According to WorldWaterDay.org, 27 percent of the urban population in the developing world doesn’t have access to piped water at home, and poor people in developing countries pay exponentially more for their water than people in North America.

But water shortages aren’t restricted to any one country or continent. As climate change continues to exacerbate environments around the world, recent droughts seen everywhere from the Amazon to the U.S. may become more frequent and more intense. If you haven’t started making every effort to conserve water, this World Water Day is the best time to start.

Here are some easy tips to start saving water at home, which will likewise lower your water bill. Submit your own tips to conserve water below, or tweet your idea with the hashtag #SaveWater and we’ll add it to the slideshow.

CLICK HERE to see how you can get involved with organizations that are helping to provide clean drinking water to those in need around the world.

1 – Make Your Cat An Indoor Cat

Cats make great pets, and it’s fine to have one. However, cats are predators—they just can’t help themselves. And that’s a good thing when they apply that predatory instinct indoors, in a house, building or barn, to kill destructive, disease-spreading rats and mice. However, cats that are free to roam outdoors can and do prey on vulnerable native birds. Some estimates put the number of birds lost to cats each year at 500 million in North America alone.

Nor does putting a bell on a cat serve as fair warning to birds. Most birds are frightened by loud noises, as well as by such “hunting” sounds as a branch cracking. However, the ringing of a bell does not not alarm them until they see the cat that bell is attached to—and by then, it’s usually too late.

So, train your cat to be an indoor pet. Not only will you save the lives of many birds, but your cat will be healthier—less likely to pick up parasites and diseases, be injured in a fight, or be struck by a car—and also live a longer life.

Want to read more about cats as predators of native birds?

2 – Preserve Wildlife Habitat

If you are fortunate enough to be a land steward—a person who has the say-so over what happens on an undeveloped piece of property, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant—take wildlife into consideration whenever you make a decision. A single tree can provide permanent or seasonal habitat for all kinds of wildlife, including birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles such as snakes, and small mammals.

And a dead tree can often be even more beneficial than a live one. Not only do all sorts of creatures, from nuthatches to flying squirrels, like to nest in the cavities of dead trees, but mammals and birds alike often feast on the wood-eating insects that infest their trunks and branches. If possible, it is good to leave standing deadwood—dead trees that are still upright—right where it is.

Likewise, vernal pools—”wet spots” in woods or open areas that usually dry up in the middle of summer—often are not the useless puddles they may seem at first glance. Vernal pools often provide important breeding habitat for such amphibians as frogs, salamanders and newts—as well as dining facilities for animals and birds that like to eat amphibians!

3 – Provide Water

Wild creatures are usually quite capable of finding all the food they need on their own—especially in areas where people have taken care to leave some of their natural habitat intact. Water, however, is sometimes a problem for them, especially in summer, when it dries up, and in winter, when it’s frozen. This is especially true in areas where human development has made natural sources of water difficult for wildlife to get to.

People can help by maintaining and regularly replenishing a source of clean drinking water for wildlife—a birdbath or even a small pool that other types of creatures aside from birds can reach. If you live in the North, your water supply will require some type of small heating device in winter to keep it from freezing.

Remember to place all wildlife water sources at a distance from brush or bushes from which a predator such as a cat can launch an ambush.

4 – Be Sparing In Your Use Of Pesticides And Other Chemicals—And Put That Bug Zapper Away!

Many chemicals used outdoors to kill insect pests can also harm birds and beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies. In addition, many types of chemical fertilizers, including “treatments” to help lawns grow greener, can and do find their way into water sources, where they cause algae blooms and cause other sorts of environmental harm.

Use as few chemicals in the outdoors as you possibly can. Instead, research natural ways of discouraging pests and encouraging your lawn and garden to grow.

In addition, avoid using “bug lights” or “bug zappers” to kill mosquitoes and other biting insects outdoors. While these devices use light to attract insects, mosquitoes, blackflies and other blood-seeking pests are not attracted to light; they are instead attracted to heat and carbon dioxide. The result is that bug zappers end up killing thousands of harmless insects—ones that otherwise could have served as food for birds, bats and fish—while doing nothing at all to curb mosquitoes and biting flies.

