Could African Elephants Really Disappear From the Wild?
“The question is, are we happy to suppose that our grandchild may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book?” David Attenborough said this, commenting on the current rapid rate of global Biodiversity loss. I don’t know about you but I am appalled by that idea. For me, elephants are magnificent and wise creatures.
We are in the process of losing many more such living things.
This report shows that the Red List of threatened species has 41,000 names of creatures worldwide facing extinction. i.e. Once they are gone, they will have disappeared forever.
Are we taking Biodiversity loss seriously?
Do we care? What does it matter if we lose animals and plants? There are many more of them. Well, no there are not! For the future of humanity we need to care.
What is Biodiversity and why is it important?
WWF produced a recent report explaining Biodiversity. Put simply, it is all the animal and plant life on Earth. All the bees and butterflies that pollinate our flowers and much of our food, the trees that produce oxygen and remove the carbon dioxide that pollutes our air, the plants from which we make medicines, and the plants and animals that help to purify our water. Plants, animals, bacteria and fungi often work together to produce what we need to survive.
So: No Biodiversity means No Humankind.
Biodiversity and Climate Change are very closely linked. A warming world and all its consequences are contributing to a huge loss of Biodiversity. (Loss of Biodiversity also contributes to Climate Change.) All these terrible events that we watch on TV like the forest fires, the flooding, the droughts and so on are not only dreadful for we humans but for animals too. This report by WWF shows that 3 billion animals were harmed in the Australian bush fires of 2020.
Global Progress on Biodiversity Loss
A recent article in the Guardian newspaper discusses the belated signing of an agreement at COP 16 on Nature and its protection. This follows a major meeting on Biodiversity 2 years ago in Canada which set out targets and goals to preserve Nature this decade. Another Guardian article notes that in spite of scientific warnings about the state of Nature countries had never met a target they set for themselves. The agreements made at this latest COP are already thought to be a bit shaky.
These articles show me that humanity is very unwilling to care enough to act. So we are not doing a very good job in protecting the Nature that we depend on for our very lives. See my recent blog on Nature’s Way.
If you are interested in looking at how much of the natural world we are losing have a look at this additional article from the UN.
To really emphasise what we are in danger of losing, here is another icon of the wild:
A Namibian Lion
The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) states that lions are rapidly heading for extinction. They say if we don’t act now, lions may not exist in the wild in as little as 20 years.
Is there good news?
Yes there is, and I believe it is important to celebrate it. This article shows good news of positive change from around the globe. Do have a look at it.
Rivers
Here is one example: “The Vjosa River in Albania has been made Europe’s first Wild River National Park. A total of 400km and almost 13,000 hectares in the region will be protected from development and artificial barriers. This project was a collaboration between the Albanian Government, NGOs from Save the Blue Heart of Europe campaign, individual experts, IUCN and outdoor clothing company Patagonia.”
Farmland
Rewilding Britain have a whole series of exciting examples of the work that is going on to save and restore Nature in Britain which all show the return of Biodiversity in various forms.
Here is one example, Geltsdale Farm in Cumbria. This is a working commercial farm that produces high quality meat. They have cut down sheep grazing, worked on controlling roe deer and are actively restoring a peat bog on the farm. Their longer-term vision is to allow the restoration of Nature and to encourage the arrival of birds and other wildlife.
Tropical Forests
Rescuing Nature in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been very difficult over the last years with a never-ending military struggle (25 years of armed conflict). Nevertheless, it is very important as the DRC has the biggest tropical forest in Africa with incredible Biodiversity which is now in peril. These trees are capable of taking up vast amounts of carbon dioxide which reduces the threat of Climate Change.
This article shows a rapid rescue fund helping matters in the Virunga National Park. This allows them to continue their work of helping Nature.
Saving Tigers
This report shows how tiger numbers are increasing and how that helps Biodiversity. The increased number of tigers contributes to the health of ecosystems in the habitat where they roam.
The above is a very small sample of work that is going on throughout the world to help restore Nature. There are many more examples both large and small of how people are working to improve the situation.
ACTION
So yes, there is good news. The less good news is that politicians are slow to fight for Biodiversity. That is where I believe we must come in. For me, “we” means ordinary human beings like you and me who care about the future.
We must ensure that our politicians don’t get away with not caring. I am not saying that is easy, but we have the power of peaceful protest, letter writing and harassing our political representatives so that they know we care. We should let them know that we won’t vote for them unless they stand up for Nature. And we have our purchasing power. We don’t have to buy from companies who are helping to despoil Nature, and we can tell them why we are not dealing with them. Here is a list of companies to be aware of.
Many Politicians are Holding us Back
What Can We Do to Make a Difference?
- All the things we should be doing to help Climate Change.
- Using our purchasing power to show what we care about.
- Vote for politicians that care and keep telling them what you want them to do. Encourage your friends to do the same. Attend their weekly meetings and tell them face to face
- Eat less beef (even better none at all).
- Buy from organic farmers (or better, farmers that use regenerative methods for their land).
- Care for Biodiversity in your own garden. You can start there and then work up to politics if you feel more comfortable with that.
- Don’t use pesticides.
- Don’t cut back the dead seedheads. Leave them for the birds in winter.
- Mow your lawn much less. It is better for wildlife.
- Don’t kill the spiders if you have mosquitoes in your country.
- Put wasps, bees and spiders out of the house. Don’t kill them.
- Don’t use peat-based compost. Do encourage your local garden centre to sell alternatives.
- Help fund organisations that are supporting Nature.
- If you are buying wooden furniture, ensure you know where it has come from.
- Encourage your local Council to mow less and plant wildflower meadows and edges. Get to know your local politicians and introduce them to your ideas, e.g. planting more trees to reduce the heat of summer.
- Support local Mayors who work to reduce pollution in cities.
- Find a way to work for peace. Military hardware creates terrible pollution.
- Care about Biodiversity. Once it is gone, it is gone.
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Photos by David Heiling on Unsplash, by Doreen Hosking and by Marco Oriolesi on Unsplash