Department of Environmental Science’s Karakoram international University Gilgit.

Topic : IUCN threatened species categories,

Ex- situ conservation strategies (botanical gardens and arboreta, zoos, seed banks and aquaria).

National Conservation Strategy of Pakistan.

Legal protection of species and habitats: national and international laws and agreements for species and
habitat protection

Protected areas, their categories and objectives, considerations for reserve design, ecotourism.

Submitted to: Dr. Haibat Ali

Submitted by: Ali

Registration No: 2018-KIU-451

Course: Biodiversity & conservation

Semester: Bs⁵th

Date: 14/Jan/2021

Introduction

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global
conservation status of plant and animal species. It uses a set of quantitative criteria to evaluate the
extinction risk of thousands of species. These criteria are relevant to most species and all regions of the
world. With its strong scientific base, the IUCN Red List is recognised as the most authoritative guide to
the status of biological diversity.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Speciation Red List of Threatened Species, also called IUCN Red List, one of
the most well-known objective assessment systems for classifying the status of plants, animals, and
other organisms threatened with extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
unveiled this assessment system in 1994. It contains explicit criteria and categories to classify the
conservation status of individual species on the basis of their probability of extinction.
The IUCN system uses a set of five quantitative criteria to assess the extinction risk of a given species. In
general, these criteria consider:

1. The rate of population decline

2. The geographic range
3. Whether the species already possesses a small population size
4. Whether the species is very small or lives in a restricted area
5. Whether the results of a quantitative analysis indicate a high probability of extinction in the wild

After a given species has been thoroughly evaluated, it is placed into one of several categories. (The
details of each have been condensed to highlight two or three of the category’s most salient points
below.) In addition, three of the categories (CR, EN, and VU) are contained within the broader notion of
“threatened.” The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species recognizes several categories of species status:

1. Extinct (EX), a designation applied to species in which the last individual has died or where
systematic and time-appropriate surveys have been unable to log even a single individual
2. Extinct in the Wild (EW), a category containing those species whose members survive only in
captivity or as artificially supported populations far outside their historical geographic range
3. Critically Endangered (CR), a category containing those species that possess an extremely high
risk of extinction as a result of rapid population declines of 80 to more than 90 percent over the
previous 10 years (or three generations), a current population size of fewer than 50 individuals,
or other factors
4. Endangered (EN), a designation applied to species that possess a very high risk of extinction as a
result of rapid population declines of 50 to more than 70 percent over the previous 10 years (or
three generations), a current population size of fewer than 250 individuals, or other factors
5. Vulnerable (VU), a category containing those species that possess a very high risk of extinction
as a result of rapid population declines of 30 to more than 50 percent over the previous 10 years
(or three generations), a current population size of fewer than 1,000 individuals, or other factors
6. Near Threatened (NT), a designation applied to species that are close to becoming threatened or
may meet the criteria for threatened status in the near future
7. Least Concern (LC), a category containing species that are pervasive and abundant after careful
assessment
8. Data Deficient (DD), a condition applied to species in which the amount of available data related
to its risk of extinction is lacking in some way. Consequently, a complete assessment cannot be
performed. Thus, unlike the other categories in this list, this category does not describe the
conservation status of a species
9. Not Evaluated (NE), a category used to include any of the nearly 1.9 million species described by
science but not assessed by the IUCN

All else being equal, a species experiencing an 90 percent decline over 10 years (or three generations),
for example, would be classified as critically endangered. Likewise, another species undergoing a 50
percent decline over the same period would be classified as endangered, and one experiencing a 30
percent reduction over the same time frame would be considered vulnerable. It is important to
understand, however, that a species cannot be classified by using one criterion alone; it is essential for
the scientist doing the assessment to consider all five criteria when determining the status of the species.
Each year thousands of scientists around the world assess or reassess species. The IUCN Red List is
subsequently updated with these new data once the assessments have been checked for accuracy. In this
way, the information helps to provide a continual spotlight on the status of the world’s at-risk plants,
animals, and other organisms. As a result, interested parties, such as national governments and
conservation organizations, may use the information provided in the IUCN Red List to prioritize their own
species-protection efforts.

