In 2014, I came to Uganda to visit my father. It was my first visit to Africa. Widely regarded as the place where human life originated, it is home to many of the world's most fascinating animals, as well as to some of its most endangered. Before I entered this gifted land, I always imagined a vast land of endless skies with beautiful desert, fertile fields, and open prairies. In my mind, Africa was somehow removed from urbanization, like a precious paradise somehow untouched by man where I did not expect to see any pollution, in great contrast with China. On a visit to the national park, I saw huge herds roam the sweeping savannas under the bright sky. My tour guide told me a story that there are fewer habitats by the excess reclamation of forest and wetland. He said that many regional ecosystems are shifting and changing, and many animals are struggling to keep up. He began to list the animals that can only be found flourishing in human captivity, unable to adapt to the sudden shifts in climate. Surprisingly, I recently learned that it was snowing in our neighbor, Kenya. All these abnormalities reveal how far the environment is affected by our decisions. 

           

          From 2015 to 2016, I led my groups of classmates who are also studying in China and in the United States to research the current situation of wildlife conservation in Uganda. We decided that since Africa is still the greatest wildernesses with the most abundant diversity of animals and plants, we need to try our best to save endangered animals and protect the ecosystem since the whole world is influenced by the human factors.

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           Whether you are religious and believe that humanity was given ownership and responsibility for this paradise, or whether you are secular and understand that we are the most advanced species living on this planet, there is only a single conclusion. This is our home, and we have to do everything to protect it. We have to do something for our mother, who has done everything to cradle us, and now suffers for our greed. It is not the responsibility of government, but of each as the rightful custodians of Mother Earth. If we continue to chase after profit, riches, and economic development, our children may suffer from massive ecological disasters, and our children’s children may not have a place to call home.

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           There is no doubt in the world’s scientific community that this is a direct result of human activity and that the effects of climate change will continue to become astronomically more pronounced in the future. Almost half of plant and animal species have experienced local extinctions due to climate change, research reveals, with the tropics suffering the most pronounced loss. We all know that reversing the course of climate change will not be easy, but the tools are in our hands – if we apply them before it is too late. We cannot expect large government bodies to regulate this for us if we as individuals refuse to recognize the sanctity of life, and do our part, however small, to recycle on a local level or make smart decisions with our purchases and support companies that share our mindset. 

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           Saving the wildlife is more a process of evolution than revolution: the changes must be done slowly over many generations. The endangered animals should never only be presented in the literature or on the screens but should co-exist peacefully with the human community. We, as a whole community, should consider ourselves the guardians of our mother, across any religious or political tie, we are together bound to protecting our home!

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