WILD

Quebec’s Committment to HALF

Last month, the Quebec government said it plans "to dedicate 50% of the territory of the Plan Nord to protecting the environment, safeguarding biodiversity and developing the natural heritage, as well as to various types of development that do not rely on industrial activities." And, they committed to a public comment period to get feedback. Read More

National Wilderness Month

Even though most of the month has now passed, I think it's an appropriate time to recognize "National Wilderness Month."  September is a great month to think about our nation's wild-lands.  Each September marks the anniversary of the 1964 Wilderness Act and the annual National Public Lands Day.  It's also my favorite time of year to be outside in nature -- and I bet more than a few of you agree. Read More

KAZA – A Major Step for Transboundary Conservation in Africa

A major step for wild nature and people in Southern Africa occurred on 18 August 2011 at the summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). At the closing session, the presidents of Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana signed the treaty that officially recognizes the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA). In planning since the concept was agreed in 2003, KAZA is now officially the world’s largest conservation area involving a mosaic of different resource protection areas, including National Parks, Game Reserves, Forest Reserves, Conservancies, Game/Wildlife, Management Areas and Communal lands. Read More

State of the Ocean Report

On Monday, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and the International Program on the State of the Oceans (IPSO), released a report warning that the world's oceans are at high risk for a globally significant marine extinction. The resulting preliminary report from the first ever international, interdisciplinary workshop addresses the cumulative impact of various stressors affecting the world's oceans.  This stressors included pollution, acidification, ocean warming, over fishing and hypoxia (deoxygenation). Professor Dan Laffoley, Senior Advisor at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and contributor to the workshop, emphasises the vital role of ... Read More

Futi Corridor Protected!

Connections are everything, both in the human and natural worlds. A superb new wild connection was announced this week by Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) and the Government of Mozambique. The Futi Corridor is a historic wildlife migration route between South Africa and Mozambique, for which WILD and many others working in the region have advocated for many years. The dream is now a reality. Read More

What is Marine Wilderness?

We have a pretty good idea of what we mean by "wilderness" on land, but not nearly so much when we look toward the sea. We have called quite a few places in the ocean and along the coast "wilderness", but only a small number of these areas actually have been established as "wilderness" under law or policy. We do have around a dozen designated wilderness areas in ocean and coastal waters in the United States, and a very small handful of areas in other countries around the world, but many fewer than our more informal "wilderness" self-identification ... Read More

Botswana’s Okavango Delta – Push for World Heritage Listing

Africa Geographic reporter Ian Michler recently highlighted the positive conservation progress and goals of Botswana and the unique Okavango Delta system. He touts Botswana's commitment to non-consumptive, photography-based low-volume ecotourism as a key reason why the country's wildlife and wildlands are in such great shape. Those who have been lucky enough to experience the Okavango, have seen first-hand why Michler commends the government's conservation efforts and strategic partnerships that promote sound ecotourism practices, deter poachers and support community programs. Read More

Wilderness in India

India and its wilderness has been on my personal radar since 1972 when (on a “modest” budget), I first walked in its jungles and deserts, rode 3rd class trains, dodged traffic, and wondered at its incredible diversity of nature, cultures, and colors, all bundled in a workable chaos. On the most recent of many working trips since them, I strengthened our numerous partnerships on the subcontinent, especially with our closest Indian collaborator, Sanctuary Asia. Read More

How Wild Nature Provides Seed Diversity

As the world's population exponentially explodes, demand for additional living space and resources for survival greatly increase. To supply this demand, we compromise the integrity and survival of the natural world and existing ecosystems around us. As a result, the earth and wild nature bears the weight and suffers the most damage in order to make way for its human counterparts. Tropical rainforests are demolished, natural plant and animal ecosystems are threatened, and the quality of the atmosphere steadily depreciates. And as we continue to degrade the health of the world around us, we come dangerously ... Read More

Protests growing against coal mine damage to World Heritage Site in South Africa

News reports today verify that public, governmental, and financial markets are beginning to react against Coal of Africa’s mining operations that are damaging the Maqpungubwe National Park and World Heritage area. As we mentioned yesterday on TalkingWILD, the damage from this existing, open-cast, coal strip-mine is already mounting, has been called ‘irreversible”, yet the company’s application to expand operations has been approved by provincial government. However, iafrica online today reported that the company CoAL is under pressure from South Africa’s national government through their “Green Scorpions” (environmental investigations force). In addition, since the legal interdict was filed by our colleagues in ... Read More