Travelling around Belize, a country that has protected 40% of it's land from development and created numerous national parks, it's hard not to make a comparison with where we live. A country that is similar in size and equally rich in biodiversity but has a paltry number of protected areas.
Coincendentally I read an article in The Times by Simon Barnes that really hit a chord. He states that 'Species are going extinct because humans can't see it happening. It is as simple as that. Believing the elephant will no longer be around is like believing that one day the sun will rise in the west and the stars will fall as rain.'
It's exactly like that in Cabo Verde. Turtles have been coming to these islands for generations and it seems that very few people believe that will ever change. On Sal around 20% of nesting loggerheads are illegally killed each year, so based on the estimated total that means we will see the end of nesting turtles in only SEVEN YEARS.
Extinction is a happening thing and it is happening all around us and right on our doorstep.
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That's exactly the problem.. only a few people realize what's going on in the oceans today.. And how bad we're affecting the life on them! That's where documentaries like "Sharkwater", "The End of the Line", "The Cove", just to say the most known, can have a BIG impact!
ReplyDeleteAnd ordinary people HAVE to see what's happening "out there" to believe and to start changing some things in their lives.. And start supporting conservation projects!