Introduction
For decades humans have strived to seek ways in which to protect endangered species. Wildlife researchers and advocacy groups have been at the forefront of championing and advocating for introducing strict regulatory practices to protect endangered species. Thus it is proper to argue that laws and advocacy are the main techniques used in today’s society to protect endangered species.
Laws and regulatory policies
Regulations play an important role in facilitating the protection of endangered species. These laws are adopted and implemented at various levels from the local, national, and internal national levels. Numerous laws and regulatory policies are proposed and implemented to explain how different animals are protected as endangered species. Much of the laws have been designed to provide endangered species from humans. Poaching is considered the main human activity or factor that has directly contributed to the extinction of various types of animals. This is aside from the natural or evolutionary processes, which often takes centuries or millenniums before eradicating specific species. This means that laws are developed in a manner that will offer protection to endangered species against “poaching.” Recent studies have shown that poaching is the main factor contributing to increased levels of endangered species. For example, illegal wildlife trafficking has pushed tigers, rhinos, and elephants, among other animals, to the brink of extinction. To counter this problem, localised and international stakeholders have proposed a series of laws aimed at protecting endangered animals from protection.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is considered among the main legislative acts passed by the United States that aimed to protect endangered species. The law was passed in the United States Congress and signed into law by President Nixon as means of providing extra protection to the endangered animal in the United States. The law mandated that the federal government should maintain data containing details of all species that require protection “or are at the brink of extinction.” The Endangered Species Act of 1973 required both the federal and state governments to guarantee and safeguard natural habitats for endangered species (Henson, White and Thompson, 861). After the law took effect, only less than one percent of endangered animals have been extinct. Furthermore, more than two hundred thousand acres of land has been allocated to “serve as home” for the endangered species. The act demonstrates how laws can be used to provide suitable protection to endangered species both locally and internally.
For decades, outside the United States- Wildlife experts have shown how international trade has been used as a “disguise” to facilitate the trafficking of endangered animals. Animal smugglers often used global trade to move endangered animals from one region to another for religious, economic or food consumption. For example, elephant and rhino horns have been shipped from various parts of Africa to Asia for medicinal purposes. This illegal trade has dwindled the population of this animal to extinction levels. To counter the problem as mentioned earlier of endangered animal trafficking through internal trade, international trading countries and partners introduced the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The concern for poaching and exploitation of vulnerable species due to lack of international trade regulation, multiple governments proposed the introduction of the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) (Nakamura and Kuemlangan,1). The CITIES aims to ensure that international trade is not used or contribute towards threatening the survival of endangered species.
Coherently, because they are included on three lists agreed by the Parties called CITES Appendices, the animals and plants protected by CITES are known as CITES-listed species. CITES safeguards these species in the wild from being over-traded and exploited illegally and unsustainable since their extinction would have permanent ecological and economic implications. The CITES permit system guarantees sustainable, lawful, and traceable international commerce in listed species (Nakamura and Kuemlangan, 3).
As part of its regulatory framework for global market access for wild animals, live or dead animals and plants, as well as their parts and derivatives, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) subjects all border-crossing trade—including trade with the Non-Member States—to mandatory licensing based on exporting country permits, and in exceptional cases to additional licensing by the importing country. According to established criteria, permits are provided in line with a consensus-based ‘black list’ of species prohibited from commerce and a consensus-based ‘grey list’ of restricted marketable species.
Furthermore, each country of origin has the authority to unilaterally add species to the lists by registering them with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) or to inform other nations of new national limitations. All Member States have a responsibility to enact and enforce the conditions of the treaty via national legislation and submit periodic trade statistics and reports on national implementation to the World Trade Organization (Nakamura and Kuemlangan 2). The CITES Secretariat electronically processes and compares reports to establish, among other things, whether trade statistics given by exporting and importing nations are consistent with respect to the species in question. Such information is useful in enabling intentional trade partners to minimise the influence of dubious or illegal trades linked to the trafficking of endangered species. Overall, The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has been instrumental in reducing the demand and smuggling of imperilled species globally, which reversed the extinction process of endangered species.
Non-profits
The participation of civil societies and non-profit entities in the conservancy of endangered species as been critical through provision of advisory services and scientific knowledge. Non-profit entities have been at the fore front in providing conservancies and “homes” for endeared species for decades. Thus there are numerous ways Non-Governmental Organizations and other advocacy groups use to mobilise support towards protecting endangered animals.
One of the main methods is establishing and managing conservancy lodges. Conservancy act as “homes” for endangered species. It is a place where animals can be natured and protected from poachers. Conservancy can be operated or managed by families, advocacy groups, or not-for-profit organizations. They are commonly established in areas or regions characterised with high risks towards endangered species. For example, in Kenya, a Rhino Conservancy Parks are used to protect the endangered White Rhinos; they include the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, which houses the remaining two northern white rhinos (Khayale et al. 112). Similarly, several conservancies have been established in China to aid in protecting Pandas from extinction. Thus, conservancies have been used by individuals and non-governmental organizations to champion for protection and nurturing of endangered species globally.
Besides advocacy, not-for-profit organizations use lobby groups to advocate for strict policies that can be used to hinder poaching or trading of endangered species. Through lobbying, not-for-profit organizations can influence governments, corporations, and other organizations from adopting policies that are favourable in facilitating the protection of endangered species. For example, in 2017, it is estimated that The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental not-for-profit organization spent close to two million dollars in lobbying the United States government. Such lobbying activities are amid at influencing the government and other stakeholders from participating in practices that will protect endangered species. Through lobbying, non-profit advocacy groups have discouraged most organizations from negating malpractices that may contribute to denigration of the environment or exaction of endangered species.
Moreover, non-profit organizations have directed much of their efforts towards mobilising communities and society on the importance of safeguarding endangered species from extinction. Gaining public support on various conservation projects or activities is important for most non-profit entities championing animal protection. This is because the public can help pressure the local, national or internal governments or organizations towards developing policies or practices that can ensure endangered species are protected. Thus, non-profit organizations endangerment in various community projects and programs through corporate social responsibility platforms to sway the public in advocating for the protection of endangered species. This demonstrates how non-profit organizations can be useful in enabling humanity to protect endangered species from extinction.
Conclusion
There are continuous effort from localised to international levels that are aimed at enhancing the quality of protection offered to endangered species. Both laws and advocacy of non-profits entities are being viewed as the main constructs that have significant impact providing protection for endangered species.
Bibliography
Henson, P., White, R., & Thompson, S. P. (2018). Improving implementation of the Endangered Species Act: Finding common ground through common sense. BioScience, 68(11), 861-872.
Khayale, Cedric, et al. “Kenya’s first White Rhino Conservation and Management Action Plan.” Pachyderm 62 (2021): 112-118.
Nakamura, Julia N., and Blaise Kuemlangan. Implementing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Through National Fisheries Legal Frameworks: a Study and a Guide. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2020.
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