Trophic rewilding can expand natural climate solutions

In a new report in Nature Climate Change by Schmitz et al. 2023, nature-based climate solutions aimed at carbon capture in ecosystems that have been viewed as playing an ancillary role in protecting ecosystems and wildlife habitats have undermined the actual critical role wildlife have as a solution towards climate change.  

According to the report; “Rewilding nine wildlife species (African forest elephants, American bison, fish, gray wolves, musk oxen, sea otters, sharks, whales, and wildebeest) would contribute more than 95% of the annual requirement to achieve the global target of extracting 500 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by 2100.  This in turn would help cap the global temperature rise to less than 1.5 degree Celius.”

As an example, elephants by design are a keystone species, meaning they have a large effect on the natural environment.  In their ecosystems, they help keep soil fertile and healthy for plants to thrive, they deposit seeds as they migrate which helps plants to grow in other areas and therefore provide us with more oxygen and cleaner air.

Keystone species are the blueprint to help keep our ecosystems balanced and intact.  Saving them is a simple solution to help save our planet because healthy ecosystems provide us with healthy water, oxygen, and sequester carbon.  

As many scientists agree, we have crossed the threshold and are in Earth’s sixth mass extinction crisis where by 2050, 30-50% of Earth’s species will be extinct. 

According to the report by Schmitz et al. 2023, “There is an urgency because we are losing populations of many animal species at the very time that we are discovering the degree to which their role in ecosystems can enable carbon capture and storage.”

We are at a crossroads where our actions have an impact on each other, other fellow beings and the health of our planet.  There is evidence that protecting nature and wildlife is literally a natural solution to combating climate change.

Resources:

Schmitz, O.J., Sylvén, M., Atwood, T.B. et al. Trophic rewilding can expand natural climate solutions. Nat. Clim. Chang. 13, 324–333 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01631-6

Photo by Emmy Shingiro on Unsplash

Happy World Wildlife Day!!!! 

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” — John Muir

Today is a celebration of wildlife.  These beings have a special place on this earth and if we look closer, they are not entirely different or separate from human beings.   

Many of the wildlife live in communities and families in which they demonstrate an exchange of love, care, compassion, support for each other as in wolf packs or elephant herds.  Much like our family support systems.  

They also experience fear as studies have shown wolves living in high hunting areas have higher levels of stress hormones and elephants sensing danger such as poachers, will use different migration routes and migrate at night to avoid dangerous situations.   

Even a pigeon can display grief and sorrow as I once witnessed a pigeon who was struck by a car, its mate stood on top of it pecking at it as if trying to get it to come back to life.   It was so sad to watch as myself and others felt terrible for this pigeon who lost its partner. 

Not only are the wildlife able to demonstrate similar traits as us, many wildlife are keystone species that actually support ecosystems.  Their sheer existence helps to maintain biodiversity that supports the health of our planet. 

For example, elephants are known as the Gardeners of the Forest.  Elephants spread the seeds from the plants they have eaten which helps to disperse the plant life to other areas.  Elephants also dig waterholes in dry river beds that other animals use and create trails that serve as fire breakers which help prevent catastrophic fire outbreaks.

Whales are another keystone species who are known as the Gardeners of the Ocean.  Whales come near the surface of the ocean to defecate and when they do, they help to fertilize the phytoplankton, the plants that live on the ocean’s surface which absorb the carbon dioxide in the air and provide part of the oxygen we breathe.  In short, whales help provide us with 50-80% of the oxygen we breathe.  

Wildlife is not separate from us and without their presence, there are negative repercussions on ecosystems, other species, and us.  Wildlife is the blueprint to help keep our ecosystems balanced and intact.  

Mankind is not the only kind.  We need all kinds to keep this earth flourishing.

If you can, please donate to your favorite wildlife conservation today!

"What Humans Owe Animals"

“What Humans Owe Animals”

This is a poignant article by author Martha C. Nussbaum who writes about the world’s unabated assault whether realized or not on all animals on land, in the air and in the sea.  

Some of our affects on animals may not be as discernible.  For example, human development into wildlife habitats.  What was once home for birds and wildlife is now a new subdivision of homes.  

Likewise, our actions are affecting climate change, resulting in an altering of the pace of seasons when some flowers are blooming earlier than normal in the spring.  This has resulted in hummingbirds starving for food because the flowers they feed from on their migration route had already bloomed.  

