"Wildlife" is a term that refers to animals that are not normally domesticated (raised by humans).

They are a living resource that will die and be replaced by others of their kind. Individual animals cannot be kept beyond their life span. But if managed carefully, populations of wildlife can be conserved practically forever Living things face a constant barrage of external stresses or threats that challenge their ability to survive and reproduce. If a species is unable to successfully cope with these threats through adaptation, they may face extinction.

A constantly changing physical environment requires organisms to adapt to new temperatures, climates, and atmospheric conditions. Living things must also deal with unexpected events such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, meteor strikes, fires, and hurricanes.

As new lifeforms arise and interact, species are further challenged to adapt to one another to deal with competition, predation, parasitism, disease, and other complex biotic processes.

In recent evolutionary history, threats facing many organisms have been driven primarily by the effects of a single species: humans. The extent to which humans have altered this planet has effected countless species and has initiated extinctions on such a vast scale that many scientists believe we are now experiencing a mass extinction (the sixth mass extinction in the history of life on earth).

Preventable Threats

Since man is indeed part of nature, man-made threats are merely a subset of natural threats. But unlike other natural threats, man-made threats are threats that we can prevent by changing our behavior.

As humans, we have a unique ability to understand the consequences of our actions, both present and past. We are capable of learning more about the

effects our actions have on the world around us and how changes in those actions could help to alter future events. By examining how human activities have adversely impacted life on earth, we can take steps to reverse past damages and prevent future damage.

The Types of Man-Made Threats

Man-made threats can be classified into the following general categories:

Habitat Destruction & Fragmentation - The destruction or splitting up of once continuous habitat to enable humans to use the land for agriculture, development of towns and cities, construction of dams, or other purposes. Climage Change - Human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, have altered the Earth's atmosphere and have resulted in global climate changes. Introduction of Exotic Species - Accidental and intentional introduction of nonnative species into regions never before occupied by the species have resulted in the extinctio of numerous endemic species. Pollution - Pollutants (pesticides, herbicides, etc.) released into the environment are ingested by a wide variety of organisms. Over-Exploitation of Resources - Exploitation of wild populations for food has resulted in population crashes (over-fishing, for example). Hunting, Poaching, Illegal Trade of Endangered Species - Some endangered species are targeted for their value on illegal markets. Accidental Deaths - Car hits, window collisions (birds), collissions with ships (whales). Suggested Reading

Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

It is often easy to feel overwhelmed in the face of species loss and habitat destruction. The problem is large and complexit's common for individuals to feel powerless. Yet, everything we do is vitally important. We may only do a little bit in the grand scheme of things, but together our seemingly small actions add up to a lot.

1. Protect Wildlife Habitat

Photo Paul Tessier / iStockphoto. Perhaps the greatest threat that faces many species is the widespread destruction of habitat. Deforestation, farming, over-grazing and development all result in irreversible changessoil compaction, erosion, desertification, and alteration of local climatic conditions. Such land use practices vastly alter or even eliminate wildlife habitat. In areas where rare species are present, habitat destruction can quickly force a species to extinction.

By protecting habitat, entire communities of animals can be protected together and when communities are kept intact, less conservation intervention is required to ensure species survival. Parks, reserves, and other protected lands are too often the only habitats left untouched by habitat destruction.

2. Join a Conservation Organization

Photo Hidesy / iStockphoto. There is a wide range of conservation organizations working to protect endangered animals and habitats. Different organizations have different

objectivessome work to protect a small plot of land or to protect whales, others focus on establishing good environmental policies in local government.

If you have a specific area of interest, you can often find an organization that is working to protect the species or habitats you're most concerned about. By joining in, you can support well-organized, ongoing efforts to protect species and habitats. And if you want to participate in conservation field work, you can often get involved in specific programs within many conservation organizations that rely to a great extent on help from volunteers.

3. Reduce the Threat of Invasive Species

Photo LightScribe / iStockphoto. The spread of non-native species has greatly impacted native populations around the world. Invasive species compete with native species for resources and habitat. They can even prey on native species directly, forcing native species towards extinction. Another way to reduce the threat of invasive species is to incorporate native plants in your garden and to welcome native animals into your yard. 4. Recycle and Reduce Energy and Goods Consumption

Photo SchulteProductions / iStockphoto. By recycling and (reusing as much as we can, we reduce our impact on the environment. Additionally, by reducing the energy we consume, we take a little of the burden off our natural resources (and our pocketbooks). You can also reduce your carbon footprint by first calculating your current carbon footprint and then reduce the amount of carbon you consume. For more information see: Ten Things to Do to Reduce Carbon Emissions. 5. Minimize use of Herbicides and Pesticides

Photo BirdImages / iStockphoto. Herbicides and pesticides may keep yards looking nice but they are in fact hazardous pollutants that affect wildlife at many levels. Many herbicides and

pesticides take a long time to degrade and build up in the soils or throughout the food chain. Some groups of animals such as amphibians are particularly vulnerable to these chemical pollutants and suffer greatly as a result of the high levels of herbicides and pesticides in their habitat. 6. Place Decals on Windows to Deter Bird Collisions

