Environment and science
Not all hope is lost! Conservation efforts are being made across the globe!
An article exploring successful conservation efforts tackling issues ranging from species extinction, and environmental policies to climate change.
As sort of a push-back article to my previous essay ‘Are we facing a sixth Mass Extinction? Can we do anything about it?’, I am writing this to give hope, in what can sometimes feel like a hopeless battle against ‘the system’. A system represented by media networks that push ideas and feelings such as ‘eco-anxiety’, ‘climate doom’ and ‘environmental existential dread’.
As concluded in my previous article, we have a lot to be worried about regarding climate and biodiversity crises. However, if we focus too much on the negative, greater feelings of apathy and hopelessness begin to set in. With constant media bombardment on how we’re all doomed, it’s hard not to be affected by it. That’s why it is up to us as individuals to be truthful and thorough in our research without downplaying the severity of the situation. More importantly, doing our own research and making the effort to search for a silver lining also brings with it hope. An inspirational story or news piece can sometimes be the motivation we need to contribute in our own way, and perhaps even spread the news or positive perspective.
This essay will explore several conservation projects taking place across the globe. Conservation efforts range from species repopulation programmes, regenerative agriculture practices, and new technologies, to new policies and legislations.
New technologies
Technology is a double-edged sword. It can be looked at as the demise of our natural environment and humanity’s connection with it, or it can be seen as the savior of humankind and the planet. As with any tool, the power comes from the person using the tool.
As such, there are teams of scientists working constantly across the globe, with the sole intention of finding solutions to the crisis we are facing. One such technology and tool that will help combat biodiversity loss is monitoring animals, plants and insects with airborne eDNA.
When an organism moves through the environment, it leaves behind small traces of genetic material, also known as eDNA (Palardy, 2022). It is possible to monitor and detect species in aquatic systems using eDNA, as carried out at the Ascension Island Marine Protected Area. eDNA is now being used to detect species via genetic traces in the air. An example of this can be seen in the 2021 peer-reviewed study of invasive plant species at a site in Texas. Studies have also shown there is the potential for airborne eDNA to be used to detect various types of vertebrates and insects at any specific location (Palardy, 2022). Further investigation into the use of this technique is still needed to assess its advantages and limitations. Potential conservation efforts using eDNA analysis include the monitoring of threatened species and protected areas and protecting species from trafficking and poaching.
Policy and legislation
Across the globe, environmental policy and legislation are being taken more seriously. Almost all development and urban planning projects need management plans that are required to take into account the latest laws regarding environmental protection and sustainability.
One such example of this is the proposal from European Union policymakers to set limits for brake and tyre emissions. Brake and tyre emissions are one of the leading sources of microplastic pollution in the world (Baulch, 2022). In November 2022, the European Commission published its proposal to begin the process of regulating emissions from brakes and tyres.
The reason this is big news is due to the fact that vehicle tyre particles are one of the biggest producers of microplastic emissions in the world (Baulch, 2022). Vehicle tyre particles account for producing an estimated 1 million metric tonnes of plastic pollution annually. Microplastic particles are produced by vehicle tyres due to friction with road surfaces, which cause tiny particles to break off from the tyres and are effectively released into the environment. This results in the pollution of soil and waterways. As with all ecological systems, each change results in a domino effect of further consequences such as the effect microplastics have on the health and survival of plankton and coral, or the effects on plants via soil contamination. Eventually, these microplastics will end up in our food supplies and have been found in drinking water, salt and beer (Baulch, 2022).
By the end of 2024, according to a new proposal, the European Commission will define emission limits for tyres and brakes. Tyres that produce the most microplastic particles will no longer be allowed to be sold in the European Union. This will see significant reductions in microplastic pollution.
Another result of the planning and implementation of environmental policy and legislation is the expansion and regional protection of natural areas such as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).
Coastal wetlands are some of the world’s most biologically diverse ecosystems, however, they have experienced a large decline in area size and species population numbers. This decline has several factors affecting it. The good news is that human-caused mangrove destruction is 73% lower between 2000 and 2016 due to increased protections. Mangroves are expanding into areas where sediment, from inland deforestation, is carried by rivers and deposited near and along the coast. Rising sea levels might also create more places for mangroves to expand into. Despite the prediction of a continued loss of mangroves in Southeast Asia (Palardy, 2022), the expansion of mangroves in other areas across the globe would see a stabilisation in the total area of mangrove forests globally.
China, the country with the fourth-largest wetland area in the world, is also upping its efforts to restore and protect its coastal areas, floodplain lakes, and rivers. China, due to the extent of its wetland conservation efforts and international development goals, will likely influence coastal wetland conservation on a global scale.
There are several environmental tradeoffs associated with transitioning from our current energy consumption to a more sustainable way of producing energy. Such emerging issues include the risks and impacts associated with chemical compounds in new appliances and pesticides, as well as the disposal of older appliances. The role of government is fundamental in implementing changes that are sustainable for the planet as well as providing benefits to society regarding economics, social issues and public health. We can also now see the impact rural communities are having on sustainability and conservation policies and actions across the globe (Bonnie, et al., 2019).
All these issues, and more, will affect the future of biodiversity conservation. By continuing to raise awareness, increasing research efforts, and having discussions, we are more likely to influence policy changes.
Species Recovery
Perhaps the most immediately impactful signs of conservation efforts for the general public are successful species repopulation programmes. While we are losing species at a faster rate than the background extinction rate, it is these stories of hope that motivate people to keep contributing to global conservation efforts.
