"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.
The African Wildlife Foundation sent an email to say that the social distancing we are all doing has consequences for lions, elephants and other species in Africa’s 8,400 protected areas.
What has happened with the breakout of COVID-19 and social distancing?
Well, tourism has plummeted. As a result, so has the revenue the safari industry receives. The industry budgets revenue to dedicate to wildlife protection and protected areas management.
Wildlife and the people who protect it – rangers and community members who are employed in tourism and related businesses – will pay the price of this decline.
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:
Its outbreak in Wuhan, China, was suspected to be the starting point for the coronavirus. And a harsh light was cast on wildlife markets.
Huanan Seafood Market has a terrible range of live and freshly killed animals is thought to be the starting point.
The meat of 30 terrestrial animal species is at the market, as well as seafood. Pangolins, civets, squirrels, pheasants, scorpions, snakes and various rates are available there.
They spread disease – it’s easy to see why when you just have to look at the terrible conditions in which these animals are kept
These markets are driving species towards extinction.
We are heading towards a massive extinction – the 2019 UN report warned that up to one million animal and plant species could vanish forever.
In October 2020, China is due to host a UN conference on the Convention of Biological Diversity. Representatives from nearly 200 countries will look to find ways to stop the mass extinction.
Let's put pressure on China...
Now is a good time to put pressure on China and push for a worldwide ban on the wildlife trade.
Rainforest Rescue has a petition to shut down these markets once and for all. They are utterly barbaric and it’s high time they were stopped.
On 16 January 2020, the Governement of Belize signed the declaration of North-eastern Biological Corridor of Belize. It covers an area of nearly 70,000 acres and links the northernmost nature reserve in Belize with more central natural habitats.
It’s really important, because it’s the first step towards achieving a total North-South corridor crossing the whole country as the map shows!
It’s a tremendous example of public-private partnership: the government of Belize, local NGOs, private landowners and many international donors – including the World Land Trust – have been involved.
UNITED FOR CONSERVATION, WE CAN DO GREAT THINGS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE BETTER
The corridor connects a system of three protected areas in one system. Deforestation has caused the loss of over 25,000 acres of forest in tihe last 10 years.
This will now allow big animals such as jaguar and Baird’s Tapirs enough space to move freely between protected areas and so ensure their long term survival! It will also help build climate resilience into Belize’s network of protected areas.
Why was this acquisition necessary?
In Belize, about 50% of the country is under natural vegetation cover. About 35% of the country is under some form of protection.
So it is still possible to create biological corridors between protected areas.
It’s vital that these acquisitions take place, and speedily, because agricultural development are increasingly encroaching on forest.
How did supporters of the World Land Trust – people like you & me – help in this achievement?
The World Land Trust mobilised its supporters and inspired new ones to raise funds to support this land acquisition. It included 2018’s Big Match Fortnight Jungle for Jaguars campaign, and another Buy an Acre opportunity a few months after that. (The Big Match Fortnight normally comes in October when donations are matched for a specific appeal – it is incredible how much and how speedily this builds up.)
Donate in memory of someone special I donated to this campaign during the Big Match Fortnight (actually in memory of my wonderful Dad as his birthday is in November and I plant a tree or do a buy an acre on his birthday and at Christmas for him, as Dad loved trees).
Ask someone to donate as a gift for you I asked my husband to also donate as my early Christmas present and it was by far the best present I had. It really meant something to me. We had made a difference.
I cannot tell you the glow and warm feeling I have in my heart when I think of my jaguar roaming the biological corridor. I call him “my jaguar” – he obviously isn’t, and I’m never going to meet him – but it’s lovely to think that because I donated and my husband has too, we’ve helped him and lots of other animals.
Please do donate to the World Land Trust if you can, and keep an eye on their website. I often post news of their new appeals here, so you can watch this space as well. They are a wonderful charity and it’s good to give a meaningful gift which will last, so if you’re looking for a gift for a wildlife lover, making a donation could be a great way to do something to really make a difference – a win, win, win all round!
This was the You Tube Video for Jungle for Jaguars – it raised £532,000 in the Big Match Fortnight (normally early October) alone and hit the £600,000 target by Christmas, helping to save 8,154 vital acres. A further 1,818 acres were saved a few months later.
