Wildlife and Humanitarian Screensavers
Enjoy having a beautiful wildlife or humanitarian screensaver showing up behind your computer’s desktop files. Here’s a short list of excellent organizations that offer screensavers – in the Friday File. You can reach the Friday File by either clicking on “Fridays” in the navigation bar up top on this page, or by clicking on The Friday File under Categories.
Tags: Conservation, Humanitarian, screensaver, wallpaper, wild animals, Wildlife
How Science Helps Protect Endangered Species
Just as good business management helps non-profits save endangered animals, integrally- sound science is also essential for saving the animals.
Legally, the decision of whether or not to add a threatened species to the Endangered Species Act list requires the use of “the best available science in a couple of key areas,” Jon Hunter, Policy Director of the Endangered Species Coalition, told me on Monday. So the integrity of the science is very important.
“The polar bear is a great example in the last couple of years, [–] the best science we have indicates that they are on a very bad path,” Jon explained. The science that was needed pushed the boundaries of what has been traditionally considered good science. “It looked further out and relies more on modeling and other predictions rather than a more traditional head count of how many exist and how many there were ten years ago.”
The US Geological Survey had to consider what the best climate models indicate will happen to the ice around the Arctic and Alaska. The models told the USGS that “this is what will happen to the ice” and “from the ice, this is what will happen to the polar bears,” Jon explained. “As a result, they could indicate that the polar bears were at serious risk, losing a lot of what they depend on for survival.” This leads to the conclusion that there “clearly is a threat to the polar bear population being able to survive as a species.”
“The definition of a threatened species is one that is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future,” Jon continued. “So they clearly said, ‘the best science we have, the models, indicate that there will be a risk at some point in the foreseeable future’.” This is a fundamentally different use of science from the traditional approach which examines how “this species is being killed today by this cause.” But Jon indicates that science is changing towards this model, and adds that “it’s important that we really look at science in this form to say ‘what can we expect with this species?’ ” Good wildlife conservation considers the future of a species.
Sometimes politics enters into the field and politicians question scientific findings. For this reason, agencies are doing more peer reviews. That way, the science has a higher likelihood of standing up in court, which is where debates or challenges often go. If the science is not solid, cases can be thrown out of court, which can sometimes allow threats to endangered species. Most often, court cases examine “whether or not all of the science was used, if conclusions are actually founded in other determinations, and also how a decision or a delisting decision prescribes exactly as the law requires,” Jon explained.
While not all endangered species decisions go through courts, there are a large number of challenges. While details of challenges vary with species, the challenges are launched by members of two major groups. “Oftentimes if a species isn’t listed, environmental groups look at it to closely to see if it would make a good court challenge. If it does get listed, opponents to endangered species protection may challenge it,” such as a logging or a mining company. And regardless of what side the court challenge comes from, the integrity and quality of the science used to make the decision can make a large difference for or against a threatened species.
Tags: Arctic, Conservation, endangered, Endangered Species, global warming, polar bear, science, spotted owl, wild animals
Planet Friendly Shopping – The Friday File
A few Planet Friendly Shopping ideas that support our planet’s charities while you find that perfect gift for someone special - in The Friday File. You can reach the Friday File by either clicking on “Fridays” in the navigation bar up top on this page, or by clicking on The Friday File under Categories.
A Few Planet Friendly Shopping Favorites
The year’s busiest shopping day in the US, Black Friday, is next week. When you’re considering what to get the special people in your life, remember that many charities offer fun and meaningful shopping opportunities. A lot of charities offer interesting gifts, with most for affordable prices. Knowing that you’re helping our planet while acquiring some neat goods is personally rewarding. Here are a few items that have caught my eye.
Both World Wildlife Fund US and Canada offer wildlife adoptions complete with stuffed toys. A friend of mine who has symbolically adopted several animals is quite happily living with WWF stuffed toys on her bookcase, fireplace mantle, and sofa!
Also, WWF Canada’s Unique Gifts and WWF US’ Extraordinary Gifts allow you to contribute money directly to specific projects. From moving bison to helping to provide Amazon families with a sustainable forest-based income, to helping link and grow isolated panda habitats with corridors of bamboo forest, to others, these gifts are truly meaningful.
