Profile for Sarah.Janicke
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Welcome to our new theme! in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Jul 01 2009 at 10:14AM by Sarah.Janicke
Since this morning we've launched an exciting new theme on connect2earth! For the next 2 months we'll talk about "species", and more specifically the species extinction crisis...
I'll be here with you until the end of August to talk with you, read your ideas and comments, or answer your questions.
So go ahead! Take a moment to watch the video I made for you, and take a look at the three questions we've highlighted to get your thoughts going... react to these or anything else related to the extinction crisis we face...
The renewable energy discussion we had until yesterday on the site is now closed but can be found in the "All theme section".
Talk with you soon!
Read more on this topic »Species and people: striking a balance in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Jul 17 2009 at 01:31PM by Sarah.Janicke
Thank you for your thoughtful comments on the economics related to poaching. The demand for tiger parts, rhino horn and elephant ivory is indeed the main driver for poaching of these endangered species and organizations such as TRAFFIC: the wildlife trade monitoring network, work to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. This includes tracking the markets for these endangered species. Both WWF, TRAFFIC and many of the other NGO's working on tiger conservation see the importance of striking a balance between the conservation needs of wild tigers and the survival needs of humans. Effective tiger conservation means reducing the poaching of tigers and their prey, eliminating the trade in tiger parts and products, and working with local communities and others to support tiger conservation, and build capacity for tiger conservation. I suggest you check out a report WWF has done on Species and People: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_mdgreport_2006.pdf. Case study number 1 in the report is about integrating sustainable livelihoods with tiger conservation in Nepal that you might find interesting.
Read more on this topic »The fortunate thing about Borneo is ... in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Jul 20 2009 at 10:20AM by Sarah.Janicke
The fortunate thing about Borneo is that there is high-level commitment from the three countries that make up the island.
See here: http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/borneo_forests/borneo_rainforest_conservation/declaration/
Breeding is controversial in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Jul 29 2009 at 09:44AM by Sarah.Janicke
Thank you for your post, prajwal.
Breeding is indeed a controversial topic. It is the opinion of many that conservation resources are better spent protecting the species in the wild. In fact, when it comes to certain species such as tigers, breeding could actually make the species more vulnerable. Please see this link to the website of the International Tiger Coalition, which points out why tiger breeding will not save the species in the wild.
http://www.endtigertrade.org/pdf/Tiger_Farming_facts_en.pdf
Introduction of non-indigenous species in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Jul 30 2009 at 07:46AM by Sarah.Janicke
These posts have raised the interesting point of invasive species.
IUCN, the World Conservation Union, states that the impacts of alien invasive species are immense, insidious, and usually irreversible. They may be as damaging to native species and ecosystems on a global scale as the loss and degradation of habitats.
Hundreds of extinctions have been caused by invasive alien species. The ecological cost is the irretrievable loss of native species and ecosystems.
For example, the mongoose threatens endemic species on tropical cane-growing islands. They have caused the population demise or extinction of many endemic vertebrates, and continue to cause livestock damage while posing a disease risk. European red foxes introduced into Australia and temperate regions of North America have negative impacts on many native species, including smaller canids and ground nesting birds in North America, and many small and medium-sized rodent and marsupial species in Australia.
Growing global trade and communication are directly contributing to the mixing of wildlife across biogeographical boundaries.
Jennyjst you might be interested to ... in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Jul 30 2009 at 07:50AM by Sarah.Janicke
Jennyjst, you might be interested to read a new report from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) called Whale Watching Worldwide, which provides a country-by-country economic analysis of the global whale watching industry, revealing that whale watching in the last year generated US$2.1 billion.
This is a good example of an economic link between species conservation and global economies. You can see a summary of the report here:
http://www.ifaw.org/Publications/Program_Publications/Whales/asset_upload_file812_55368.pdf
Species - The extinction crisis - Need a timeline and a countdown in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Aug 06 2009 at 03:06PM by Sarah.Janicke
Hi peacefuljeff,
You might be interested in out Living Planet Report: http://www.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_report/.
It describes the changing state of global biodiversity and the pressure on the biosphere arising from human consumption of natural resources.
It is built around two indicators:
• the Living Planet Index, which reflects the health of the planet’s ecosystems; and
• the Ecological Footprint, which shows the extent of human demand on these ecosystems.
There are several maps and graphs that, I think, give a good visual of where we are and where we could be headed if we don’t change our ways. You might particularly be interested in Terrestrial Living Planet Index http://www.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_report/living_planet_index/terrestrial/, which shows us the status of populations of terrestrial species in comparison to what it was in 1970.
However, I do agree that using photos along with graphs and number is a very powerful way to communicate the issue. The Discovery Channel has a cool, interactive “mass extinctions” timeline that has good visuals: http://dsc.discovery.com/earth/wide-angle/mass-extinctions-timeline.html
Development Policies - conservation and poverty reduction in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Aug 07 2009 at 06:37AM by Sarah.Janicke
gquimbayo,
Human development and biodiversity conservation are absolutely linked and including biodiversity conservation concerns into development policies and vice versa is an important way for the governments of the world to move forward in both environmental conservation and poverty reduction.
The UN has included environmental sustainability in its Millennium Development Goals:
Fact sheet on goal 7: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2008highlevel/pdf/newsroom/Goal%207%20FINAL.pdf
WWF has done a report that shows that species conservation programs can and do reduce poverty, increase participation by women in society, improve governance structures, increase food security and, of course, deliver a sustainable environment for future generations. You can see the report here: http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/conservation/species_programme/species_people/
Read more on this topic »Poverty and social inequality in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Aug 07 2009 at 06:55AM by Sarah.Janicke
AlmasL and gquimbayo - and others!
