Why We Need Wild Species

‘Without wild species, our whole planet unravels’ says the author of the latest Biodiversity Report which was issued by the IPBES Secretariat on 8 July 2022.

The new report warns that us humans must ramp up our efforts to sustainably use and protect the world’s flora and fauna in order to avoid the extinction of thousands of species which billions of people rely on for their survival each and every day.

Last week the new report was backed by the United Nations and warned that the human race must ramp up efforts to sustainably use and protect the world’s flora and fauna to avoid the extinction of thousands of species that billions of people rely on for survival every day – whether they realise it or not.

After more than four years of preparation the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) released their report which showed that people all across the globe depend on 50,000 wild plant and animal species for their food, energy, medicine and other purposes.

In compiling their report the 85 experts used the latest scientific data as well as the ancient knowledge of indigenous people’s from around the world.

Pablo Pacheco, an author of the report and a scientist at the World Wide Fund for Nature said:

“Without wild species, our whole planet unravels. Billions of people rely on wild species for food, medicine, energy and clean water.”

In a separate study published in 2019 IPBES reported that unsustainable exploitation and destructive practices – including overfishing, the climate crisis and the continued extraction of fossil fuels, deforestation and pollution – are pushing one million species towards extinction.

According to the new report, 12% of wild tree species are threatened by unsustainable logging practices and unsustainable hunting is imperilling 1,341 wild mammal species.

More than a third of marine wild fish stocks are overfished and nearly 450 shark and ray species are identified as threatened, also largely due to overexploitation.

Last week’s report reveals how dangerous these trends are for humanity and calls for a number of changes in how humans are interacting with the natural world.

John Donaldson, co-chair of IPBES said:

“Overexploitation is one of the main threats to the survival of many land-based and aquatic species in the wild. Addressing the causes of unsustainable use and wherever possible reversing these trends, will result in better outcomes for wild species and the people who depend on them.”

Sustainable use is particularly important for the security of people in the Global South, as about 70% of the world’s poorest people directly depend on wild species.

Nearly 2.5 billion people – about one-third of humanity – rely on fuel wood for cooking, especially in developing countries.

Co-author of the report Jean-Marc Fromentin said:

“With about 50,000 wild species used through different practices, including more than 10,000 wild species harvested directly for human food, rural people in developing countries are most at risk from unsustainable use, with lack of complementary alternatives often forcing them to further exploit wild species already at risk.”

The report highlights a number of recommendations, largely drawing from sustainable practices that have been used for generations by indigenous people around the world.

For example, the IPBES report pointed to people in the Cordillera region of Luzon in the Philippines, who practice Batangan, with community members participating in monitoring the diversity of forests and planting new trees when older ones die.

The report also calls for new policies to reduce illegal and unregulated fishing, to replenish fish stocks, to support for small-scale fisheries, new investments in technology which would help reduce waste in the manufacturing of wood products, and the recognition of land tenure for indigenous people around the world.

Said Pacheco:

“We live on a planet with limited resources, and we must treat it that way. The good news is that sustainable and equitable use of wild species is possible if we address the biodiversity crisis from both a social and ecological lens.”

He went on to say:

“We must co-create policies with Indigenous peoples and local communities who manage approximately 40% of terrestrial conserved areas and have developed a rich, generational knowledge of these biodiversity-rich landscapes.

This should be part of a wider alignment of global processes and national policies and targeted local actions.”

And Finally….

We depend on nature because nature underpins our lives, our health and our economy. Nature provides the very air that we breathe, the water that we drink and the food that we eat. It also provides the places we escape to.

Without the protection of Mother Nature our identities would vanish in a haze of chemtrails that are being sprayed over our natural land each and every day.

People from all walks of life must start rolling up their sleeves and do all that they can to protect the nature that still thrives and ultimately restore what’s been lost.

From planting trees and protecting wildlife’s natural habitats, to speaking out against pollution and destruction, nature lovers everywhere must come together in order to save our beautiful ol’ planet from the ravages of corporate destruction.

RiP leaves you now with a tune from the late great John Lennon – Imagine.