Although almost a year has gone by since we started our webpage and posted our first short blog, much to our shame nothing was added since. The webpage though has been constantly updated with new books, travel news and nature notes.
Now it is time that we post regular blogs on issues that interest and concern us.
On our home continent of Africa there are a number of conservation issues of grave concern:
- The highest level of rhino and elephant poaching since the 1980s,
- growing degredation of the land,
- illegal and legal harvesting of timber for export to lands hungry for tropical hardwoods,
- clearing of woodland, thicket and mangroves for the production of charcoal to feed the urban hunger for cooking fuel.
In our present home of Canada:
- legal harvesting of timber on a scale, that to us, appears unsustainable.
- poaching of bears for their gall bladders to feed the demand in the east.
- over-fishing of salmon.
There are several points of view as to whether 'First Nations' or members of native bands should be allowed to harvest fish, moose, deer, eagles (feathers for traditional use), walrus and narwhal for tusks and waste much of the meat by some accounts. Claims are made for cultural rights, but use is made of modern firearms and in some cases more is wasted than utilized. Can this be justified under the banner 'cultural rights'? There seems to be a reluctance by non-native members of society - mainly the politicians of all persuasions - to discuss this subject in open forums.