Running head: BENEFITS OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
The benefits of wildlife conservation
, 2
BENEFITS OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Wildlife conservation brings forth many benefits
Humans and wildlife are so closely interrelated that it is impractical to try to separate
the two. Therefore, it makes sense, both socially and scientifically, for all of us to put in the
effort to conserve and protect the natural system that sustains us. At the end of the day,
humanity benefits from wildlife conservation just as much as wildlife does. What constitutes
as ‘wildlife’? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, wildlife is defined as animals and
plants that grow independently of people, usually in natural conditions. Essentially, it refers
to the undomesticated flora and fauna of any natural ecosystem. As for the word
‘conservation’, the given meaning is the protection of plants and animals, natural areas, and
interesting and important structures and buildings, especially from the damaging effects of
human activity. Put together, wildlife conservation as one phrase has two meanings. Lu
(2009) stated that, “one is the preservation of both species and species diversity, the other is
based on animal welfare, which is primarily aimed at wildlife in captivity” (as cited by Zhou,
Wan, Jin, & Zhang, 2016, p.270).
Interestingly, for a topic that is so widely discussed, wildlife conservation still seems
to be overwhelmingly misunderstood. Take any persons aside on the streets and ask them if
they are in favour of conserving wildlife - most likely, their answer would be yes. Follow
through with a question of ‘why?’ and you would find many struggle to formulate a decent
answer. People seem to understand that wildlife conservation is important, but beyond it
being politically correct, they have no actual opinion about it. According to Haight and
Gobster (2009), there are many factors that provide incentive for humans to conserve
wildlife. People may conserve wildlife to enjoy wildlife-related activities. Their willingness
to support the cause may be borne of their desire to connect with nature. They may also
conserve it to benefit from the resources they provide, in terms of food, fabrics and other
The benefits of wildlife conservation
, 2
BENEFITS OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Wildlife conservation brings forth many benefits
Humans and wildlife are so closely interrelated that it is impractical to try to separate
the two. Therefore, it makes sense, both socially and scientifically, for all of us to put in the
effort to conserve and protect the natural system that sustains us. At the end of the day,
humanity benefits from wildlife conservation just as much as wildlife does. What constitutes
as ‘wildlife’? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, wildlife is defined as animals and
plants that grow independently of people, usually in natural conditions. Essentially, it refers
to the undomesticated flora and fauna of any natural ecosystem. As for the word
‘conservation’, the given meaning is the protection of plants and animals, natural areas, and
interesting and important structures and buildings, especially from the damaging effects of
human activity. Put together, wildlife conservation as one phrase has two meanings. Lu
(2009) stated that, “one is the preservation of both species and species diversity, the other is
based on animal welfare, which is primarily aimed at wildlife in captivity” (as cited by Zhou,
Wan, Jin, & Zhang, 2016, p.270).
Interestingly, for a topic that is so widely discussed, wildlife conservation still seems
to be overwhelmingly misunderstood. Take any persons aside on the streets and ask them if
they are in favour of conserving wildlife - most likely, their answer would be yes. Follow
through with a question of ‘why?’ and you would find many struggle to formulate a decent
answer. People seem to understand that wildlife conservation is important, but beyond it
being politically correct, they have no actual opinion about it. According to Haight and
Gobster (2009), there are many factors that provide incentive for humans to conserve
wildlife. People may conserve wildlife to enjoy wildlife-related activities. Their willingness
to support the cause may be borne of their desire to connect with nature. They may also
conserve it to benefit from the resources they provide, in terms of food, fabrics and other