5 – Plant A Wildlife Garden

No matter how small a yard you have, you can still cultivate a few plants that can provide nourishment to insects, such as butterflies and bees, as well as to other wildlife, such as hummingbirds. In fact, even a window box containing the right kinds of flowers can be a help to some species.

And for this project, give yourself extra credit if you manage to research, locate and use native plant species—plants that evolved in your area, and that native wildlife has been relying on for thousands of years.

You’ll find good information on creating a butterfly garden here.

Information on plantings to help help bees and other bee-gardening tips can be found here.

If you want your garden to be of benefit to native birds, including hummingbirds, have a look here.

And keep in mind that, if you have enough space, there’s no reason not to do mixed plantings that help out butterflies, birds and bees.

6 – Feed Birds The Right Way—And Don’t Feed Mammals At All

It’s perfectly OK to feed wild birds. However, not all commercial bird feeds are created equal, and not all of them contain the right kinds of nutrition for many wild birds. It’s good to do a little research into the nutritional needs of the wild birds in your area, and to select a food mixture that will be of most benefit to the species you’re hoping to attract.

In addition, be aware that a backyard feeder tends to attract more birds than would naturally concentrate in an area. If you then stop feeding for any reason, the birds may suffer because there isn’t enough natural food in the area to satisfy all of them. So, if you start feeding, you need to keep feeding, at least until spring arrives and natural food is more plentiful. if you go away on vacation, make sure a friend or neighbor stops by to fill the feeders.

Mammals such as deer and raccoons, on the other hand, should never be fed. Feeding teaches these animals to be dependent on humans as well as to lose their fear of them. Dependence and lack of fear make animals more likely to come into conflict with people—and conflict with people almost always brings sad results for a wild animal.

7 – Become A Wildlife Rehabilitator

Most states license specially trained volunteers to serve as wildlife “rehabilitators”—people who care for injured, sick or orphaned wildlife.

Wildlife rehabilitation requires special knowledge, and you should never undertake to care for a wild bird or animal yourself unless you have that training. Instead, if you find a creature that needs help, you should first take steps to make sure that bird or animal is temporarily safe and secure, and then contact someone who is a wildlife rehabilitator. Your state fish and game department probably has a list of people who can help; your state Audubon chapter can also probably be of assistance.

If you are interested in becoming a wildlife rehabilitator yourself, you will probably need to apprentice yourself to someone who is already doing the job. Here is a good link for information on getting started. Also, contact your state fish and game agency for licensing requirements and other information.

8 – Provide Nesting Sites And Shelter

Development by humans has not only destroyed areas where wildlife searches for food, it has also deprived birds, animals and insects of places to live and raise their young. One way we can all compensate for this loss is to replace some of these lost nesting and resting sites.

Probably the most familiar artificial nesting site is the birdhouse. And birdhouses certainly do help, especially if they are built specifically to suit the requirements of one or more of our beleaguered native bird species.

If you plan on putting up a few birdhouses, why not do a little research ahead of time to find out which birds in your area are most in need of artificial shelter—and then build or buy the types of houses that are most likely to attract them? Not surprisingly, different birds have different needs in a house, including preferences in the size of the house, its location, and the diameter of the opening. There are also precautions you can take to make sure predators can’t get into the house to kill the birds or their young.

If you live in bluebird country, a good thing to do is to set up your own “bluebird trail,” either on your property, on public property, or on someone else’s property—provided, of course, that you have permission to do so. Here’s a link on bluebird trails; you’ll find more on your own with a Google search.

Another type of creature that has suffered greatly from habitat loss is the bumblebee and other “solitary” bees—the bees that were pollinating America’s flowering plants for thousands of years before Europeans introduced the honeybee to our continent. You can help native bees by either building or buying a bumblebee “house” and establishing it in a suitable location. Here are some plans for a simple bumblebee house; an internet search will turn up more, as well as more information about these important and fascinating creatures.

And, speaking of important and fascinating creatures . . . bats, which help humans by eating millions of flying insects, also need places to live. Here’s a great site on building bat houses.