The IUCN Red List brings into focus the ongoing decline of Earth’s biodiversity and the influence humans
have on life on the planet. It provides a globally accepted standard with which to measure the
conservation status of species over time. By 2019, 96,500 species had been assessed by using the IUCN
Red List categories and criteria. Of these, more than 26,500 species of plants, animals, and others fall
into the threatened categories (CR, EN, and VU). Today the list appears as an online database available
to the public. Scientists can analyze the percentage of species in a given category and how these
percentages change over time; they can also analyze the threats and conservation measures that
underpin the observed trends.

Ex- situ conservation strategies

Ex situ or ‘off-site’ conservation means the conservation of components of biological diversity outside
their natural habitats. The main objective of ex situ techniques is to support conservation by ensuring the
survival of threatened species and the maintenance of associated genetic diversity. Ex situ techniques
should always be seen as complimentary to in situ conservation, aiding species recovery and
reintroduction. The main techniques are: gene banks, e.g. seed banks, sperm and ova banks; captive
breeding of animals and artificial propagation of plants; and collections of living organisms for zoos,
aquaria, and botanic gardens for research and public awareness.

Types of Ex Situ Conservation

Zoos

Although comparatively far more invertebrates than vertebrates face extinction, most captive breeding
programmes in zoos focus on vertebrates. Threats to vertebrate extinction tend to be well publicised
(e.g. Dormouse, Panda). People find it easier to relate to and have sympathy with animals which are
more similar to ourselves, particularly if they are cute and cuddly (at least in appearance, if not in fact!).
Not many visitors to zoos are likely to get excited over the prospect of the zoo 'saving' a tiny beetle,
which they can barely see, let alone spiders or other invertebrates which often invite horror rather than
wonder. Vertebrates therefore serve as a focus for public interest. This can help to generate financial
support for conservation and extend public education to other issues. This is a very important
consideration, as conservation costs money and needs to be funded from somewhere.

The focus on vertebrates is not solely pragmatic. Many of the most threatened vertebrates are large top
carnivores, which the world stands to lose in disproportionate numbers. Such species require extensive
ranges to provide sufficient prey to sustain them. In many cases, whole habitats for these predators have
all but disappeared. Some biased expenditure on their survival may therefore be justified.

AQUARIA
The role of aquaria has largely been as display and educational facilities. However, they are assuming
new importance in captive breeding programmes. Growing threats to freshwater species in particular,
are leading to the development of ex situ breeding programmes. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) is
currently developing captive breeding programmes for endangered fish. Initially this will cover those
from Lake Victoria in Africa, the desert fishes of N. America and Appalachian stream fishes. Natural
habitats will be restored as part of the programme.

Marine, as well as freshwater species are also the subject of captive breeding programmes. For example,
The National Marine Aquarium, in South West England, is playing an important role in the conservation
of sea horse species through their captive breeding programme.

PLANT COLLECTIONS

Populations of plant species are much easier than animals to maintain artificially. They need less care
and their requirements for particular habitat conditions can be provided more readily. It is also much
easier to breed and propagate plant species in captivity.

There are roughly 1,500 botanic gardens world-wide, holding 35,000 plant species (more than 15% of
the world’s flora). The Royal Botanic Gardens of England (Kew Gardens) contains an estimated 25,000
species. IUCN classifies 2,700 of these as rare, threatened or endangered. Many botanic gardens house
collections of particular taxa which are of major conservation value. There is however, a general
geographic imbalance. Only 230 of the world’s 1,500 gardens are in the tropics. Considering the greater
species richness of the tropics, this is an imbalance that needs to be addressed.

A more serious problem with ex situ collections involves gaps in coverage of important species,
particularly those of significant value in tropical countries. One of the most serious gaps is in the area of
crops of regional importance, which are not widely traded on world markets. These often have
recalcitrant seeds (unsuited to long-term storage) and are poorly represented in botanic collections. Wild
crop relatives are also under-represented. These are a potential source of genes conferring resistance to
diseases, pests and parasites and as such are a vital gene bank for commercial crops.

Plant genetic diversity can also be preserved ex situ through the use of seed banks. Seeds are small but
tough and have evolved to survive all manner of adverse conditions and a host of attackers. Seeds can be
divided into two main types, orthodox and recalcitrant. Orthodox seeds can be dried and stored at
temperatures of -20oC. Almost all species in a temperate flora can be stored in this way. Surprisingly,
many tropical seeds are also orthodox. Recalcitrant seeds, in contrast, die when dried and frozen in this
manner. Acorns of oaks are recalcitrant and it is believed that so are the seeds of most tropical rain
forest trees.

