Endangered African Wildlife Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Endangered African Wildlife - Research Paper Example There are so many factors that are causing wildlife extinction in the African continent. Rapid human population growth, unsustainable use of wildlife resources, lack of local support for conservation policies, inadequate government funds allocation for enforcement policies against illegal activities, commercialization, and so on are few of the reasons that are endangering African wildlife. So, the central issue of endangerment of wildlife species in the African environment and its causal factors is discussed. Furthermore, the impacts of habitat loss, over-exploitation, and poaching of the endangered species along with its conservation measures are also analyzed. Africa is a continent rich in biodiversity because it harbors thousands of species of flora and fauna. â€Å"Africa is home to some one quarter of the world’s 4,700 mammal species, including 79 species of antelope. It also has more than 2,000 species of birds – one fifth of the world’s total – and at least 2,000 species of fish, alongside 950 amphibian species†.1 The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has over 2 million km of protected eco-regions mainly for their biodiversity values. These eco-regions include the Savannah habitats, Ethiopian montane forests, Western Guinean lowland forests, the succulent Karoo and Bioko area. According to the Red List categorization of IUCN, some of the endangered species of Africa include the Giant Golden Mole, white-tailed Rat, Riverine Rabbit, African Wild Dog, and Mountain Zebra. Threats of wildlife species extinction continue to increase, despite global measures to reduce the impact of the external pressures. It is estimated that among â€Å"the 44,838 species included in the 2008 IUCN Red List database, about 17,000 (38%) are threatened with extinction†.2 Killing and exploitation of these wildlife species and importantly habitat loss are the major reasons for the increase in endangered species count. The