10 ecological issues affecting wildlife today

IFAW is a conservation and welfare organization dedicated to creating a world where animals and people can thrive together. For over five decades, we have taken an innovative approach to protecting wildlife and the planet we call home. Through education, awareness, and direct action, we work with communities, governments, organizations, and businesses to inspire lasting change for the benefit of wildlife around the world. 

In this blog, we explore 10 of the most pressing ecological issues affecting wildlife, highlighting the immediate need for humans to change their interactions with the environment, both on a local and a global scale. 

10 serious ecological issues affecting wildlife 

From pollution to overfishing, a range of ecological issues are contributing to lasting and escalating changes to our wildlife populations.  

1. Climate change 

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in our climate and weather patterns. Some of these changes are natural, brought about by the sun’s activity or significant volcanic eruption, but for the past two centuries, human activity has been the main contributor to climate change. Our extensive use of fossil fuels has released excess greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, raising temperatures globally by 1.1°C (2°F) in just 200 years. 

Climate change threatens biodiversity through: 

• Habitat loss: Higher temperatures affect animals’ local vegetation, water, and food sources. These changes may make an environment uninhabitable for certain species, leading to migration, population decline, or extinction. 
• Disasters: Climate change has increased disasters five-fold over the past 50 years, with wildfires, hurricanes, and droughts causing loss of life and decimating habitats.  
• Increased human-wildlife conflict: As habitats are lost, animals and people are forced to coexist in smaller spaces, with animals inevitably being outcompeted for resources and space and threatening both human and animal safety as well.  
• Extinction: Wildlife exposed to the most severe impacts of climate change face the highest threat of extinction. 

2. Deforestation 

Deforestation is the clearing or thinning of forests to make the land suitable for other uses, such as agriculture, livestock, or urbanization. It is one of the leading ecological issues threatening biodiversity, shrinking and eliminating many wildlife habitats. 

Australia’s koala population is especially vulnerable to deforestation, as their diet consists exclusively of eucalyptus leaves. When these trees are cut down, koalas face malnutrition and starvation. As a result, koala populations are decreasing, and the species is now classed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. 

Similarly, the largest tree-dwelling mammals, orangutans, depend on the lush rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra to survive, spending up to 90% of their time in the tree canopy. It is estimated that in Borneo alone, the habitat of over 26,000 orangutans could be lost by the next decade through deforestation, endangering these great apes. 

3. Habitat fragmentation 

Habitat fragmentation refers to the breaking up of wildlife habitat into smaller pieces. This can occur when areas of a larger habitat are destroyed by natural causes or human activity, such as agriculture or urban development. This fragmentation prevents wildlife from moving safely across the land, disrupting seasonal feeding patterns and migration. Forced into smaller spaces and separated from larger populations, species are exposed to stronger competition and face inbreeding, both of which may deplete their populations and threaten biodiversity.  

Many species are currently impacted by ecological issues associated with habitat fragmentation. Here are just a few examples: 

• African savannah elephants’ territories have been shrunk by human land use. These animals typically need spaces of over 30,000 square kilometres to roam. 
• African wild dogs’ hunting ranges have been interrupted by human settlements. 
• Bison are losing grazing grounds due to agriculture and urban development. 
• Black rhinos are being forced to live in smaller areas, lowering their breeding rates and increasing levels of disease. 
• Caribou face difficulty migrating, feeding, and breeding due to human development in their habitat.  

Of all the ecological issues discussed here, poaching is particularly complex because, in some places, people rely on poaching as a source of income, food, and traditional medicine. Within such communities, we need to proactively support alternative livelihoods for poachers so they can find more wildlife-friendly income streams and support rangers, who work on the front lines to prevent wildlife crime. 

5. Bycatch 

Bycatch refers to the marine life that are accidentally caught during commercial fishing. They are not the species that were intended to be caught and simply get trapped or entangled in the equipment during indiscriminate fishing practices. It’s not only fish that are affected—turtles, seals, dolphins, sharks, and even whales can become bycatch.  

Bycatch is one of the most damaging ecological issues affecting ocean life, as the animals caught are often severely injured, and many die. Dragging wildlife to the surface in nets or on lines puts pressure on their bodies and can rupture organs. When they’re pulled onto fishing boats, a lack of oxygen can rapidly kill them. Meanwhile, animals trapped underwater in fishing gear can injure themselves trying to escape. Some die from exhaustion while those that need to surface for air, such as marine mammals, often drown. 

6. Overfishing 

Overfishing happens when too many fish within a particular population are caught while there are too few breeding adults to replenish the population. Governing bodies have long been aware of the ecological issues surrounding overfishing and, although the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization monitors over 500 global fish stocks, it is still estimated that over a third of fish have been overfished.  

Overfishing is caused by higher levels of consumption (thanks to our growing human population), climate change (which alters the migratory routes of fish stock), and unregulated and illegal fishing. 

