October: Animals

My topic for the month of October is animal protection and conservation. I was inspired to take action by the recent tragedy with the private owner in Ohio. For reasons still unknown, the owner "set free" an estimated 55 exotic animals before committing suicide. Sad to say, only six animals were safely captured, leaving 49 animals forced to be killed due to the posed threat to public safety. Among the animals killed in ohio by sheriff's deputies were 17 lions, 18 rare Bengal tigers, six black bears, two grizzlies, a wolf, a baboon and three mountain lions. This incident has caused enormous controversy over private exotic animal ownership in the U.S, as several states still lack regulations. By making such private ownership illegal, tragedies like the one in Ohio can be averted in the future. Signing petitions and writing letters to state leaders who have yet to enforce these laws is a great place to start helping.

More information on this story:

For the protection and conservation of wildlife throughout our planet, the organization I chose to support is the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The World Wildlife Fund's mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth. The WWF works with multilateral and bilateral agencies to promote sustainable development in the world's poorest countries. Its aims are threefold--to protect natural areas and wild populations, to minimize pollution, and to promote efficient, sustainable use of natural resources.

How they spend their money:
83% of expenses go towards conservation projects
5% of expenses go towards administration
12% of expenses go towards fundraising

My donation in support of the WWF this month was a "symbolic" one. The WWF has excellent ways to support their organization and efforts, one of which is by "adopting" an animal. A symbolic adoption supports WWF's global efforts to protect wild animals and their habitats. Not only is this a great gift for any age, you know your money was well spent. You can subscribe to donate at different levels for each animal and your money will be used in a variety of ways appropriate for your particular animal, its habitat an level of risk. With tribute to the tragedy in Ohio and loss of one of our world's most breathtaking creatures, I chose to symbolically adopt a tiger.

My monetary donation will contribute to the following:

  • Restoring fragmented areas of habitat so tigers can move between them
  • Strengthening anti-poaching patrols around nature reserves
  • Establishing programs to increase prey numbers
  • Reducing poaching and illegal trade of live tigers and tiger parts
  • Ensuring conservation laws are enforced

We seek to be the voice for those creatures who have no voice. We speak for their future. We seek to apply the wealth of our talents, knowledge, and passion to making the world wealthier in life, in spirit, and in living wonder of nature.” –Carter S. Roberts -President & CEO

Already conservation efforts from organizations like WWF have brought many animals back from the brink of extinction. It has helped, not only conserve rich and varied ecosystems but also delivered real benefits to local people through new livelihood opportunities and sustainable development. However, conservation work is far from over. Destructive human activities have led to the current rate of species extinction, which is at least 100-1,000 times higher than the expected natural rate. This has impacts far beyond the potential cultural loss of iconic species such as tigers, rhinos and whales. Species, and the ecosystems are part of, providing essential goods and services that make human life possible. They contribute enormously to our health and well being such as breathable air, clean water, food, fibers, building materials, medicines, energy, fertile soils, climate regulation, transport, and recreational and spiritual values. 

Facts: 

According to the IUCN Red List, there are more threatened species in Ecuador than any other country (2,255), which is greater than Brazil (773), the USA (1152) and Indonesia (1,142). 


The Abingdon Island tortoise is the rarest reptile in the world. Sadly, only a single male of this species, "Lonesome George," remains alive today. 

One third of open ocean sharks are threatened with extinction. Scientists estimate that 26-73 million sharks are killed each year for the global fin trade. 

Coral reefs are thought to be home to one quarter of the world's fish species and protect the coastlines of 109 countries. But approximately 75 percent of the world's coral reefs are rated as threatened. 

As of January 2011, there are 1, 170 animal species worldwide that are endangered, half of which reside in the United States. 

Just a few of the hundreds of animals on the endangered species list are: African and Asian elephants, West Indian manatees, American alligators, Western gorillas, grizzly bears, Florida cougars, jaguars, tigers, black rhinos, California condors, humpback whales, sperm whales, green sea turtles, Atlantic salmon and red wolves. 

