ECOLOGY 2

Encyclopedia of Earth: Wildlife

Traditionally, the term wildlife has conjured images of species which are of economic or emotional importance to humans. However wildlife life encompasses a much broader array of life on earth, referring to any undomesticated species, from the European Fire-bellied toad to the Siberian tiger.

As humans have encroached on the natural habitats of the world's wildlife, contaminated the far reaches of earth and hunted or fished some species to extinction, understanding qualities like habitat requirements, lifecycles and nutritional needs for all wildlife species has become a primary focus of many scientists and conservationists.

For many species, their survival depends upon our ability to identify the basic needs for wildlife populations to survive and thrive and act upon that knowledge.