The result of storing seeds under frozen conditions is to slow down the rate at which they lose their
ability to germinate. Seeds of crop plants such as maize and barley could probably survive thousands of
years in such conditions, but for most plants, centuries is probably the norm. This makes seed banking an
attractive conservation option, particularly when all others have failed. It offers an insurance technique
for other methods of conservation.

All of the ex situ conservation methods discussed have their role to play in modern conservation.
Generally, they are more expensive to maintain and should be regarded as complementary to in situ
conservation methods. For example they may be the only option where in situ conservation is no longer
possible.

Botanic gardens

Botanic gardens host living collections of plants to maintain a living store of genetic diversity that can
support many activities in conservation and research. They also lead research and development into
plant taxonomy and genetics, phytochemistry, useful properties, and informing selection of plants that
can withstand degraded and changing environments, especially important in face of the threats posed
by climate change.

Seed banks

The storage of seeds is one of the most widespread and valuable ex-situ approaches to conservation.
Species and varieties can be stored as an insurance against future extinction, and to maintain genetic
diversity that can be used in the future i.e. disease or drought resistant varieties. According to Botanic
Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), there were over 400 botanic gardens worldwide storing
seeds in seed banks in 2015. Seed banking has considerable advantages over other methods of ex situ
plant conservation such as ease of storage, economy of space, relatively low labour demands and
consequently, the capacity to maintain large samples at an economically viable cost. It is vital however
that the viability of the seeds is tested regularly.The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership at Kew Gardens
is the largest ex-situ plant conservation programme in the world. It aims to have stored seeds from 25%
the worlds bankable species by 2020 (75,000 species). The project targets plants and regions most at risk
from the ever-increasing impact of human activities, including land use and climate change.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault focuses on food plants, aiming to safeguard as much of the world’s
unique crop genetic material as possible. Duplicate sample of seeds held in gene banks worldwide are
being stored in a secure facility buried in the permafrost on a remote island in Norway. By 2016, over
800,000 varieties were being stored in the vault but it has capacity for up to 4.5 million!

Advantages Disadvantages

 Organisms are  Captive population

completely protected have limited genetic
from predation and diversity
poaching
 Animals can be
 Halth of individuals can exposed to a wide
be monitored and range of different
medical assistance diseases
given as required
 the organisms are
 Populations can be living outside their
more effectively natural habitat
managed and divided if
disaster strikes  Nutritional issues
  Genetic diversity of the may arise
population can be
measured  Animals may not
behave as normal
 Selective breeding making reproduction
programmes can be put difficult
into place
 Correct survival
 Modern reproductive environmental
technology can conditions may be
increase the chances difficult to achieve
of repoductive success
 Expensive to
 Animals and plants can maintain
be bred to increase
their numbers if  animals may not
endangered survive
reintroduction into
 research into the wild
reproductive
physiology, lifestyle  There can be
and ecology of an difficulties with
endangered species is acceptance by the
made easiter existing wild
members of the
 conservation sites can species
be used as attractions
to raise funds for
further conservation
efforts

 Conservation sites can

be used for education

The Pakistan national conservation strategy

The Pakistan National Conservation Strategy (NCS), approved the government on March 1, 1992,
provides a broad framework for addressing environmental concerns in the country. The strategy was
formulated though a three-year long process of consultation between individuals, groups and
organisations representing a broad spectrum of views and interests in the issue.

This paper presents a plan of action for the implementation of the NCS during as part of the Eighth Five-
year plan, 1993-98 noting that because of its consensual nature, the NCS shall enable effective
coordination between the actions of federal and provincial governments, NGOs, the private sector, local
bodies and local communities in pursuit of sustainable development. In addition to a brief overview of
the action plan and its evolution, the paper gives a background description of the situation on
environment and development in Pakistan, actions already initiated in the government and elsewhere
and the future plan of action in the areas of institutional development, supportive regulatory and
economic incentives, and promoting mass awareness.

A forth component on the development projects to be undertaken during the Eighth Five-Year Plan
period is contained in other documents. The author states that the objectives of the action plan and the
project proposals are both to strengthen on-going initiatives and complement them with new actions as
required in the future. As in the case of the NCS, the paper notes that these documents represent the
firm intention of the government to ensure environmentally sustainable.

