Habitat destruction is the main threat to wildlife

According to the social reporter of Moj News Agency, since December 17, 1985, the United Nations has named the first Monday of October every year as “World Habitat Day” and the purpose of this designation is to increase people’s awareness to preserve habitats and to stimulate politicians to take There have been decisions to better preserve the habitat of animal species.

This occasion reminds the world that we all have the power and responsibility to shape the future of our cities and the responsibility of preserving the habitat for future generations.

“Habitat destruction” in the world and in our country is one of the most important factors of the destruction of species and the loss of genetic resources. Currently, mineral development is happening simultaneously in many parts of the country, as well as destructive human actions have caused the destruction of habitats.

The development of cities and the increase of agricultural land due to human indulgences has caused that every day the land that was part of the wildlife territory in the past is separated from the protected land, and thus the space for wildlife is getting narrower and narrower every day.

This expansion and loss of protected lands comes as a new study conducted by the US Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) shows that the rate of wildlife extinction in these areas is five times slower than in non-protected habitats.

In this study, scientists examined 2,239 vertebrate populations and compared the status of species inside and outside protected areas. The study found that vertebrate populations in protected areas are declining at a rate of 0.4 percent per year, which is nearly five times slower than vertebrate populations in unprotected areas (1.8 percent per year). Populations outside protected areas may halve in 40 years, while populations inside take 170 years to meet the same fate.

In this regard, Mehdi Zare Khormizi, an expert in ecology, told Moj: It is necessary to increase people’s knowledge of biodiversity and wildlife to such an extent that the general public considers the protection of biodiversity and habitats a national duty.

Regarding the reason for the importance of protecting wildlife, he said: If the order of nature and ecosystem is destroyed and wildlife species suffer, this issue has a direct impact on human life and reduces our quality of life. Species are key for us, if they are removed from the ecosystem or their population decreases, it will be a big blow to the ecosystem.

This wildlife expert explained about the most serious threats to the country’s wildlife: the biggest threat to the country’s wildlife is habitat destruction; When we indiscriminately develop mining activities, road construction, settlement, cutting trees, etc., without considering wildlife, the habitat of animals is fragmented, and when the home and shelter of an animal is destroyed, this animal is exposed to Destruction takes place.

He continued: Illegal hunting is another serious threat to wildlife, and despite the efforts of the environmental organization and especially the environmentalists of the protected areas, this factor has put the country’s biodiversity at risk.

This ecology expert considered stray dogs to be another threat to wildlife and said: The population of stray dogs in protected areas has increased significantly and it is necessary to control the population of these dogs as soon as possible. If we want to deal with this emotional issue and do not take a decisive decision on this matter, we will witness the destruction of many species of wildlife in the country by stray dogs.

Zare Khormizi added: Drought and lack of rainfall and drilling of unauthorized wells have reduced the water resources available to wildlife species, and although water is supplied to animals manually, this case still poses a serious threat to wildlife.

Regarding the solutions to prevent the destruction of wildlife, he said: first of all, the view of the authorities should be changed to the environment and the environment should be placed in the country’s priorities; All devices must be used in any development, including road construction, mining, etc.; Consider environmental protection.

The wildlife expert added: environmental protection should not be the responsibility of the environmental organization alone, and the organization alone cannot manage 10.4% of the country’s total area, plus the dedicated lakes, and the public needs to work to preserve wildlife.

Zare emphasized the increase in the budget considered for the environmental organization and said: In the discussion of wildlife protection, it is very important to provide funds and provide equipment, which require reasonable budget allocation to the environmental organization. Unfortunately, we have less than half of the world’s standard ranger force, and the equipment available to rangers is very old and unable to compete with the hunters’ advanced equipment, including modern motorcycles and cars.

He considered the key issue in wildlife conservation to be increasing the awareness of the public and stated: Correctly informing the people and educating them plays a key role in protecting wildlife, but unfortunately, this important thing has been neglected in our country and there is a need for media and educational centers in They should pay attention to this matter and embed the importance of the environment in the society’s culture from childhood.

This ecology expert added: the role of research and studies is also very important in the field of biodiversity protection, there are a large number of species in our country that are not yet known, so it is necessary to identify these species by conducting research and try to protect them. do.

Zare Khormizi noted: When the issue of wildlife protection is discussed, our discussion goes beyond the preservation of a wolverine; It is a sheep, a snake or a caracal; In fact, the preservation of wildlife leads to the preservation of human life, and if we destroy the environment, we must wait for our own destruction as well.