Yet another example is our over-consumption of plastic, that now so much of it is ending up in our oceans killing marine life.  

The obvious assaults on animals are direct killing of animals whether for meat, profit, or as a past-time.  

We are long overdue not just owing animals to live their lives as nature intended but also honoring their existence and sharing this planet with them.

Martha C. Nussbaum is the author of Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility.

Photo courtesy of Reuters

Fifty Year Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act

Fifty years ago, the Endangered Species Act was created to protect imperiled species.  The Endangered Species Act ("ESA") prohibits importing, exporting, taking, possessing, selling, and transporting endangered and threatened species (with certain exceptions). ESA also provides for the designation of critical habitat and prohibits the destruction of that habitat.

This Act established the necessary guidelines to provide protections for endangered species in order for them to continue to thrive in the wild in freedom and safety from harm.  

As we stand today, according to the research article Defaunation in the Anthropocene, from Dirzo, et al., we are likely losing 11,000-58,000 species annually. 

In addition, the article also states;

“From an abundance perspective, vertebrate data indicate a mean decline of 28% in number of individuals across species in the past four decades with populations of many iconic species such as the elephant rapidly declining toward extinction.”

We are in a race to save endangered critical species from extinction but what we do not realize is we are the reason species globally are disappearing.  Wildlife are threatened by habitat loss, climate change, poaching, and hunting.  Everywhere they turn, they are faced with threats due to our actions. 

To help support the Endangered Species Act, we can ban trophy hunting of endangered species with the United States and abroad.   

Please sign the petition to the United States government to ban trophy hunting of endangered species;

https://chng.it/hCYdcQnH4Q

Photo courtesy of the Center for Biodiversity

Fast Fashion Comes at a High Price for the Environment and People

Shein is a popular fast fashion brand that caters lost cost clothing, but at a price to workers and the environment.  

In the Time article; Shein Is the World’s Most Popular Fashion Brand—at a Huge Cost to Us All, Shein added anywhere between 2,000 and 10,000 individual styles to its app each day between July and December of 2021!!

Shein works very much like Amazon where it has a large online marketplace with 6,000 factories in China under its label.

The low prices and vast array of clothing options comes at cost for it’s workers and the environment.

With regards labor laws, U.K.’s Channel 4 documented Shein’s employees were forced to work 17 hour shifts.  In one of the factories, workers’ base salary was $20 but were docked $14 if garments were made incorrectly.  

Shein has since made “significant investments to improve the working conditions of our suppliers’ facilities and will now be conducting regular audits of its  factories’ working conditions.

Environmentally, Shein leaves a trail of 6.3 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere which is far below the 45% target to reduce emissions by 2030 as directed by the U.N. for the fashion industry to limit global warming.  

After heated backlash, Shein announced it would spend $7.6 million on a partnership with the nonprofit, Apparel Impact Institute, which works with manufacturers to set and implement energy efficiency programs.

According to the Time article, the fashion industry is responsible for releasing more than 10 percent of carbon emissions.  With the fashion industry coming into the spotlight due to its affects on the environment, many brands have become signatories of the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action—the industry’s flagship climate initiative spearheaded by the U.N.

It looks as though everything comes at a price beyond the price tag of a shirt.  When we buy an article of clothing we are also affecting people living on the other side of the globe and the air we breathe.  

That is a lot to take in but making smarter purchases can help humanity and our planet.

To read more click here;

https://time.com/6247732/shein-climate-change-labor-fashion/

Photo from Time article; Shein Is the World’s Most Popular Fashion Brand—at a Huge Cost to Us All

Not all cheese is vegetarian

Did you ever look at the ingredients of the cheese you bought and noticed it lists “enzymes”?

Those enzymes help to coagulate cheese in order for it to clump together.  What some may not realize is if not specifically stated, those “enzymes” come from the stomach lining of slaughtered new born calves or pigs.

Enzymes can also be listed in the ingredients as “rennet”. Rennet can also be sourced from microbes or plants but the ingredient list will usually state if the rennet is from an animal, plant, or microbe.  If the ingredients just list enzymes, chances are it came from a dead calf or pig.

Some packages may state “vegetable rennet” or “suitable for vegetarians”.

The types of cheeses that usually contain animal rennet will be cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan or romano cheeses.

