All the creatures that walk the Earth

With the world having observed World Wildlife Day yesterday, now is a great time for us to reflect just how important it is for Bangladesh, and indeed the rest of the world, to focus on the conservation of its wildlife.

It is no big secret that human activity has already had a significant impact on wildlife and the various ecosystems they inhabit, which in turn has translated into a range of negative events such as increased flooding, food shortage, water shortage, pollution, and rising temperatures.

As a nation that is on the frontlines of climate change, being more vulnerable to its effects than most other countries, we must do as much as we can to stave it off. This includes retaining the various delicate natural ecosystems that surround us.

And it all translates to more concrete conservation efforts when it comes to protecting our wildlife.

Human intervention in the forests, and the ensuing habitat loss, are one of the primary reasons for extinction. Not to mention more obviously egregious activities such as poaching.

For example, according to a study, three species of vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered, freshwater turtles are widely poached from Bangladesh to meet market demand in the Indian state of Tripura.

More stringent punitive actions are needed in order to ward off would-be poachers, not to mention bringing current offenders to book.

The theme of this year’s World Wildlife Day was “Sustaining all life on Earth,” a stark reminder that human lives are not the only ones that are worth saving.