Let me start with a quote from Steve Irwin, “The truth is that we will never save wildlife by killing

it.” The
illegal wildlife trade is an issue in need of addressing.

The Philippines contributes to the world by housing two-thirds of its biodiversity. A biodiversity
powerhouse, the country belongs to the eighteen mega-diverse countries as it holds seventy to eighty
percent of the world’s flora and fauna. Populations of endemic species are relatively high, both plant
and animal, especially the bird endemism ranks fourth. With a wide variety of biological life, there is also
a wide variety in terms of an ecosystem. Being a tropical country, animals and plants found it a suitable
habitat, whether a grassland, swamp, forest, or mountain range. That is why a lot of species can be
found solely within the country. However, the Philippines may be considered the hottest among all
biodiversity hotspots, it is also a hotspot for illegal wildlife traders.

It seems that the poacher’s favorites are the species marked as endangered. Some of the endangered
flora and fauna of the country are the following:

Philippine Crocodile, Philippine Eagle, Tamaraw, Bombon Sardine (Tawilis), Calamian and Philippine
spotted deer, Tarsier, Sea Turtles, Balabac mouse-deer (Pilandok), Wild Pig (Baboy Damo), Philippine
Forest Turtle, Waling-Waling, Kris Plant, Staghorn Fern, Arabica Coffee, and the Catmon. The surging
cases of illegal wildlife trade make conservation challenging. The sheer volume of the reported and
monitored illegal wildlife trade activities overwhelms the authorities along with the bare minimum
response of enforcing a national protection law which does not mitigate the problem.

Despite actions coming from the vocal minority group, authorities and citizens remain ignorant of the
impending implications of prolonged IWT. Wildlife is not the only ones who will feel the effects of
poaching, humans will suffer eventually. Throughout the process of capturing plant and animal species
already at risk of extinction, their habitats also get destroyed. Overexploitation causes the imbalance of
sex ratio that causes the remaining population’s reproduction rate to decrease.

Aside from the ecological cost, poaching poses threat to humanity’s biosecurity. IW traders do not know
fully well about the different diseases coming from wildlife. Coming into contact with such
undocumented animals, they may contract a disease, viruses, bacteria, species, or parasites to which
native populations lack resistance. Biosecurity risk is not limited to humans, but agriculture, aquaculture,
and horticulture industries as well.

With the recent news about the remaining time, humanity has to restore the planet, supporting the
cause for stopping the Illegal wildlife trade has an immense benefit. The natural environment absorbs
5.6 gigatons of carbon. However, due to the depleting biodiversity, there is a decline in ecosystems
meant for absorbing carbon emissions. Due to the deterioration of the ecosystem's health, it is less likely
to consume an ample amount of carbon than what is being produced. Fighting for the cause helps
alleviate the climate crisis.

Dismantling wildlife trafficking needs a collaborative effort. The belief that it does not affect people at a
personal level is the main cause why such illegal trade remains rampant. Not because the effects are still
unfelt, in due course it will. Can it be accepted that the current generation lives an ignorant life while
their descendants in the future shoulder the consequences? The world is not solely about individual
lives, it will never be. To end the speech is another quote from Steve Irwin, “If we can teach people
about wildlife, they will be touched. Share my wildlife with me. Because humans want to save things
that they love.” -- Steve Irwin