Conservation

Tigers in the wild are endangered. In the last 60 years, 3 subspecies of tiger have become extinct in the wild. Many zoos strive to raise awareness among people about how important it is to protect and conserve tigers in their natural environment. When we conserve the tiger, we also conserve its habitat and with it all the plants and animals in its range. The tiger population has fallen from 100,000 individuals a century ago to today's 5,000. In 1997 the Zoological Society of London and Global Tiger Patrol established "21st Century Tiger". It has been raising funds from the very start and directing them to projects for the conservation of tigers in the wild. European zoos have joined this effort.

Turtles have been on our planet for nearly 250 million years. They witnessed the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, saw the first birds take flight and lived through the evolution of humans. Trade in freshwater turtles in Asia: in China, 12 million turtles are sold each year. Many of them are caught in the wild. Today China obtains turtles from Vietnam, Indonesia, India, New Guinea and the USA. In 1998, more than 29 tonnes of wildlife a day were exported from Vietnam to China. Sixty per cent of this was turtles. That is 17.4 tonnes of turtles a day — if one turtle weighs 1 kg, that is 17,400 turtles a day.

Amphibians were the first vertebrates on land. They are still dependent on water for life. They lay their eggs in it, their larvae live in it, and so do many adult amphibians. More than 6,000 species of amphibians are known, which are extremely diverse and adapted to very different environments. They survived the rise and fall of the dinosaurs. After nearly 400 million years of existence, up to a third of all species are threatened with extinction, and in recent decades around 120 species have probably already become extinct. For the first time since the extinction of the dinosaurs, the Earth is facing the possibility of a mass extinction of species. If we do not act, as many as half of all amphibian species could become extinct within a few decades. The main causes are human encroachment into their habitat, environmental pollution, the introduction of non-native species and disease.

What all carnivores have in common is that their numbers are ever smaller because humans persecute them — out of fear or because they see them as competitors. They are also endangered because people destroy their habitat. These include the brown bear, wolf, Eurasian lynx, Iberian lynx, European wildcat, European otter, polar bear, arctic fox, wolverine, European polecat, European mink and golden jackal. Some of them used to live in Slovenia, some never did, and some still live with us. Carnivores are at the top of food chains. They feed on young, inexperienced, weakened, sick or dead animals and ensure that their prey does not multiply excessively. They are natural selectors, thanks to which mainly the strongest and healthiest individuals of their prey species survive. In areas where humans have so altered and impoverished the natural environment that it is no longer suitable for carnivores, their role must now be performed by people. Carnivores are an integral part of our environment and, as such, very important. If we preserve the natural environment so that carnivores can survive in it, we will preserve it for people as well.

The apes (6 species of great apes and 16 of lesser apes) are threatened by humans, who cut down the tropical rainforest that is their habitat, hunt them and expose them to disease transmission. Without our support, these beautiful and charismatic animals will become extinct. All of them are endangered, some critically so. For some species, urgent action is needed. We must ensure the survival of the great apes, not only because they are charismatic and we have a moral obligation to do so. The tropical rainforest is a vital ecosystem for both people and great apes, which play a key role as a cornerstone in the ecosystems they inhabit. They help maintain forest structure and are important seed dispersers for many species of tropical plants. Conserving great apes is no easy task, but we can save them if we give them special attention. The Year of the Ape campaign focuses on great apes and the problems and threats they face in the wild.

Action Asia is a programme developed in response to the mass extinction of large animal species in Southeast Asia, especially those caught up in the global wildlife trade. The causes of the endangerment of Southeast Asian wildlife are international wildlife trafficking, hunting for bushmeat and habitat loss. Wealthy international criminal gangs run the wildlife trade, which is the third largest in the world after drugs and arms trafficking. Animals are sold as pets around the world, for trophies and skins and traditional costumes, for exotic menus and for traditional medicine products. Over the last 150 years, the areas of forest on which many species depend for their lives have been greatly reduced. People have cleared the tropical rainforest to plant vast oil palm plantations, from which they extract palm oil, used as a biofuel and as an ingredient in food and cosmetics. Many of these plantations stand where gibbons, orangutans and other wildlife once lived, species that are neither welcome nor able to survive on these plantations.

The campaign is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of local biodiversity, which includes all living organisms and their habitats. The campaign's aims are: to protect the ecosystems on which we depend; to raise awareness of local biodiversity; to evaluate and showcase local biodiversity; and to create a lasting legacy in the protection of European species. Slovenia is small compared to other European countries, but it has an extensive underground realm. The first representatives of cave animals in the world were described almost 200 years ago from specimens found in the caves of the classical Slovenian karst. Early naturalists discovered the first cave animals above all in Postojna Cave and other caves in the surrounding area. Postojna is therefore rightly known as the cradle of speleobiology — the biological discipline that studies the subterranean living world.