So next time you are at the grocery store and are in the cheese aisle, take a look at the ingredients.  You will be surprised that many cheeses just list “enzymes” as an ingredient.

If you want to make your own parmesan cheese, it will only take 5 minutes of your time, is a lot healthier, and cruelty-free.

Here is my go to recipe for parmesan cheese from Minimalist Baker;

3/4 cashews

3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (has a cheesey flavor packed with protein, B6, and B12.  The brand I use is Bragg)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and mix until a fine meal is achieved.

Store in the refrigerator.  Can last for several weeks.

Makes 1 cup.

Diagram courtesy of Vegan of Instagram

We are losing the pollinators and we need them!

Did you know pollinators are a keystone species whose service is paramount to reproducing over two-thirds of the world’s crops?

They also are responsible for approximately 25% of the fruits and seeds that birds and mammals like the grizzly bear rely on.

What is disturbing is approximately 28% of North America’s bumble bees are in significant decline. 19% of butterflies are at risk for extinction.

This is the perfect example of interconnection. Without the pollinators, people and animals would not have a lot of the food we all rely on. We gain an immense benefit from the pollinators and we need to step up and help them. We no longer have the luxury to ignore what is happening outside our window. The natural world is undergoing huge changes that is already affecting us.

We can help the pollinators by;

1. Grow pollinator friendly plants. If you go to https://xerces.org/publications/plant-lists you will find a list of what type of plants to grow in all regions around North America.

2. Nesting Resources for pollinators. Did you know 70% of bees nest in the ground? Learn how you can help provide habitats for pollinators; https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/nesting-resources

3. Avoid pesticides in your garden. Many pesticides including herbicides and fungicides are harmful to pollinators.

4. Share this information with others to help restore pollinator populations.

To learn more, go to https://xerces.org

*Diagrams courtesy of xerces.org

Vigil For Elephants Who Died In Captivity in 2022

Every year Vigil4Elephants raises awareness of the captive elephants that have passed away in zoos, circuses, sanctuaries, and temples.

These sentient beings who were taken from their family in the wild are forced to live a life exploited and abused for human entertainment.

From the beginning of 2022 to date, 50 captive elephants have passed away, including a calf.

Knowing these elephants did not live a life in freedom and not surrounded by love and compassion only makes the grief more palpable.

On January 14, 2023, Vigil4Elephants is hosting a worldwide vigil to honor the lives of these sentient creatures.

Please join on that day to honor the preciousness of their existence and support a future where there will no longer be a captive elephant.

You can learn more about the vigil by visiting Vigil4Elephants on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Fran - A beloved humpback whale dies from ship strike

Fran, one of the most well-known humpback whales that migrated along the west coast of North America was killed by a ship strike in last August, 2022. 

"The death of Fran is incredibly tragic, given that ship strikes on whales can be avoided," Kathi George, the director of field operations and response at the Marine Mammal Center, said in a statement. "Everyone, including shipping companies, wants to protect these magnificent giants, and we need ships to slow down in vessel speed reduction (VSR) areas as well as when whales are around."

According to the HappyWhale database that tracks whales worldwide, there were 277 sightings of Fran since her birth in 2005.  Most of these sightings were in Monterey Bay.   

What Fran leaves behind is a legacy of an interconnection of humans and whales and provided significant scientific insight to marine life.  But even more so, this was the first year, Fran successfully brought her own calf to the feeding grounds. 

Fran’s death could have been avoided by the ship reducing its speed, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) requests of ships seasonally when whales are in the region feeding to reduce these fatal strikes. 

According to NOAA, more than 60% of ships comply but the need for more ships to do so is imperative.  Kathi George reported approximately 80 whales are killed each year by vessel strikes. 

It is heartbreaking Fran lost her life but maybe her loss will be the reason for more ships to slow down and respect the life below the surface of the ocean. 

Quotes courtesy of www.cbsnews.com

Image of Fran courtesy of Padraig Duignan/Whales of Guerrero

Bird Migration -What birds are up against

Each year, billions of birds represent 2/5’s of the avian population that migrate twice a year.  Some treks are as short as a few thousand feet, some as long as a 25,000-mile trek that the Arctic Tren takes from the Arctic to the Antarctic. 

Migrating birds face many challenges along their routes but with more extensive research and people working together, migrating birds have a better chance of survival. 