9 - Detect And Disarm Wildlife “Traps”

Litter and improperly disposed-of refuse can trap or injure wildlife. Carelessly discarded fishing line or other plastic twine can ensnare birds and other animals, making them easy prey for predators or bringing on a lingering death. Plastic bags can also trap and suffocate some kinds of creatures, as can open containers of paints, motor oil, and other liquid chemicals. In addition, plastic bags and other refuse have been eaten by such wildlife as sea turtles, which can mistake these items for food.

Anyone who is reading this is probably aware that we shouldn’t litter. But, when you pick up someone else’s litter, you may be disarming a dangerous trap that otherwise might have cost the life of a wild creature. You might be saving a life.

Also, be aware that open windows in attics and outbuildings can sometimes attract birds—which then might not be able to find their way out again. Try to close up uninhabited spaces in buildings that otherwise might prove fatally inviting to wildlife.

10 – Donate, Volunteer & Vote!

We can be even stronger wildlife helpers when we join forces with other people. Join land trusts and other groups in your area that are devoted to the conservation of wildlife. Some organizations maintain wildlife preserves or trail systems—and they are almost always looking for volunteers.

If you can afford to be generous to wildlife groups, do it! Local groups are always in need of financial help, as are the large international organizations that work hard to protect wildlife in Africa, tropical Asia, the Amazon rainforest, and elsewhere. You’ll find a list of some of our favorite organizations here, listed under Top Wildlife/Environmental Non-Profit Organizations. But there are many others as well.

Lastly, become politically active. Inform your local government as well as your state and federal representatives about any wildlife issues that are of concern to you. Write letters, send e-mails, make telephone calls.

And, if you’re old enough to vote, try to vote for candidates who have at least some concern for our wildlife and the health of our natural world.

To learn more about living a sustainable everyday lifestyle, click here!

Kiyotaka Akasaka is the UN's Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information

By Kiyotaka Akasaka

2010 was supposed to be the year that the world reversed the loss of biodiversity. Countries have failed to reach this target, however, and species are becoming extinct at far more than 100 times the natural rate. Worse, it has seemed like the political will to change course simply was not there to do anything about it.

Then came the Nagoya Biodiversity Conference, and the negotiations looked like they could get bogged down in a bottomless web of national interests that would have made agreement on a way forward impossible. The talks were tough and ran late, but in the end, countries agreed not only to a new plan of action with new targets, but also on a new and historic protocol that helps to fairly share the benefits of genetic resources. The Nagoya agreement shows that multilateralism is alive and well.

Biodiversity loss, as an issue, has nowhere near the public recognition of climate change. At best, it has long been associated with the establishment of national parks, beautiful landscapes, and the preservation of loveable species. At worst, it is often portrayed as an obstacle for economic development. For most city dwellers, biodiversity belongs in the great outdoors, but nowhere close to home.

But the loss of biodiversity has huge implications for reducing poverty, addressing climate change, and for whatever food or drink will be on tonight’s dinner table. In fact, most people don’t really have a clue how nature affects their daily lives–and provides for them at bargain prices.

Take water, for example. Most large cities get their water from protected watershed areas. In fact, New York City decided that it would conserve and protect the land and the biodiversity around its reservoirs for about $1.5 billion rather than build a filtration plant for somewhere between $6 to 8 billion.

But it’s the poor who bear the brunt right now from the loss of biodiversity. When forests are destroyed, when coral reefs die, when the fish disappear, and when farmland dries up, it is the poor who lose their livelihoods, their homes, and often their culture.

Biodiversity is, after all, another name for all the species, plant and animal, that make up nature, and nature, it turns out, has been extremely undervalued in the modern global economy. While there has always been a romantic notion that the best things in life are free, it turns out, that many of nature’s gifts do have value, and if we had to pay for them, would be quite expensive. And a new report issued by the UN Environment Programme along with a host of government and NGO partners confirms this.

According to The Economics of Ecosystems & Biodiversity report, which was just launched at the UN’s Biodiversity Conference in Nagoya, the services that the world’s forests, wetlands, coral reefs, and marine ecosystems provide is around $2 to 4.5 trillion per year, every year.

