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Judi Lynn

(160,217 posts)
Mon Mar 2, 2015, 03:23 AM Mar 2015

War on Wildlife Crime – Time to Enlist the Ordinary Citizen

Published on Sunday, March 01, 2015
by Common Dreams
War on Wildlife Crime – Time to Enlist the Ordinary Citizen

March 3rd is designated as World Wildlife Day.

by Bradnee Chambers

It is no exaggeration to say that we are facing a “wildlife crisis”, and it is a crisis exacerbated by human activities, not least criminal ones.

Whatever our definition of wildlife crime, it is big business. In terms of annual turn-over it is up there narcotics, arms and human trafficking – and the proceeds run into billions of dollars each year, helping to finance criminal gangs and rebel organizations waging civil wars.

With seven billion people on the planet, it is tempting to shrug one’s shoulders and ask “What difference can any one individual make?” Such an attitude means that we are in danger of repeating the “tragedy of the commons” – everyone making seemingly rational decisions in their own immediate interests – but this is a short-sighted approach that undermines the common good and ultimately sows the seeds of its own downfall.

With seven billion people on the planet, it is also tempting to say that people’s need for food, shelter and well-being should take precedence over nature conservation, but the two are not necessarily irreconcilable. In fact far from it – the two often go hand in hand and are totally compatible – non-consumptive use of wildlife, such as whale-watching and safaris, provide sustainable livelihoods for thousands of people.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/03/01/war-wildlife-crime-time-enlist-ordinary-citizen

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