Most birds travel at night which can be a problem with lights that are left on in buildings as it disorients birds who migrate and use the moon and stars for navigation. 

The Lights Out Program which started in Chicago, has now spread to more than 40 cities and is a key step towards preventing migration birds from colliding into windows at night. 

Birds already have a huge undertaking migrating from places like South and Central America to the north and back south again, to habitat loss, and dealing with climate change.  Making windows safer and preventing unnecessary bird collisions is an easy way to support bird populations. 

Climate change is altering the timing of season change which affects the timing of birds’ migrations.  Birds rely on predictable weather patterns, finding food at the right time, and of course cues by temperature which is all changing as our planet continues to get warmer. 

The biggest concern for migrating birds is known as the “phenological mismatch”, which means when birds fall so out of step with the seasons, their populations crash.  Even as the global temperature has risen just 1 degree Celsius, some birds are so far behind spring that they miss insect emergence and lose out on their food supply. 

Scientists suggest that to help migratory birds continue to have a food supply if they are not in sync with the seasonal changes, is to bolster more native fruits along birds’ migration routes.  Amanda Gaallinat, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, states; “If you have more native plants in your yard, you’re going to see a higher biomass and diversity of insects and birds.”  Having more food options for birds is one way, we actually can all help birds deal with changes caused by climate change.

The Audubon Society has created the Migratory Bird Initiative whose aim is to provide a more comprehensive and holistic view of bird migration in the Western Hemisphere.  Since 2018, scientists have been compiling records by more than 100 researchers and institutions into one resource that has monitored the movements of thousands of birds and more than 450 species. 

This will serve as an incredible resource since an estimated 3 billion birds have disappeared in North America since the 1970’s!! According to Peter Marra, director of Georgetown University’s Earth Common Institute and founder of Migratory Connectivity Project; “In order to prevent the loss of more birds, it is necessary to have a complete understanding of their movements and how populations fit together.”

Birds are considered an indicator species.  Since birds are widespread globally, they help provide information on the condition and changes of an ecosystem. 

 Audubon experts found an overlap between places that are important for birds’ survival and where there are natural carbon stores.  Therefore, protecting birds and their habitats are equally important for fighting climate change, thus improving our shared quality of life. 

Reference:

 Spring 2022, The Wonder of Migration, Audubon

African savanna and forest elephants are assessed separately for global extinction risk status

For the first time, the International Union for Conservation of Nature assesses global extinction risk status of the African savanna and forests elephants separately. 

Although you may already know of this, in March of 2021, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the African forest elephant as critically endangered and the African savanna elephant as endangered on its Red List. 

The IUCN’s Red List is a comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animals, plants, and fungus species.

This is the first time the African species of elephants were assessed separately.  The African forest elephant population has fallen more than 86% over a 31-year period and the African savanna elephant population has fallen approximately 60% over the last 50 years.  

According to Dr. Bruno Oberle, IUCN Director General;

 “Africa’s elephants play key roles in ecosystems, economies and in our collective imagination all over the world.  Today’s new IUCN Red List assessments of both African elephant species underline the persistent pressures faced by these iconic animals…”

Both species experienced a sharp decline of their populations since 2008 due to increased poaching which peaked in 2011.  Poaching continues to be one of the critical factors that threatened their existence as well as loss of habitat for agriculture and other land use. 

Providing separate assessments of both species can help focus on appropriate and more robust conservation efforts for each of these species moving forward. 

The elephant species is integral to the ecosystems in which they live as well as to the health of our planet.  Providing necessary measures to ensure their survival is not only humane but is also a step towards maintaining the health of our planet that we all depend on. 

As Dr. Barney Long, Global Wildlife Conservation’s Senior Director of Species Conservation states;

“Regular re-assessment of a species’ status on the Red List helps to highlight worrying trends like what the elephants of Africa are experiencing.  The health of our planet depends on the health of elephants and the ecosystems they inhabit…”

Please share this updated status for the African elephants to spread awareness of the threats they are facing.  They need our support.  

Photo by Joaquín Rivero on Unsplash

Reference:

https://www.iucn.org/news/species/202103/african-elephant-species-now-endangered-and-critically-endangered-iucn-red-list

Recycling Textiles

Did you know approximately 85 % of the clothing Americans consume, which is nearly 3.8 billion pounds annually, is sent to landfills as solid waste, amounting to nearly 80 pounds per American per year? 

