"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead, American anthropologist, 1901-1978
Care2.com have a really important campaign which we can all sign up to and get active with. Care2 is campaigning to protect endangered species from extinction.
Animals are dying off at a very alarming rate. One million species are at the risk of extinction. The cause of the mass extinctions to come is us.
As we are the cause, we have the power to stop it and change things around. If we don’t do this, we may find many species confined to the history books.
Will you help and sign their petition to protect endangered species?
Your mission as a Fantastic Beast Guardian will be simple: to help spread the word about some of the world's most endangered animals and support the work of groups dedicated to saving them.
Care2 says you will receive emails with important petitions to sign to make a difference in the fight to save the last of these unique animals from disappearing forever.
Sometimes you see something on the internet or on television that really hits you hard and makes a point extremely well.
I saw this video, this afternoon, and I wanted to share it with you. Please share it with everyone you can.
The ultimate message is that we SHARE this planet. It demonstrates how dominant the human race has become - and how selfish. I am not going to tell you anymore about it - please just watch it for yourself. Here it is:
The petition is calling for world leaders to forge a new agreement such that at least 50% of our lands and oceans must be protected and restored.
A global study has just found that every insect on the planet is on track to be wiped out – causing life on Earth to collapse – and that includes humans.
The petition says:
To world leaders:
"We global citizens are deeply concerned by scientists warning that ecosystems critical to sustaining life on Earth could collapse in our lifetimes. We call on you to meet existing targets to protect biodiversity, forge a new agreement so that at least 50% of our lands and oceans are protected and restored, and ensure our planet is completely sustainably managed. This must take into consideration the needs of human development and have the active support of indigenous peoples. This long-term goal for nature can restore harmony with our home."
Nature has never needed such a strong voice and scientists are offering a way to defend nature and people too – put half the planet under protection. At the moment, France, Germany, Canada and other countries are about to hold talks to look at the idea before a global summit on extinction.
This is all happening at the time Sir David Attenborough’s programme Our Planet streams on Netflix, hoping for an audience in 190 countries. It could be over ONE BILLION people watch it – that’s one in seven (give or take a few) on the planet.
The petition calls on these leaders to back protection for half the earth.
There’s an awful lot of bad news about big cats around at the moment; they are being hunted for their skins, claws, bones and other parts; killed to prevent human-wildlife conflict, and their habitats are increasingly fragmented and lost.
So it’s great to hear from African Parks that there are some hopeful signs across the continent for these majestic animals.
Lions are being restored to Malawi
In 2012, African Parks reintroduced lions to the Majete Wildlife Reserve. They secured the park and brought back key species, including prey populations. The lions have formed a small but growing pride to such an extent that African Parks have moved the first two of 10 lions to Liwonde National Park – the first time lions have been there for at least 4 years!
New cheetah population doubles in less than a year
In 2017, African Parks reintroduced cheetahs to Liwonde National Park, also in Malawi. They’d been absent for 100 years. Several females have had cubs, so increasing their numbers in just a few months since their arrival.
Lion numbers grow in Rwanda
Lions were eradicated by refugees coming back to Rwanda after the genocide, so they had been absent for 20 years. African Parks reintroduced 7 lions to the Akagera National Park. With the space to thrive, lions have nearly tripled, and the park is now a real wildlife gem. Tourism is flourishing with over 36,000 annual visitors to the park, bringing $1.3 million in tourism revenue. This is reinvested in the surrounding areas.
Restoring and protecting the big cat in Africa’s wild places does a number of things:
It maintains vital ecological processes
It gives tourism a boost
Tourism gives much needed benefits to the local communities and revenue to the region
Get involved
You can help African Parks continue to protect Africa’s big cats and ensure they have the space, prey and safety they need to breed and thrive. Donate here
Hedgehogs have declined in number substantially over the last few decades. Their numbers have gone from 36 million during the 1950s down to just under one milliion in 2015.
Reasons for the decline in hedgehogs include:
Loss of hedgerows and permanent grasslands - partly because of intensive farming but also because of the disappearance of hedges in favour of less attractive fences
Use of pesticides, insecticides and other chemical products - they are all toxic and reduce the prey available to hedgehogs so there's less for them to eat
Many thousands of hedgehogs are killed on the roads every year in traffic accidents
People have smaller and tidier gardens with fences or walls which prevent hedgehogs moving from one garden to another
New buildings and roads are carving up habitat and hedgehog populations are becoming isolated, so they are vulernable to extinction in their own area
Research is being undertaken to find out more, and reporting your sightings of hedgehogs is an important part of this research - it helps identify habitats these much loved animals are using. As hedgehogs are tending to use urban areas more and more, it is vital that people living in towns and villages help hedgehogs.
Things are being done to help hedgehogs
There are a number of initiatives to help these tiny animals buck the trend. One of these is the creation of a Hedgehog Improvement Area in Solihull in the West Midlands in the UK. The area has been funded by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and it crosses a nature reserve, a public park and surrounding streets.
Campaigners are trying to persuade people to cut a CD-sized hole in their garden fence to create wildlife corridors, so that hedgehogs can do the roaming they need to do.
Another initiative comes in the beautiful Channel Island of Guernsey (famous for the Guernsey Tomato). Here hedgehogs are being tracked by technology.
But there's plenty of things people can do from home to help hedgehogs
In place of fences stick to hedges such as beech, holly, hawthorn, berberis, hazel or buckthorn
Create a log or wood pile and a hedgehog might build a nest under it
If you have a pond, give hedgehogs a way out such as a ramp so that if they fall in, they won't drown
Don't use chemicals on your garden - they destroy the hedgehogs' prey
Put out extra food such as meaty cat or dog food, hedgehog food, meal worms or chopped unsalted peanuts. Give them water to drink (not milk).
Create a 13 cm square hole in your fence or wall so that hedgehogs can roam at night to find food and a mate. (They actually travel 1 to 2 kilometres a night.)
Make sure there's no netting at a level hedgehogs can get trapped in and clean any litter up Let a corner of your garden run wild
If you are having a bonfire, move it on the day you light it or build it the day you set fire to it. Check before you set it alight for hedgehogs (and check for them before you do any strimming in your garden, too)
You can become a hedgehog champion by joining in at Hedgehog Street, run by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. So far, nearly 34,000 people have become hedgehog champions and are helping hedgehogs in their gardens and in their local area!
The hedgehog is just one example of a change in our behaviour and actions can help a species.
Business can help hedgehogs as well
Both KFC and MacDonalds have agreed to change their packaging, which was previously damaging hedgehogs.