Although the idea of green accounting is not new, the new look at valuing nature has taken on a new dimension in efforts to address climate change. Already, it has been recognized that a standing natural forest, particularly rainforests, may have more value to the world for their ability to absorb carbon dioxide emissions. It will cost between $17.2 to $33 billion to protect the forests and cut emissions by 2.7 gigatons of carbon dioxide a year. But it is estimated that the benefits of action is $37 trillion, in present value terms.

But it’s more than just forests and watersheds. Coral reefs protect coastlines from storms, nourish schools of fish, and provide the backbone for tourism and local economic development. Take away the reefs and everyone will be poorer for it.

Putting a price tag on nature, while not always appropriate, is a very useful tool that governments, from the local level to the global, can use to make much smarter decisions that will help promote economic development while protecting the natural services that we cannot afford to lose.

Nagoya is a milestone agreement. It not only provides a new roadmap for protecting our biodiversity, it also puts forward a process that will allow people in local communities to benefit from the fruits of their knowledge of biodiversity that can be commercialized and made profitable. It also shows that, though difficult, the world can come together to achieve all of the Millennium Development Goals and meet the challenge of climate change.

To learn more, watch this video:

At COP 10, Leaders Must Link Human Security to Environmental Security

The challenge is immense. The situation is critical. One hundred and ninety-three national delegations are in Nagoya, Japan, attending the Tenth Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-10). This will be the international community’s last, best chance to halt the march to extinction of many species. Every year, between 1,500 and 15,000 species disappear forever. This is one of the worst mass extinctions our planet has ever endured and is due primarily to human activity.

In the early 1990s, the international community came together with much fanfare and signed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The CBD was designed to preserve 10% of the world’s ecological regions by 2010. Sadly, no country is anywhere close to meeting this target. Human activity continues to destroy habitats, which has resulted in a massive decline in biodiversity. Twenty-five per cent of the world’s mammal species, 20 per cent of the world’s birds, and 40 per cent of the world’s amphibians are threatened with extinction. Ninety percent of the world’s commercial fish species are over-exploited or have crashed.

Lessons from the White Rhino

Many activists complain that governments are not infusing the cash that is needed to invest in environmental programs. They are right. However, during these times of ballooning deficits and fiscal austerity, environmental projects usually fall down the ladder of a government’s priorities. More resources are needed, yet they can come from another, under-utilized source—one that will protect critical habitats without putting new demands on over-stretched government finances.

Actions to preserve the habitat of the White Rhino in South Africa helped save the species from extinction.

Biospheres in their natural state can generate substantial revenues through programs that have low environmental impacts. Indeed, the best way to preserve habitats is to show that they have a greater value when they are protected than when they are cut down, bulldozed, polluted or paved over. This lesson was learned by a number of countries in Africa and Latin America. Perhaps the most famous example of this is the story of the White Rhinoceros, the world’s second-largest land mammal.

In the late 1800s, there were only 60 of these magnificent animals left on the planet, all huddled along the banks of the Umfolozi River in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The South African government of the day saw that this species would become extinct if they did not act quickly. First, they created the Imfolozi National Park to protect the habitat where this last population of White Rhinos lived. They then used the park to generate revenues from eco- and ethno-tourism, selling the meat of culled animals at a low price to people in the surrounding areas, and creating employment. Proceeds from these initiatives were diverted back into the park for conservation purposes, but were also used to fund primary health care, education and basic infrastructure. As a result, those who lived in the area saw that the reserve had a direct benefit to their lives and thus they acted to protect the park. This mechanism of generating funds from biospheres and providing benefits to rural populations is now being used in a number of countries, including Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Costa Rica and Brazil. In each case, habitats have been protected, species have been rescued from the brink of extinction, and the lives of people in rural areas have improved.

The Costs of Destruction

Destroying wild spaces may offer short-term benefits, but it comes at a massive long-term cost. Habitat loss results not only in the annihilation of species that could have been used for medical and commercial purposes, but also increases the prevalence of diseases and decreases water quality. These biospheres are also carbon sinks, so their destruction will exacerbate global warming, which negatively affects food security and weather patterns.

