10. What are the importance to maintain biodiversity and the conservation of wildlife and their habitats? Suggest ways to protect the endangered species.

It is very important to maintain biodiversity because all life forms are parts of the nature and each of them has a specific role in it. The loss of any one life form is irreversible. Moreover, every species can help scientists understand how life has evolved and how it will continue to evolve. Every organism in an ecosystem is interdependent. Each species forms important parts of food chains and plays a specific role in the ecosystem. For example, herbivores consume producers, transfer energy, and essential nutrients to carnivores, and detritivores speed up the cycling processes of essential materials. This maintains a self-sufficient ecosystem. The diversity of ecosystems is biologically important. It is because organisms usually live in particular types of habitats, where the physical factors are suitable for them to survive. Biodiversity is an important part of our heritage, just like art, language and other cultural achievements. Humans have the role of stewardship of the natural world.

It is also very important economy and medicine. Nearly 90% of food crops are domesticated from wild tropical plants. Plant breeders and farmers rely on their genetic diversity to improve crop yield, develop new crop strains, and increase the resistance of crops to pests and diseases. Most of the wild plants supply oils, dyes, fibre, paper and other useful products. In addition, about 80% of the world’s population relies on plants and plant extracts as medicines, which are called herbal medicines. So loss of species would mean loss of resources for humans in the production of food, medicines and many other useful items.

Wild plants and animals are source of beauty, wonder, joy and recreational pleasure for people. Wildlife tourism is a fast-growing way of tourism. It enables people to visit natural environments for relaxation. It also helps to educate people about the importance of conservation of the natural environment. As a kind of business, it can also generate a considerable amount of revenue for private sectors and the government every year.

Conservation is also very important so the government have set up a department for conservation. It will develop and manage country parks, marine parks marine reserves and other special sites for nature conservation, recreation, tourism and education. And also provide advice on nature conservation by developing proposals and planning strategies. It will conduct environmental impact assessments and identify of special environmental interest. Promotion of public awareness of nature conservation is also a kind of its works. Enforcement of legislation concerning nature conservation, licensing control of international trade, and curbing illegal trade in endangered species in Hong Kong are also good ways for nature conservation.

The government has adopted policies to protect wildlife by establishing nature reserves is an effective means of protecting wildlife, e.g. the Mai Po Marshes as a Ramsar site. It set legislation for controlling the import, export and possession of endangered species. It also establishes the Endangered Species Resources Centre by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department can help to educate the public about the protection of endangered species.

All the organisms in the world are very important for us. if any of them disappear, it will effect our world seriously by breaking the food chain. So we are responsible to protect all the animals and provide a good environment for them.