Wildlife conservation is a key climate change solution (commentary)

When most people think about climate change, images of melting ice caps or rising sea levels come to mind. However, the reality is far more intricate and urgent. The effects of climate change, such as fires, droughts, and extreme weather events are not just environmental threats, but crises that directly impact human well-being and wildlife survival alike. In reality, it is a complex web that affects both people and animals, and conversely, where each plays a crucial role in fostering resilient ecosystems that can withstand these challenges. Take elephants, for example – these natural ecosystem landscapers help prevent wildfires by clearing excess vegetation, creating firebreaks through their movement, and dispersing seeds through their dung that grow into carbon-absorbing trees. Their activity even helps cool the planet’s surface by trampling dense vegetation to reflect sunlight off the newly exposed ground. Conservationists doing critical work on the ground witness firsthand how threats to wildlife like poaching, conflict, and climate change itself, disrupts these natural processes which act to mitigate climate change, driving droughts, fires, and other disruptions that make it harder for both wildlife and local communities to thrive. These interconnected challenges affecting water quality, soil erosion, and even the spread of diseases highlight the inextricable link between climate change, wildlife conservation, and the well-being of communities. These issues cannot be separated in the fight against the negative effects of climate change. Grevy’s zebras in Samburu Reserve, Kenya. Photo courtesy of Dan Lundberg. The intersection of climate change and wildlife conservation is…This article was originally published on Mongabay