Tag Archives: Poaching

Making Rhinos Count in a World of Indifference

Posted on by

“Rampant corruption, low employment and high poverty are the unfortunate circumstances surrounding South Africa, the primary home of Earth’s last rhinos. Add to that a high Asian demand for their horns, and it equates to the perfect storm for their demise.

“South Africa has lost approximately 1600 black and white rhinos in 2015 (unconfirmed by the government at this point). With poaching spreading like a plague, the death toll has risen dramatically each year, with this year topping all previous ones.

Rhino poaching data.“In a world where an animal’s horn is worth more than cocaine or gold, the solution to their survival is not an easy one. The answer is a multi-faceted effort of anti-poaching strategies to combat the “here and now”, legal change to make the consequence more dire than the greed, and education and awareness to secure the future.”  fightforrhinos.com

GR:  This is a good review of a dire situation.  Recommended.

World’s wildlife trade regulator meets to assess compliance with multilateral rules, strengthen measures to prevent extinctions and tackle illicit trafficking | CITES

Posted on by

This post includes summary statements on several popular species. I’ve included grey parrots here as an example.
“The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is currently the range State with the largest volume of exports of wild-sourced grey parrots. According to trade records reported by importing countries, DRC has exceeded the annual export quota for various consecutive years. There are no recent scientific studies on the status of the DRC populations of grey parrot, which can provide a science base for the establishment of quotas. There are however suggestions that the populations are declining. Furthermore, there exists an alarmingly high rate of mortality (50% or higher) in domestic transport before the export takes place.

“In the light of the current situation, the Standing Committee is asked to consider a recommendation for all Parties to suspend commercial trade in grey parrots from DRC until all the concerns and recommendations have been sufficiently addressed.”  From: cites.org

GR:  CITES appears to have no ability to reduce poaching or illegal trafficking in endangered species.  The organization follows ponderously behind as popular species are captured or killed for fun, food, and profit. Of course, there have been valuable contributions by CITES, but Earth’s animals and plants are dying so rapidly now that the contributions have little meaning. One might argue that the damage caused by a gathering of 500 participants from across the globe exceeds the value of the organization’s continued existence.

So, what can we do to protect wildlife?

Most people might say that they appreciate wild animals and plants and want them to survive. People have paid for wildlife refuges, landscape linkages, inventories, ecological research, and interventions on behalf of endangered species. However, these conservation efforts have not offset the harm caused by air pollution, construction, invasive species, farming, livestock production, and trafficking. Will we act to increase spending for conservation? Will we act to begin reducing our population? Perhaps both answers are yes, but if we ask if our acts will be sufficient to protect wildlife, the answer is probably no.

How palm oil companies have made Indonesia’s forest fires worse

Posted on by

“Deforestation linked to palm oil has helped intensify massive forest fires in Indonesia and threatened endangered species – despite rules which should ensure deforestation for the global palm oil trade is limited.

“The evidence from an ongoing Greenpeace investigation comes as fires are finally dying down, thanks to heavy rain across the affected areas.

“The fires, which raged through Indonesia’s forest and peatlands for three months, were so vast that Indonesia emitted more carbon than China on several days this autumn – threatening global efforts to limit climate change.”  From: energydesk.greenpeace.org

As Extinction Looms, Elephants DC Calls for Tighter International Controls To Protect Elephants

Posted on by

WASHINGTON DC — “Elephants DC advocated for tighter legal controls to protect elephants on Saturday, Nov. 14 in America’s capitol city. At a two-day conference on international law and wildlife wel…”  More at: elephantsdcblog.wordpress.com

GR:  Perhaps everyone in the U. S. should donate their ivory collection to China. We could set up a distribution center that would require a shipping fee and a small handling fee. That would destroy the poaching industry.

4 Facts about Wildlife Trafficking in the United States

Posted on by

“Wildlife trafficking is a global concern. Wild animals from all over the world are captured or killed, then brought into this barbaric trade, the shipments sometimes traveling thousands of miles to reach a market where the demand for these animals, or what can be made from them, drives the whole process. The U.S. is a major hub for this trade. What enters this country, and from where, gives us a greater perspective on wildlife trafficking.

