Ten Top Tips for Saving Biodiversity in the Next Ten Years

Are you concerned about wildlife loss?-

1.  Species are becoming extinct at a rate 1000 to 10,000 times the “natural rate” leaflet
2. At current rate of forest loss in Borneo and Sumatra, orang-utans will be extinct in  the wild within 10 years. (FOE Report from 3 years ago).
3. 1/4 world mammals and 1/8th of the birds and higher plants are under threat of extinction by 2050..

A friend coordinating writing a Group Environmental Action Programme -"Ecocell"asked me

     “What changes to our lives do we need to make  to avoid  contributing to species extinction?”

     “What would this mean for action on a group environmental action programme, and assessment of that action?”

That got me thinking..
 I write this blog post and at the end give suggestions for a support group:

Good definition: -
Biodiversity -:  the variety of genes, species and ecosystems on the planet



Ten Top tips for reducing our “Biodiversity Bootprint” (Or bulldozerprint?)

Here are ten things we can do in our own personal lives that will reduce the rate of species loss.

1.      Pray about it. (Even if you have entirely secular views, time spent meditating / thinking about some species/wildlife problem will lead somewhere)  (even if only up the garden path ...to feed the birds...)

2.      Join a wildlife organisation – or better, several. Why not subscribe life membership each year to a new organisation – Yes that is £500 a time, but that still works out as £10-00 a week or 4 pints of beer a week. Most of us will have 50 to 90 years to do something useful with our lives – so each year counts. What will you do with this year?     

3.      Set aside two hours a week to campaign on some wildlife issue.  Organisations such as WWF are only too happy to ask you to send emails/write leters on important issues      

4.      Become “more organic vegan”.  The Amazon is being cut down to grow Soya to export to feed out cattle, and thus produce our  milk… If we become “organic vegan” ourselves, it will have a knock on effect on other people.

5.      Buy “Rainforest Certified” and “Fair Trade” products and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) timber, and make an issue of choosing these products.

6.      If you have savings in stocks and shares type ISAs make sure they are not being invested in industries that are destroying habitats. 

7.      Enjoy nature and take part in some sort of natural history survey work. If a specialist then send in your results to a national survey – If a beginner then attend an event run by a local wildlife group, or record birds in your garden.    

If we don’t appreciate our own wildlife, (however mundane) how can we expect people who live near rare animals and plants to have a respect for their wildlife?

8.      Lobby your MP and MEP on wildlife issues (See 3 above)

9.      Raise money and have awareness raising events in aid of projects in 3 above. See this guidance for journalists writing about biodiversity

10.     Join a support group to support each other in carrying out items 1-9 above.

I would like to have a biodiversity support group. I propose that the group has 8 – 12 people, and we run it for a year and a quarter, starting from January - We will meet up once a fortnight, having an hour's telephone conference call - If necessary, using skype, and by having a private googlegoup to support each other. We may have different key wildlife concerns, but we can support each other in our enthusiasm for getting things done. More about this in my next blog entry.   Do contact me if you are interested.