Author: James Garcia

The best detectives and problem-solvers in history, from Holmes to Wallander, rely on their skills and analytical abilities just as much as they rely on their gut and personal intuition. But it’s that latter aspect that separates them from others and helps them to connect dots that would otherwise seem unrelated to the ungifted eye.

Conservationism in today’s fast-paced world isn’t much different. Officers and scientists are required to make snap judgments in the field where data and concrete information is often lacking. This isn’t because of laziness. Quite the contrary: conservationists are forced to make decisions fast to keep up with the accelerating negative impact humans are having on the Earth and its diverse ecosystems.

Because of this tendency of researchers to make quick decisions given the rapidly-deteriorating environment in many areas, there is now a push to establish more formal standards for what constitutes adequate data—that can then be acted upon.

But some groups contend that requiring Conservationists to go through more rigorous testing will result in less wildlife and less wild where their fast-serving intuition could have helped to save the day where time is of the essence.

These groups argue that evidence—and much of how people think of the term—is never truly “complete” in our ever-changing world, and that hoping for evidence to reach factually-satisfactory levels would simply make it so that nothing is ever done or accomplished. For this reason, they point out that the use of empirical information is undoubtedly important, but its specific use must be altered to account for the speed of day-to-day operations that necessitate action now, not tomorrow.

For this reason, it is critical that Conservationists be experienced and adept in their training, with solid foundations in not only ecology but human behavior as well. In doing so, those working in the field will be able to draw from a breadth of knowledge when making life or death decisions in the realm of Earth’s diverse ecosystems.

Field staff will be the first to agree that formal evidence and concrete data are the foundation of any conservation decision. However, they also argue that the field of Conservationism itself demands that decisions be made quickly—time is not in abundant supply when countless species are facing Extinction and countless habitats are facing irreversible destruction. And to accommodate these time-bound decisions, the use of hands-on experience and intuition becomes mandatory.

For this reason, they argue that acting on data considered “good enough” will result in the quickest, most effective response–and that’s more than okay.

The last-surviving rhino of a Kenyan relocation effort was now been attacked by Lions. The rhino was involved in a project by the wildlife park that aimed to move rhinos to a new area in Tsavo East National Park.

Out of the 11 total black rhinos relocated, 10 have already died. Tourism minister Najib Balala referenced an internal report that found conservation officers’ neglect was responsible. Specifically, they were to blame for the excess stress placed on the animals, and were also at fault for the salty drinking water that poisoned them.

“Unfortunately, the eleventh rhino has been attacked by lions. Yesterday it was treated. So far we are monitoring this eleventh rhino. It’s a sad situation.” tourism minister Balala explained.

“Even one rhino is a huge loss. So we are sad and we are disappointed in some of the officers who should have taken responsibility. They didn’t take their work seriously. They were casual in their job.”

Six officers within the conservation department have been suspended following the results of the report.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)–the branch responsible for overseeing the relocation project–has declined to answer calls for their comments.

All across southern Africa, poaching has continued to rise. As criminals and gangs continue to kill elephants and rhinos for their tusks and horns, population numbers will continue to dwindle. Much of what is harvested from the animals is shipped to Asia where it is utilized in traditional medicines and decorative pieces.

Earlier this year, three black rhinos were hunted and killed in the Meru National Park of Kenya. Poachers, again, were to blame. Making matters worse, Kenya is heavily dependent on wildlife-oriented tourism and the killings do not bode well for the Park.

The last-remaining white rhino–in the world–died in March of this year, leaving behind only two females to carry on the subspecies’ genes.

Over the past 40-50 years, the total number of rhinos in Kenya have dwindled significantly, but have risen somewhat in recent years due to successful conservation efforts.

• 1970: 20,000 rhinos
• 1990: 400 rhinos
• 2017: 1,258 rhinos (510 southern white and 745 black rhinos)

The United States House of Representatives narrowly passed H.R. 6784, the Manage our Wolves act. This bill will remove the gray wolf from the list of endangered species–if it also passes for review in the Senate.

Additionally, the bill would protect the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Wyoming and the western Great Lakes for their previous decisions to delist the gray wolf.

Gray wolves have been on the federal endangered species list since the 1960s when they were dwindled down to small populations in Michigan and Minnesota. Since that time, their population numbers have grown tremendously with an estimated 4,500 in the great lakes region alone. Furthermore, natural migration of the species has now caused strong population numbers for the species in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has made repeated attempts in the past to delist the species in response to the revitalization of wolves across the continental United States, especially as estimated numbers exceeded recovery population requirements by over 300%. Nine times, federal courts have shot down these requests.

In fact, the only successful delisting of gray wolves occurred in the Northern Rockies of Montana and Idaho where it was attached to budget proposals. Wolves located in the rest of the United States are still on the Endangered Species Act list.

Coming months will tell if the Manage our Wolves Act will pass in the Senate and be turned into law.

Welcome to Save the Earth!

Here, our goal is simple: to spread awareness on the growing issues of deforestation, pollution, and man-made climate change.

By working to conserve our Earth and the countless precious species inhabiting it, we can fight for future generations to come–so they don’t grow up in a world of chaos and destruction but instead a world of life and sustainability.