You should check out the Convention on Biological Diversity’s website: http://www.cbd.int/.
It includes tons of information on all of the issues you have raise here including, biodiversity and sustainable development and biodiversity and poverty.
The website also has a good link to a news feed that collects recent articles about biodiversity in the media:
http://www.cbd.int/information/news.shtml
Planting trees in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Aug 07 2009 at 11:53AM by Sarah.Janicke
Agreed! I know of an interesting program near Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (it’s a WWF project that was launched in 1987). The project operates in an area where there is strong demand for fuel that has lead to the destruction of forest (forest that houses mountain gorillas and thousands of other fascinating species) in the national park for fuel wood and charcoal production.
In order to reduce the shortage of firewood for communities living around the national park and decrease the pressure on the park, the project has tested and planted over 60 species of indigenous and exotic species of trees.
These are used for agroforestry or for plantations as well as greenbelts around the park. The plantations are harvested by communities and individuals for their own use or for sale. Since the project was started 10 million trees have been planted.
See this link for more information:
http://www.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_forests/forest_news_resources/?117961/Ten-millionth-tree-planted-in-Congos-gorilla-habitat
Sarting a conservation group in your village or community in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Aug 13 2009 at 06:51AM by Sarah.Janicke
Hi Nivasadhi,
It would be great if you could share how the tree planting goes. Would you mind posting some pictures? Maybe you will inspire others on connect2earth to organize similar activities in their home towns! I would also like to hear what types of educational tools you will use to educate the young people in your village and if there was one thing that worked better than another.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Plastic bags in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Aug 13 2009 at 06:16PM by Sarah.Janicke
Hugh, plastic bags. They create problems in several ecosystems including our oceans. Plastic garbage, which decomposes very slowly, is often mistaken for food by marine animals. High concentrations of plastic material, particularly plastic bags, have been found blocking the breathing passages and stomachs of many marine species, including whales, dolphins, seals, puffins, and turtles. Plastic six-pack rings for drink bottles can also choke marine animals. See this link:
http://www.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/problems/pollution/
Plastic bags not only cause problems for wildlife but they have become a menace in many cities. So much so that several cities around the world have started banning plastic bags! See this article in National Geographic: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080404-plastic-bags.html
Protect existing forests too... in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Aug 14 2009 at 08:36AM by Sarah.Janicke
Planting trees is a good practice and can be helpful but I think it is also important to try and protect existing forests. Healthy forests provide habitat for hundreds of thousands of species and when we lose forests we lose all of those species as well.
Read more on this topic »Local action for biodiversity in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Aug 24 2009 at 08:27AM by Sarah.Janicke
I appreciated your post. I recently moved from one country where people spend lots of money and use all manner of chemicals to maintain perfectly manicured squares of green lawn in front of their houses to another country where lawns are not perfectly mowed and manicured but wildflowers and grasses are allowed to run free and it is gorgeous and a lot more interesting!
I did a little searching on the internet and found the following website: http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=8886.
From the website: “Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) is a global urban biodiversity initiative. Its pioneer phase ran from 2006 to 2009, working with a select group of local and regional authorities from around the world which were representative of over 54 million citizens. These LAB pioneers are leading the way for managing and conserving biodiversity at local government level.”
It sounds like you might be interested in the ICLEI’s (for more info on ICLEI: http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=global-about-iclei) LAB project that is working with cities from around the world on exactly what you mentioned, promoting local species, getting rid of invasive species in the hopes of improving all over biodiversity.
I’d be interested to hear what you think about the initiatives in the different cities mentioned on this site.
Continue raising awareness... in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Aug 24 2009 at 02:42PM by Sarah.Janicke
Thank you for your post. I know it can be discouraging because governments have other priorities but it is thoughtful and articulate that people like you and the others who have posted comments on this site can continue to raise awareness with your peers and your governments. As long as we don’t stay silent on the issue, we can make a difference.
You mentioned that “governments are too concerned with the economy and progression that will lead to a better quality of life for them to be paying attention to the planet’s responses” and I think as part of our collective awareness raising we need to educate governments about how healthy biodiversity actually contributes to a good quality of life as humans!
Info about the International Whaling Commission in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Aug 25 2009 at 09:21AM by Sarah.Janicke
There is actually a moratorium on commercial whaling. Non-commercial whaling is regulated under the International Whaling Commission (IWC). I wanted to share the following links with you that go into the history of the IWC and information about which countries are currently whaling.
History of the IWC
Successes and failures of the IWC
Number of whales that have been killed since the moratorium took effect
You're quite right and.. in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Aug 25 2009 at 09:23AM by Sarah.Janicke
.. I’d like to hear what you do in your daily life to make a difference, it might inspire others to do the same!
Read more on this topic »Summary of the species extinction crisis discussion in Species - The extinction crisis
Posted on Sep 16 2009 at 10:12AM by Sarah.Janicke
Thanks to all connect2earth members for your insightful contributions on the species extinction crisis discussion! The fact that more than 180 comments were made shows your concerns about species and the need to preserve biodiversity.
Our exchange in these last two months revolved around the following themes:
- Threats to species
- Human development and conservation
- Need for education
- Local action
Videos/images by Sarah.Janicke
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