Page 37 - Waterfall Issue 4 2021

The power of one is so

often the trigger for saving

the ecosystems upon

which our ‘beloved beasts’

are absolutely dependent

Michelle Nijhuis Greta Thunberg
Because of what was often totally who are steering us away from two over other threatened species. He
thoughtless and ill-considered human centuries of slaughter and the ‘Age of told a newspaper there were so many
activities, countless thousands of Extinctions’. However, Edge is just one of species near the brink of extinction but
species of plants and animals have been many bold voices to have spoken out. academia was too slow in financing and
obliterated since Linnaeus’ time. Consider There were more famous characters, especially publishing much-needed
birds alone: out of approximately 11 such as Aldos Leopold who, when my research. He suggested the public raise
154 surviving species 159 have, like the parents were children, wrote vividly funds for ‘emergency research’. The idea
dodo, become extinct and roughly a of wildlife and sparked worldwide worked. Energetic young scientists were
quarter are threatened – some critically. If interest in it. A generation later, Rachel found – and EWT went on to broaden
nothing is done, then one third of all bird Carson, and her brilliant book, Silent its scope and become a crucial element
species and an even greater proportion Spring, did it for me. It triggered huge in South Africa’s conservation efforts.
of birds by volume, will be gone by the changes in environmental laws and the
time today’s toddlers reach retirement. creation of more protection agencies. Some will recall, back in the 1960s
when a student at the world Habitat
Nijhuis recalls an amateur birder, Rosalie And look at the recent impact of Congress (in Canada) called out,
Edge, who in 1929 attended a meeting Greta Thunberg, the Stockholm “Think globally! Act locally!” He was
of the prestigious National Association of teenager who skipped school and quoting the Scottish planner and
Audubon Societies in the united States to triggered an international resolve to conservationist, Patrick Geddes, who
ask why they supported paying bounties fight climate change. Industry has coined the phrase in 1915. That student’s
to people for killing Alaska’s bald eagles. shown too little genuine concern. “You voice was heard worldwide and gave
She was met with hostility because, should be ashamed of yourselves!” direction to the growing but not yet
she discovered, the ‘conservationists’ she said to a startled gathering of focussed conservation movement.
were interested not in saving species international figures. She was then
in general but only species ‘that people 17 but was applauded globally. As Nijhuis says, while balancing human
liked’. The eagles were preying on the needs we must save whole ecosystems,
young of animals that men liked to hunt. On a local level, there was Clive Walker, a not just charismatic species. She
young wildlife artist in his 30s, working singles out Namibia as an example of
Edge’s boldness eventually led to in a Johannesburg city centre gallery. the essential holistic approach. Our
Audubon societies recognising the need Almost 50 years ago he set up the neighbour’s conservation approach aims
to protect not just popular species but Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) – now to get away from the top-down effort
the ecosystems upon which all living South Africa’s guided by governments and international
things depend. So conservation has primary wildlife organizations outside Namibia. It aims
become the ‘wise use’ of the living world. protection to empower Namibia’s own and locally-
agency. His based conservancies to consider both the
The full title of Michelle Nijhuis’ idea, at first, needs of wildlife and those of people.
book (not yet available in South was simply to
Africa) is Beloved Beasts: Fighting quickly ascertain Hope, she says, springs from collective
for Life in an Age of Extinction. which species of action, but the power of one is so often
threatened wild the trigger for it and for saving the
Nijhuis makes the important point animal needed ecosystems upon which our ‘beloved
that it is individuals, like Rosalie Edge, Clive Walker precedence beasts’ are absolutely dependent.

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