6 Ways People are Trying to End Poaching

In the last several years, the issue of wildlife poaching has dramatically increased. Instability and war in certain areas has led to poachers having easier access to endangered animals and also created groups, such as militias, looking to profit from the lucrative trade. Certain animals can bring in tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars for poachers; the industry itself is worth over $200 billion a year. Unfortunately, in addition to the practice of being cruel, many of the targeted animals are severely endangered and poaching is only pushing them closer to extinction. Thankfully, there are many people out there working hard to prevent poaching from continuing; here are some examples of ways to end poaching, many of which you can help with through donations, volunteer work, or simply raising awareness.

Tracking DNA

A very new and sophisticated method conservationists are using to decrease poaching is tracking animal DNA. When authorities confiscate poached goods, they can use DNA tracking to learn exactly where the animal was poached, which then allows them to focus on that population and create more security to protect the group.

Modifying horns or tusks

Another common method that’s being used on animals poached for their ivory is modifying their horns or tusks. When possible, conservationists humanely saw off the tusks of animals like rhinos or elephants. However, this method is not as effective as people would like and the animals are often still killed for the small amount of ivory left behind or because the poachers are angry about the efforts to stop them.

Raising awareness

Since a lot of the poaching trade stems from beliefs that certain animals parts can benefit humans when consumed, it’s helpful to raise awareness in the people purchasing the poached animals and even those doing the poaching. Teaching people the impact poaching has on environments and how there aren’t really benefits to poached materials can help end some of the poaching trade.

Mapping and monitoring technology

One of the most effective methods to combat poaching has been the sophisticated technology used to map the territories of commonly poached animals, track them, and watch out for any poachers traveling through the area. Since there are not enough people to secure such large areas, cameras and motion detectors are useful for catching poachers, along with thermal imaging. Poachers often operate at night and thermal imaging makes it easier to find and stop them before they poach any endangered animals.

Legalize the trade

There are quite a few people who are supporters of this theory, though others are vehemently against it. The idea is that legalized trading in poached animals would lead to lower prices and less demand and it would lose the appeal to poachers because they’d make less money. While many poached goods could be humanely and legally provided, people are afraid that it would only encourage poachers to continue their activities and it would be difficult to gain control of the market.

Engage communities

A great way conservationists have achieved success in protecting poached animals is encouraging local communities to protect them. Teaching local communities the importance of conservation and then helping them turn their local wildlife into a tourism industry, such as offering safari tours, helps incentivize the local people to protect the wildlife as it becomes their source of income through tourism.

7 Great Netflix Documentaries on Conservation

Netflix is known for its great documentaries; no matter what topic you’re looking for, you can be sure to find at least one documentary on Netflix about it. Conservation is an important topic that more people should take time to educate themselves about. Luckily, there are plenty of documentaries on Netflix focused on the topic of conservation. If you have some free time and want to educate yourself on conservation, check out a few of these documentaries.

Chasing Ice

In this documentary, you get a look at the world’s glaciers over the timespan of a year. It helps provide a close-up view of issues around ice caps melting and how the ecosystems are responding to this major change. We’ve all heard about polar ice caps disappearing and what it means for the environment, but this documentary gives you a clear look at what this issue is and what it looks like.

Chasing Coral

Like the melting ice caps, many scientists and environmentalists are now also focusing on the rapid decrease of coral reefs. Thanks to overfishing and tourism, we’re quickly losing much of the beautiful coral reefs that allow thriving underwater ecosystems to flourish. Once these reefs die, there isn’t much we can do about it, so it’s important to raise awareness as quickly as possible.

Minimalism

A great documentary that offers a fresh look at this recent lifestyle craze, the two main presenters in this documentary provide an inside look at extreme versions of a minimalist lifestyle, but without pressure for you to live by their definition of it. They present the benefits of minimalism and talk about how it’s helped them, but also acknowledge that some people cannot practice it to the degree they do. They’re more concerned about helping people understand and consider a more minimalist approach to living than making others live the way they do.

Virunga

If you’re interested in what happens when war and conservation meet, this documentary is sure to pique your interest. Virunga follows a group of forest rangers in Africa who risk their lives to protect endangered gorillas at risk from war and deforestation. It gives you an inside look at an issue many people do not know much about.

Cowspiracy

A popular documentary on Netflix, Cowspiracy takes a look at the state of factory farming and how we could source our food, particularly meat, in a more responsible manner. This documentary can be a bit intense and it may make you not want to eat mass-produced meat after watching. Viewing this documentary helps you think more carefully about where your food comes from and how you can be a responsible consumer.

