Although we’ve still got a long way to go conservation-wise, it’s encouraging to see that great strides have been made in preserving several species across the globe this year.
There have been some notable conservations successes for 2019 but here is our pick of the crop:
Huge Gains for Humpback Whales
Thanks to ground-breaking measures by the International Whaling Commission, in which all commercial whaling was banned in the 1980’s, the humpback whale population has shown a remarkable recovery.
From an all-time low of just 450 specimens at the time of the ban, there are now over 25 000 of these magnificent marine mammals gracing the waters of the South Atlantic.
Rewilding of the Danube Delta
All over Europe, concerned citizens have been actively involved in restoring the continent to its former glory. Nowhere has this been more successful than in Europe’s largest wetland, where the Danube meets the Black Sea.
After extensive efforts to dismantle multiple obsolete dams along the water course, remove all alien vegetation, and reintroduce keystone species, the area is now thriving.
Conservationists were able to release the first herd of seven water buffalo into this restored natural habitat in May of 2019.
Their efforts will continue unabated during 2020, when their energies will be focussed upriver to clear channels and restore the wilderness.
Mountain Gorillas on an All Time High
Mountain gorilla conservation has been an uphill trudge since the end of the twentieth century but at last, we’re starting to see rewards.
These incredibly rare animals are slowly starting to recover from the ravages of habitat loss and poaching with world numbers now at a (shocking) 1 000 individuals, the highest since 2010.
In Virunga Massif alone, which spans 11,445 acres of Rwanda and Uganda, numbers have increased from 480 to 604.
Cleaning up the Oceans
Clean-up efforts are eventually making headway in the Great Pacific Garbage patch. Boyan Slat’s Ocean Clean Up, founded in 2013, has been working tirelessly to fight against the millions of tons of plastic which enter the ocean every year.
This scourge upon the Earth has been killing over 100 million marine animals every year. Finally, this initiative has lit upon a method of collecting this garbage by making use of the ocean’s natural currents.
Using a method similar to that deployed in inland rivers, floating barriers trap garbage as it swirls on the ocean’s natural currents. Huge ships then scoop these tons of fishing nets, plastic and other rubbish out of the water and dispose of it.
Thanks to this initiative, the day may come when our oceans are freed from the scourge of human wastefulness.
Hope for the Peruvian Amazon
After the plight of the Amazon has become more prevalent in news broadcasts around the world, a significant amount of money has been raised to help stop the devastation in this area.
The Peruvian government, WWF and private individuals have pledged in excess of US $1 million towards managing and expanding the 17 million hectares of protected forest areas in the Peruvian Amazon.
With this substantial input they hope to make Peru’s protected areas financially sustainable by promoting the welfare of the thousands of people who live there and in so doing, protect the local fauna and flora too.
Do Your Bit for Conservation
If you want to do your bit to contribute to further conservation successes, the best thing you can do is to either donate to these worthy initiatives or book your southern African safari today.
Most safari operators donate a percentage of their profits to conservation and you’ll also get to discover the reasons for protecting our natural heritage first-hand.
