David Levy – Who are you ready to say Goodbye to? – Aug 20
The plight of the white Pearl River dolphin and the loss of its habitat is at the centre of an interesting article written by Marinet’s latest member, Stuart Heaver.
If I read the article correctly, dredging in the area for reclaimed land and for basic human infrastructure has created a real time threat to the existence of these beautiful mammals as their habitat is destroyed.
What is revealing is that the Hong Kong Government is behind the policy to expand with all the accompanying impacts on the environment and conservation, whilst the words of reason are coming from Mainland China’s Government which is calling on Hong Kong to desist. Why would that be so?
Well it could well be that China is scared of the independence that Hong Kong has and wants to centralise the economic power to Beijing. Not being from that sphere, this is just a guess.
What is highlighted by this article is the sheer stress placed on animal species around the world, arising from human encroachment on their habitats and limiting the space they need to survive. Even a vast continent such as Africa, large enough to fit in Europe, the USA, India, China, Mexico and Japan within its boundaries of some 30.37 million sq. km, has its own conservation problems.
Some of this pressure arises maybe in order to feed insatiable appetites for the exotic health trade, and the food trade and ornamental trade. Mainly though it is from the growth of man’s need for more space for their cattle and farming.
This leads to conflict and the squeezing of species into less and less space, where inbreeding weakens the genetic pool and ‘survival’ becomes an almost token existence in order to salve our collective consciences.
What is most shocking for me is that unless we can come up with a global solution to the ‘Economic Growth Package for Mankind’ which we are currently wedded to, then the real question is, as WWF say: “Are we prepared to say Goodbye to old friends such as the rhino and elephant?”
David Levy