Blackfish

Blackfish can be viewed as the documentary that made Netflix documentaries popular. When it was released a few years ago, nearly everyone heard about it and many people watched it. Most of us have never seen a killer whale and know little about them; this documentary helps raise awareness of keeping large animals, like orcas, in captivity and what the consequences of that decision could be.

Planet Earth

A true classic, Planet Earth provides beautifully captured footage of ecosystems all around the world. While it’s more focused on educating you about the beauty of the planet instead of a clear conservation message, simply seeing the wonders of the world will make you want to work to preserve it.

Raising Conservation Awareness

As people and businesses go about their daily activities, environmental conservation is often the last thing on their minds. People buy products with excess packaging, use water carelessly, and damage the habitats of wild animals by improperly disposing of trash. Reminding people and business owners that conservation is a vital activity can be challenging, but the benefits can spread to every living thing in the environment.

In today’s landscape, there are so many political and social causes that conservation awareness can be lost in the shuffle. People are jaded and feel like they can’t spare any more energy to care about the world. It’s important to promote environmental awareness in positive ways, rather than using scare tactics, which may only make some people care less about the environment. For example, local businesses can be encouraged to reduce waste and recycle by using a social media campaign.

Use social media

Social media can be a perfect way to raise awareness without lecturing. Internet users love to utilize hashtags. Encourage visitors to parks and forests to take photos and tag them with conservation-related phrases. In social media campaigns, people can also be challenged to do one more environmentally friendly thing a day and to post about it. For example, users may post about turning off the lights in a room when leaving, or about picking up trash around their homes. A small action each day is better than none.

Teach children

The most important way to raise awareness is by teaching our own children to take care of the environment. Children naturally look up to parents and authority figures and model their values after them. Parents should be aware of their own actions and make sure they are environmentally sound. For example, lecturing children about wasting water falls on deaf ears when the child sees a parent letting the water run while brushing their teeth.

Children can effect powerful change on their own. A child who learns about environmental conservation at school is likely to go home and share the information with his or her family. Led by the children, the whole family may use resources more wisely. When children in youth groups, for example, encourage a business to behave in a more environmentally friendly fashion, the business is more likely to pay attention as opposed to an adult activist’s message being brushed off or ignored. Children can encourage businesses to use packaging that is less wasteful or to use recycled materials.

Let’s Talk About Mountain Lions

Mountain lions also go by various other names, such as cougar, puma, or catamount. You can find them throughout North and South America and they are the second-heaviest cat in the world. While mountain lions are very large, they are also closely related to domestic cats. However, do not let this family connection fool you; mountain lions can be deadly. While mountain lions are not as common in the United States as they once were, you may still run into one while out in the woods, so it’s important to know some basic facts about them and also how you can protect this vulnerable species.

Hunting traits

In the Americas, mountain lions are one of the top predators, placed next to the gray wolf and different types of bears. Due to their size and skills, cougars have few natural predators, often only competing with the other apex predators in the Americas. Currently, the biggest threat to mountain lions are humans, due to poaching and habitat fragmentation.

Cougars are mainly solitary predators who spend most of their time alone, ruling over wide territories. These big cats are very reclusive and rarely approach people. Mountain lion attacks are rare and often occur because humans have begun encroaching on their territories or interfered with a hunt. Mountain lions typically hunt deer, though they will also hunt smaller animals if necessary and the opportunity arises. They’re nocturnal and do most of their hunting during dusk or dawn, which is made possible by their fantastic hearing and sight. This big cat is mostly muscle, particularly their powerful back legs, which allow them to jump around 40 feet when pouncing.

Threatened status

While mountains lions are not considered seriously threatened, their population is steadily decreasing. In some areas of the Americas, they run the risk of having their populations completely wiped out by farmers or other humans who do not want the cats around their homes. It’s understandable that people are upset if they feel threatened or have their animals hunted by cougars, but it’s also important to remember that we’re in their territory and to take steps to avoid conflict. In some states, hunting cougars is legal, but must also be carefully regulated. Recently, it’s been shown that these animals are moving further east in the United States as they search for new territory. It’s important to respect their space, but also take steps to keep yourself safe in order to peacefully coexist with them.

What you can do
One of the best steps you can take to protect mountain lions is educating yourself. Know where their habitats are and what signs to look out for that would indicate a mountain lion is nearby. Avoiding these animals as much as you can keeps them (and you) safe. You can also donate to and volunteer at wildlife refuges that protect cougars. If you encounter a cougar in the wild, back away as slowly as possible, make yourself look large, and make a lot of noise to intimidate them.