Here are five such stories of species making dramatic recoveries in population numbers:
1. Mountain gorillas in Mufumbiro (Virunga Massif)
The Virunga Massif is an area which extends along the northern border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda. Continued conservation actions have seen the mountain gorilla population increasing when at one point it seemed likely they would become extinct by the end of the 20th century.
Between 2010 and 2016 the population increased from 480 to 604. According to a study from 2019, the global mountain gorilla population is 1063. They are still an endangered species and are incredibly vulnerable to disease and anthropological activity, however, it shows that with persistent and intelligent conservation work it is possible to make a difference.
2. Wild tigers in India
According to the latest IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Assessment, the global tiger population has stabilised and potentially increased for the first time in decades (Abraham, 2022).
More than 100,000 tigers roamed the planet A century ago, but as human activity and population increased their habitats were encroached on and destroyed, they were also hunted to the point where that number dwindled to a record low of just 3,200 in 2010.
New data suggests a potential 40% increase in tiger numbers, from 3,200 in 2015 to 4,500 in 2022, despite the threats of poaching and habitat destruction.
3. Red Sea coral reefs
Conservation biologists from Israel and neighbouring countries are working together to solve the conservation issues with Red Sea coral reefs.
All across the globe, rising sea temperatures are disrupting vulnerable reef ecosystems. This brings forth several problems including what is termed as “bleaching”, when coral ejects algae that live on them, resulting in the coral appearing white. Bleaching gets rid of a huge part of the reef’s food chain, turning the biodiverse reefs into underwater deserts. By 2030, more than half the world’s reefs could be destroyed. A study centre in Switzerland is being set up, by scientists from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Egypt, to collaborate on solving the Red Sea’s most pressing problems.
4. Whale species across the globe
Between the 19th and the mid-20th centuries, approximately 2 million whales were hunted and killed for their oil, blubber and meat. Several whale species were driven to the brink of extinction, such as the western South Atlantic humpback. This eventually lead to a halt in commercial whaling in 1986 and was followed by a ban on the global trade of whale products.
Humpbacks are now almost at the same population size as they were before whaling began. Another whale species enjoying a resurgence is the Grey Whale in the eastern Pacific.
Unfortunately, Japan, Iceland and Norway continue to hunt whales, even though six out of thirteen of the great whale species are still endangered.
5. The Grey Wolf in the USA
Before anthropomorphic activity and interference, grey wolf populations were thought to be around 2 million. Only 300 grey wolves remained by 1960, most of them taking refuge deep in the forests of Minnesota and Wisconsin. It was only in 1974 that they were given protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Currently, due to repopulation programmes across the country, more than 5,443 grey wolves are thriving across 48 states.
Regenerative agricultural practices
What is becoming more of a trend nowadays is implementing conservation practices into agricultural practices. Farmers are taking part in practices which promote and even increase biodiversity on their lands. For example, the farmers from the Burren in Ireland practice a very unique type of agriculture that relies on the landscape as much as the landscape relies on it.
The species-rich grassland in the Burren became inextricably linked with pastoral agriculture; grazing prevents the regeneration of tree cover and reduces competitive species allowing the grasslands and the famed Burren flora to flourish. The grasslands would have been valued by early farmers for their ability to support grazing animals throughout the winter, in particular the blue moor-grass Sesleria albicans, the keystone species of the “winterages” (Feehan 2003). Today, a major factor in the maintenance of the upland vegetation communities is this tradition of ‘winterage’. Winter grazing removes the majority of young scrub and taller plants that would otherwise obstruct the following year’s new growth. This allows the survival of the smaller species, including many of the Burren’s iconic and characteristic flowers. Feral Goats (Capra hicus) also considerably impact the vegetation. They are complementary to the grazing cattle as they eat more scrub than grass (Cabot, 2018).
Winterage may have been a well-practiced agricultural tradition across Ireland and beyond, but the transhumant version practiced in the Burren seems to be the only surviving example. This is the most effective and appropriate land use for the fragile glaciokarst landscape, for maintaining the unique Burren flora and the least damaging active form of land use in terms of impacts on the archaeological landscape.
There are approximately 1000 farm families in the Burren today and a strong core of these support farming for conservation and the winterage tradition. Despite being challenged by environmental, cultural and economic changes, these traditional forms of land use have managed to prevail in the Burren
Studies have shown that farmers who are non-financially motivated to be stewards of their land are much more likely to be part of conservation programmes and practices (Prokopy, et al., 2019).
Conclusion
While our environmental crisis is just getting started, the only way we can begin to combat it and reverse any damage we’ve done to our planet is by putting our heads and hearts together in a massive joint effort to solve this problem. Humans are capable of incredible things, and as a civilisation and society when we come together almost anything is possible. I hope this article has provided some sense of hope that we are still alive and should feel a certain sense of responsibility to look after our planet and help those that do not have a voice or power.
Resources
Baulch, S. 2022. EU Proposes First Measures to Limit Plastic Pollution From Vehicle Tyres. Preventing Ocean Plastics.
L.S. Prokopy, K. Floress, J.G. Arbuckle, S.P. Church, F.R. Eanes, Y. Gao, B.M. Gramig, P. Ranjan, A.S. Singh. 2019. Adoption of agricultural conservation practices in the United States: Evidence from 35 years of quantitative literature. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Sep 2019, 74 (5) 520–534; DOI: 10.2489/jswc.74.5.520
Palardy, J. 2022. 2022 Brings New Conservation Challenges — and Opportunities. Conservation Science, Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy & Protecting Coastal Wetlands and Coral Reefs.