That is a lot of textiles just sitting in a landfill.  It is always a plus to donate the clothes you no longer wear but what about the old towels, bedsheets, old shoes, or shirts that are torn and aren’t warranted to be donated? 

I had saved a lot of those types of items that weren’t good enough to be donated but I just couldn’t bring myself to throw away because nothing ever really goes away.  Our garbage just gets moved into a landfill where most things do not biodegrade. 

So, I began researching what to do with old textiles that can’t be donated.  Locally, I found a textile recycling center that takes unusable or unsaleable textiles including books.  Some of the items they receive may go to lower income people around the world or the textiles that are not suitable for wear or use are recycled into wiping rags or are processed back to fibers that can be remanufactured into paper, yarn, insulation, carpet padding, and sound proofing. 

Recycling, reusing, repurposing overall helps reduce our carbon footprint, preserve clean air, reduce energy consumption, conserve water and woodlands.

If you have things that are not worthy of being donated, look up textile recycling near you and you will be able to find centers that will take these items and repurpose them. 

Photo courtesy of istock

Reference:

            https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7#ref-CR2

In a past life, I was a physical therapist.  I found the human body fascinating.  Through my training, I began to see connections from the toes up to the neck and my approach to each patient I treated, was from this perspective, that everything is connected.  A dysfunctional pattern in the pelvic region could affect the shoulder and neck and down into the arms.  Everything is connected.  I taught my patients to see their body from this vantage point. 

As Wild For Change has evolved, I see the same pattern in nature and in us.  We are all interconnected, like a giant invisible web.  An elephant disperses seeds as it migrates and helps plants and trees to grow in other areas which gives off oxygen for the planet.  Rhinos eat selective grasses which allows other wildlife to have the remaining plants and grasses to feed from.   Whales help fertilize phytoplankton that gives off oxygen for us to breathe and absorbs CO2. The bees pollinate food we love and enjoy.  When someone holds the door for me, I feel grateful and think about that kind gesture the rest of the day. The more we emit carbon and other greenhouse gases into the air, our planet heats up. 

We can’t share this planet and think we are all living life on an individual basis.  There is no “I” in “We”.  We are all inextricably linked to each other and nature.  There is no way around it. 

It’s you, me, the bees, the trees, and all things in between. 

World Rhino Day 2022

Today is World Rhino Day!

Rhinoceroses are ancient beings and somewhere between 35-20 million years ago, they were the most abundant and largest mammals on the northern continents living in a variety of ecosystems. 

The current five species of rhinoceros all come from different lineages. 

·      The Sumatran rhino (found in Asia) is the oldest and originated approximately 15 million years ago.

·      The Black rhino (found in Africa) evolved 4-10 million years ago.

·      The White rhino (found in Africa) evolved 2-5 million years ago.

·      The Javan and Greater-One-Horned rhinos (both found in Asia) evolved 2-4 million years ago. 

At the beginning of the 20th century the rhino population was around 500,000.  Now the total of all species is listed at approximately 27,431. 

It is hard to imagine these beings have been in existence for millions of years and now are endangered.  The Sumatran, Javan, and Black rhino species are critically endangered while the White Rhino is near threatened and the Greater-One-Horn is listed as vulnerable.

A sharp contrast in population size in a little over a century.  This is mostly due to poaching as the keratin (which is the same makeup as our nails) found in rhino horn is believed to have medicinal value to cure such ailments as hangovers and erectile dysfunction. The horn is sold on the black market mostly in China and Vietnam.  Since it is sold illegally, the value of rhino horn has been kept high and has more value than gold, if you can believe that. 

According to Helping Rhinos, there was a 50% increase in rhino poaching in the first six months of 2021.  With the rhino species already vulnerable, this unacceptable loss makes it even more difficult to safeguard their populations. 

In honor of World Rhino Day, please check out Helping Rhinos and Ol Pejeta Conservancy to learn of ways you can help support and conserve the rhino species to ensure a brighter future for them. 

Photo by Geran de Klerk on Unsplash

References:

http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/117/1175860259.pdf

https://www.helpingrhinos.org/5-species-of-rhino/

Buyer Beware of Palm Oil

Palm oil is sneaky.  It is an ingredient that is ubiquitously found in so many products from chocolates to shampoos and soaps because its cheap and versatile but its wreaking havoc on ancient rainforests biodiversity and endangered wildlife habitats.

