Tag Archives: Wildlife Habitat

Extremely troubling report on wildlife populations

Posted on by
No Gravatar

The Wall Street Journal published a recent article concerning decline in wildlife populations worldwide. Scientist from groups such as the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London report the downward spike in wildlife numbers is worse than they had previously thought.

It seems from 1970 to 2010, the overall animal population of animals fell 52 percent. This is a horrible rate of decline. Key factors sited for land, rivers and oceans, are habitat destruction, commercial fishing, hunting and climate change.

Of course, humans have a role in all of it. A previous report from 2012 put the rate of decline at 28 percent.

And while the animal population plummets on planet Earth, the human population continues to expand. And this sentence from the WSJ article offers a stark warming: “With the planet’s population expected to swell by 2.4 billion people by 2050, the challenge of providing enough food, water and energy will be difficult.”

PACK MENTALITY BLOG: Compassion - teamed with Science and Logic

Michelle Duggar fails on understanding population boom

Posted on by
No Gravatar

Human population growth is clearly taxing the planet. We are seeing rampant deforestation and habitat loss and a huge strain on resources in many areas of the Earth. And many species of wildlife are being wiped off the face of the Earth, a trend that can indeed be traced to human activity and greed.

But apparently Michelle Duggar of “19 Kids and Counting” fame is unaware of these obvious trends.

In a article by Us Weekly posted today at Today.com, Duggar is asked about overpopulation, something she said she doesn’t believe in. Let’s make sure we get this quote right. She told Celebrity Baby Scoop –

“We have studied it and I believe that there is a misconception about overpopulation. I think that the whole mindset of overpopulation is really overrated.”

She doesn’t believe in overpopulation. It’s like stating you don’t believe there’s a sun in our solar system. It’s like saying you don’t believe in sunburn. It’s like saying the crime rate in Chicago is no big deal or having a job is overrated.

It’s like not understanding the phrase – exponential growth.

Look – I don’t want to pick on Michelle. She seems like a really nice person. But she said she studied overpopulation and yet she came to this conclusion. I couldn’t let that pass.

Again, overpopulation is putting a huge strain on wildlife populations, habitat and the planet’s resources. If anything, the problem is underrated and receives too little attention from the media or governments.

 

PACK MENTALITY BLOG: Compassion - teamed with Science and Logic

New USFWS protections for loggerhead nesting sites was a response to lawsuit filed by conservation groups

Posted on by
No Gravatar

I received an email today through Oceana, in response to my earlier post concerning the US Fish and Wildlife’s move to protect loggerhead sea turtle nesting site along the Atlantic and Gulf coast regions.

The attached release reports the USFWS move comes after a lawsuit was filed earlier this year – by the Center for Biological Diversity, Oceana and the Turtle Island Restoration Network. It seems federal agencies had failed to act on petitions filed by the organizations, pushing for protections for the important nesting regions.

The full press release:

“” “”

U.S. Government Finally Acts in Response to Conservation Lawsuits

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— After five years of delay, the federal government today finally proposed to protect more than 739 miles of critical habitat for threatened loggerhead sea turtles on their nesting beaches along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts. These sea turtles face serious threats to their long-term survival from drowning in fishing nets, loss of nesting beaches due to coastal development and sea-level rise. The proposal spans from North Carolina to Mississippi and encompasses 84 percent of all known nesting areas.

Today’s action by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service comes as a result of a lawsuit filed earlier this year by conservation groups Center for Biological Diversity, Oceana, and Turtle Island Restoration Network, after federal agencies failed to respond to separate petitions filed by the groups to strengthen protections for all loggerhead populations in the U.S. dating back to 2007.

“The Southeast’s nesting loggerheads swim thousands of miles through an obstacle course of human-made hazards,” said Jaclyn Lopez, a Florida attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Protected beach habitat will help ensure that when they reach our beaches, exhausted and ready to nest, they’re met with true southern hospitality: plenty of food, good conditions for nesting, and safe beaches for hatchlings to leave their nests so they may someday return to continue the cycle of life.”

Continue reading →

PACK MENTALITY BLOG: Compassion - teamed with Science and Logic

Major paper company agrees to halt destruction of natural forests in Indonesia

Posted on by
No Gravatar

Asia Pulp & Paper Group, called one of the largest paper producers in the world, has agreed to stop its suppliers from cutting down natural forests in Indonesia, as reported by the Associated Press.

This is being hailed as an important step in protecting vital habitat for endangered animals such as orangutans and Sumatran tigers. The company worked with Greenpeace and the Forest Trust.

Deforestation is a huge, but too-often under-reported problem. The Earth is losing massage amounts of forests, including extremely important rainforests, every day. Greed – again – is the major player. I hope Asia Pulp & Paper is serious about this move.