Federal Laws and International Treaties

There are many federal laws that protect wildlife, some with a very specific purpose, such as the Bald
and Golden Eagle Protection Act, and others that cover a wide range of activities, such as the Lacey Act
and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. One of the most important of these laws in preserving domestic
wildlife is the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) embodies the desire of the federal government to conserve
endangered and threatened species and to conserve their critical habitat. This law authorizes the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to determine which species should be included on the lists of endangered
and threatened species and when they should be removed. It requires the FWS to develop and
implement recovery plans for each species on the list and to cooperate with the states to monitor how
effective the plans have been.

A recent landmark decision by the FWS to include chimpanzees on the list of endangered species, marked
the beginning of the end of invasive research on chimpanzees. The final rule, issued on June 12, 2015,
now lists both wild and captive chimpanzees as endangered under the ESA. This ruling came as the
result of a petition filed by a coalition of animal advocacy groups in 2011. At that time, chimpanzees had
a unique position under the ESA as they were the only species with a split listing: chimpanzees in the wild
were placed on the endangered list while captive chimpanzees were on the threatened list. Moreover,
captive chimpanzees also had a special exception to their threatened species status that removed them
from any protections under the ESA. In making its rule final, the FWS found that there is no legal
justification for a separate classification for animals of the same species. Furthermore, the endangered
species listing does not permit the special exception that was applied to the threatened species listing.

Another recent ruling of the ESA, on December 21, 2015, added lions to the list of endangered species.
Lions were under consideration for this designation when Cecil was hunted and killed by a U.S. dentist
after being lured from his preserve. As an endangered species, permits will now be needed to import any
lion trophy, and the FWS has stated that it will exercise its full authority to deny future permit
applications if an applicant has previously been convicted of or pled guilty to violations of wildlife laws.
There are additional federal laws and international treaties that impact wildlife, protect native
populations and migrating birds passing through the country, and even committing the U.S. to help in
the conservation of species in Africa and elsewhere.

Airborne Hunting Act prohibits the harassment or taking of wildlife from any airborne craft (exceptions
for federal and state officials and anyone granted a state permit)

Antarctic Conservation Act conserves and protects the native mammals, birds, and plants of Antarctica
and the ecosystems of which they are a part.

Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits the harassment of, trade in or taking of bald and golden
eagles without a permit for scientific, exhibition or religious purposes. The regulations also provide for
issuance of permits for the incidental taking of birds or their habitat for commercial purposes.

Lacey Act enforces civil and criminal penalties for the illegal trade of animals and plants. It regulates the
import of any species protected by international or domestic law and prevents the spread of invasive, or
non-native, species. The law covers all fish and wildlife and their parts or products, plants protected by
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and those
protected by State law. It is unlawful to import, export, sell, acquire, or purchase fish, wildlife or plants
that are taken, possessed, transported, or sold: 1) in violation of U.S. or Indian law, or 2) in interstate or
foreign commerce involving any fish, wildlife, or plants taken possessed or sold in violation of State or
foreign law.

Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits the taking and importing of marine mammals and marine
mammal products.

Multinational Species Conservation Acts serve to protect specific populations of animals through
international treaties with other countries. These Acts include the African Elephant Conservation Act of
1988, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1998, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997,
the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000 and the Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004.

National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act requires that the Wildlife Refuge System
management includes a strong and singular wildlife conservation mission, maintains the biological
integrity, diversity and environmental health of the System, recognizes that wildlife-dependent
recreational uses involving hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental
education and interpretation, when determined to be compatible, are legitimate and appropriate public
uses of the Refuge System.

Wild Bird Conservation Act limits imports of exotic bird species to ensure that their populations are not
harmed by international trade.

Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act aims to protect wild free-roaming horses and burros from
capture, branding, harassment, or death.It gives the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Forest
Service responsibility for protecting and managing wild free-roaming horses and burros as components
of the public lands and maintain ecological balance on public lands, including the designation and
maintenance of specific ranges on public lands as sanctuaries to protect wild horses and burros.
International Treaties

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is the only treaty to
ensure that international trade in plants and animals does not threaten their survival in the wild. A State
or country that has agreed to implement the Convention is called a Party to CITES. Currently there are
181 Parties, including the United States. Each Party must regularly submit reports on how they are
implementing the Convention, including information on any legislative and regulatory changes, as well
as law enforcement, permitting, communications and administrative matters.