5 Ways You Can Help Out Endangered Species

No matter where you live, your country has many endangered species. The United States alone has over 1,000 plants and animals listed as endangered. While there are plenty of other serious issues in the world today, it’s important to work toward conserving the plants and animals we still have. Biodiversity is what keeps the environment healthy and if we ignore conservation issues, we run the risk of destroying agriculture and ways of creating vital medicines. Varied plants and animals add to the biodiversity of an area and are what keep ecosystems healthy. Here are some ways you can help your endangered species and ensure that the world remains vibrant for years to come.

Visit a wildlife preserve

There are wildlife sanctuaries across the United States that feature animals of all kinds. You can even find places for endangered species that aren’t native to the country, but have been rescued from unhealthy situations, such as exotic pets or poorly run zoos. These animals are taken care of and kept in a healthy environment, with the added bonus of educating visitors. Take time to find and visit a sanctuary near you! Any money you pay for an entrance fee usually goes toward taking care of the animals and also helping sustain populations of endangered species in the wild.

Learn about native species

Like I mentioned above, there are over a thousand endangered species in the United States. It’s important to understand conservation issues around the world, but you should also learn as much as you can about your local ecosystem. Find out what plants and animals are endangered so you can avoid harming them and be mindful of introducing invasive species into your area that could harm local plants and animals.

Contribute to a philanthropy

One of the best ways you can help out endangered species is through providing assistance to an organization that focuses on bettering the environment. There are many philanthropies out there that would appreciate your time and donations, so find one that suits you. For example, one of my favorite organizations is The African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT). This organization takes a multidisciplinary approach to helping the environment and I feel confident they’re sincerely making a difference.

Engage in ethical buying

A great way to benefit endangered species is by making sure you’re engaging in ethical consumerism. Purchase environmentally friendly products as much as possible, so you avoid contributing to pollution and deforestation. Find ethical products that donate money to help conservation efforts or that avoid harming the environment and species. There are plenty of ethical companies out there, you just need to do some research.

Educate yourself

Finally, one of the best steps you can take to help out endangered species, is simply to educate yourself about environmental issues and how you can help. Follow some blogs that focus on this topic and learn as much as you can. The more knowledge you possess, the more tools you have to make a tangible difference. Once you’ve educated yourself, begin raising awareness by discussing these issues with others.

The Importance of Learning about Endangered Species

There are tens of thousands of animals that are considered seriously endangered, many of which are creatures that people have never heard of before. In addition to these animals, there are many more plants that are labeled as endangered. While plenty people and groups work hard to raise awareness of the flight of these animals and plants, it can be difficult to feel like anything you’re doing is making a difference. Some people wonder why we should even care if all of these organisms disappear, especially because they often seem insignificant or are native to a very specific area. However, there are lots of reasons why it’s important for us to learn about and work to protect endangered species. I’d like to share just a few of those reasons and hopefully convince you of the importance of protecting endangered species.

Controls other populations

One of the main benefits of a variety of organisms is that they help control the populations of other organisms that could detrimentally impact the environment if not regulated. There might be an endangered species that seems like it has minimal impact on an ecosystem, but it could be keeping the population of another plant or animal down. A well-known example of this issue is when otters were wiped out by hunters in areas of the Pacific Ocean, sea urchin populations swelled and destroyed several ecosystems. No one anticipated this issue, which is true for many endangered species.

Provides valuable medicines

Some of our most successful medicines have come from certain types of plants and animals. While I support this practice, I want to first highlight that it’s important these resources are gathered in a humane and responsible way that doesn’t further harm the species. There are lots of types of medicines that come from specific plants, such as penicillin, which is a fungus. Without these plants, we would be unable to produce life-saving medicines and homeopathic treatments. There are also plenty of plants we have yet to learn more about and the possible medical benefits they could have. It’s vital we make sure these plants stick around for as long as possible.

Keeps stable environments

Related to the fact that strong populations of various species help control the populations of other animals in the ecosystem, lack of endangered species also leads to the sustenance of stable environments. Many plants and animals provide the resources needed for a certain ecosystem to survive, such as clean air, fertilization, and control of negative substances. Biodiversity is vitally important to keeping balanced environments, which are often quite fragile.

Makes the world beautiful

A final reason it’s important to learn about endangered species is that they simply make the world a more beautiful place. Animals such as lions are incredible to see in the wild and are beautiful, majestic creatures. Even animals that aren’t so aesthetically pleasing are great in their own way and often make it possible for the world to look as beautiful as it does. Do your part and raise awareness of endangered species and learn what you can do to help break the cycle!