Credit: Adopt a Stream Foundation
A little less money will buy many other charitable goods as well. For example, the Adopt a Stream Foundation offers The Streamkeeper’s Catalogue, which includes a cute Adopt A Stream button for $1, and a trendy Global Warming Mug that claims to actually show the adverse effects of global warming when you pour a hot liquid into the mug. They also have some cute beaver, owl, eagle, black bear, and hawk finger puppets.
If you want to support habitat, Conservation International helps you adopt an acre of rainforest, while the African Wildlife Foundation offers the chance to adopt African acres .
To carry your shopping items, grocery items, or other goods, several organizations offer canvas shopping bags. I’ve ordered one from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund with a handsome gorilla portrait on it, and one from Bornean Sun Bear Conservation with a cute sun bear on it with the words “Save the Sunbear”. Both bags are being mailed to me.
These charities also have other goods, and hundreds of other charities offer other affordable and creative goods at affordable prices that let you get your shopping done while supporting our planet. If you have any favorites, I’d love to hear about them.
Tags: Adopt a Stream, African Wildlife Foundation, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation, canvas bag, Conservation, Conservation International, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, green shopping, shopping, wild animals, WWF Canada, WWF US
Saving Our World’s Tigers
Credit: John Goodrich, WCS
Into a world with just less than 3,000 tigers left in the wild, Tigers Forever was born in 2006 with the goal of increasing key tiger populations by 50% over the next ten years. They knew it would take more than money alone, since tigers were getting more funding than most endangered species and yet were still declining. But in the darkness were two lights – Wildlife Conservation Society had two long term field sites where tigers were actually doing well. Panthera and Wildlife Conservation Society leaders studied these two sites and found that their success was due to how the sites were being managed. The sites held the lessons of how to save and increase the number of tigers. Tigers Forever is based on those success stories, matched with business sense and streamlined and focused efforts.
Intrigued by how Tigers Forever had set a strategic goal and was being so well managed, I enjoyed having a personal interview with Andrea Heydlauff, Managing Director of Panthera, who filled me in.
New York entrepreneur and Panthera board member Michael Cline committed to contributing $5 million over ten years to Tigers Forever, with Panthera contributing the same amount (so together it’s $10 million over 10 years) . Wildlife Conservation Society matches those funds, and the groups collaborate. As well, Cline understood the power of strategic planning and management, and led the way in setting the goal of increasing tiger numbers at key sites by 50%, collectively. Of the 13 tiger countries, WCS had field scientists in 9 of them, and Panthera had a presence through their commitment and program management.
Credit: WCS Myanmar
The eight sites selected for management all had known tiger and prey populations, conservation manpower and efforts, and buy-in from government and local partnerships. Engaging all factions is key to successfully accomplishing conservation goals. “It wasn’t just random,” Andrea explained, “it’s where is it that we are going to have the most impact.”
Aside from poaching and hunting of both tigers and their prey, another of the biggest threats facing tigers is connectivity where they are suffering “from fragmentation and isolation”. In places such as India, “with human population pressure you’re getting these postage stamp, isolated, almost little Disney parks of tigers”, Andrea commented. Different populations of tigers need connectivity to keep the animals healthy and genetically strong and ensure their long term future.
It’s also important to ease conflicts between humans and tigers. Too often, people living in or around core-protected areas allow their livestock to graze openly in tiger habitat, and run the risk of losing their livestock to hungry tigers – especially where there is little to no wild prey. This affects human livelihoods. Sometimes the solution is as simple as having local authorities enforce a ban against livestock in core areas and having patrols make sure that domestic animals graze in selected areas. “We are the NGO, we can’t necessarily do the enforcement, but we can train and support the enforcement teams”, Andrea mentioned. Other solutions involve teaching local people good animal husbandry techniques, such as bringing livestock into fenced areas at night rather than letting them roam free. “What’s good for cats is good for people”.
