Mar 06 2008
Top 10 Wildlife Conservation Triumphs of 2007/8
Global warming, endangered species, violence, disease, poverty, hunger, exploitation… Isn’t there ever any good news?
You ever ask that? I’m betting you do. And I’m betting you’re asking it more and more often, these days. Just like I am. But relax, you won’t be asking it today - to launch this blog on a positive note, here are some of the top ‘good news’ stories from the past year that probably sneaked in under your radar:
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Long endangered and with only 1,400 left in the wild, India’s tigers are to be protected through a $150 million project funded by the Indian government. |
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Zoologist Andrew Gray discovered that the tree frog Isthomhyla Rivularis is not extinct, as was claimed, but still happily scampering about the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve of Costa Rica. |
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Mexican president Felipe Calderon gave an extra $4.6 million funding to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. (You’ve probably seen this place on TV - forest glades plastered with butterflies that have migrated 3,000 miles from the U.S. and Canada.) |
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Federal Judge Cooper, U.S. Magistrate Laporte, and finally a Federal Court of Appeals all ruled against the U.S. Navy and President Bush so protecting whales from injury by navy sonar in waters off California, Hawaii, the Galapagos, the Great Barrier Reef… |
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The Congolese government set aside 12,000 square miles of rainforest for the Bonobo - one of our closest relatives - of which there might be as few as 5,000 left. |
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The Cuban government banned the hunting of marine turtles. (During my first ever scuba dive I saw a Hawksbill Turtle gliding over coral gardens - it was the highlight of the day.) |
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The tiny nation of Kiribati created the world’s largest marine reserve (160,000 square miles, the size of California) which is home to 640 species of coral and fish, some new discoveries. |
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Rwanda, the D.R. of Congo, and Uganda jointly embarked on a $6 million project to protect the mountain gorilla, of which only 700 survive. |
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eBay banned ivory products. (In just one sample week, 2141 ‘probably’ illegal items were auctioned; up to 20,000 elephants are poached per year.) |
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And finally… a new species has been discovered. And not something ‘boring’ like a bug or a tiny fungus that only grows in one cave in Mongolia. Oh, no. This is special! A big cat: the Bornean Clouded Leopard |
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‘Extinct’ species still alive and kicking. Funds to protect wildlife. Economic potential sidelined for conservation… Doesn’t this just make your heart sing?
And sing we should. From the rooftops!
You see, if we don’t preserve the natural splendour that envelopes our world but instead let it be devastated simply so some moron can make an easy buck, what will we tell our children when they look at picture books of everything we pushed into extinction?
“Yes, tigers were beautiful, Bobby, but they weren’t really useful for anything.”
True. But do you really want that as your excuse for doing nothing?
Don’t panic!
I’m not asking anyone to leap into ‘world-saving’ mode today.
All I’m asking for is something simple — to blow the trumpets and unfurl the flags about any environmental or conservation success we have.
Why?
If politicians and celebrities see kudos from jumping on the green bandwagon then they won’t need asking twice. And if big business sees public relations profits in ‘green’ initiatives then they might indulge themselves more often. Money, power, influence - these can achieve wonders. What’s it matter if everyone’s doing it for the wrong reasons? If it’s mostly just greenwashing? Is it better that they go back to ignoring the problems and doing nothing?
After all, if you want to feel good about yourself so give a starving man a loaf of bread, do you think he cares about your motivation?
Yeah, right.
So, let’s follow his lead - grab everything we can get. You see, if those giving give often enough then they might actually forget they’re doing it for the wrong reasons and start doing it for the right ones.
Now I know many people will mock this as oversimplified, pie-in-the-sky bull, so let me ask you one question:
- Ten years ago, how many multi-billion dollar corporations, such as HSBC (banking) or Sony (electronics), ‘wasted’ millions of dollars on green issues?
Yep, whether for philanthropic reasons or pure greed, big business is blowing its ‘hard-earned’ cash on green issues. With the power each one of us has in our wallets to support or condemn companies, who’s to say where it may lead?
So, today, let’s bask in these triumphs.
And next time you go out, take a moment to look at a tree reflected in water, or listen to a bird singing - revel in the wonders that surround us every single moment of our lives.
But don’t stop at doing that just today.
If you seek out just one wondrous sight each day - whether a butterfly sipping nectar or sunlight shafting through clouds - just imagine how much richer your life will be. What better way to start the day than by nourishing your soul?
So go. See. Feel. Live.
Steve
Steve-N-Lee.com
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