats of native species by cutting down trees for housing, industrial sites, and so on. Moreover, when species lose their habitats, they may pop up in people’s living areas often and be killed by cars, or poisoned food. Also, overhunting kills enormous populations of species, which leads to the number of species declining significantly. As a result of this, species lose their genetic variation. In other words, the genetic variation depends on many breeding pairs, much fewer breeding pairs can be chosen if the population of species reduces, which causes unhealthy offspring (Endangered species, n.d.).
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A feasible solution to these issues mentioned above is recovering the habitats of species. Organizations of conversation species have been working hard to reduce the effect of the loss of habitats of species caused by human beings' activities. For instance, governments in some countries encourage people to live in townhouses and apartments in order to eliminate a lot of lands to be developed by cutting down trees. Moreover, organizations of the conservation of species promote awareness of the importance of protecting the environment such as, by decreasing landfill and pollution and providing information about the protection of animals. Importantly, the protection of endangered species can not just rely on a single country, or individuals, it should cooperate on a worldwide scale.
WWF(World Wildlife Fund) is the world’s leading conservation organization, having been protecting the future of nature for 60 years, working in 100 countries, and being supported by nearly five million people worldwide (Who we are. n.d.).Since WWF was established in 1961, it has been helping to create many habitats for species. In particular, in 1973 WWF bought 37,000 acres, which was nearby Kenya’s Lake Nakuru, where there were 30 bird species protected, including a million flamingoes, and then a 770-square-mile protected area was developed in Brazil. What is more, WWF focus not just on the conservation of specific species, but also on establishing national parks and natural reserves to create habitats for species. For instance, with the help of WWF, 13 major habitat types were established in 1975 in Chile, a 1,442-square mile Wangchuck Centennial Park was formed in Bhutan, 49% of the land was protected, and two national parks as a main habitat for tigers, covering 419,000 acres, were established in Russia (History, n.d.).
WWF has gained a lot of achievements after more than half-century hard work. Firstly, the number of black rhinos went up in 2004, with 3600, compared to 2400 in the 1900s, and as11 times as many of white rhinos increased as well, compared with a century ago. Furthermore, a study shows approximately 50% more pandas in China than the number of being thought. In addition, it is announced that the number of wild tigers has climbed for the first time since 100 years ago (History, n.d). All those accomplishments WWF has achieved come from its great ambitions, be it “ together, we can protect and restore species and their habitats” and “mobilizing hundreds of millions of people to support conservation”( Who we are. n.d.).
WWF, as a non-profit organization, needs fundraising by requiring donations from individuals, businesses, etc. to reach its goal. From its first year, 1961, with only $33,500 to last year,2018, with $ 40,035,624 donations, WWF has obtained substantial financial support globally. Particularly, it received the largest donation in its history from the estate of H. Guy Di Stefano, with $34.6 million. Plus, some famous companies, like Coca-Cola, Google, IBM, Dell, and Intel have joined in the activities of preservation of the environment. In 2016 WWF with Apple company worked together around Earth Day gaining $ 8 million. Significantly, 84% of WWF's spending is directed to worldwide conservation activities(Financials,n.d.).
In conclusion, WWF is a reliable organization, and also we can see the significant improvement of habitats of species. I hope that everyone can contribute a little, no matter if it is your time, or money so that we can recover and protect the habitats of species, and help ensure a bright future for people and nature.
Reference
- IUCN. (2019). The IUCN red list of threatened species. Retrieved from https://www.iucnredlistx.org/
- NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY.(n.d.). Endangered species. Retrieved November 2, 2019, from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/
- WWF.(n.d.). Who we are. Retrieved November 2, 2019, from https://www.worldwildlife.org/about
- WWF.(n.d.). History. Retrieved November 2, 2019, from https://www.worldwildlife.org/about/history
- WWF.(n.d.). Financials. Retrieved November 2, 2019, from https://www.worldwildlife.org/about/financials