today now than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of universal responsibility, not only nation to nation or human to human, but also to other forms of life – Tezin Gyatso (14th Dalai Lama)
looking at the image above, it's easy to see what's wrong with it! Humans have found the technological means to get clean Water from beneath the earth's surface, whereas our cohabitors are left to take in the contaminated one...
Technology is super awesome, how else would I explain steemit or my ability to order stuff online? 😉however, it may seem that we have paid too much attention to technological advances and neglected/overlooked quite an astronomical amount of other important aspects of life and exixtence. there's been a long running decline in biodiversity over the years. humans have failed to connect "Benignly" with nature.. so much that we might have forgotten that plants and animals own the planet too...
oil spills here, bush burning there, dumping of non biodegradable and chemical wastes into the oceans, etcetera etcetera...
Recently, I listened to a Tedx talk by Andrew Currie on endangered species. and I must share...
as a traveler, researcher and an experienced Entrepreneur who is passionate about saving endangered species, Currie talked about the dangers some animals face as regards extinction, the factors that might be responsible for these dangers and as well proffered some solutions.
The problem: Extinction!
Scientists now widely agree we're seeing the early stages of a mass extinction, with species vanishing at hundreds of times the historical "background" rate, largely due to a shortage of ecological real estate. Earth has suffered five mass extinctions before, but this is the first in human history — and the first with human help.
in an article titled Where do Urban animals go when their habitats disappear, blog writer Steve Holt narrated his observation when a grove of trees around his neighborhood in East Boston were cut down and the space cleared...
in his own words, prior to this:
the grove was teeming with life: squirrels chasing each other from branch to branch; bluejays and cardinals leaving the heights to perch on our fence or back porches; pigeons, sparrows, and starlings fighting over the bread my older, homebound neighbor would throw them. We saw raccoons, skunks, the occasional possum family, and, in recent months, a bunny who’d make his way under our fence each morning to eat breakfast.
Then, one day, the grove was razed. The lot, which had been a garden for decades, was purchased and leveled to be turned into three single-family townhouses. In an instant, it seemed, our urban oasis had vanished.
The urban wildlife to which we'd grown accustomed began to disappear as well. In the hours and days after the mature trees were brought down, a few of the squirrels seemed utterly confused and would show up on our decks and in our flower planters, as if to say, “What did they do to our nut warehouses?” The starlings and sparrows continued to perch in the ivy along the remaining fence, but they are fewer and fewer each day. We haven’t seen the gorgeous bluebird and cardinal.
Habitat loss remains the No. 1 threat facing wildlife on Earth, and the main reason why a Whopping 85% of all species on the IUCN Red List are endangered!. Like, how the Heck did we get here?!
From outright deforestation and fragmentation to less obvious effects of pollution and climate change, Humans have overrun a large amount of the space needed for these animals to survive..
As these habitats continuously shrink and splinter, animals grow more vulnerable to secondary dangers like inbreeding, disease or conflict with people. And so, despite plenty of physical space on Earth, wildlife around the world finds itself painted into a corner
we've burnt their Shelters, hewn down the trees and built roads and cities. thus, it becomes harder to survive and reproduce. Every species needs a certain amount (and type) of habitat to find food, shelter and mates.
Overpopulation.
Overpopulation Is a huge factor as well as loss of habitat. it's a heavy discussion to have and as such has been overlooked. it's the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about.
However, It is important to note that the increasing human population pressure directly affects loss of habitat and the well-being of these animals... green space becomes relegated to the edges of cities, threatening the more fragile species.
More humans = need for more space, = more resources required = more animals needed for food, clothing and some accessories.
Animal trafficking and poaching
Crime syndicates and organizations make a living by poaching and killing animals for some parts of their bodies. so much that they face extinction today. from Thousands to a paltry couple of hundreds.
The Tiger is hunted for it's Bones
The Rhino for it's Horn,
The Elephant for it's Ivory
The Whale for it's oil and skin.. and Steem Power, too LOL... 😮
Game Reserves in parts of Africa face a long battle of fighting poachers and corrupt officials who would take bribes and provide a leeway for poachers to take these animals.
Sharing the planet...
Our planet, theirs too
for Centuries now, the animal kingdom is directly affected by the choices we make as humans. Kingdom Animalia do not have a voice. plants don't talk, –or maybe we cannot understand. They don't have a congressman or a lobbyist in the White House. they are totally dependent on our goodwill.
I'm quite fascinated by Animal activism,
Our planet, theirs too is a non profit animal rights and planet conservation organization developed to promote harmony between species and nature. they help encourage people to coexist with other life forms because we're all in it.
According to many scientists and conservationists, our best strategy is surprisingly simple — at least in theory. To avoid a catastrophic loss of biodiversity, we need to set aside half of Earth's surface area for wildlife.
One species gets half the planet, and all other species must share the other half.
This idea has been around for years, manifested in programs like the WILD Foundation's "Nature Needs Half " campaign, but it has gained more traction recently. And it may now have one of its most eloquent arguments yet, thanks to a new book by renowned biologist E.O. Wilson titled "Half-Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life."
"The current conservation movement has not been able to go the distance because it is a process, It targets the most endangered habitats and species and works forward from there. Knowing that the conservation window is closing fast, it strives to add increasing amounts of protected space, faster and faster, saving as much as time and opportunity will allow.
Half-Earth is different, It is a goal. People understand and prefer goals. They need a victory, not just news that progress is being made.
I'm not sure of what to think of that...
However, I believe there are some other things we could do to grow nature and save endangered species.
Solution?
Currie proposed a couple of ways in which endangered species can be saved.
he highlighted how having smaller families and adopting kids could go a long way to help reduce the human population, and how our extended empathy
to other life forms that aren't human could help too.
more strict measures can be enacted to curb animal trafficking and poaching. Responsible hunting is an important form of conservation. illegal lumbering should be checked too.
Other things we could do is to encourage Ecotourism in our little ways. this would help get people off the Couch to care more for other things than pump price and what's on TV. let's learn to give too.
Despite the huge cost of conservation, it actually can be incredibly beneficial to the local, national and international economy.
Restoring ecosystems can have a profoundly positive impact on tourism; with more people traveling to explore the natural world and breathtaking resources (for example the rain forests of South America, African Serengeti, or Great Barrier Reef), countries have the opportunity to make good money off tourism
also, Zoos can go from Sharing the wonders of nature to transforming humanity into natural conservationists through Social programs. people can learn to be more "informed shoppers" get to know your stuff are made out of.
let's treat the wild like we would our pets.
let's make our kids fall in love with nature.
let's be responsible and good neighbors, living together, side by Side.
Image Source
here's a bonus video by John Linehan. it bothers on the same thing. enjoy, thanks for reading.
reference materials:
https://steemit.com/science/@herpetologyguy/saving-endangered-species-is-it-worth-it
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/meet-7-new-endangered-species-on-the-iucn-red-list
http://www.ourplanettheirstoo.org/
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