Lions going extinct in Asia and Africa

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/big-cats

The lions, and many other dominant species, will continue to diminish due to mans rape of natural resources. I feel so bad for the critters, but greed and no population control will wipe out the remnant wildlife populations no matter what feeble attempts are made to save them.

Humans are turning out to be really lousy stewards of our biosphere.

This may be a stupid question but do we have enough of them in zoos or other safe places to make sure there are some left if we ever get through this mess? What are we doing about this other than the little we do about global warming and birth control?

They don't belong to us, the Earth and its inhabitants aren't ours to do with as we please.

Changing that mindset can help the problem.

earth and its inhabitants because they are on the same planet as I am - ours.

Stewardship means sticking our noses where they don't belong. It's not our job to claim the entire planet and set to work making it run the way we want—for better or for worse.

We shoud just try to live sustainably so that we don't leave a footprint that outlives us.

Like I said, the whole stewardship concept implies that it's ours to do with as we please. It isn't.

The planet doesn't belong to us. If we act like it is then we're no better than those who messed it up in the first place, no matter our intent.

Working overtime to save individual species doesn't solve the problem.

be enough of these animals in zoos to keep genetic diversity, animals don't always breed as well in captivity anyways. Although there have been some relatively successful attempts at reintroduction in the wild.

The Roman gladiatorial industry killed them off.

Where you have a big investment in livestock, you tend to see merciless persecution of any potential predator. I think it's always been true.

is for humans to stop over-breeding.

We're the problem---in the longterm we're killing ourselves.

Cross posted from http://blogs.worldwatch.org/nourishingtheplanet/innovation-of-the-week-improving-farmer-livelihoods-and-wildlife-conservation/">Nourishing the Planet.


Earlier this week, we highlighted Nicholas Kristof’s OP-ED in the New York Times about Gabon, a country in West-Central Africa where the rights of farmers are frequently in conflict with wildlife conservation efforts. One young village chief and farmer, Evelyn Kinga explained that she doesn’t like elephants because they eat her cassava plants—a crop her livelihood depends on—because she doesn’t benefit from rich foreigners who come to Gabon for eco-tourism.

But it doesn’t have to be this way, says Raoul du Toit, Director of the Rhino Conservation Trust in Zimbabwe. His organization works closely with farmers on the ground to help communities realize that protecting wildlife can be in their own best interest.

du Toit promotes “landscape-level planning” that takes into account the needs of wildlife, the environment, and farming communities. Rather than relying on development agencies and governments to decide where cattle fences should go or where farmers should plant their crops, local communities and stakeholders need to be part of the process. Development aid, says du Toit, should follow what local stakeholders need and perceive, not the other way around. Additionally, the Rhino Conservation Trust provides classroom materials for schools so that students may learn the connections between sustainable agriculture and wildlife conservation at an early age. (See also Helping Farmers Benefit Economically from Wildlife Conservation)

And du Toit is not alone in his effort to improve the lives of farmers, as well as protect wildlife.

In Tanzania, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) started as a center to research and protect wild chimpanzee populations in what is now, thanks to their efforts, Gombe National Park. But by the early 1990’s the organization realized that in order to be successful it would have to start addressing the needs of the communities surrounding the park. JGI was planting trees to rebuild the forest but members of the community were chopping them down—not because they wanted to damage the work but because they needed them for fuel and to make charcoal.

In response, JGI started working with communities to develop government- mandated land use plans, helping them develop soil erosion prevention practices, agroforestry, and production of value-added products, such as coffee and palm oil. “These are services,” says Pancras Ngalason Executive Director of JGI Tanzania, “people require in order to appreciate the environment” and that will ultimately help not only protect the chimps and other wildlife, but also to build healthy and economically viable communities. (See also: Rebuilding Roots in Environmental Education)

In Botswana, the Mokolodi Wildlife Reserve is doing more than just teaching students and the community about conserving and protecting wildlife and the environment, they’re also educating students about permaculture. By growing indigenous vegetables, recycling water for irrigation, and using organic fertilizers—including elephant dung—the Reserve’s Education Center is demonstrating how to grow nutritious food with very little water or chemical inputs.

When school groups come to learn about the animals, the reserve also teaches them about sustainable agriculture. Using the garden as a classroom in which to teach students about composting, intercropping, water harvesting, and organic agriculture practices, the Wildlife Reserve helps draw the connection between the importance of environmentally sustainable agriculture practices and the conservation of elephants, giraffes, impala, and various other animals and birds living in the area.(See also: Cultivating an Interest in Agriculture Conservation)