EarthAction

"We prefer your extinction to the loss of our jobs."

Calvin and Hobbes, once again, a little too close to home. 

Victory — 40,000 Hectares (100,000 Acres) Protected!

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen Cancels Four Concessions in the Prey Lang Forest

On August 6th the Phnom Penh Post reported the following VICTORY:

In a rare victory for those battling to preserve the Prey Lang forest, the Cambodian government has cancelled four economic land concessions (ELCs) in the area totaling more than 40,000 hectares that threatened pristine ecosystems . . .  [the concessions] are located in the middle of evergreen and semi-evergreen forest inside 'the largest low-land [contiguous evergreen] forest in Southeast Asia' – Prey Lang.

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Primer on Citizen Advocacy and Desertification

DESERTIFICATION, the loss of soil in the dryland regions of the world, is one of the world's most serious problems. More than 40% of the world's people live in dryland regions in over 100 countries. Desertification is related to food security, conflict, women, biodiversity, climate change, and migration. It is a problem that we can solve.

 

Primer on Citizen Advocacy and Desertification

 

A new Primer on Citizen Advocacy and Desertification is intended to help guide the efforts of citizen groups and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) interested in promoting policies and practices that help stop the spread of desertification. The Primer was developed by The Global Citizens Initiative (TGCI), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) secretariat and EarthAction. It draws on the themes discussed at the World Community Forum on Desertification held from February 28 to March 9 2012 sponsored by these three organizations, and on documents and resource materials developed by UNCCD and EarthAction.

 

The Primer is short, snappy, and useful. Let us know what you think about it.

View or download it now (right-click to save): Download Desertification Primer

Where the Hell is Matt?

 

The staff here at EarthAction have just fallen in love with this video of Matt, a globetrotter bringing his heartwarming dance moves to the four corners of the Earth.

It's videos like these that remind us we have more in common than not. Not to mention, he has our dream job.

ACTION UPDATE on Campaign to Save Elephants

August 6, 2012

Image Source: Flickr User @Doug88888

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between 175 Parties (governments). Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Today, it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 30,000 species of animals and plants, including elephants.

In January 2012 EarthAction asked people everywhere to send a message to their nation’s representative on the CITES ‘Animals Committee’ and ask them to move elephants from their current Appendix II classification, back to the more protected Appendix 1 classification where they were originally placed in 1979. Unfortunately, the Animals Committee didn’t consider the issue of elephants at their March 2012 meeting.

This reclassification of elephants to the Appendix I list would ban all new trade in ivory and allow for strict monitoring of the sale and transport of ivory with the expected result being a dramatic decrease in black market trade. Many countries oppose this change. Under their current classification, it is estimated that every year 38,000 elephants are killed for ivory sales on the black market. We must act to make our voices ring louder than theirs and fight to protect Africa's elephants.

The CITES Conference of the Parties (COP), with representatives of all nations that have ratified the treaty, meets every three years. Their next meeting, COP 16, is set for March 2013. The deadline for a nation to submit a proposal for consideration of moving elephants from Appendix II to Appendix I is 4 October 2012.

ACTION

Contact your nation’s CITES representative (available at cites.org) and ask them to submit a resolution to the CITES Secretariat to reassign elephants to Appendix I classification for consideration at the March 2013 CITES COP. Remind them that they must make this submission by October 4, 2012.

Note: At the previous CITES COP in 2010, it was decided that there would be no discussion of moving elephants from one classification to another for 9 years (3 COPs). This was not a binding decision however, and it needs to be overturned in light of the growing trade in ivory and murder of elephants.

SAMPLE MESSAGE (to be sent by email, telephone, or post) TO YOUR NATION’S CITES REPRESENTATIVE:

Dear CITES Representative for [your country],

I am writing out of deep concern for the remaining elephants of the world. As our nation’s representative to CITES, I respectfully ask that you do everything in your power to see that our country submits a resolution to the CITES Secretariat by 4 October 2012 calling for the reassignment of elephants to Appendix I classification at the CITES COP set for March 2013. I urge you to give elephants the highest amount of protection. Please keep me informed of what action our government takes on this issue.

Sincerely,

[your name, organization (if applicable), and contact information]