Importance of the endangered species

Healthy ecosystems depend on plant and animal species as their foundations. When a species becomes endangered, it is a sign that the ecosystem is slowly falling apart. Each species that is lost triggers the loss of other species within its ecosystem. Agriculture also plays an important role in the protection of species, farmers are often seen as the original conservationists. Many farmers set aside portions of their land as wildlife habitat and also work in partnership with groups such as Trout Unlimited to restore river and stream habitats for endangered and threatened fish and reptiles. 

According to The World Atlas, “megadiversity” refers to countries that harbor a “high total number of species including a significant percentage of endemic species.” And for a country to be classified as “megadiverse”, it must have at least 5,000 species of endemic plants and border a marine ecosystem. “On a per unit area basis, the Philippines probably harbors more diversity of life than any other country on the planet,” the DENR-BMB web site said.

The Philippines is considered to be one of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world. The country’s forest ecosystem hosts a diverse array of plant and animal species. As a matter of fact, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reported that the Philippines is home to more than 52,177 described species, which are only indigenous to the region. Although the Philippines has a “high degree of land and animal endemism,” it is also tagged as a biodiversity hotspot as the number of endangered and threatened species continues to grow due to habitat loss and inhumane animal activities.

In fact, a number of resident species — which are cultivated or hunted as food — may be heading to extinction, like the critically endangered tamaraw and the Visayan warty pig. Partly due to human consumption, sea turtles (like the green and loggerhead turtle) remain endangered.

There are many ways to conserve and protect these species. But the first step to conservation is understanding the extent of these species’ decline, in order to arrive at solutions with more impact.

Ways to prevent animal extinction in the Philippines

Educate your family about endangered species in your area.

Stop using hazardous pollutants that affect wildlife at many levels.

Try to rebuild their natural habitat or avoid destroying it

Stop hunting especially those critically endangered species

Fund the rehabilitation of their habitat