- Biodiversity
All living organisms are part of a complex, delicately balanced network called the biosphere. In turn, the Earth’s biosphere is made up of countless ecosystems – plants and animals and their natural habitats. No one can fully understand how species interact within an ecosystem, but the loss of one species can cause a chain reaction that affects many others. For species that play a vital role in an ecosystem, extinction can have dire consequences.
- Contribution to medicine
In their never-ending struggle for survival with other living things, many wild animals have found countless ways to resist bacteria and cancer cells. They can create novel molecules that chemists have never known about. Learning and studying this characteristic of species can help scientists find new and effective treatments for diseases that were thought to be incurable.
- Agricultural benefits
Many creatures that were once thought useless are beginning to show important benefits in agriculture. Farmers are using insects and other insectivorous animals to control pests that damage their crops, as well as plants that contain natural toxins that repel pests. These are called natural enemies, and in many cases, they are a safe, effective, environmentally friendly, and less expensive alternative to synthetic chemicals.
- Food supply
There are an estimated 80,000 edible plant species, of which fewer than 20 provide 90% of the world’s food. If the remaining underutilized species were stored or conserved, humans would have enough food to feed our growing population.
- Environmental regulation
Many organisms are particularly important in assessing environmental quality. For example, the rapid decline in bald eagle and peregrine falcon populations in the mid-20th century was a powerful warning about the dangers of DDT, a once widely used pesticide that accumulates in animal tissues (impairing their ability to reproduce and preventing successful hatching). Environmental indicator organisms can alert humans to the effects of climate change and pollutants on the environment.
- Economic value
Some of the benefits of wildlife can be measured in economic terms. According to the Texas National Parks and Wildlife Service, bird watching is the fastest growing outdoor recreation activity, contributing an estimated $400 million to the state’s budget each year. A study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also found that natural environment observation—not just bird watching—received $85 billion in U.S. revenue in 2001.
- Intangible values
In addition to their medical, economic and scientific values, many wild animals also bring inspiration to countless authors, artists and all those interested in the diversity of the natural world. A series of photo exhibitions on wild animals and plants have been held around the world, attracting the attention of the public. Typically, two photo exhibitions opened on September 24 at Gia Dinh Park, Ho Chi Minh City and Hoa Binh Park, Hanoi, are part of a series of regular activities held in urban areas in Vietnam in 2011.