The rainforests in places like Borneo and Sumatra store 300 billion tons of carbon, which is approximately 40 times the annual greenhouse gases emissions from fossil fuels.  These regions however are a hot spot to grow palm oil.  Every hour 300 soccer fields of rainforests are removed to make palm oil plantations. 

These rainforests and habitats of endangered wildlife are being destroyed faster than what can truly be considered sustainable.  According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN), 193 different species are currently endangered or threatened because of the palm oil industry, including the orangutan, some species of Asian elephant, and the already endangered tiger.

There is a non-profit organization called the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) whose intention is to unify the seven sectors of the palm oil industry which includes the palm oil producers, traders, manufacturers, retailers, investors/bankers, environmental organizations, and social organizations to create a defined set of standards to produce sustainable palm oil while still being a lucrative industry.  Unfortunately, it took the RSPO 14 years to ban its members from destroying rainforests and it has yet to enforce this ban. 

In 2010, some of the major brands using palm oil promised to protect forests and clean up the palm oil industry by 2020.  Those promises are yet to be seen. 

Whether you are buying personal beauty products or food, please check the labels of the products you buy.  Alternatives to the products that contain palm oil are available.  These alternative products are generally less processed and contain less ingredients. Each time, we as consumers say no to palm oil, we are incentivizing companies to adopt more sustainable ways to produce the products we buy and use.  It is like voting with our wallets. 

Photo courtesy of Simone Millward via Unsplash

References:

https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/issues/indonesian-forests-palm-oil/

https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/topics/palm-oil/questions-and-answers

https://www.greenmatters.com/p/does-sustainable-palm-oil-exist

https://www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/story/5-problems-with-sustainable-palm-oil/

Happy World Elephant Day 2022

It is believed the ancestors of the current elephant species came into existence some 50-60 million years ago and their existence has beneficial effects for our planet. 

Elephants are known as ecosystem engineers.  They provide a myriad of ways of supporting ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity which is exactly why they are very much needed to fight the climate crisis we face. 

Elephants are known as gardeners because of the varied plant life they ingest, in which they disperse the seeds through their dung, allowing for the biodiversity of plant life in other regions while providing food for other wildlife.

As elephants travel, they break down smaller trees on their path that allows for more light to enter through a forest canopy that fosters bigger trees to grow thus sequestering carbon. 

By supporting ecosystem biodiversity, elephants play an important factor in reducing carbon emissions and fostering a healthier planet. 

If forest elephants were able to recover to their original population, they could sequester 6,000 metric tons per square kilometer.  Their economic value for carbon capture services would be estimated at $150 billion as a whole or 1.75 million per elephant.  Whereas the ivory of a dead elephant taken by poachers is worth approximately $40,000.  That is a 4,275% difference in the value of a single elephant being alive than dead!  

We owe a great deal of respect for elephants not only for the fact they have roamed this planet much longer than we have and they are very evolved, intelligent and sentient beings, but also for the inextricable value they provide for us and for the earth just because of their very existence!

If you would like to help, you can learn more about elephant conservation at www.elephanttrust.org

Photo courtesy of Geran de Klerk via Unsplash

Resources:

https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2020/09/how-african-elephants-fight-climate-change-ralph-chami

https://www.ifaw.org/journal/elephants-ecological-engineers

Sharks are ancient keystone species that need our protection

This week is shark week and I want to celebrate these ancient keystone species!

Did you know that sharks are older than trees?  The shark species have been in existence for over 450,000 million years while trees have been in existence for 350,000 million years. The modern human did not even enter the scene until somewhere between 550,000-750,000 years ago. 

Sharks are considered keystone species in that they support and maintain the ecosystem in which they live. 

Sharks are apex predators which means they prey on sick and weak fish to keep the overall marine life population healthy.  Without them, the food chain and health of the ocean is thrown off balance. 

Sharks also help to keep climate change in check.  By eating dead matter on the ocean floor, sharks help to keep the carbon cycle moving through the ocean.  Sharks and other large marine life such as whales sequester large amounts of carbon.  But when sharks and other large marine life are hunted, this disrupts the ocean’s carbon cycle. 

Currently, two-thirds of the shark population are threatened by climate change, over-fishing, poaching, and habitat loss.

