Today is World Endangered Species Day, and I want to share the gravity of what is happening to wildlife and the important role they play on our planet. As many scientists agree, we have crossed the threshold and are currently in Earth’s sixth mass extinction crisis, whereby 2050, 30-50% of Earth’s species will be extinct (1).
Looking at the mammal distribution chart, you will notice that wildlife constitutes only 4% of the Earth’s total biomass, and we are continuing to lose wildlife rapidly (2). In the United States alone, approximately 100,000 carnivores are hunted and killed each year (3). From 2012-2022, 1.7 million animals killed including elephants, lions, and rhinos, which are part of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora) protected species (4).
Endangered species not only face the threat of trophy hunting, but they are also threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation (one main reason is animal agriculture, which requires a massive amount of space to raise livestock), climate change, and pollution. We impose all these threats on wildlife, yet we need endangered species in the wild.
The future of wildlife matters to us and the planet because wildlife play essential roles in maintaining the cohesive functioning of ecosystems. The more biodiversity in an ecosystem, the more resilient it becomes. The more resilient an ecosystem is, the greater the services it can provide for our well-being, such as oxygen, water filtration, carbon storage, pollution control, and climate regulation. We rely on ecosystem services as our life support.
We cannot exist in isolation from other species. What affects one affects the many. We do not have the luxury of time to wait, nor should the heavy burden of fixing this problem be left solely to conservationists to protect and preserve wildlife.
Our future, the future of wildlife, and of our planet, is our responsibility.
“There are no passengers on spaceship Earth, we are all crew.” Marshall McLuhan
Some ways you can help wildlife:
1. Sign the Wild For Change petition to ban trophy hunting of endangered and threatened wildlife. Our responsibility should be to protect endangered wildlife, not to be the reason for their demise.
2. Email or call your federal representative and state you would like him/her to sponsor and support the ProTECT Act, H.R. 1934 to prohibit trophy hunting of endangered and threatened species.
3. Plant native plants in your yard, garden, or in pots to support wildlife such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Wildlife rely on native plants as their primary food source and for feeding their young.
4. Consider eating plant-based for a day, week, year, or lifetime. The amount of land required to raise farmed animals for the entire planet is immense and destroys precious habitats for critical wildlife and ecosystems. In the U.S. alone, only 5% of the land is considered pristine. The rest of the landscape is used for agriculture and urban development.
Resources:
1. Enviroliteracy Team. 2025, March 4th. “What percent of Earth’s species could be gone by 2050?” https://enviroliteracy.org/what-percent-of-earths-total-species-could-be-gone-by-2050/#google_vignette
2. Ritchie, Hannah. 2018. “Distribution of mammals on Earth.” www.ourworldindata.org. https://ourworldindata.org/wild-mammals-birds-biomass
3. Enviroliteracy Team. 2025, March 9th. “How Many Animals Are Killed by Trophy Hunters?” https://enviroliteracy.org/how-many-animals-are-killed-by-trophy-hunters/
4. Eduardo, Goncalves. One Animal Killed Every Three Minutes: Trophy Hunting is out of Control!. Bantrophyhunting.org. June 6, 2022. https://bantrophyhunting.org/one-animal-killed-every-three-minutes-trophy-hunting-is-out-of-control/
