Poaching of iconic species, human-wildlife conflicts and extinction rates are at their peak in the area, but there is a dearth of information regarding wildlife conservation. However, achieving a sustainable tourism industry requires adequate information about wildlife conservation, exploitation, and nature-based tourism.
Several studies have been conducted regarding biodiversity management, but most of them have focused less on enhancing nature-based tourism.
The significant findings revealed that wildlife depletion, including rare species, is primarily attributed to trophy hunting, poverty-driven poaching and partial ratification of international and regional biodiversity protocols duplicated by climate change and the erection of wildlife corridors that restrict animal seasonal migration, thereby causing deaths by impairing fauna survival capacities. Consequently, the study proffers a framework with multi-layered interventions to enhance transboundary wildlife management from community, national, and regional levels through nature-based tourism characterised by anti-poaching and anti-trophy hunting. The framework considers various regional and international sustainable development blueprints to encourage harmonised wildlife conservation at the regional level.
The framework developed will serve as a comprehensive tool to assist communities, policymakers, law enforcers, national park agencies, governments and NGOs in the effective planning, strategy implementation and management of wildlife tourism with minimum consumption. By providing a structured approach, the framework will enable these stakeholders to collaborate efficiently and make informed decisions that prioritise the long-term conservation of wildlife. It aims to prevent rapid population decline through sustainable management practices, ensuring that both biodiversity and local economies can thrive while safeguarding future generations of wildlife.
Wildlife is an essential component of ecosystem balance, although it is under threat owing to improper fauna conservation and management duplicated by climate change. A study conducted in 2000 indicated that at a global level, a proportion of 24% of mammals was at risk of extinction due to human-induced overexploitation.
This shows that fauna species depletion is an old phenomenon at a global level that demands urgent attention to reduce and manage gradual losses of wildlife resources. Currently, Amur Leopard, Rhino, Orangutan, Gorilla, Saola, Vaquita, Sunda Tiger, Yangtze Finless Porpoise, Turtle and Elephant are the ten topmost wildlife species vulnerable to a massive decline in population across the globe.
Owing to the multiplicity of wildlife losses attributed to various multi-layered challenges which negatively impact fauna survival and existence, there is a need to adopt sustainable tourism, particularly for resource protection and conservation.
Despite the Southeast Asian countries being signatories of the universal wildlife trade pact regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of wild fauna and flora which advocates for sustainable wildlife trade, unsustainable trade of millions of wildlife is interminable in the region.
Guest Editorial