International Endangered Species Day – ORCA Foundation
International Endangered Species Day is celebrated every third Friday in May, and this year it fell on 19th May 2017.
Minke Witteveen from the ORCA Foundation shared a brief presentation with the students of Greenwood Bay College.
An overview of the presentation, written by Minke Witteveen
Endangered Species Day is a chance for us to recognize and appreciate the conservation efforts being put in by a number of organisations, men, and women around the world working to protect our endangered species and their habitats.
Endangered Species Day gives us a chance to reflect on our lifestyles, and highlight ways in which we can alter our behaviour in small ways on a daily basis in order to help protect these creatures. But what do we mean by endangered? Species that are endangered are facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild, often due to population size decreases, and loss of critical habitat.
At an international level, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the organisation responsible for evaluating the conservation status of species, and classifying the global level of threat of extinction based on the best available evidence.
At a local level, organisations like the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and BirdLife South Africa work together to assess species on a local level.
There are a number of factors that affect a species numbers and geographic range upon which the conservation status is based. These include destruction, degradation, modification, or restriction of habitats; over-exploitation for commercial, recreational, scientific, educational, cultural, or subsistence purposes; or competition or displacement by alien invasive species, among others.
Why should we care though, why does it matter that species are near extinction? There is of course the argument that it is important to keep them for their cultural and aesthetic importance, as well as for their own sake. But humans are a selfish species and for the sake of the species is not as motivating for conservation as it should be. However, we are connected to and dependent on other species, and losing species and disrupting ecosystem functioning could lose us important ecosystem services such as pollination, water filtration, carbon sequestration, nutrient recycling, and pest control, not to mention the provision of food, raw materials, and genetic and medicinal resources, among others.
Here in our beautiful Plettenberg Bay we are blessed with incredible biodiversity, unfortunately with several species facing extinction. The species gaining the most attention currently is the African penguin Spheniscus demersus as it is in dire straits, and investigations into setting up a breeding colony in Plettenberg Bay may prove pivotal to the survival of the species.
We are also fortunate to have a breeding colony of both Cape cormorants Phalacrocorax capensis (Endangered) and African black oystercatchers Haematopus moquini (Near Threatened) here in Plettenberg Bay.
Not to forget the Knysna seahorse Hippocampus capensis and white steenbras Lithognathus lithognathus in our Keurbooms Estuary, among other species living in Plettenberg Bay.
We also have proof of a conservation success story visiting our bay every year, the Southern right whale Eubalaena australis! Hunted near to extinction the species is believed to still be increasing in numbers, and is classified as Least Concern according to the IUCN.
Unfortunately, human activities have negatively affected many species, and Endangered Species Day is a chance to share your knowledge and support for conservation, determine ways to minimise your ecological and carbon footprint, and appreciate the incredible natural world we share!
Ultimately, we don’t need to love, or even like, a species to be able to appreciate and respect its role in the ecosystem that supports us!
For further information or to volunteer assistance visit the ORCA Foundation.