The biodiversity crisis
Right now is an absolutely critical time for the future of life as we know it. There is a
significant amount of evidence to indicate that we are now in a sixth mass extinction, where a large amount of species (over 75%) become extinct in a short period of time. What makes this extinction disturbingly different from the five before is that it seems that one single species has caused it – human beings. 1 million out of 8.7 billion species on Earth are thought to be threatened with extinction, and this will only worsen if we do not take action now.
Awareness about the biodiversity crisis is growing (Source: Getty Images Europe | Photographer: Adam Berry)
What can we do?
Conservation is necessary to protect and restore the diversity of life on Earth. I am starting this blog to explore the multitude of ways that humans have adopted roles as "custodians of nature". This is a term that helps frame the way that we can approach conservation. I was first introduced to this notion by an aboriginal writer, Tyson Yunkaporta in his book “Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World”. In it, he says “future survival of all life on this planet will be dependent on humans being able to perceive and be custodians of the patterns of creation”. In other words, humans have a special role in protecting the rest of life on Earth.
Adopting the role of custodians means we are neither owners of nature nor totally powerless against it; we can understand our role as one that shapes ecosystems into what is best for the entire biosphere (all living things).
The need to change
As I said before, evidence points to humans driving most of the current decline in biodiversity. It has been reported that the two biggest causes of (known) species extinction are over-exploitation (i.e. killing species faster than they can reproduce) and agricultural activity. But there are many cultures around the world that still live in harmony with nature, and so we must seek to learn from them, and adopt similar values and philosophies.
We should look to Indigenous Peoples for guidance in caring for the Earth (Source: ABS)
Looking to the future
I think that seeing ourselves as custodians can help start framing discussions in the conservation of biodiversity with a clear narrative, enabling the involvement of all different types of knowledge, and providing a vision of what future society could look like - humans living harmoniously within the natural world.
We can therefore incorporate these custodial values into both practice and policy for conservation, which I will be exploring throughout my blog. I invite you to take this journey with me, where I begin next week by examining the philosophical and religious beliefs about custodianship. See you then!
We all have a role to play in saving our planet (Source: KayaVolunteer)
Comments