Migratory Bird Treaty Act implements various treaties and conventions between the U.S. and Canada,
Japan, Mexico and the former Soviet Union for the protection of migratory birds. Under the Act, taking,
killing or possessing migratory birds is unlawful.

Protected Area Categories

IUCN WCPA best practice guidance on recognising protected areas and assigning management
categories and governance types.

A. Strict Nature Reserve: Category are strictly protected areas set aside to protect biodiversity and
also possibly geological/geomorphical features, where human visitation, use and impacts are
strictly controlled and limited to ensure protection of the conservation values. Such protected
areas can serve as indispensable reference areas for scientific research and monitoring more...

B. Wilderness Area: Category protected areas are usually large unmodified or slightly modified
areas, retaining their natural character and influence without permanent or significant human
habitation, which are protected and managed so as to preserve their natural condition.

I. National Park: protected areas are large natural or near natural areas set aside to protect large-
scale ecological processes, along with the complement of species and ecosystems characteristic
of the area, which also provide a foundation for environmentally and culturally compatible,
spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational, and visitor opportunities. more...

II. Natural Monument or Feature: protected areas are set aside to protect a specific natural
monument, which can be a landform, sea mount, submarine cavern, geological feature such as a
cave or even a living feature such as an ancient grove. They are generally quite small protected
areas and often have high visitor value. more...
 III. Habitat/Species Management Area: protected areas aim to protect particular species or
habitats and management reflects this priority. Many Category protected areas will need
regular, active interventions to address the requirements of particular species or to maintain
habitats, but this is not a requirement of the category. more...

IV. Protected Landscape/ Seascape: A protected area where the interaction of people and nature
over time has produced an area of distinct character with significant, ecological, biological,
cultural and scenic value: and where safeguarding the integrity of this interaction is vital to
protecting and sustaining the area and its associated nature conservation and other values.
More...

V. Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources, protected areas conserve ecosystems
and habitats together with associated cultural values and traditional natural resource
management systems. They are generally large, with most of the area in a natural condition,
where a proportion is under sustainable natural resource management and where low-level non-
industrial use of natural resources compatible with nature conservation is seen as one of the
main aims of the area.

Reserve Designs

Reserve design used to be based on defining the carrying capacity of an appropriate area needed by a
species to maintain it in the landscape. This type of approach to defining the area was sufficient when
there was an immediate need to set aside areas to protect species. However, this type of approach does
not deal with the fact that the quality of the space makes a difference in how effectively it is used by the
species—it is not just a question of total area and the amount of interior and edge environments. We
realize that the distinction between interior and edge environments appeared to be easy to distinguish in
the field, but in fact was not so clear when species other than birds were the species of conservation
interest. How the quality of an environment changes with respect to the matrix landscape that is not in
reserves is receiving considerable research attention today.

It is now universally acknowledged that the conservation of species requires the preservation of natural
habitats within ecosystems. One fundamental concern is that if the rates of habitat loss due to resource
exploitation continue at current levels, many habitats will disappear forever by the middle of the twenty-
first century (see D. S. Hik, O. J. Schmitz, A. R. E. Sinclair, and others). The growing concern over the loss
of habitat, and the concomitant loss of biodiversity, has generated intense interest in the use of reserves
and reserve networks as conservation tools. For example, the Wildlife Conservation Society's flagship
project, “Paseo Pantera,” is an effort to consolidate and link protected areas throughout Central
America. The intention is that these reserves will afford species an extensive refuge from exploitation.
The most fundamental strategy in reserve design is to circumscribe and set aside parcels of land that are
key sources of biotic diversity, and to exclude all human activity within their boundaries. In this sense,
reserves act as repositories for much of the world's biota in perpetuity. There are two main reasons why
such a strategy alone is insufficient. First, natural habitats decline both within and outside of reserves
through natural processes (e.g., succession) and as part of the differential impact of disturbances within
the matrix landscape. Thus, habitat within protected areas will continue to change, albeit at slower rates
than outside of protected areas. Consequently, the structure and function of those putatively protected
ecosystems will not be sustained over the long term simply by delineating them as reserves (as discussed
by A. R. E. Sinclair and others). Second, setting aside land to protect specific ecosystem types may no
longer be possible because the land base has been degraded to a point where the complement of
habitats needed for a sustainable ecosystem no longer exist. The solution is to adopt a new conservation
strategy that promotes the reestablishment of habitat via habitat renewal and restoration at rates that
offset natural habitat decline within a landscape framework. Accordingly, management must choose not
only the size of land parcels to preserve, but also the size of area that balances habitat loss with habitat
renewal. This may require the restoration of some ecosystem types and the eradication of invasive
species.

