by Emma Hawkins
1. SUCCESS!!!: Wildlife reserves now account for over 10% of land on Earth. The IUCN calls this one of the world’s greatest conservation accomplishments. BIG THUMBS UP!
2. FAILURE: Sharks are declining. These top predators are facing big problems. The reality is they are often caught in fishing lines and now are being fished purely for their fins. To avoid excess weight on the fishing boat and to allow higher yields, the fin is slashed off and the shark’s remains are thrown back in the sea. All in the name of a delicacy called shark-fin soup
What can I do? Don’t eat shark-fin soup, and avoid Chinese restaurants that serve it. Check their menu online, or phone and ask. And be aware of eating fish more ethically. The good fish guide is a good website to check the sustainability of fish from the UK.
Large Blue butterfly
3. SUCCESS!!! After extinction from the UK in the 1970s, the Large Blue butterfly is back, having been successfully reintroduced. This is fantastic news, as the presence of butterflies indicates a healthy environment and a thriving ecosystem. Great news for British habitats.
4. FAILURE: Amphibians are declining. Since doing a project about amphibians when I was 10, they still fascinate me. But due to habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change and disease, these captivating critters are declining.
What can I do? One of the main threats to amphibians is loss of habitat. You can create a safe habitat for local amphibians in your own garden: build a pond to allow breeding and leave rough and undisturbed areas around the pond for foraging amphibians. (Make sure you stock the pond with local fish only)
5. SUCCESS!!! The beautiful Great Barrier Reef is showing short term signs of improvement. Having established ‘no take zones’ a region where fishing is prohibited fish stocks have now doubled. This also could allow the reefs to recover from ocean acidification. This is great news as this shows a small act can have a profound effect.
Orangutan
6. FAILURE: Orangutan numbers are still decreasing. Both the Sumatran and Bornean species have fallen to critical numbers. Palm oil plantations, deforestation, poaching and the illegal pet trade are all causes for this tragic decline.
What can I do? avoid products containing palm oil as the forests which are the orangutan’s home are being logged to make room for palm oil plantations. Switch to palm-oil free products with buying guides like this one for New Zealand from Auckland Zoo and this one for Australia from Adelaide Zoo.
Sometimes it feels like environmental news is all bad, but as this shows, we’ve had a lot of successes too and (as the Barrier Reef story shows) sometimes it’s small acts that have big effects. Our message here at Vanishing Species? Take heart from the successes, and meanwhile keep doing what you can in the areas we’re failing in. If you’ve got other ideas for how individuals can help, other links to ethical shopping lists, etc, please let us know in the comments section below.
(Photo of Large Blue butterfly by PJC&Co, and photo of orangutan by David & Becky. Both photos used under a Creative Commons licence)
WOW, talk about inspiring and informative! I think it’s great that anyone and everyone can take part in improving the environment by following one or more of your suggestions. I guess I never really paid attention to the change in the ocean’s acidity. I figured there is SO much water that it would take something HUGE to cause a significant change in pH…well, I guess it just proves we are amidst something huge and change needs to happen now. Thanks for making me realize how easy it is to make a positive impact!
On another note, do you know if these fishermen are targeting a specific species of sharks, or will they take whatever they can get?
Really an eye-opener! It was very good to know where help is needed and how we can help through small changes.