*Plan now to recognize this annual international event.

By David Robinson (4/4/24)

As previously emphasized, there are various ways to help protect threatened and endangered species. Of course, that includes celebrating Endangered Species Day on May 17.

Wildlife refuges, gardens, schools, libraries, museums, community groups, nonprofits, and individuals will hold special programs or events on Endangered Species Day and that weekend.

Visit the Endangered Species Day website (www.endangeredspeciesday.org) and check out the event map to see if there is an activity nearby you. You’ll find other resources as well. If there isn’t an event close to home, you can organize your own:

*Habitat clean-up.

*Pollinator garden planting.

*Visit a natural history museum, aquarium, or zoo to learn more about endangered species, including the plants and animals in your area.

*Children’s program or any other activity related to threatened and endangered species.

Plan now and get family, friends, and neighbors to join you.

Here’s another suggestion. Make every day Endangered Species Day. This annual celebration is an ideal opportunity to highlight the importance of protecting vulnerable species and their precious habitats. However, it’s essential to make endangered species conservation an ongoing concern. Look for ways on this Site or elsewhere to help make a difference.

Thanks for your ongoing commitment to endangered species conservation.

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UN Report on Migratory Species is Cause for Concern

*More than 20% of migratory species worldwide are threatened with extinction.

By David Robinson (2/22/24)

It was another stark statistic: nearly half of the world’s migratory species are in decline.

The United Nations’ first-ever report on migratory species emphasized that more than 20% are threatened with extinction. “The State of the World’s Migratory Species” report confirmed that migratory fish face the greatest threat, with 97 percent “on the brink” of extinction.

It’s perhaps no surprise that globally, overexploitation and human-caused habitat loss are the two primary dangers to migratory species.

“They (species) regularly travel, sometimes thousands of miles, to reach these places,” exclaimed Amy Fraenkel, head of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) secretariat. “They face enormous challenges and threats along the way as well at their destinations where they breed or feed.”

Conservation scientists at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) for the CMS developed the study, in preparation for a conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan earlier this month. The report stressed that the impact of climate change is both a direct threat, and an “amplifier” of pollution, invasive species, and other dangers.

The “wake-up” call to action plan includes “strengthening and expanding efforts to tackle illegal and unsustainable taking of migratory species, increasing actions to identify, protect and better manage important sites for migratory species and tackling light, noise, chemical and plastic pollution.”

So, once again we have more work to do, collectively and individually. Establish and enforce stiffer penalties for the illegal “taking” of migratory species. Protect critical habitats on land and various waterways. Eliminate unnecessary pollution. Increase our efforts.

I think it’s good to repeat the quote from Edward Everett Hale, the American author and Unitarian clergyman who said “I am only one, but still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”

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