Conservation Fatigue
Well, hello there, welcome to the third entry of my journal. It’s a dump really – or a rant – of my current feelings on the field of conservation, so do yourself a favor and strap in for the ride.
I remember, when I was younger, being enthralled by natural history documentaries and books. It excited me to learn about the spectacular wildlife that inhabited our Earth and the breathtaking ecosystems they lived in. These affirmed to me in my younger years that exploring and learning about the natural world is all that I wanted to do with my life.
I’ve come to realize, over the last few years, how my path has shifted more towards the protection of this world rather than simply just studying it and making new discoveries. We face both a climate and biodiversity crisis as human societies have developed at the expense of the environment, and honestly, the future looks bleak for life on Earth. Like what do you mean I can’t leisurely study these ecosystems and we’re running against the clock?
In the name of development our planet has seen the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, deforestation for industries such as agriculture, and overconsumption and waste. These are all major contributors to the emissions of greenhouse gases, and subsequently climate change. Now, temperatures have risen globally, we’re seeing more intense and more frequent weather events and rising ocean levels. Our activities such as deforestation, overfishing and agriculture have also seen to a sharp decline of many plant and animal species, where regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean have had the average wildlife populations drop by 94%. If we lose species which have key roles in our ecosystems, we will begin to see these areas crumble away. I basically just tried to describe the destruction of our planet in one paragraph, but yeah, you get the picture.
Honestly, the path of conservation is a brutal one, with hard work and little reward. I admire those who have been fighting the battle for the protection of our Earth before I was even born, because many times the needs of the environment take a backseat when it comes to the socioeconomic needs of countries. Witnessing how certain environmental situations have been handled in my island (check out my last post) can make it feel like you’re just shouting into a void, and if no one cares, what’s the point?
What gives me hope is when we get instances such as the agreement of the High Seas Treaty, which allows for the creation of a legal framework to establish marine protected areas in the planet’s international waters. This takes us closer to the goal of protecting 30% of our oceans by 2030 and protects the ocean’s biodiversity. These negotiations have been ongoing for over 15 years, which proves that a career in conservation means you play the long game, but there can be victories.
So, I guess I wrote this to vent my frustrations surrounding issues in conservation, but also to remind myself that there are wins, and that it’s not completely hopeless I suppose. Just gotta keep pushing on.