Call to protect wild animals to maintain ecological balance

IUCN vice president Ali Kaka calls for a ban on the trade of endangered animal species and related products. [Photo/ddcpc website]

Ali Kaka, International Union for Conservation of Nature's vice president, discussed balancing people's needs with environmental protection, at a sub-form on July 12 themed on "green, low-carbon and cyclic development and global ecological civilization construction".

The Switzerland-headquartered body, also known as IUCN for short, is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. The sub-forum was part of the 2021 Eco Forum Global – held in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province – on July 12-13.

Kaka said wild animals were very important resources for Africa, especially East and South Africa and their living environment had been affected by human activities and climate change.

He added that humans must balance their needs with environmental protection to reduce ecological damage, ban the trade of endangered animal species and related products and prohibit poaching.