Defining Wildlife

When man first appeared on the planet earth, in those times the whole world was wild. The distinction perhaps first arose with the advent of civilization when man first mastered the art of taming the animals and domesticating them to serve his own purpose, so that the species for which he was not directly responsible and he hunted them became wild for him. In the same vein, to a common man today, wildlife is all the life that he gets to see in the forests.

The scientific definition of wildlife is however more comprehensive and wildlife has been defined variously by different agencies. Some of the more relevant definitions are provided as follows.

In terms of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972,

“Wildlife includes any animal, bee, butterfly, crustacean, fish and moth; and aquatic and land vegetation that forms part of any habitat.”

The New Zealand Wildlife Act 1953 and Conservation Act 1987 defines wildlife as

“Any animal that is living in a wild state” and states that animal means “any member of the animal kingdom other than a human being.”

According to Species at Risk Act 2002

“Wildlife species means a species, subspecies, variety or geographically or genetically distinct population of animal, plant or other organism, other than a bacterium or virus that is wild by nature”

In terms of the Philippines Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act 2001

“Wildlife means wild forms and varieties of flora and fauna, in all developmental stages, including those which are in captivity or are being bred or propagated.”

The Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife 2004 states that

“Wildlife protected under this Law refers to the species of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife which are rare or near extinction and the species of terrestrial wildlife which are beneficial or of important economic or scientific value.”

Wildlife then, from the modern scientific context is an all inclusive term referring to all microorganisms, plants and animals as found in their natural habitats other than those plants and animals that have been cultivated or domesticated by man. Wildlife is a natural resource in the sense that it originates from nature and is useful and valuable to humanity. It is also necessary to remember that wildlife is a renewable natural resource for with proper care and management or left strictly alone it is capable of reproducing and renewing itself.