Thus reserve designers must adopt a holistic perspective that considers habitat decline and renewal as
consequences of succession and disturbances. They must also maintain a long-term, large-scale
perspective in deciding how to balance renewal against loss. For example, consider a 100-ha parcel of
old-growth forest that forms part of a reserve that is rapidly decreasing in area due to natural stand
break-up (see B. C. Larson and C. Oliver). In order for old-growth forest to be sustained within the
reserve, another 100 ha of younger successional forest must be available to replace the declining stand
as that older forest stand is shrinking, not 100 or 200 years in the future. In this case, one must set aside
much more land than 100 ha and protect a wider variety of successional-age stands in order to have a
sustainable old-growth forest ecosystem. In addition to these biologically motivated criteria for reserve
design, there is growing recognition that human social factors outside of the reserves can play a major
role in determining the conservation effectiveness of a reserve.

Ecotourism

Ecotourism (also called sustainable tourism) can be defined by a variety of travel practices, but it all
comes down to a general set of ideas. As an eco-tourist, you decide to travel in a way that shows respect
to nature and does not contribute to its degradation.

Additionally, ecotourism is a part of environmental conservation and understanding what the needs of
the people are who are local to the area so that you can help to improve their quality of life. It also
involves learning more about the history of other cities and preserving historical landmarks.

Importance of Ecotourism

When we think of the joys that come with the adventures of traveling, we often envision exciting trips to
beautiful places fit for a perfect photograph, unique foods you won’t find at home and encounters with
people who are much different from those we are accustomed to. Tourism allows us to do more than just
learn facts about various locations. It allows us to immerse ourselves into the cultures and lifestyles of
others and leaves lasting impressions that aren’t likely to be forgotten.

Principles of Ecotourism

Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. This means that those
who implement, participate in and market ecotourism activities should adopt the following ecotourism
principles:

 Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts.

 Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
 Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.
 Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.
 Generate financial benefits for both local people and private industry.
 Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to visitors that help raise sensitivity to host
countries’ political, environmental, and social climates.
 Design, construct and operate low-impact facilities.
 Recognize the rights and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work
in partnership with them to create empowerment.

Advantages of Ecotourism

o Ecotourism can protect the local flora and fauna

o Ecosystems can be sustained in a natural state
o Can help to increase the awareness of our environmental problems
o People will learn how to improve their ecological footprint
o Good to educate your kids
o Ecotourism can give you a good feeling
o You can explore untouched nature
o Can also be quite exciting for locals
o Ecotourism can preserve ancient knowledge
o Sustainable resource use
o You can explore new cultures
o Ecotourism can help to improve the overall infrastructure in a region
o Important income source for locals
o Additional income can be used for the preservation of nature
o Ecotourism can help against unemployment in a region

Disadvantages of Ecotourism

o May still disturb local wildlife to a certain extent

o Ecotourism may lead to littering
o Wild animals may get used to humans
o Ecotourism is subject to a significant level of discretion
o Natural tribes may be forced to leave their home
o Additional money from ecotourism will often not benefit the general public
 o Some ecotourism activities may become too popular
o Ecotourism can be quite time-consuming
o Many people will forget what they learned
o People may be turned into attractions
o Animal souvenirs may be sold
o Ecological imbalance
o Pollution related to reaching your remote travel destination
o Tourists may get exploited
o Ecotourism may change the traditional values of people over time

References

 https://www.iucnredlist.org/about/searching
 https://www.iucn.org/asia/countries/pakistan
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
318921649_Endangered_Species_International_Protection
 https://scholar.google.com.pk/scholar?
q=threat+species+objectives&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/reserve-design

 https://api.worldanimalprotection.org/country/pakistan
 https://carboncraftgroup.com/what-is-ecotourism/

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