EarthAction

Protect Our Species

“In nature, nothing exists alone.”
— Rachel Carson, 1962

Nature’s gifts to our planet are the millions of species that we know and love, and many more that remain to be discovered. Unfortunately, human beings have irrevocably upset the balance of nature and, as a result, the world is facing the greatest rate of extinction since we lost the dinosaurs more than 60 million years ago. But unlike the fate of the dinosaurs, the rapid extinction of species in our world today is the result of human activity.

The unprecedented global destruction and rapid reduction of plant and wildlife populations are directly linked to causes driven by human activity: climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, trafficking and poaching, unsustainable agriculture, pollution and pesticides to name a few. The impacts are far reaching.

If we do not act now, extinction may be humanity’s most enduring legacy. Here are some quick facts on the current wave of extinction and additional information about this problem here.

All living things have an intrinsic value, and each plays a unique role in the complex web of life. We must work together to protect endangered and threatened species: bees, coral reefs, elephants, giraffes, insects, whales and more.

The good news is that the rate of extinctions can still be slowed, and many of our declining, threatened and endangered species can still recover if we work together now to build a united global movement of consumers, voters, educators, faith leaders, and scientists to demand immediate action.

Earth Day Network is asking people to join our Protect our Species campaign. Our goals are to:

• Educate and raise awareness about the accelerating rate of extinction of millions of species and the causes and consequences of this phenomenon.
• Achieve major policy victories that protect broad groups of species as well as individual species and their habitats.
• Build and activate a global movement that embraces nature and its values.
• Encourage individual actions such as adopting plant based diet and stopping pesticide and herbicide use.

Click here to view our library of resources

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Sign up here to receive updates on how to Protect Our Species and new ways to get involved. Please donate to support our campaign.

Taken from Earth Day Network. Learn more here

“From the start, the palm oil project has been tainted with lies, abusive clauses, a doubtful license and illegal practices.” Greenpeace

Since 2012, a series of agribusiness corporations have been at work to destroy 75,000 hectares of tropical rainforest in southwestern Cameroon. Their goal is to replace the forest with a palm oil plantation. This rainforest, situated between five protected areas, including world-renowned Korup National Park, is known for its rich biodiversity. It provides a wildlife corridor between the various preserves. Cutting down the rainforest and replacing it with palm oil trees is ripping the heart out of the forest. Many animal species are being pushed to extinction. And the homes, communities, and lives of humans are being destroyed. We have succeeded in cutting back the size of this project. Now, with your help, we want to end it all together.

Greenpeace, Cultural Survival, Save Wildlife, AFJN and EarthAction ask for your help now as part of a global campaign to protect this forest, its people and wildlife.

TAKE ACTION:

Click here to add your name to Greenpeace’s petition to stop this destruction in Cameroon.

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]