Tigers Forever is committed to achieving their annual goals. Good site monitoring information about tigers and their prey, about the hunting of tigers and their prey, and habitat loss/fragmentation, is essential. Through camera traps and density estimates, the field research provides important information that tells managers how the program is doing, the impact and effectiveness of the patrol teams, and what may need changing. These measurements are presented in an annual meeting which brings together key people from each site as well as the managing organizations. “We conduct a rigorous analysis each year, by looking at data and looking at human efforts,” Andrea continued. By looking at the data and comparing benchmarks, those involved evaluate whether the efforts are working. If they’re not, they look at it again and change things – a perfect example of adaptive management.
This business management approach to saving tigers is producing success. In a wildlife sanctuary in Thailand, signs are being seen of a growing tiger population. The reasons? Tremendous government buy-in, and hundreds of patrol park officers with high morale, good equipment, and uniforms. Unlike too many places, these park guards have pride in their jobs, excellent training including refresher courses, and individual accountability and successes. “It’s a good job to have, so the people want to keep their jobs”.
I asked Andrea if this business-like approach is the wave of the future for conservation NGOs. “Donors are smarter now – they want accountability,” she answered. How can non profits know if they’re saving animals when they lack the monitoring and annual reviews that sometimes highlight what just isn’t working? “So this is going to shift non profits to being more accountable regarding where their money is going and if targets are being met.”
With Tigers Forever, 100% of donations is put directly into the field where it’s needed. Their overhead is covered by seed funds, so donations can go to conducting the research on the ground, developing and setting up camera trap, and training park guards, “giving them the tools to be effective in working to save the tigers”, Andrea told me . Funds are needed in the field to accomplish their goals.
You can learn more about Tigers Forever by visiting their website.
Tags: Conservation, endangered, Panthera, tiger, Tigers Forever, wild animals, Wildlife Conservation Society
100 Heartbeats
The name “Hundred Heartbeat Club” was first used by E.O. Wilson in “Vanishing Before Our Eyes”, and refers to species that “literally have fewer than 100 hearts beating on our planet”. Jeff Corwin’s new book, entitled “100 Heartbeats: The Race to Save Earth’s Most Endangered Species”, is their story. It’s an important book and I highly recommend it.
Personal encounters with endangered animals are told with the skill of a polished story teller. Vivid descriptions of the dangers facing wildlife are interspersed with stories of the heroes and actions that are trying to save the animals.
The book must have taken thousands of hours of research. Among my favorite tidbits is the description of a condor flying – “the beating of those wings, like the sound of sheets flapping on a clothesline in an angry gale” – is why “Native Americans nicknamed the condor ‘thunderbird’ ”.
Corwin’s passion for wild animals is clear and he’s not afraid of making readers feel emotions. His account of the evacuation of condors from the path of a fire approaching Ventana (California) is high drama, capturing the feelings of carrying endangered birds out through smoke in a US Navy helicopter.
Corwin gets it right on, such as his discussion of the bushmeat crisis. He writes about the local people: “And like everyone else in the world, they want three things: jobs, education for their children, and good medical care”. He adds, “That’s why partnerships with human development agencies and local communities are essential. It is possible if there’s a global commitment to conserve biodiversity.”
The stories behind the conservation headlines also include details about the dreadfully polluted and dammed up Yangtze River, the global disappearance of amphibians which he calls “the canaries in the coalmine”, and the determined fight to save rhinos, among others. Stories such as the comeback of the black footed ferret – which was thought to be extinct till a farmer’s dog dragged a dead one into their house, revealing a nearby living population – are amazing and give hope that similar events will occur.
It is hoped that this book will “serve as a catalyst, educating people about the state of our natural world and compelling them to help protect it for future generations”. Our challenges require the efforts of everyone – “everybody from the leader of a nation to somebody who’s just learning about this for the first time”. “Perhaps the most important component of any possible solution is having the will to find one,” Corwin quotes Richard G. Ruggiero, PhD, of the USFWS Division of International Conservation.
“It’s true that for endangered species, every day presents a challenge. But it’s also true that every day presents opportunities for us to make resounding strides,” writes Corwin. “We have the chance to do it, and we can succeed. Every heartbeat matters.”
Tags: 100 Hearbeats, bushmeat, condor, Conservation, E O Wilson, endangered, Jeff Corwin, rhino, wild animals
