Our Wild World

With returning guest Chris Mercer, founder of the International Campaign Against Canned Hunting ICACH, we discuss how conservation has been hijacked by the focus on “Sustainable Consumptive Utilization”, a policy that encourages cruel exploitation where wildlife is not valued for its role in our living world, but only the dollar value commodity to be traded or sold; simply a value based on death. Lions are caught in the forces of greed driving the industrial farming of lions for cub petting, hunting and ultimately, the lion bone trade, and are the victims of policies surrounding the management of captive lions based on unsupported sustainable consumptive utilization rules and the interests of the hunting and breeding industry. Chris reveals what is really happening within this industry based on profits alone with no conservation value – and what activists can do to make an impact against these big money vested interests, and to strategically fight the actions at the policy level.

We hear of orphans being taken in all the time, but the larger problem is that which is causing more orphans- the taking of wildlife in the international illegal trade, and even in legal trade What happens to all the confiscated wild animals- seized by Interpol, Customs, USFW- when an illegal trafficker is busted at a border- an airport, a port, state lines, international boundaries? With my guest Bill Clark, we discuss the rules and guidelines that govern the international trade in wildlife and fauna under CITES and the rules for disposition of illegal capture and seizure as well. Unfortunately for the wildlife, there often isn’t the infrastructure of facilities to handle exotic species of fauna caught at no fault of their own, in the middle of a chain of inhumane and horrific circumstances. There are guidelines and rules for this, but how do we ensure they are adhered to, and how can we ensure these laws are enforced now and in future?

Our guest Michael Soule, the father of conservation biology, shares his deep insights from decades working in conservation. Over the past several decades, as a society, we spend more time living through devices than connecting with tangible nature. Michael helps us to understand that connecting with nature is spending time being in and listening to the wild. That the responsibility lies with each of us and our institutions to care about the environment to get our communities, especially children, to experience nature and bring the connection to wild places into our everyday psyche and culture, and look at our future as a series of possibilities rather than despair. As a “possibilist”, Michael describes that rooted deep within us is the ability to alter our future. After all, we like to be liked, and optimism is attractive and sexy and what better way than to use these inherent traits to facilitate positive changes in society, connecting us individually and as a whole, back to nature.

Today, with returning guest Ashwell Glasson, we address deep seated Wicked Problems as a root cause of civil unrest and social disruptions that are occurring globally, as a result of unrestrained economic growth leading to environmental problems. We gain an understanding that we cannot isolate environmental issues to a specific region as they have far reaching effects and lead to interconnected series of problems on national and global scales. We must break our cycle of short term thinking and pushing problems off, as we are only going to see more “day zero’s” with less and less resources. These underlying wicked problems permeate the globe and it is time for deep seated reforms – politically and socially, nationally and internationally, economically and environmentally, and the normalization of the abnormal break down of civil society. it’s time to face up to our collective human responsibilities and address these issues.

From the Sahara Desert in Mali to the frozen desert of Antarctica, extreme conditions require unique measures to deal with waste management and humanity’s footprint. My guest, Nigel Kuhn, and I discuss waste management at these two extreme places, both with sensitive, desert ecosystems where human impact is amplified. Nigel describes the tipping point that is happening in Mali where the country is suffering from excessive plastics and waste, and contrasts that with the extreme measures taken in Antarctica to prevent any waste left behind by humans; an increasingly difficult task with tourism there on the rise. In a world where western countries ship off their waste to the third world, we don’t see the ecological destruction that results from our incessant consumptive growth model in a throw-away culture thus an ever- growing footprint of waste. A paradigm shift, not just new technology, is needed to solve this problem. This is about people and the future is now.

Despite the incredible successes in conservation, overall, something isn’t working. We are losing ground. What are the missing links? Delving deeply into this question, we keep butting up against the fundamental conflicts between economic growth and wildlife conservation. With my guest Brian Czech, we tackle this subject head-on., Brian documented the causes of species endangerment for US Fish and Wildlife Services only to have his findings squelched as a taboo subject in any conversation in government where politicians and officials are committed to growth as a policy goal, but also in NGOs and conservation groups. As a result, Brian retired from USFW and founded the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE) and published a candid and open letter, “Farewell to FWS – Goodbye to Gag Orders”. In today's full world economy”, we must instill the public and economic policy makers toward a full tilt transition from unsustainable growth to a steady state economy.

In continuing our series of facing extreme challenges, my guest Aaron Vandiver brings insights as to how the fundamental policies and structures of the global Growth Model by which we all operate within, ultimately brings about the ecological destruction we need to prevent. This model is written, enforced, and entrenched in just about every layer of society and policy today. Conservation and economists knew back in the sixties, that infinite growth is simply not possible on a finite planet. Our conversation today helps us pinpoint the seemingly small but infinitely critical linkages that have had dynamic, and systemic, effects on the conservation movement over the past 50 years. We were at one time gaining ground, and now half century later we are losing ground, as our legal, corporate and accounting systems do not take into consideration the environmental costs associated with doing business as usual.