“We recently analyzed a decade of data, from 2005 to 2014, provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Law Enforcement Management Information System (LEMIS). We looked at all wildlife imports from around the globe that were denied entry to the United States – whether they were seized by law enforcement, re-exported to where they came from, or abandoned by the sender. All this information is recorded for each shipment, but not often analyzed as a whole. So that’s exactly what we did, to get the biggest possible picture of what wildlife trafficking into the U.S. looks like.”  From: www.defendersblog.org

GR:  From the article:  “In total, our analysis discovered 5.5 million individual wildlife parts and products, more than 660,000 animals and more than 4.8 million pounds of meat, fins and caviar. Sadly these numbers only represent a fraction of the wildlife on the black market.”–Rosa Indenbaum, International Policy Analyst

Cambodian Soldiers Kill Cambodian Police, as China Profits

Posted on by

It is a familiar story in Southeast Asia. In truth, it has become a familiar story almost everywhere: China’s vast appetite for luxury items was the underlying cause of last week’s execution-style killing of two government conservation workers in Cambodia.

Sieng Darong, a 47-year-old forest ranger, and Sab Yoh, a 29-year-old police officer, were murdered as they slept on November 7, shot with AK-47-style heavy weapons. A third member of the team survived with injuries, and a fourth escaped. The killings happened shortly after the team confiscated chainsaws at an illegal logging site in northwestern Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Protected Forest.  More at:  strangebehaviors.wordpress.com

GR:  You could argue that the Chinese are no more avaricious than the rest of us.  If you look at the homes, and check the closets and freezers of wealthy U. S., Canadian, and European citizens you will probably find tropical hardwoods, animal furs, ivory, and unsustainable meat.  The recent rapid growth of China has made the greed of its wealthy so conspicuous because they have arrived at the time when the rest of us have already harvested the Earth’s beautiful trinkets to near extinction. Still, we should not hesitate to apply hindsight and enact and enforce laws to protect what remains.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged

Grieving over Growth. Gary Gripp: To a Future Generation

Posted on by

BY GARY GRIPP, to a future generation:

“Everything central to our way of life is in the growth mode: the banks, the corporations, all our extractive and service industries, and, not least of all, our population. More people means: more willing buyers of homes, cars, electronic gadgets, and all the trappings of modern life. More jobs, more prosperity, more everything.

“More, more, more. It is in the interest of banks and corporations, as well as businesses large and small, that the market for products continues to grow. More, more, more. Grow, grow, grow.

“On a finite planet with degraded natural systems and diminishing natural resources, this growth imperative, built-in to our systems and into our lives, is an irresistible force coming up against an immovable object. It is us hitting a wall, and doing so at speed. More and more people in my time now see this crash coming.” blog.edsuom.com

GR:  Hey grandkids, we just couldn’t help ourselves.  (We really couldn’t.  To see what it would take for humans to survive on Earth, read Corr Syl the Warrior.)

Nature News Digests

Posted on by

GarryRogersNature News Digests:

The Illegal Timber Trade Is Destroying Myanmar’s Forests and Wildlife

Posted on by

myanmar forestMyanmar’s ancient and biodiverse forests are once again under threat. A new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency has found that millions of dollars’ worth of trees are illegally chopped down every year and then trucked across the border into neighboring China.

This illegal trade has been around for decades but had slowed for several years. Now it is surging again, according to EIA.
Advertisement

Julian Newman, EIA campaigns director, said one reason for the increase in illegal activity is demand for two species of trees called rosewood, which is carved into intricate and expensive traditional Chinese furniture called hongmu. China’s wealthy buy hongmu furniture as status symbols, and EIA investigators expressed fears that the two rosewood species are at risk of extinction in as little as three years.  From: www.takepart.com

GR:  Regulations that aren’t, or can’t be, enforced are useless.  Forests are under threat from climate-change, logging, livestock grazing, and poaching.  It’s time for solid protection programs.