Photo Missing35mm / iStockphoto. Daniel Klem Jr. of Muhlenberg College has estimated that as many as one billion birds in the United States die each year due to collisions with windows. You can help reduce the number of collisions simply by placing decals on the windows in your home and office. Other simple steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of collisions are to re-evaluate feeder placement, draw shades and curtains during brightest parts of day, install tilted window glass, and put screens on outside of windows. 7. Slow Down When Driving

Photo Serega / iStockphoto. Many native animals have to live in developed areas and this means they must navigate a landscape full of human hazards. One of the biggest obstacles to wildlife living in developed areas is that created by roads. Roads divide habitat and present a constant hazard to any animal attempting to cross from one side to the other. So when you're out and about, slow down and keep an eye out for wildlife. 8. Voice Your Concerns and Get Involved Locally

Photo Chris Gramly / iStockphoto. By letting local and national governments know that you're concerned about endangered species, you're increasing the likelihood that someone will do something about it. Ads. Share Your Enthusiasm for Wildlife and Nature

Photo Creatista / iStockphoto. Encourage others to learn about nature, enjoy watching wildlife, and value

protecting habitats and species with which we share this planet. Related Articles

Share Your Enthusiasm for Wildlife and Nature

Photo Creatista / iStockphoto. Encourage others to learn about nature, enjoy watching wildlife, and value protecting habitats and species with which we share this planet. Related Articles

wwwwwwwwwwww Value as genetic reservoir:

Plants and animals possess undiscovered or undeveloped traits, which are very important for the survival of a particular species. When all the genes of all the individual members in a given population are added together, a gene poll is created which is representative of that species. It is important to preserve all gene pools, as they might prove useful to us in future. In any case, we do not know enough about interspecies relationships and ecosystem balance and its stability to allow any gene pool to get eroded or obliterated.

Large gene pools are also important to agriculturists. All domestic crops and livestock have originated from native plants and animals. All those native species are still needed to provide the new genetic characterizes that we need to help solve our present and future food production problems. If steps are not taken to preserve endangered species then these gene pools will be swept away.

ii) Value in maintaining ecosystem stability:

As you know, ecosystem includes abiotic factors like temperature, humidity etc. and biotic factors like plants and animals. The ecosystems maintain a delicate balance of nature.

Each species interests with other species and plays a role in the transfer of energy and materials within and between ecosystem, hence each one, in its own way, contributes to the stability of ecosystems. The function of a species whether plant or animal is very critical to ecosystem stability.

As you may know, the plants occupy the base of food webs, so extinction of a single plant species may lead to the extinction of animal species dependent on that particular plant species. A species lost here and there may be of little consequence for overall ecosystem stability, but in the long run, the cumulative effect of such losses may some day threaten our existence. If we think that each species by itself is dispensable, then bit by bit we will destroy the rich biological world in which we live.

iii) Economic value:

In our daily life, we use many things, which are products of wildlife. Many plants have medicinal value, for example, we get, penicillin from Penicillium, quinine from Cinchona, morphine from opium poppy. A chemical derived from the skeletons of shrimps, crabs and lobsters may serve as a preventive medicine against fungal infection.

Important plant and animal genes are needed to improve domestic crops and livestock. Many genetic reservoirs located in the tropics and subtropics are the source of virtually all the common valuable plants and animals. They provide genetic material needed in the continual battle to improve plant and animal resistance. Loss of these centers would have a global impact on food supplies.

Fish is a source of income to fishing lodges and sporting goods stores. Wildlife is a source of income to recreation and tourism industry. The most popular tourist attractions are national and state parks and forests.

Although the economic value of a given species may not be apparent, we cannot assert that a species has no economic value.

iv) Aesthetic value:

Aesthetic value of a species also promotes its preservation. For example, the taste of wild berries, the refreshing fragrance of wild flowers and the softness of a bed of moss have no monetary value, but still their aesthetic value compels us to preserve them.

v) Inherent value:

Each species has a right to exist. So, if a species exists, then it has a fundamental right to continue to exist without being driven to extinction by human activities. The inherent value of a species cannot be measured merely by the extent to which human beings can get along without it.

How to save endangered Species?

Preserving species is not a simple matter. The problems of wildlife management are very complex and there is much work on three overlapping levels, i.e., technical, legal and personal.

To achieve a desired abundance of a particular species of wildlife, it is imperative to save their habitat because wildlife populations respond very sensitively to their habitants.

Thus, habitant management is an efficient technique. So, we can say that wildlife management includes habitant m

organ . The Nature Conservancy World Wildlife Fund Natural Resources Defense Council

The Sierra Club Wildlife Conservation Society

All over the world the wildlife that I write about is in grave danger. It is being exterminated by what we call the progress of civilization. Gerald Durrell