We’ve been here before. At every convention of parties from Kyoto to Paris, from Millennium Development and Sustainability Goals to CITES, to Climate Talks by our worlds leading conservationists and scientists, we fail to fully commit to cleaning up our individual and collective act. We keep setting the bar for culpability and responsibility lower, and cooperation and sanctions farther afield down the timeline. From benchmarks set in 2000, to 2020, to 2050, we keep thinking we can dodge Day Zero. We are closer now to the proverbial Midnight than we were a half-century ago. Granted, since the 1960s and the recognition of a Silent Spring, we have accomplished a tremendous amount, albeit out of balance. What we must ask ourselves now, is are we doing all that we can? Today with Ashwell Glasson we discuss the water crisis in Cape Town, where the distance between comfort and discomfort has hit home right at the tap in a cosmopolitan 1st world city, and that we are all facing Day Zero.

In his new book, ‘Animals' Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age’ my guest Marc Bekoff and I converse on the science of animal-welfare versus animal well-being. “Whenever you see the word “welfare” in the literature, you can be pretty sure something unpleasant is being done to animals”. Our compelling conversation highlights the limitations and frustrations with the science of animal-welfare and works to emphasize that individuals matter, as well as shifting legal definitions of personhood and of the Animal Rights movement. Each aspect is a distinct facet of our anthropocentric 'humane-washing' over our relationships with non-human beings. ‘Animals’ Agenda’ calls more layers of consciousness and emotive language, that incorporates compassion and coexistence in how we approach human to human and human to non-human relationships as individuals, and how this applies in the real world, when we ‘do conservation’.

With thirty to fifty percent of all species vanishing by mid-century, scientists call this the sixth extinction. Not knowing how to help stop this trend causes many people to feel overwhelmed and hopeless. With my guest Lori Robinson today, provide attainable antidotes for this despair. Author Lori Robinson, of ‘Saving Wild’ and ‘Wild Lives’, asked leading conservationists how we stay Inspired, and in the latter highlights conservation legends historical moments that often lay the foundation of today’s knowledge. Nature is the core element that provides us the energy we need to tackle the challenges we’ve created. We are all characters in this story, and by shifting our perception, embracing nature, the way forward is right beneath our feet, we are woven into the details of the web of life. When we focus our bodies, hearts and minds, we connect with this deep sense of Home. It is these connections, that we will find inspiration and the ability to do things differently.

While much of the world of conservation today is focused on hot-spots and mega fauna elsewhere around the world, we are forgetting that the United States of America is losing it’s biodiversity and the wild lands that hold much of it: Our Federal public lands. My guest today, Stephen Capra of Bold Visions Conservation and I discuss the degradation of our US conservation movements, which have been under siege since the early 50s, as political agendas consistently tear away the very fabric that keep our wild spaces viable and connected via protected areas, national parks, monuments and corridors. By giving away our public lands to special interests that are diametrically opposed to protecting wilderness and wildlife: corporatized Big Gas & Oil, Agriculture and Livestock. With all the conservation movements, we are still losing ground. From sea to shining sea our future, our wilderness and wildlife, and the regulations that protect them, are threatened. Earth’s wonders are in our hands.

In any plans for the future of African wildlife and its conservation, it is critical to understand the moving parts at play in the background. National and international politics and finances are continuously and strategically moving on the global game-board of who has wildlife and who wants it. Hunters, zoos, tourism to ecosystems and health - all are players in this global game of chess. Today, with my guest Ashwell Glassson, we pull back the curtain to peer at the tectonic movements of how this game is being played and what is at stake against the backdrop of recent real-world shifts in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, S. Africa and China. As governments and policies use wildlife as the chess pieces, wildlife advocates and activists have the ability and opportunities to shape our efforts and update outmoded models. Conservation is no longer just about science, habitat and biology; we have species survival figured out. The future of conservation lies in the dynamics of people today.

Today’s program with Damien Mander, IAPF began on the day after Mugabe resigned and amidst jubilation in the streets of Harare as Zimbabwe swore in a new interim President. This shift is one of the most hopeful messages the world and conservation can look to that systemic change is possible. We picked up the conversation one week later to further discuss the evolution of conservation in a country that historically has depended upon income generated by the hunting concessions- land that is not within the national parks. As sport hunting declines dramatically, income streams dry up and the land and the people become ever more vulnerable. Alternative sources of income must be created or these areas will be lost, along with their rich biodiversity. With a willing government and expertise of IAPF, enter Akashinga: locally based, all female teams, provided the skills, training and employment to fill this gap in management, presence and patrols through these lands.

