As most of us already know, 2011 marked the devastating announcement that the Western Black Rhino -- one of Africa's most treasured species -- is now extinct. This new member of Club Extinction begs the question, "who will join the extinction list in 2012?" And, more importantly, "how can we stop this rapidly growing list?"
Elephants, tigers, rhinos, great apes, and marine turtles are all candidates for this gruesome list, but Congress has the power to stop that. The House of Representatives is currently stalling on a bill that would reauthorize funds to protect all of the aforementioned animals, a bill that has received strong bi-partisan support for over 14 years. This should be an easy choice.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Multinational Species Conservation Funds -- known in Congress as "H.R. 50" -- would not only save the few remaining members of these species but is vital for American trade, diplomacy, national security. H.R. 50 would conserve the shrinking wildlife habitats in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America, reduce wildlife-farmer conflict to improve economic fortunes, and stop pelt and ivory poachers. But the benefits of these efforts go far beyond making sure these animals are around for our grandchildren to see.
Tigers, Asian elephants and other iconic species live in numerous countries that have significant economic and national security implications for the US. Natural resource conservation efforts in these emerging economies -- such as Vietnam, India, and Indonesia -- positively impact the financial sector by creating new jobs, providing a means for upward economic mobility, and preventing illegal goods from flooding the markets. Continued support for these economic gains benefits both U.S. trade and U.S. national security.
Additionally, the animals protected under H.R. 50 often provide the only common ground upon which the U.S. and other governments can relate. Eliminating these conservation funds would endanger the dialog and diplomacy that has been established through agreement over species protection. The US has had rocky relationships with many of these governments so any issue on which they can see eye-to-eye is vitally important for our national security.
National security and wildlife conservation aside, simply the size of these programs makes them poor cost-saving measures. For example, only $1.9 million a year is appropriated for the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund but will preserve the lives of this precious species. And, for every dollar spent by the U.S. government for these conservation funds between 2006 and 2010, the program raised two dollars in matching funds from private or international donors, making this a very sound investment of taxpayer dollars. Even eliminating the program altogether would only save $19 million over the next ten years: a mere drop in the bucket compared to our national debt of $15 trillion.
Furthermore, these savings would only be a one-time venture verses preserving the lives of millions of animals. In June, I traveled to Trinidad and Tobago and saw first-hand how protecting the existence of one species has a domino effect that positively impacts hundreds of other species, including humans. For example, the loss of the marine turtles leads to an explosion in the jellyfish population, which, in turn, kills lower-level food chain small fish like sardines. These fish serve as food for tuna and swordfish, large contributors to the human diet.
Upon my return to the US, I testified before a House Natural Resources Subcommittee, alongside Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Vice President for Conservation and Science Dr. John G. Robinson, to make this exact case to Chairman John Fleming of my home state of Louisiana. I write today to continue this push, and to urge congress to do their part in saving the world's most charismatic and iconic species by reauthorizing the Multinational Species Conservation Funds.
please take care,
sylvie
We all need to stand together and ensure we can get this bill passed one way or another.
You are inspirational Ian - I think that is why you will make such a difference. People who had never before thought of these issues are now strong believers in the cases you present. You make people realise what is really important and for that we are truly grateful.
Please continue to open our eyes to what life is really about - standing together and trying to make a difference in the world, even if it is against all odds.
Say goodbye to tigers and lions and bears. Say goodbye to elephants and rhinos and hippos. Farewell gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans, antelope, zebras, and buffalo. And it's not just the wild animals who are in danger, though they will be the first to go. When the end came the Norse Greenlanders ate all their remaining cattle down to the hooves. Then they laid down and died.
What do you think is going to happen when the monsoons fail? When month after month goes by in India and Africa with no rain? The Hindus may not eat their cattle but drought can still kill them. In order to supply the ever-increasing demand for meat men are cutting down the rain forests to graze cattle. When the last of the trees are gone and the soil has washed away and the subsoil is hard as stone, what will grow? Nothing. Then all our domestic animals will die too.
I hope that your voice and the many thousands of voices that you reach will be heard. This Planet needs people like yourself to educate this generation and the next generation. I applaud your use of fame, popularity and celebrity status - so much better to educate, encourage, enthuse & inspire individuals to protect humanity. What a shame there are not more people out there like yourself, if there was, reaching people particularly with the power of internet would be so much easier. Just think if every actor/actress, pop star, musician, soap star, etc dedicated the amount of time that you do to posts, articles visits etc, the World would be a much richer place :-)
My other question is what are other governments around the World doing? Its certainly not big on the news in the UK or not that i have seen when I have caught up on the internet, I'm back there for 9 days on Monday so i will watch the news to find out. Its not big here in Turkey, although that is of no surprise, virtually nothing outside of Turkey is reported on the news unless its likely to affect Turkey! This is a Global issue and to be fair not just down to the US, these animals should matter to every single one of us, regardless of age or Nationality.
Nice work Ian.