Wildlife management.ppt and the importance of wildlife

Importance of Wildlife and Wildlife Management
Introduction
Wildlife refers to all living organisms, including animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms, that exist in their natural habitats without direct human intervention. It plays a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance, supporting biodiversity, and providing numerous benefits to human societies.

However, due to increasing human activities such as deforestation, pollution, habitat destruction, and illegal hunting, wildlife is under constant threat. This is where wildlife management comes into play—ensuring the conservation, protection, and sustainable use of wildlife resources.

Importance of Wildlife
1. Ecological Importance
Wildlife is an essential component of ecosystems. It helps in:

Maintaining Biodiversity: Every species plays a role in ecosystem stability. The extinction of one species can disrupt food chains and ecosystems.
Pollination and Seed Dispersal: Birds, bees, butterflies, and bats contribute to plant reproduction, ensuring the survival of forests and crops.
Predator-Prey Balance: Predators control herbivore populations, preventing overgrazing and maintaining healthy ecosystems.
Nutrient Cycling: Scavengers like vultures and decomposers like fungi break down dead organisms, recycling nutrients back into the environment.
2. Economic Importance
Wildlife contributes significantly to the economy through:

Ecotourism: Many countries generate billions of dollars through wildlife tourism (e.g., safaris in Africa, tiger reserves in India).
Agriculture and Forestry: Many crops rely on pollinators like bees, and forests provide timber and medicinal plants.
Fisheries and Livelihoods: Fishing industries depend on maintaining aquatic wildlife populations.
Pharmaceutical Benefits: Many medicines are derived from plant and animal sources (e.g., snake venom for antivenom, fungi for antibiotics).
3. Cultural and Aesthetic Importance
Wildlife has cultural, spiritual, and recreational significance:

Religious and Spiritual Value: Many cultures revere animals (e.g., cows in Hinduism, eagles in Native American traditions).
Art and Literature: Wildlife has inspired paintings, books, folklore, and films.
Recreation and Well-being: Activities like birdwatching, wildlife photography, and nature walks contribute to mental health and well-being.
4. Environmental Stability and Climate Regulation
Forests and Wetlands: Home to diverse wildlife, these ecosystems absorb CO₂, mitigate climate change, and prevent soil erosion.
Mangroves and Coral Reefs: Provide coastal protection and serve as nurseries for marine life.
Threats to Wildlife
1. Habitat Destruction
Deforestation due to agriculture, urbanization, and logging.
Wetland Drainage for industrial and residential purposes.
2. Poaching and Illegal Wildlife Trade
Hunting endangered species for fur, ivory, and medicinal use.
Exotic pet trade leading to species exploitation.

1. Wildlife management
•To balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people
using the best availalble knowledge of wildlife.

2. Types of wildlife mangement
•Manipulative wildlife mangement
It includes managing numbers of animals directly by harvesting
or by influencing the numbers by altering food supply,
environment or the density of predators
•Custodial wildlife management
Custodial mgt. is preventive or protective and reduces external
influences on the population and its habitat

4. Habitat
Destruction
•most critical factor in
species extinction.
• There now 20%

less forest cover
than
existed 300 years ago

5. Habitat Destruction
•Extensive human demand resulted into Habitat Loss.
•forests are cleared for
wood / timber resources
mineral resources
 for cash-crop plantations and subsistence farming

6. Poaching and hunting
•Another major cause of animal species extinction.
•Species all over the world are hunted illegally (also
known as
 
poaching)

7. National and International Wildlife Trade
•Pet Trade
•Fur Trade
•Meat Trade
•Body Parts Trade

T Trade for Biomedical Research

8. Some other major threats
Pesticides and toxic
chemicals
Climate change
Natural
phenomena pollution
Overexploitation of
resources
Accidental deaths

9. Effects of Wild Life Depletion

10. 1) Unbalance Food chain
and Ecosystem
2) Reduction in rare
Wild Animals

11. 3) Danger to Human Life
4) Impact on Biodiversity

12. 5) Loss of economic value
6) Loss of genetic information