Africa is changing. Most recent headlines are Zimbabwe. Now that Mugabe is out, an interim government in place and plans for inclusive elections with opposition parties at the table, what we are not hearing about are the continued capture of live, wild baby elephants and other species still being held in Zimbabwe for export to China. My guest today Johnny Rodrigues of Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF), has for years and in previous episodes on this program, made the world aware of these captures and exports Today we discuss the additional 40 wild caught baby elephants being held and other species already shipped out, amidst Zimbabwe’s transition to a new interim leader and the hope for that this new government take’s a leadership role in paving the way for conservation of wildlife, care for Zim’s people and her national parks amidst the politics and devastation Mugabe left behind.

Today my guest is Eric Schmidt, Executive Director of Wildlife Protection Solutions a nonprofit who’s mission is to use technology for the conservation of endangered species & ecosystems. I first encountered WPS at event 0with panel speakers specifically discussing wildlife issues, poaching, and species loss and how their effects relate to security needs that have global impacts and consequences. I was immediately intrigued their systems approach and the possibilities in both large landscape and species survival projects in the remote areas where the landscapes are often vast, and incursions can happen anytime day or night where the need to provide Rangers and Managers with real-time data to respond quickly becomes critical. WPS is a tech-savvy for profit and non-profit that has easy to use applications providing anyone to have a real-time participatory opportunity to protect endangered species. www.wildlifeprotectionsolutions.org

Transferring data and knowledge gained through research into a journal that sits on a shelf won’t carry us through to creating the interdisciplinary and collaborative results we in the real world- from research and science in the field and the lab into the hands and households of the communities where it is needed to best take advantage of all dimensions and perspectives for an inclusive understanding and creative solutions of the challenges that real people and real communities face on a daily basis, at the crossroads of human, wildlife and environmental needs of tomorrow. This is the goal of Dr. Kathy Alexander PhD, Professor at Virginia Tech, Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation at the College of Natural Resources and co-founder of the CARACAL Biodiversity Center of the Chobe Research Institute in Botswana: amplifying partnerships and integrated systems benefits that will provide tomorrow’s solutions today.

Rapid changes to our entire earth and our wild species and heritage is happening the world over: from climate change to regulations to law enforcement and models that unfortunately end up promoting continued illegal wildlife trade. With my guest Dr. Pieter Kat, we discuss the recent headlines of a legalized national trade in rhino horn within S. Africa and the ramifications and consequences, as yet still unknown, of the online auction of rhino horn for private use while at the same time it is still illegal via CITES for any country to import horn. We also draw parallels between the privatized large-scale farming/breeding of lions, and a ‘conservation model’ that is based solely upon profit through utilization rather than species survival in the wild, and discuss the facelift that is urgently needed for conservation of the wild as a whole to ensure not just the ‘big and furry’ survive, but biodiversity as a whole in the future of earth, and the necessity of protected wild places.

Today’s conversation spans across the past several months pointing ways forward. It appears that since S. Africa lifted the moratorium rhino horn trade, the deadly attacks on wild rhino has continued. In just the past few weeks 23 were slaughtered, 9 of those in a single incident in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi National Park. This forcefully underscores the immediate need to fill the gaps, and create concrete plans, transnational policy and actionable strategies that encompass a multitude of dimensions. In globalized world this sustained assault on Earth’s resources, people, and wildlife requires we start digging much deeper into what drives the human dimension, because, after all, if it weren’t for people, we wouldn’t need conservation. Conservation 2.0 requires we include all layers of society- from technology and military to the social scientists, historians and psychologists, providing connectivity between human- animal and environmental relationships.

My guest today is Dr. Mordecai Ogada, co-author of ‘The Big Conservation Lie, in a frank discussion behind the book. The Big Conservation Lie is a wake up call focused on a field that has been ‘front and center’ of many people’s hearts and minds in recent years; The conservation of Africa’s wildlife. It is a pursuit whose power to inspire is only rivaled by it’s ability to blind it’s audience to reality. This book takes the reader through Kenya’s conservation ‘industry’ and the players therein with all their prejudices, weaknesses and commitment to causes, many of which are indistinguishable from their personalities. It is a call to indigenous Africans to claim their place at the table where the management of their natural resources is being discussed and invites well-meaning donors to look beyond the romantic images and detect the possible role of their money in the disenfranchisement of a people.

In a rapidly changed world, a multitude of cultures are shifting to a globalized model, and conservation models are not keeping up in asking the right questions about priorities in a multi-layered pressures often clash where humans and wildlife meet. Tobias Nyumba has been studying these multi-dimensional shifts: what security and conservation means to the millennial Maasai and address an age old problem- Human Elephant Conflict. Lofty Human Development Goals created in conference rooms far away have often missed the point in addressing contextual and conceptual perceptions within real communities and a shift in the hierarchy of needs- models created 50 years ago no longer apply. Conservation 2.0 World Version Update continues as we humans address and re-evaluate our operating systems of external vs. internal community conservation as holistic, an organically intertwined living system.