Why preserve wild ANIMALS?

If all species eventually become extinct, why should we worry about losing a few mo because of our activities. Does it not matter that the passenger pigeon, the black rhinoceros, the northern spotted owl, the green sea turtle, the 70 remaining Florida panthers, or some unknown plant or insect in a tropical forest becomes prematurely extinct because of human activities? Biologists contend that the answer is yes because of the economic, medical, scientific, ecological, aesthetic, and recreational value of all species. Some environmental scientists go further and contend that each species has an inherent right to play its role in the ongoing evolution of life on earth until it becomes extinct without interference by humans. Economical and Medical Importance of Wild Animals Some 90% of today's food crops were domesticated from wild tropical plants. Moreover, agricultural scientists and genetic engineers need existing wild plant species to derive today's crop strains and to develop the new crop strains of tomorrow. Wild plants and plants domesticated from wild species supply rubber, oils, dyes, paper, lumber, and other useful products. Nitrogen-fixing microbes in the soil and in the plants' root nodules supply nitrogen to grow food crops. Pollination by birds and insects is essential to many food crops. About 80% of the world's population relies on plants or plant extracts for medicines. At least 405 of all pharmaceuticals owe their existence to genetic resources of wild plants, mostly from tropical developing countries. Plant-derived anticancer drugs save an estimated 30,000 lives per year in the United States. Over 3,000 antibiotics, including penicillin and tetracycline, are derived from microorganisms. Scientific and Ecological Importance Every species can help scientists understand how life has evolved and functions, and how it will continue to evolve on this planet. Wild species also provide may of the ecological services that make up earth capital and thus are key factors in sustaining the earth's biodiversity and ecological integrity. They supply us (and other species) with food, recycle nutrients essential to agriculture, and help generate and maintain soils. They also produce oxygen and other gases in the atmosphere, absorb pollution, moderate the earth's climate, help regulate local climates and water supplies, reduce erosion and flooding, and store solar energy. Moreover, they detoxify poisonous substances, break down organic wastes, control potential crop pests and disease carriers, and make up a vast gene pool for future evolutionary processes.

Aesthetic and Recreational Importance Wild plants and animals are a source of beauty, wonder, joy, and recreational pleasure for many people. Wildlife tourism, sometimes called ecotourism, is the fastest growing segment of the global travel industry. Ethical Importance Some people believe that each species has an inherent right to exist, or to struggle to exist. This ethical stance is based on the view that each species has intrinsic value unrelated to its usefulness to humans. According to this view, we have an ethical responsibility to protect species from becoming prematurely extinct as a results of human activities. What is Biodiversity? Short for biological diversity, biodiversity includes all organisms, species, and populations; the genetic variation among these; and all their complex assemblages of communities and ecosystems. It also refers to the interrelatedness of genes, species, and ecosystems and their interactions with the environment. Usually three levels of biodiversity are discussed-genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity. Genetic diversity is all the different genes contained in all individual plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms. It occurs within a species as well as between species. Species diversity is all the differences within and between populations of species, as well as between different species. Ecosystem diversity is all the different habitats, biological communities, and ecological processes, as well as variation within individual ecosystems.

WHY PRESERVE WILD PLANTS? What are Wild Plants? Wild plants include flowers, grasses, lichens, fungi, shrubs and trees that grow with little or no human help or interference. They have not been intentionally planted by human hands. Many of the smaller wild plants are usually dismissed as 'weeds', and someone once said that weeds are flowers growing in the wrong place! Gardeners prefer to keep their flowerbeds without 'weeds' because they are the preserve of plants that the gardener specifically chooses. While wild plants can be found anywhere, even in the best kept gardens, usually, they are best viewed in more wild places such as waste places, fields and meadows, wetlands, hill and mountain areas and in coastal areas. Importance of Wild Plants to Humans Wild plants are part of nature's biodiversity. They provide the variety of food needed to sustain a rich and healthy biodiversity of insects, birds, and animals. Some insects feed off particular plants so that a loss of a wild plant in an area could lead to the loss of an insect! This is how biodiversity can become depleted. Importance of plants Aesthetics Plants have great "aesthetic" value which means they add to the beauty of the places that we live. How many of us would be want to live without the plants around us, including the forests, woodlands, and grasslands surrounding our towns and cities? Native grasses and wildflowers provide use with a link to our history. Medicine Throughout history plants have been of great importance to medicine. Eighty percent of all medicinal drugs originate in wild plants. In fact, 25 percent of all prescriptions written annually in the United States contain chemicals from plants. In spite of all the medical advances, only 2 percent of the world's plant species have ever been tested for their medical potential. That means there are many important drugs yet to be discovered. Food Although some 3,000 species of plants have been used as food by humans, 90 percent of the world's food comes from only 20 plant species. Three species of grasses--rice, wheat, and corn-are the most important food plants. Industrial Products Plants are also very important for the goods they provide. Fibers from plants provide clothing. Wood used to build our homes depends on plants. Some fuel products are made from plants, like ethanol made from corn and soy diesel made from soybeans.

Recreation Plant communities form the basis for many important recreational activities, including hiking, fishing, hunting, and nature observation. Air Quality The oxygen in the air we breathe comes from the photosynthesis of plants. The quality of the air can be greatly influenced by plants. Plants can stop the movement of dust and pollutants. Through the intake of carbon dioxide, plants can also lessen the greenhouse effect caused from the burning of fossil fuels like coal. Water Quality Plants are extremely important to the quality of the water we use. A diverse cover of plants aids in maintaining healthy watersheds, streams, and lakes by holding soil in place, controlling stream flows, and filtering sediments from water. Erosion Control The delicate wildflowers that dot the roadsides in Iowa during the spring, summer and fall, protect the soil from erosion caused by heavy rains. Without enough plant cover, wind or water erodes the thin layer of soil that we depend on. Climate Regional climates are impacted by the amount and type of plant cover. Forest and marshes, for example, can cool local climates. Natural disasters, such as drought, have been blamed on the destruction of forests and other critically important plant communities. Fish and Wildlife Habitat Plants and plant communities provide the necessary habitat (a place to live) for wildlife and fish populations. Ecosystem The word "ecosystem" means the way in which humans, plants and animals all live together supporting each other. Every species serves an important role or purpose in their community.