Give Endangered Ecosystems a Fighting Chance

Target: Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UN Environment Programme

Goal: Support rewilding efforts to reinvigorate native populations and habitats.

The Labrador duck, the Christmas sandpiper, the Caribbean monk seal, the Japanese sea lion, the sea mink, the great auk, and the Galapagos damsel fish: these species are just a few of the marine animals that have gone extinct in the last century. Almost all aquatic species that live in the top one-third of the ocean will join them, according to a disturbing new forecast. This shocking estimation mirrors other research that predicts the entirety of Earth is in the grip of a slow-motion mass extinction, caused and fueled by humanity’s destructive influence. Urgent actions, like getting serious about the climate crisis, are clearly needed. One ambitious project on a famed archipelago offers another avenue of hope.

A multi-million-dollar rewilding initiative is currently underway at the Galapagos Islands. This beautiful area currently hosts over 2,300 species exclusive to it, and its broad eco-diversity once inspired Charles Darwin. Unfortunately, effects from invasive organisms, overfishing, and other human interference have caused many species to vanish. The rewilding project aims to reintroduce native species when possible, restore habitats, and work with indigenous populations to become better stewards of these precious lands and waters.

Islands are ideal places for rewilding, as the changes introduced on land can eventually benefit surrounding marine ecosystems. These projects can also serve as models for more expansive rewilding initiatives elsewhere in the world. Sign the petition below to urge robust investment in rewilding and restoring the natural order.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Executive Director Andersen,

Humanity clearly needs to get creative and committed in saving the natural world it has so gravely endangered. The Galapagos rewilding project offers a glimpse of one clear avenue for investing in the salvation of thousands of at-risk species on land and at sea. This initiative is literally reviving locally extinct species, recruiting indigenous allies who already have a harmonious relationship with the environment, and finding that delicate balance benefitting people and the world in which we live.

Success means that one of the most ecologically diverse places on the planet has a fighting chance at a future. Failure means that this paradise becomes a husk and shell devoid of vibrant life. The stakes are clearly high for the greater world too, as scientific evidence piles up that thousands of species—including top-level marine species humanity relies upon for economic and more fundamental needs—will vanish as well if societies maintain the status quo.

Please realize the promise in rewilding and advocate for and invest in these life and planet-saving initiatives on a global level.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Diego Delso (delso.photo, License CC-BY-SA”)