Although the effects of biodiversity loss are already being felt, all is not too late if countries take action. One reasonable solution is for countries to make amendments to their political and foreign policies to better preserve wildlife. This is already happening in many parts of the world. For instance, the United Kingdom has set goals in the Natural Environment White Paper and has established 48 Local Nature Partnerships across the country. Additionally, they help other nations preserve biodiversity by offering funding and expertise and taking international agreements and negotiations to make plans of action. Despite radical changes being far away and unrealistic, such policies are fundamental to achieving future success. If more countries are able to implement these plans of action, change will occur. Whether or not this change will occur fast enough to prevent greater species loss, however, will depend solely on the number of countries taking action and how effective their policies will be.
In some areas of the world, laws that protect faunas and floras exist, but with little attention paid. Essentially, these laws are not followed by the people and stricter enforcements must be applied to provide sufficient regulations. In Canada, the Species at Risk Act and Ontario’s Endangered Species Act were both implemented. Sadly, the reality remains that the two acts were weak and under the attack of industries, with some parts of the Ontario’s Endangered Species Act to never have been even followed through. The government must be more forceful and firm in their approach if any policies are to survive and create impact. The birth of the Great Barrier Reef Park in Australia is a good example of positive enforcement. After the park’s creation in 1975, conditions of the Great Barrier Reef improved under responsible monitoring and proper regulations and became the modern success story of reef management. It is evidenced that if governments are able to make more people compliant of laws that protect nature, the rate of biodiversity loss would decrease.
However, even with policies in place and stricter regulations, the success of conservation efforts would not occur without greater public support. When examining the root problem of species extinction, the fact remains that too few people are informed or care enough to spur change. In such cases, the best approach is to emphasize greater education of biodiversity loss. This can be done through revising curriculums at school as well as promoting conservationists to raise greater awareness. When people are informed, more individuals would take action. The power of the people is great among democratic nations. If everyone were to protest against unjust or poorly maintained protectionist laws, governments would be forced to reconsider their stance on wildlife protection as to appeal to the public.