Conservation biology helps in the process of captive breeding, and reintroduction to the wild for many vulnerable and endangered species.
Conservation biology helps in the process of captive breeding and reintroduction to the wild for many vulnerable and endangered species.
Our planet earth is undergoing rapid transformation in terms of booming progress in science and technology, population explosion, political and economic instabilities, rapid expansion of agriculture and industry, challenges to food security, a rise in global geopolitical tensions, and human and natural resource-related conflicts and wars.
This has created waves of mass migrations of helpless refugees from one continent to another in search of a better life due to social and economic insecurity, racial and religious intolerances, repeated incidents of devastating genocides and ethnic cleansing, riots, looting, arsenals, rape and molestations, a lack of civic rights, armed conflicts, and equally violent resistance movements.
All the continents, with the exception of the icy Antarctica, have been entangled in this global crisis. There has been an alarming increase in the global loss of wildlife, forestry, and biodiversity due to various natural and anthropogenic factors.
Hence, it is important to raise education and awareness for the effective and sustainable conservation of our natural resources. This is a highly specialised and less known branch of life sciences called conservation biology.
It is important to mention that Conservation Biology is taught under a wide diversity of highly advanced modern science disciplines like Biology, Biological Sciences, Bimolecular Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Soil Sciences, Biotechnology, Zoology, Botany, Forestry, Ecology, and Geology, as well as various branches of the Humanities and Social Sciences (Sociology, Anthropology, Archaeology, Museology, Economics, Geography, Philosophy, History, Political Science, Law, Public Affairs and Public Administration, Education, Tourism, Journalism, and Mass Communication, Library and Information Sciences, and Environmental Studies).
It is indeed a very hot subject if demand among students, academics, and researchers in several leading Western universities and research institutes, as well as in many G7 and G20 nations representing both the northern and southern hemispheres, is any indication.
Due to extensive habitat destruction and fragmentation, local wildlife are forced to move out of their forest habitats and are therefore unfortunately coming into close contact with their immediate human neighbours, resulting in serious human-animal conflicts with disastrous consequences.
Not just primates, but this is happening with all other animals like lions, tigers, leopards, clouded leopards, snow leopards, elephants, bisons, rhinos, different species of deer, and antelopes, to mention only a handful of species that include both numerous invertebrates (protozoans, poriferans, cnidarians, coelenterates, platyhelminths, nemathelminths, mollusks, echinoderms, and arthropods) and vertebrates (fishes, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals).
The discipline also involves the studies and research on the inter- and intracontinental, as well as the more common intra-and international transport or movements of target wildlife to protect them from the dangers of extinction; and providing them with better and safer foraging, breeding, nesting, hiding and hunting opportunities for successful breeding and rapid multiplication of different vulnerable, critical or highly endangered and vulnerable species of flora and fauna.
The establishment of wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centres, both stationary and mobile wildlife veterinary treatment centres, nurseries for generating forest plant species, nature and wildlife interpretation centres, museums, different nature, forest, wildlife, biodiversity, and conservation related movies, documentary and photography display galleries, libraries, archives, and information centres for disseminating knowledge regarding conservation needs, successes, and failures to the public is an important dimension of the work of conservation biologists.
Conservation biologists includes people from varied disciplines and training coming together to work on a common platform such as Life Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Soil Sciences, Social Sciences, Ecology, Forestry, Law, Education, Public Administration and Public Affairs, Journalism, Politics, Lawmakers, representatives of both government and non-government organisations, responsible tourists, wildlife enthusiasts, nature and wildlife movie and documentary makers; as well different wildlife and nature photographers and videographers, nature and social media activists and campaigners, artists, bloggers, YouTubers, educators, and responsible citizens representing both urban and rural communities, tribal communities, forest residents and forest fringe dwellers.
Nature has been an important but neglected area of research for a considerable period of time. Our nature and ecosystems are extremely sensitive, complex, dynamic, and poorly understood systems that need deep understanding, appreciation, and investigation to protect them from long term negative anthropogenic impacts.
We are spending several billion dollars to explore space and collect data from other lifeless planets, stars, asteroids, and comets, yet we know very little about the highly rich and biodiverse tropical rainforests of Asia, Africa, Central America, and South America.
We have very little information about how the polar ice is melting and what long term impacts it may have on the planet, possibly making it lifeless again.
It is very much relevant and needed that our existing education system around the planet is elevated from the grass-roots level and successfully incorporated with a positive message and activism like that of the goals and objectives of Conservation Biology.