Survival Instinct: Rethinking Our Relationship With Nature

As the world's population grows, the tension between man and nature continues to increase. In addition, the Covid-19 crisis has created significant new challenges for conservationists and a wide range of related organizations. This special World Chimpanzee Day edition of ESGX will explore how we can best re-think our relationship with nature. We will open with a special welcoming address by Jane Goodall DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, marking the 60th anniversary of her first arrival in what is now Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania.

One of the most important things Jane Goodall learned during her years in the rainforest of Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania where she conducted her research into the behavior of chimpanzees, is that all life is interconnected. As an example, deforestation in the Congo, the Amazon, and Asia may seem unimportant to people in the United States or Europe, yet the loss of these forests is altering both global weather patterns and people all over the world. We as humans are part of the natural world - interacting with both each other and animals, cohabiting on this planet of ours together. Similarly, in many parts of the world, people may not know—or care—about pangolin. But if they were to know the role that pangolins probably played in the emergence of the current pandemic of the novel coronavirus, their position may change. Close proximity to wild animals, especially in “wet markets” that sell live animals, can increase the risk of diseases caused by viruses that cross the species barrier and infect us. Evidence suggests that COVID-19 may have originated in bats, transferred to pangolins, and then infected humans at a live animal market in China. Of the many new diseases that have emerged since 1960, scientists estimate that more than half were caused by transmission from other species to humans. The global demand for wildlife, the destruction of the natural world, and the spread of diseases are already having a catastrophic effect on the world as we know it. We are in the midst of the Sixth Great Extinction, the balance of nature has been disturbed, and the suffering of humans and other animals has increased. It’s hard to really grasp the extent of the damage. We tend to think about the suffering of humans as collections of people, rather than the suffering of the individuals comprising those groups, just as we seldom think about the suffering of individuals when we talk of threatened wildlife species. But each individual animal of a species, like each human, is important. We are currently in a somewhat unprecedented moment of realizing just how vulnerable each one of us is to problems that may start far away from us, in other species, or in other parts of the world. COVID-19 is many things, but it is also a reason to reckon with the enormous impact that something damaging the natural world can have on us as individuals.

We are feeling the true cost of wildlife trafficking and the destruction of the natural world that brings us into closer contact with wildlife. Goodall’s work has shown her how thousands of great apes are stolen from the wild every year. They are hunted for bushmeat and for their body parts, and infants are captured alive to be sold overseas illegally as pets, or for zoos, entertainment, and tourist attractions. This market is distressing for any lover of these wonderful creatures, but it also threatens their very existence. Many other species are in danger too, including elephants, rhinos, the big cats, giraffes, reptiles, and more. Pangolins are the most trafficked animals on Earth. As we mourn the effect this trade has on the individuals that suffer it, we must also see that this global demand and tragedy created the circumstances that have likely resulted in the current pandemic. The risk it poses to humans is certainly another reason to stand up against this behavior. Thankfully, a strict ban on wildlife trafficking was implemented in China soon after the emergence of COVID-19, including forbidding the importation, selling, and eating of wild animals. And other countries, like Vietnam, are following suit. Currently, these measures do not ban trade for fur, medicine, or research, but Goodall is hopeful that these loopholes will be closed. This is a global trade, and every country and individual must do its part to create more comprehensive legislation to protect wildlife, end illegal trafficking, ban trafficking across national borders, and ban sales. And we must fight corruption that allows these activities to continue even when they are banned or illegal. In addition, chimpanzees and other great apes, with whom we share so much of our biology, are also susceptible to transmission of disease from humans and have suffered terribly from respiratory illnesses, including coronaviruses, passed on from humans. We must be much more vigilant about not handling or being in close proximity to wildlife to protect ourselves and them. Still, even as we fight for a world without the trafficking and eating of wildlife, we must also remember that there are many people who depend on this trade for income. These efforts will be in vain if we don’t support alternative forms of work. Goodall’s global chapters of the Jane Goodall Institute use Tacare, a method of community-based conservation that focuses on listening to the needs of people. They support the development of environmentally sustainable livelihoods, such as agroforestry, beekeeping, and local handicrafts, for instance. They give people the tools to create village land use management plans that include protection of community forests and the creation of wildlife corridors. And they support their ability to monitor the health of their environment with cutting-edge technology. Through this process, they recognize that protection of the environment safeguards their own futures, the future of their children, and the future of wildlife. This model for local empowerment is already operating in six countries where Jane Goodall works, and she hopes it can be used in many more places around the world. Solutions to the threats discussed above are within our grasp. The laws we create now to protect wildlife will also protect human communities. Restoring and protecting forests through legislation and empowering local communities will save species and prevent disease transmission. Creating alternative sustainable livelihoods will create more resilient, successful human communities. It is desperately important, in the window of time remaining, that we should all do our bit to heal the harm we have inflicted on the natural world—of which we are apart. Let us stop stealing the future from our children and from the other species with whom we share our home. Click Here to read Jane Goodall’s full piece on the subject or tune into our ESGx event on June 30th - linked below - to learn more! On June 30th, ESGX will host "Survival Instinct: Rethinking Our Relationship With Nature" to discuss:

1. How are the frictions between people and wildlife growing?

2. Did this contribute to the COVID-19 pandemic?

3. How has funding been impacted?

4. How can we best support wildlife organizations and educators?

Register here for the free event

Refer to this link for published article: https://www.horizon.newdayimpact.com/post/survival-instinct-rethinking-our-relationship-with-nature