Since the year 1500, more than 800 species of plants and animals have gone extinct. This only accounts for the plants and animals that we know of. 


Why are species endangered?
Animals and plants face a large number of different threats with many of them being a direct result of human activity. Some of the most common threats include:

  • Habitat loss and habitat fragmentation - The ever-expanding human population constantly requires additional space and resources. Land is being cleared to harvest products such as timber as well as to make way for human settlement, agriculture and transport links. 
  • Hunting and Poaching - A wide variety of animals have been hunted or fished beyond sustainable levels and now face possible extinction. Species such as the tiger are often hunted because they provide a resource such as food, or part which are used in traditional 'medicine'. However, some species such as the cheetah, have been persecuted after gaining a negative reputation for feeding upon livestock or crops or posing a threat to human safety. 
  • Invasive species - Humans have introduced non-native species (both intentionally and accidentally) to a wide variety of habitats, often with devastating consequences. Introduced species may prove highly adaptable and out compete native species for resources. Introduced predators can decimate local species, which are not adapted to avoid predation, for example ground dwelling birds like the kakapoo. 
  • Climate change - Droughts, ocean acidification, the loss of sea ice and an increase in storms and extreme weather events can all threaten species' survival. Sedentary species like plants or specialist species, which inhabit small ranges or islands, or those with specific habitat requirements are particularly vulnerable. 
  • Disease - Small populations, especially those that are limited in terms of genetic diversity are particularly vulnerable to disease. Disease can often be spread by domestic animals or accidentally introduces by humans traveling from an affected area to one which had not previously been exposed. 
  • Collection/ pet trade - Many animals and plants, such as the Venus flytrap, have been collected form the wild beyond sustainable levels to be sold through the pet trade or be kept in private horticultural collections. 
  • Pollution - Acid rain, heavy metals, pesticides, plastic waste and oil spills all harm the environment and put species at risk. Chemicals are particularly harmful to species that live in water. 


How can you help?
Along with supporting conservation organizations, there are some simple steps that everybody can take to help protect the natural world and the species in it. Here are some ideas:
  • Recycle - Help protect the Rainforest - recycling one ton of paper can save 17 trees and preserve the habitat of a whole host of endangered species. 
  • Choose sustainable products - Make sure that all the products you buy are sustainably sourced, from food and paper to timber. 
  • Make your voice heard - petition for change! Many campaigns to help wildlife are underway but they need your support. 
  • Spread the word - If you are enthusiastic about saving species then why not encourage your friends and family to learn more.

Find out more: 
IUCN Red List - www.iucnredlist.org
Conservation International - www.conservation.org
Fauna & Flora International - www.fauna-flora.org
Wildlife Conservation Society - www.wcs.org

I challenge you readers! 
What are you doing to help animal conservation? 

Leia Mais…

September: Clean Water

My focus for the month of September is water. This topic is as broad as it is complex. I plan on revisiting the topic again in the future, but would like to start with the issue of Clean Water. Imagine waking up each day without access to the following basic human necessities: Safe drinking water, a toilet and soap. According to The World Bank as many as 2 billion people lack adequate sanitation facilitites to protect them from water-borne diseases, while a billion lack access to clean water altogether!

While the conservation of water may not be at the forefront of concerns in American households where water is so plentiful, it it important to understand that much of the developing world lives on a ration of 2 to 6 gallons of water per day - barely enough to flush one toilet in the U.S household, one time. Furthermore, the U.S and Canada also annually continue to use larger quantities of water compared to other countries, a trend exacerbated by our growing consumption of commodities such as jumbo-sized washing machines, automatic garbage disposals and dish washers.

The organizations I chose this month to support clean water are WASH advocacy Initiative and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.



About the Wash Advocacy Initiative
The WASH Advocacy Initiative is a nonprofit advocacy effort in Washington DC entirely dedicated to helping solve the global safe drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) challenge. Their mission is to increase awareness of the global WASH challenge and solutions, and to increase the amount of effectiveness of resources devoted to solving these problems around the developing world.

