In the last 40 years, wildlife around the globe has shrunk by almost 60 percent. The World Wildlife Fund warns that the trend in shrinking animal populations is accelerating. Similar shock-horror announcements have been made by other interest groups on other subjects, such as global warming, HIV/AIDS and nuclear testing. In each case there is an inevitable element of special pleading. Yet at the same time, organizations that focus on particular issues do have a useful role. It might be imagined that if there had not been a WWF, the state of wildlife around the world might be a whole lot worse. In one way the decline of wild animals has been as inevitable as it has been historic. Over the centuries, as populations grew, humans have been fighting for the same space as wild animals and except in areas where the environments were themselves hostile, such as jungle and swamp, the humans have always won. Whole species have been wiped out in certain countries. Mauritius' unfortunate dodo has come to symbolize these losses. Moreover, human ingenuity has drained marshes and swamps, cut down vast swathes of jungle, plowed up millions of hectares of prairie to plant crops, diverted mighty rivers, cut highways through once inaccessible mountains and combed the oceans with ever-greater efficiency for once abundant fish stocks. There is no way that this process could have been avoided. The requirements of mankind are inexorable. But this does not mean that wildlife is doomed. Even before the WWF and its advocacy program came into being, many countries had recognized the need for national parks and reserves. The Kingdom has been no exception. There are now 127 reserves here where wildlife and its habitat are protected. The great game reserves of Africa may be under pressure from heavily-armed poachers slaughtering elephants and rhinoceroses for their ivory horns, but by and large the worldwide drive to create secure environments for wildlife has been a success. But inevitably, there remain concerns. The destruction of Indonesian rainforest is not only putting pressure on the orangutan, it is also creating an environmental disaster, sending massive clouds of choking smoke over neighboring countries. The extensive felling of the Amazonian rainforest is not only shrinking wildlife habitats, but it is also said to be endangering an unknown number of still-to-be-discovered plants which researchers insist could hold valuable medicinal properties, which once discovered could be synthesized into groundbreaking treatments. Neither the Indonesian nor Brazilian governments seem capable of stopping the exploitation of their rainforests. The WWF warning deserves to be listened to with respect. It ought to cause countries to redouble their efforts to protect and maybe even expand their existing wildlife reserves. By organizing the way in which people and animals can avoid fighting for space, these game parks have to be the way forward. Less certain, however, is the wisdom of so-called "re-wilding" - the reintroduction of species that have long since died out in certain countries. Thus, for instance, beaver and wildcats have been released in parts of the UK and there is a suggestion that wolves should also be reintroduced. There have been similar proposals for the Indian tiger. Locals in Britain and India are quite rightly appalled at the idea of the return of powerful carnivores that will devour farm animals and even humans.
