Page 27 - FWG Issue 4_May_2022

Nature

issues. The various institutions “place a high The findings reported in CAN’s Climate
priority on both a healthy environment and News Network are bleak. Of 362 mammals,
development that meets the needs of the including sharks and rays larger than 100kg,
present without compromising the ability of and birds and reptiles larger than 40kg,
future generations to meet their own needs”. there are at least 200 species that are in
decline and more than 150 could become
CAN’s latest report notes, “The world’s extinct.
biggest animals – the largest birds, the
bigger mammals and even reptiles, sharks “Our results suggest we’re in the process
and amphibians – are in increasing danger of of slaying and consuming megafauna
extinction.” Why? The report is unequivocal to the point of extinction,” says Ripple.
– hunting, it says, is mainly to blame. “Through the utilisation of various body
parts, purveyors of traditional Asian
Climate change, habitat loss and pollution medicine also exert heavy tolls on the
are compounding the problems but the largest species. In the future, 70% of
major threat comes from human beings megafauna will experience further
who have emerged as the planet’s “super- population declines and 60% of the larger
predators”. species could either become extinct or be
very rare.”
Professor William Ripple, an ecologist at
the Oregon State University School of They found “to their surprise” that hunting
Forestry in the US, says, “The larger animals (both for food and for trophies) was “the
are being hunted to death. They are being biggest danger for 98% of the species for
killed for meat, for trophies such as horns which they could find data.”
and tusks, and for body parts used in Asian
medicine.” “Preserving the remaining megafauna is
going to be difficult and complicated,” says
As Walt Kelly’s comic character, Pogo, Ripple. “There will be economic arguments
famously said 50 years ago, “We have found against it as well as cultural and social
the enemy. He is us!” obstacles.”
Daley van de Sande – unsplash

Parsing eye – unsplash

Fourways Gardens • 25 • May 2022