jfish1936 Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Mugabe is right! (pains me to say so) The number of humans is increasing, and their "footprint" in resources and land area increases even faster. No government (apart from China) is willing to curb the growth of its people; even European lands with less then "break even" reproductive rates are growing by immigration. No African country can afford to hand over a large area to wildlife and receive no financial benefit. What village headman can refuse a young couple the right to clear a patch of land to start a new home? If he allows it, they reduce the wildlife range; if he forbids, they move to a town, and maybe the man comes back as a poacher. If WE want wildlife, WE should "rent" some space for them. This may mean outbidding the cattle ranchers, forest loggers, mineral extractors. And it mat mean helping the local people to have jobs and homes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxman Posted January 21, 2015 Author Share Posted January 21, 2015 I hate to say this, but they have been saying elephants were going to be extinct in 30 years before now. Seems to me their expectancy has gone up. This sort of story is the alarmist cautionary tale of those wanting money for their particular cause. It's not alarmist....it is reality. Within the next few years many more species will be wiped out, this is just the biggest one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 It's not alarmist....it is reality. Within the next few years many more species will be wiped out, this is just the biggest one. Yeah, I read this and felt very sad. It was tempered, very slightly, with the news that tiger numbers are up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anfisa Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 (edited) Humans are currently causing the greatest mass extinction of species since the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. If present trends continue one half of all species of life on earth will be extinct in less than 100 years, as a result of habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, and climate change, just so humans can increase our population unsustainably, given long enough we will cause our own extinction. Edited January 22, 2015 by anfisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxman Posted August 31, 2016 Author Share Posted August 31, 2016 More killed than born in Africa...that's not sustainable Wouldn't want to point the finger specifically at the growing middle classes in the far east, but they do seem to have a bizarre desire for ground up rhino horn (made from exactly the same material as fingernails), ivory, dried seahorses, pangolins etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 More killed than born in Africa...that's not sustainable Wouldn't want to point the finger specifically at the growing middle classes in the far east, but they do seem to have a bizarre desire for ground up rhino horn (made from exactly the same material as fingernails), ivory, dried seahorses, pangolins etc We've done it in the past, there's a picture I saw online from a major Sheffield cutlery firm showing their ivory room - I guess it dated back to the 50s or 60s. But we learnt that these animals will disappear, I don't understand why those in the Far East don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unbeliever Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Mugabe is right! (pains me to say so) The number of humans is increasing, and their "footprint" in resources and land area increases even faster. No government (apart from China) is willing to curb the growth of its people; even European lands with less then "break even" reproductive rates are growing by immigration. No African country can afford to hand over a large area to wildlife and receive no financial benefit. What village headman can refuse a young couple the right to clear a patch of land to start a new home? If he allows it, they reduce the wildlife range; if he forbids, they move to a town, and maybe the man comes back as a poacher. If WE want wildlife, WE should "rent" some space for them. This may mean outbidding the cattle ranchers, forest loggers, mineral extractors. And it mat mean helping the local people to have jobs and homes. Development curbs population growth. As the poorer nations develop, as they have been doing at an impressive rate recently, the problem will correct itself. Attempting to organise the world by grand design always makes things worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Development curbs population growth. As the poorer nations develop, as they have been doing at an impressive rate recently, the problem will correct itself. Attempting to organise the world by grand design always makes things worse. Our population is growing. Are there many countries whose population is decreasing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unbeliever Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 (edited) Our population is growing. Are there many countries whose population is decreasing? Our population is being maintained by immigration. Our reproduction rate such that it would drop otherwise. So will it be with the poorer nations as they develop. This will also resolve the contentious migration issues as well if we're patient enough. Edited September 1, 2016 by unbeliever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BHRemovals Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 unfortunately everyone is scared of china's economic muscle and the tourist benefits of people visiting the game parks of Africa, wont balance it out, the only way is to create a massive breeding programme in the west. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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