Preserving Our Planet

I’ve had an 18-month hiatus from conservation blogging but I haven't stopped following the crises that occur daily around the globe.  Aside from a change in profession, studying, volunteering and being lucky enough to travel, I have followed a multitude of conservation issues and the social media excoriation of problems from the continuation of illegal hunting in the UK; the devastating bushfires in Australia; Trump’s shift in policy over trophy imports that could open the floodgates to further trophy slayings; South Africa’s lion farms, Extinction Rebellion (XR) and Greta Thunberg’s epic campaign to raise awareness of the state of climate change that saw her named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2019 . Seeing the uprising of spirited teens unwilling to accept the trajectory the planet is on for the 6 th mass extinction and social collapse is inspirational. But it also highlights the painfully toxic situation we are all a part of that governments seem adamant to quieten....

  How the way we engage with supporters in our campaigns might actually be harming the success of the campaign over time and discrediting our groups. Pilot whales are killed for food during a Grind Being a member of several conservation groups in the UK and abroad, I have had many a scathing debate or heated discussion with those on the pro side of hunting and mindless killing of animals. None of them resulted in a positive solution for either side. This got me thinking. When creating material for a conservation cause or campaign, what kind of language and persuasion should we be using to ensure the success of the campaign? Faroese viewpoints Last year, I learnt an important lesson whilst arguing with the Faroese over the annual Grind. With the likes of Sea Shepherd and other anti-whaling groups bringing the Grind into the media spotlight, the Faroese have had a backlash of criticism and abuse. It’s a very emotive subject with people on both sides impassioned and ex...

One of the elephants found in Myanmar with its skin removed. Sick new poaching trend As if elephants didn’t have enough to deal with due to the ivory trade, now they are being persecuted for their skin. The UK’s Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, recently announced plans to ban the sale of all ivory products. But this doesn’t affect the current poaching methods or save the 20 elephants recently killed. Why? Because in a sick new trend that has been circulating for the last 3 years or so, elephants are now being hunted in Asia only for their thick hides. The 20 were killed by poisonous darts – some of them mothers and calves. The skin was half-peeled off whilst their bodies were still warm, and their remains left in the forest to rot. Traditional beliefs across Asia have exacerbated this trend of using elephant skin to make bracelets, further decimating their declining numbers. This horrifying poaching epidemic stems from this lucrative business opportunity with claims...