Overfishing impacts biodiversity because, as large fish populations become depleted, fishermen head into deeper and deeper waters. This practice breaks down the food web, destroys habitats, and reduces populations of the marine life that maintain balance in these delicate ecosystems. One issue with fishing in deeper waters is that the High Seas—the parts of the ocean that lie outside of national jurisdiction—are mostly not protected by law. This is why IFAW is advocating for the ratification of the High Seas Treaty, which would enable Marine Protected Areas to be established in these large swaths of the sea. 

Sharks are often overfished and killed for their fins, pushing some species towards extinction. For over a decade, IFAW has been working with member countries of CITES to limit the shark trade, ensuring it is sustainable.  

7. Pollution 

Pollution occurs when harmful materials, called pollutants, are released into the environment. Some pollutants are natural, such as volcanic ash and desert dust, but humans are responsible for much of the pollution damaging the land, water, and air. We create pollutants like car fumes and smoke that pollute the air, plastics and other discarded trash that pollute the water, and sewage, industrial wastes, and pesticides that pollute the land and eventually the waterways. Noise pollution is also a major issue impacting marine animals like whales. 

No wildlife is safe from the damaging ecological issues of air and water pollution. Air pollution can alter the behavioral patterns of migratory animals, while chemical pollutants in bodies of water cause widespread issues among wildlife. From British otters found with restricted PFAs in their system to polar bears contaminated with industrial pollutants, our wildlife suffers immune, nervous system, and hormonal issues at the hands of pollution. 

8. Drought 

Droughts, which can occur anywhere in the world, are prolonged periods of dry weather with a lack of precipitation, which can eventually lead to water shortages. Droughts can have a catastrophic effect on the health of animals and humans alike. This ecological issue impacts habitats, agriculture, energy, and the environment. As temperatures rise due to climate change, drier regions of the planet are becoming drier, increasing the risk and severity of droughts. 

Droughts can reduce water and food sources for land animals, disrupting the local food web and knocking ecosystems off balance. Young animals may fail to survive and breeding levels may fall. Wildfires are more common during droughts because fire fuel—such as grasses and trees—becomes more flammable. In some drought-stricken areas, human-wildlife conflicts can arise as smaller areas of more hospitable land are shared.  

One example of an ongoing drought that has severely impacted both people and wildlife is occurring in the Horn of Africa region. Since 2020, the region has been experiencing extremely dry rainy seasons, one of which had the lowest levels of precipitation in over four decades. The Amboseli ecosystem alone lost 6,093 wild animals from the drought, as of February 2023. Domestic livestock have also been severely impacted, leading to a loss of livelihood for many farmers. 

In Zimbabwe, IFAW has partnered with ZimParks to found Water is Life, a project that provides communities facing severe drought with access to clean, safe water. Providing clean water to communities also benefits wildlife in that it reduces human-wildlife conflict that can occur due to resources being so limited. 

9. Oil and gas development 

Not only do oil and gas release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and pollute the air, but their industries’ development also disrupts and displaces wildlife. It can be responsible for: 

• Habitat fragmentation, which interferes with feeding and breeding 
• Leaks and spills that damage ecosystems 
• The introduction of invasive species, which threaten native species 
• The alteration of habitats as roads and pipelines are brought into previously inaccessible areas 
• Loss of vegetation and soil damage 
• Reduced air quality due to emissions and dust 

In addition, oil spills are notorious for their catastrophic impact on marine wildlife. The BP Deepwater Horizon spill of 2010 has allowed scientists to explore the far-reaching consequences of a large oil spill, demonstrating that they permanently damage the ocean ecosystem, as well as initially harming tens of thousands of animals. 

In December 2023, an oil spill in India impacted wildlife, including as many as 200 pelicans. A team consisting of IFAW and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) experts provided rehabilitation and veterinary care to pelicans, cleaning off the oil and debris and preparing them for release back to the wild. IFAW has also worked with local organizations and government authorities in Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Jordan, Yemen, and South Africa, training responders on how to safely and effectively care for oil spill-affected wildlife. 

10. Soil erosion and degradation 

Up to a third of the world’s soil displays a moderate-to-high degree of degradation. Soil degradation occurs when the soil’s quality—and its potential to support plants and animals—diminishes. This includes chemical, physical, or biological changes that impact the soil ecosystem and the wildlife within it. Like soil erosion, soil degradation can be the result of natural processes but can also be accelerated by human activity, including land clearing and intensive farming. 

Soil erosion can become an ecological issue for wildlife because it decreases soil fertility, which can reduce the health and biodiversity of vegetation. Fewer plants also means there are fewer species to absorb carbon dioxide and prevent the effects of global warming. It’s estimated that healthy soils could absorb up to 5% of all the greenhouse gas emissions made by humans annually.  

Meanwhile, soil degradation also affects wildlife through increased landslides, which can destroy habitats, and desertification, as vegetation can no longer be supported by unhealthy soil.  

Support IFAW’s work to protect wildlife 

Education, bold action, and proactive support are at the heart of solving the ecological issues addressed here. By supporting IFAW’s work, you can help us spark change through community action, governmental policy changes, and improved industry standards and initiatives. 

Your donations help us take bold and decisive action, tackling issues at the source to help protect wildlife in a sustainable way. With your help, we can create a future where wildlife and their habitats can not only survive but thrive.