Poaching is one of the most pressing issues regarding environmental protection and conservationist efforts. This heinous crime affects the specific species hunted or trafficked and has adverse effects that can influence and even threaten entire ecosystems. Not only that, but poaching is a global problem present on every continent and in every nation.
Here is everything you need to know to understand poaching and its adverse effects better.
What Exactly Is Poaching?
The first thing to do is define exactly what poaching is and what is not. Poaching itself is a legal term used to describe the killing, trapping, or trafficking of animals when it directly violates local, state, national, or even private directives. It’s essential to understand this because, at all levels of land ownership, or governance, the conservation of a species or even plant can be enforced.
It’s a good thing to be familiar with the definition of poaching so you can know how far this problem extends. For example, in situations where a legal hunting season may be in effect if a private landowner has not given express permission for hunting on their land, then that activity could be considered poaching. When most people think of the word ‘poaching,’ the first thing that comes to mind is images of the White Rhino, elephants, tigers, or the other endangered species that are commonly known.
The truth is, poaching is a widespread problem that permeates the entire contents on several levels. Poaching is also not just limited to the harvesting or killing of animals but also the trafficking of animals. This means that the illegal trade of trafficking endangered species for pets is part of the poaching problem that faces the world.
What Parts of the World Are Most Affected by Poaching?
This is another area where there is a lot of misunderstanding regarding the global problem of poaching. While there are famously endangered species on the brink of extinction, poaching does not just affect Africa and Asia. Every continent and every country on the planet deals with some form of poaching, including Northern America.
Poaching isn’t just present in Northern America but is a substantial problem. Several species of animals in Northern America are considered extremely valuable on the black market. When a creature is valuable in the poaching industry, it usually is because a certain body part of the animal is valuable. Whether that’s a claw, talon, fin, or fur pellet, this hideous trade will annihilate entire species merely for parts of their prey.
Countries like Kenya, Thailand, Uganda, and the Philippines may have some of the worst and most famous amounts of poaching, but it is a global problem that affects all countries. So no matter where you may find yourself, you can help impact your local governments to protect and conserve the wildlife poached to extinction.
What Are the Adverse Effects of Poaching?
One thing that needs to be clearly defined is that poaching is not the same as legal hunting. Legally hunting defined species within their allotted season for hunting is structured and designed typically with the conservation of that species in mind. This act, if done correctly, should not endanger a species or threaten extinction.
Hunting legally can even be beneficial to certain ecosystems where species that are hunted could threaten natural resources due to uncontrolled population growth. Another instance when hunting can be helpful to conservation is when a foreign species prove to be invasive. In these cases, legal hunting can help control a species that might threaten native environments and offset entire ecosystems.
Poaching has no benefits and only causes damage. Poaching minimizes a species’ presence in an ecosystem that encourages instability. Each species in an ecosystem plays a vital role in everything from the natural fauna and flora. When species are poached to extinction, these delicate systems are offset.
This is most damaging when the food chain is disrupted so that the natural resource of predators and prey can be changed entirely. When certain species become extinct, it can move other species to the top of the food chain, drastically affecting the entire ecosystem.
Conclusion
Poaching does more than damaging the species, but indirectly harms others. It’s estimated that roughly 30,000 species a year are poached to extinction. This is an alarming number that needs to be taken seriously. The Rhino, Tiger, and Elephant have to become a global area of focus and energy.
