I honestly do not know why I have not published a post in so long. I have all these unfinished drafts I keep saying I will get to posting. Maybe in November.
Meanwhile, I came across a few items this week which I think can be bundled together under some “Conservation Links Digest” or something like that (maybe a name for a new occasionally repeating section?). While I return to avoiding thinking about the different drafts I have for blog posts, here are some links to help you procrastinate:
- Elizabeth Kolbert gave this year’s “Fate of the Earth” talk at The New School. She chose to focus on the extinction of many species, and what that might mean for us. You can find an abridged version here.
- A group of rangers at the Pakke Tiger Reserve, in India, made a short (~17 minutes) documentary about their work and the reserve. The short documentary manages to capture the hard work of being a wildlife ranger, and the beautiful areas they are trying to preserve. The film is freely available on YouTube.
- Speaking of rangers, there are growing concerns about what some scholars are referring to as the “militarization of conservation.” Niall McCann writes that we should think of it as policing the jungle. In his commentary piece, he counters many of the claims that portray conservation work done by rangers as paramilitary activities. McCann argues that these are the steps necessary to protect wildlife animals when we consider them as a resource, and view poachers as criminals that encroach on the property rights of governments, local communities, and future generations.
- The Endangered Species Act (ESA)is under attack in Congress, which is nothing new. This round focuses on three separate bills that will essentially make the ESA null and void (I am hoping to write a longer post on that issue in the near future). Of those three bills, the SAVE Act just made it through round 1 of approval. You can read about how the Act might make the U.S. a thriving hub for illegal wildlife trade here.