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The skies are emptying out. The oceans are emptying out. The forests are empty out. It is a full-blown crisis where biodiversity and life on earth are vanishing. We know clearly the causes (habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, overconsumption...etc.) and the remedies.
The number of birds in the United States and Canada has fallen by 29 percent since 1970. There are 2.9 billion fewer birds taking wing now than there were 50 years ago. In Europe, new figures reveal decline in birds at a level approaching an ecological catastrophe. For example, bird numbers across France have declined by a third in the past 15 years. All studies show steep losses even among such traditionally abundant birds as robins and sparrows. Bird species are vital to ecosystems, controlling pests, pollinating flowers, spreading seeds and regenerating forests.
About half of the world's tropical forests have been cleared and forests currently cover about 30 percent of the world’s landmass. The Earth loses about19 million acres of forests per year, which is equal to 27 soccer fields every minute. It is estimated that 15 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation.
Ninety percent of coral reefs can be gone within our lifetimes. Eighty percent of global fisheries are already considered fully exploited or overexploited. Rising seas and stronger storms threaten forty percent of the world’s population. Mangrove forests sequester four times more carbon than rainforests, yet they are disappearing at a pace three to five times faster. These ecosystems provide crucial resources and protection to coastal communities and their economies.
Attempts to grow corals in aquaria or underwater nurseries are futile unless we address the major threats. Reefs, mangroves, and rainforests won't disappear and will recover if we tackle the root causes of their decline. That’s exactly what we are doing: addressing the direct causes of nature decline and embracing effective biodiversity conservation and recovery. Our land and ocean conservation projects have achieved biodiversity come back and strong protection within different ecosystems.
With our long-term plan and your strong support, Endangered Species International will accomplish the following: :
Protect additional thousands of square miles of ocean including coral reefs in the Coral Triangle; Double the percentage of the world’s coral reefs saved; Customize and support creating effective marine protection to ensure the most important coral reefs and fish diversity are protected and restored; Protect additional thousands of square miles of rainforest; Plant native trees over thousands of square miles to bring back rainforest and amazing biodiversity; Plant hundreds of thousands of mangrove trees in key areas in the Coral Triangle; Protect directly in field 243 endangered species including lowland western gorilla, forest elephant, chimpanzee, and Philippine tarsier.
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