Doug Boyle, age 16, of Reno, Nev., for his question:
WHEN DID WE FIRST START WILDLFE CONSERVATION?
Wildlife conservation includes all human efforts to preserve wild animals and plants and save them from extinction. The first effort in this regard probably occurred among prehistoric peoples. These peoples may have limited their hunting to preserve the supply of wild animals they needed for food.
We know that rulers of ancient civilizations set up the first game preserves and that medieval European kings continued this practice. These kings also forbade hunting by anyone other than a member of the ruling class.
These early wildlife conservation efforts, however, were established because of a ruler's love of hunting as a sport, rather than any awareness of the need for conservation.
During the 1600s and 1700s, the British colonies in America passed laws to protect wildlife. But most of the colonists ignored these laws.
Effective wildlife conservation in the United States actually began during the late 1800s. Congress established Yellowstone National Park, the world's first national park, in 1872. This set the pattern for future action.
In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt established Pelican Island in Florida, as the nation's first federal wildlife refuge. Also during the late 1800s, many states began to pass and enforce game laws. In addition, beginning in the 1890s, millions of acres of forests were protected by the national forest system.
Congress established the National Park System in 1916 under the direction of the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior. In 1940, the government created the Fish and Wildlife Service in the same department to strengthen the wildlife conservation program.
Wildlife refuges were organized in 1966 into the National Wildlife Refuge System.
In addition to many government agencies, many private wildlife conservation organizations have been founded in the United States since 1900. Important ones include the National Audubon Society and the National Wildlife Federation.
Canada created its first national park, Banff National Park in 1887. Australia set up its first national park in 1879. In 1898, the Sabi Game Reserve, now called the Kruger National Park, was established in what is now South Africa.
The first Asian and South American national parks were created in the early 1900s.
Wildlife conservation began on a world wide scale after the birth of the United Nations 1n 1945. Wildlife programs were set up by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
There are more than 1,200 national parks, wildlife reserves and similar protected areas throughout the world today. In addition, most countries have laws that protect wildlife.
In the United States, the National Park System has about 300 protected areas and the National Wildlife Refuge System includes more than 350 refuges. Federal and state laws also protect wild animals and plants.