According to National Geographic, if the world upped its marine protected areas by a mere 3%, it could save 99 of the most imperiled shark species that are top predators that keep their ecosystem in balance. 

Learn more of how to help sharks at https://sharkangels.org.

Photo by Colton Jones on Unsplash

 References:

https://www.dutchsharksociety.org/are-sharks-older-than-trees/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/essential-timeline-understanding-evolution-homo-sapiens-180976807/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/surprising-ways-sharks-keep-the-ocean-healthy?loggedin=true

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/most-fascinating-shark-discoveries-decade

https://europe.oceana.org/en/importance-sharks-0

https://www.conservation.org/blog/5-things-you-didnt-know-sharks-do-for-you

Bee the Change for Bees!

Did you know bees are responsible for 1 out of every 3 bites of food we eat?

But a class of toxic pesticides called neonics have been linked to the vast die-offs of bees over the past 25 years.  This pesticide is also linked to the mass die-off of birds and also fish.

Fortunately the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) has been rallying for support to urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ban the use of neonics.  

The European Union has banned the outdoor use of three major neonics and Canada is on pace to also reduce the use of pesticides.  But the U.S. is lagging behind.

Dan Raichel, acting director of NRDC’s Pollinator Initiative, states;

“Bees are the canaries in the coal mine.  If we can win protections for them, then we also win protections for many other things.”

To help save the bees and urge the EPA to ban neonics and for President Biden to take action, you can send a message via nrdc.org/savebees;

https://act.nrdc.org/letter/5676-march-neonics-210317

You can also help save our pollinators by planting a bee friendly garden and trees.  To learn more, check out The Bee Conservancy for their 10 ways to save bees or click here;

https://thebeeconservancy.org/10-ways-to-save-the-bees/

Photos courtesy of Aaron Burden and Mary Oloumi.

Big win for iconic gray wolf!

A U.S. federal court has restored endangered species protections for the iconic and endangered gray wolf.

This comes on the heels after the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) and its allies have sued to place the wolf back on the threatened and endangered species list.

Some may remember in 2021 when states like Idaho and Montana were allowing aggressive tactics to reduce wolf populations such as baiting them out of protected territory where they could be hunted and trap.

Egregiously, 20% of the wolf population in Yellowstone National Park were killed by just a handful of trappers and hunters last year.

Luckily there are organizations like the NRDC who are fighting the good fight for wildlife who need a strong voice advocating for their right to live, for equality, for their future generations to have a chance.

I mentioned this before in a post earlier this year that each continent has an iconic species that is able to tell a story about the region long before humans came. For North America, one of those species is the wolf. It is part of the continent’s geographical, ecological, and evolutionary history.

The wolf is one of North America’s oldest ancestors and it should be our place to ensure its survival for generations to come.

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin

The Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on Wildlife, Ecosystems, and Us

Habitat fragmentation is the process in which large areas of habitat are broken down into smaller patches of land.

Imagine if you will, what would your life would be like if you restricted everyday how far you could go beyond your home to find food, resources, a mate.  And please remove the ability to have items or your groceries delivered to your home.

This is what wildlife are experiencing globally. 

When habitat fragmentation occurs due to human expansion such a road being built through a forest or human encroachment into wild areas, the wildlife struggle to move between the habitats they once knew and risking their lives.

Habitat fragmentation also reduces a species long-term health, increased inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity occurs, as well as population decline of a species. 

Since I live near forest preserves, I see this happening to the wildlife all the time.  I had to stop traffic on a street near my home, as a snapping turtle was making its way across to lay its eggs.

This is life as we know it as the human population keeps encroaching into wildlife habitats and the wildlife have less and less places to go. 

Not only are animal species effected by habitat fragmentation, there is also a resulting biodiversity loss which impairs key ecosystem functions.  Healthy ecosystems are essential not only to the species living within these ecosystems, but the planet at large because healthy ecosystems clean our water, purify our air, and regulate climate just to name a few.  

We need to be mindful that the effects on the wildlife and ecosystems will ultimately have an effect on us.  Giving the wildlife space will actually benefit us. 

Photo courtesy of Voice for Asian Elephants Society

References:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2018/08/what-is-habitat-fragmentation-and-what-does-it-mean-for-our-wildlife/

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/intro/index_en.htm