With help from WASH Advocacy Initiative, I chose to donate my "voice" to advocate funding towards maintaining WASH under The Water for the Poor Act. I wrote letters to my local congress (find your officials at : www.congress.org) explaining the urgency and much needed support for what is a simple, cost-effective solution with a positive global impact.

Some Background: The Water for the Poor Act makes access to safe drinking water and sanitation for developing countries a specific policy objective of the United States foreign assistance programs. The purposes of assistance authorized by this law are to, "...promote good health, economic development, poverty reduction, women's empowerment, conflict prevention, and environmental sustainability by providing assistance to expand access to safe water and sanitation, promoting integrated water resource management, and improving hygiene for people around the world." Federal funding under The Water for the Poor Act of 2005 has improved millions of lives; for example, in 2009 alone, federal programs improved access to safe drinking water for 6.4 million people in some of the poorest areas on Earth.

While advocating, I found that one of my Representatives of Pennsylvania, Senator Pat Toomey (R) to whom I wrote one letter, is on The Congressional Super Committee (aka. Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction). As the Joint Select Committee works to reduce the deficit by over $1 trillion over the next decade, I alerted the Senator that developing assistance programs, including those to provide sustainable access to WASH under the Water for the Poor Act must remain intact by maintaining their funds. International affairs programs are vital to America's overall foreign policy.

I challenge you reader! Please ask our nations representatives for their leadership on this issue. It will help to ensure that the Joint Select Committee protects important investments in our future.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
While sitting upon mounds of research about clean water and examining various organizations, I couldn't help but notice the huge impact The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was making in this "new" venture of global sanitation.

“Sanitation is an inordinately powerful health prevention tool. Good sanitation can save money (India alone loses $58 billion a year in healthcare cost and lost labor), place girls back in school, increase income, and save lives. It is the most cost-effective health prevention tool in existence. It baffles me why politicians are still failing to exploit it.  So I am pleased to learn that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is scaling up its efforts to fund sanitation.” – Rose George, author of The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters. 


So, what are Bill and Melinda doing? Reinventing the Toilet of course!



The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation along with USAID's (United States Agency for International Development) Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) are co-funding to launch WASH For Life to support promising new approaches in the Water, Sanitation and hygiene. DIV will use this $17 million partnership to identify, test and transition to scale promising approaches to achieving cost-effective, sustained, scalable water, sanitation and health services to developing countries.
Over the next four years, WASH For Life will identify and rigorously test new WASH technologies and delivery models, and then scale and replicate those that are proven successful. Although project addressing problems in any country may apply, WASH For Life is particularly interested in interventions that:

  • Operate in the following priority countries: Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Kenya and/or Nigeria.
  • Address issues in the sanitation and hygiene sectors in particular
  • Target beneficiaries earning under $2 a day

Other Useful Links:  

Poo Corner: Questions from Grantees and Partners



For your Knowledge and to Spread the Word, here are some WATER FACTS:

  • The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns. - 2006 United Nations Development Report
  • Only 62% of the worlds population has access to improved sanitation - defined as a sanitation facility that ensures hygienic separation of human excreta from human contact. - UNICEF/WHO. 2008 Progress of Drinking Water and Sanitation: Special Focus on Sanitation
  • Diarrhea remains in the second leading cause of death among children under five globally. Nearly one in five child deaths - about 1.5 million each year - is due to diarrhea. It kills more young children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. - Diarrhea: Why children are still dying and what can be done. UNICEF, WHO 2009
  • Almost two in every three people who need safe drinking water survive on less than $2 a day and one in three on less than $1 a day. - Water.org
  • Constructing a sanitary toilet only costs about $30 US dollars. - Water.org
  • More than 80% of sewage in developing countries in discharged untreated, polluting rivers, lakes and coastal areas. - 2004, Wastewater Use in Irrigated Agriculture

Advocate for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) to help ensure better health and quality of life for all people. 

Leia Mais…