WILD

World Heritage Site Threatened by Coal Mine

A priceless World Heritage Site in South Africa is highly endangered by an open-cast, coal, strip-mine operating recklessly right on its boundary – and that is now set to expand! Mapungubwe National Park – a World Heritage Site and critically important transfrontier conservation area straddling South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana -- honors and protects the wild, natural area that is the site of “one of the most complex kingdoms that ever existed in Africa”, some 1000 years ago. Read More

Elephant Death Rites

One of those small happenings where the elephant and the human worlds meet ….. Villagers from Wami told me about an elephant that had died nearby from natural causes (old age or disease). A group of about 6-8 elephants remained, standing around and apparently watching over the dead body which they covered with earth and branches. They stayed for around 4 days before moving on and leaving just one elephant who stayed for another 3 or 4 days before she left too. Read More

What does TV teach us about wildlife?

An interesting article in the Huffington Post yesterday brought up an interesting conversation - one which I have personally contemplated for a while.  Many times, TV shows, documentaries or movies about nature provide an educational experience for viewers.  Take for example the awesome Planet Earth series, one of my favorites.  But, sometimes media outlets can go to drastic extremes to entice viewers or create drama.  Sensationalized violence (or should I say, natural selection) can mislead viewers and does very little to promote the conservation of wild animals and wild places. Read More

Other side of the globe — Same issue

Right now, there is great focus and concern on the Gulf coast - and rightly so.  The impacts of the Gulf oil spill on the ecological systems and human communities are tragic and likely not yet fully realized.  Recovery from this disaster will be a long, slow process.  Tragically, a similar, albeit less grandiose in scale, oil spill has impacted the Orissa coast of India, one of the last remaining nesting grounds for the endangered Olive Ridley Sea Turtles. Read More

Save the Elephant’s Iain Douglas-Hamilton Honored with Indianapolis Prize

Given every other year to an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to conservation efforts involving a single animal species or multiple species, the Indianapolis Prize brings the world’s attention to the cause of animal conservation and the brave, talented and dedicated men and women who spend their lives saving the Earth’s endangered animal species.  This year, this prestigious award recognizes Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton for his life-long dedication to elephants in Africa. Read More

Youth Perspective Conference on Biodiversity

To celebrate the Year of Biodiversity, there are many new and interesting events occurring around the world.  From 1-6 July 2010, the youth Perspective Conference on Biodiversity will bring together over 150 young leaders from Europe o learn about, discuss and share knowledge and experience on biodiversity.  Although applications have been closed for some time,  there are still a number of places for young people from: Belgium, Estonia, France, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxemburg, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.  Download the application and learn more about the conference > Read More

Art, Conservation & Politics Interplay in Durban

Inspiration, communication, beauty, awe...and action.  Art plays a many important roles in society - and has for longer than any art museum can possibly document.  We celebrated the ancient art of Body Painting at WILD9 with a stunning exhibit at Hacienda Tekit de Regil.  For many, this was a highlight of the WILD9 experience, serving both a celebration and inspiration for their tireless efforts to protect wild-nature. We all need a muse.  Andries Botha's magnificent elephant sculptures are modern day muses for the conservation movement.  Botha states: "The elephant is a metaphor for the yearning for forgotten conversations between humans, the ... Read More

EarthDay Interview Highlights Obama Household’s Interest in Tigers

On Saturday, we got a great note from Bittu Sahgal, a trustee of WILD who has lead a life-long campaign for the tiger.  Bittu was on the WILD9 Advisory Board and spoke during the opening session of the Congress on the importance of the World Wilderness Congress as a Conservation tool.  Sahgal is the founder and editor of Sanctuary Asia, India's leading wildlife, conservation and environment magazine, and recently did a great interview on WILD's President Vance Martin (ooh, to be a fly on the wall during that great conversation!). The "news flash" is particularly interesting because it ties tiger conservation, ... Read More

Biodiversity E-Conference

2010 is the International Year of Bio-diversity.  In order to gather opinion from broad and diverse groups of stakeholders on “how” and “what” actions should be taken in the short and medium term after 2010, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has launched an E-conference as a 'mega' consultation process.  Here's their blurb on what it is and why its important: Read More

Environemental News Bits

A handful of interesting stories came across my desk today, so thought I'd post some "news bits" for the WILD readers! First off though, a few updates from WILD: We had a great staff retreat on Monday, lead by Dr. Ian McCallum. The program, called "Wild Leaders," lead us through the creation of earth, evolution of species, composition and workings of the human-brain, and personal leadership and communication styles (in a Myers-Briggs type study). The training related to his most recent book, Ecological Intelligence, for which he was awarded the Wild Writers Award during WILD9, the 9th World Wilderness Congress. At ... Read More