Importance of Wildlife Species in an Ecosystem

Following are the importance of wildlife species in an ecosystem:

Wildlife Species

1. Maintains ecological balance in the ecosystem

Various wildlife species play a vital role in preserving the ecological balance in nature. The elimination of carnivores disrupts this balance, resulting in an upsurge of herbivores, subsequently impacting the vegetation within the forest. Thus, in search of food, they come out from the forest to agricultural land and destroy our crops.

2. They provide us with resources

Different wildlife species like wild plant gives us important resources like food, medicines, timber, fibers, etc, and are of high economic importance. Whereas, wild animals provide us with meat, leather, hiney, silk, etc which are used by humans.

3. Aids in scientific research

Some wildlife species like mikey and chimpanzees are used for scientific experiments such as to test the effect of medicine. Also, animals like rats are first used to do experiments and tests before trying them on humans.

4. They provide a gene bank

A group of genes in a population of any particular area is called a gene bank. To develop disease-resistant varieties, it is crucial to maintain diversity within the gene bank.

5. They have medicinal value

Different plant and animal species are vital for the production of medicines. For example, cobra venom serves as a vital component in the production of medications for leprosy, while lobsters hold potential as a source of antifungal agents.

Categories of Wildlife Species

1. Endangered species

The wildlife species that are very likely to become extinct soon are known as endangered species. Endangered species are at risk of extinction because of habit loss, poaching, and invasive species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) publishes a red list which contains the names of all the endangered species.

Endangered species

Some endangered species are the African forest elephant, Black Rhino, Blue Whale, Chimpanzee, Sealion, Cheetah, etc.

2. Rare species

The wildlife species that are not very common, and are not seen frequently are known as rare species. A species can be rare but not necessarily be endangered or threatened. For eg, An organism found only on the island may be rare species due to its restricted range. 

However, these species are typically vulnerable to exploitation, interference, or disturbance of their habitats. The IUCN does not publish any list of rare species. Examples of rare species are Pangolin, Red Panda, Philippine eagle, etc.

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