If world leaders in Nagoya merely come out with another protocol, then there is little hope that the march to extinction of so many species will be halted. If, however, world leaders connect development initiatives with environmental projects that preserve and use wild spaces to generate revenues sustainably while providing direct benefits to those who live near these habitats, then biospheres will be saved and our collective security will be strengthened.

Human security is contingent on environmental security. The health of our species is inexorably tied to the health of our planet. If we fail to implement solutions that support this natural equation, then our survival will be threatened as will that of the remarkable panoply of biodiversity that lives with us on our only home, planet Earth.

DR. KEITH MARTIN is a physician and Member of Canada’s Parliament who has worked extensively in Africa and the developing world in medicine and conservation. He is the founder and chair of Canada’s first All-Party International Conservation Caucus, which brings top scientists to Parliament to advise politicians, NGOs, bureaucrats, and diplomats about environmental solutions. He also founded the International Conservation Forum (www.icforum.info).

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?5392

World leaders in Nagoya must link conservation and development, says Dr. Keith Martin, MP

OTTAWA- “The failure to implement initiatives that link human security and environmental security is seriously contributing to the catastrophic and accelerating loss of biodiversity around the world,” said Dr. Keith Martin, founder and chair of the Canadian Parliament’s first All-Party International Conservation Caucus. Dr. Martin is urging world leaders who are meeting in Nagoya, Japan for the 10^th meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity to link development programs with habitat protection.

“Ecosystems have the best chance of surviving and being protected when people derive a benefit from them. They survive and thrive when they are more valuable to people in their natural state than if they are destroyed,” said Dr. Martin, who has personally witnessed projects in South Africa, Botswana, and Tanzania that have successfully used this approach to save fragile ecosystems. 

Human activity is causing species to become extinct at an unprecedented rate. Shockingly, between 1,500 and 15,000 species are lost every year. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), one-fifth of mammals, one-third of amphibians, and one-third of all plant species are threatened with extinction. Although the international community signed on to the Convention on Biological Diversity in the early 1990s, no country has met the target to preserve 10 per cent of the world’s ecological regions and stem the rate of extinctions. Indeed, the rate of loss is not declining—it is increasing.

“To protect biodiversity you have to save ecosystems, and ecosystems can be preserved if they can pay for themselves. One of the most effective ways to do this is through community initiatives, where local people receive direct benefits from sustainably using wild spaces through a small environmental footprint,” said Dr. Martin.

Focusing on the economic benefits of protecting diverse ecosystems has had tremendous success around the world. For example, in Brazil, preserving critical forest habitats rescued the golden lion tamarin—a small, iconic primate—from the brink of extinction. Sustainable development projects with a negligible environmental footprint generated revenues that were used to fund projects that provide clean water, flood control, and direct economic benefits to nearby communities. In South Africa, parks and conservancies earn millions of dollars every year from eco- and ethno-tourism, which are in turn used to protect and expand crucial biospheres and to fund primary health care, education, and job opportunities for rural communities.

Preserving natural ecosystems is also crucial in tackling the effects of climate change. Cutting down a forest has a short-term financial benefit, but it destroys the long-term benefits the forest has as a carbon sink that removes greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

“World leaders must commit to using their international development efforts to form innovative public/private partnerships that can support initiatives that link human security and environmental security. Development agencies working with NGOs, multilateral agencies, and the private sector can support low-impact interventions to generate funds that can be used to protect and preserve critical habitats and benefit the people who live near them,” said Dr. Martin.

“In Nagoya, the international community must connect these funding opportunities to support habitat protection and human development. If we fail to do this, biospheres will be wiped out forever, along with the species that live within them. When this occurs, our own survival as a species will be threatened,” said Dr. Martin.

Dr. Keith Martin is a physician and Canadian Member of Parliament who has worked extensively in Africa and the developing world in medicine and conservation. He is the founder and chair of Canada’s first All-Party International Conservation Caucus, which brings top scientists to Parliament to advise politicians, NGOs, bureaucrats, and diplomats about environmental solutions.

Just like blood pressure in the human body, how and when water flows is a vital indicator and driver of the health of aquatic ecosystems and the species that depend on them—including we humans. This is the thinking behind the concept of environmental flows—which is a foundation of WWF’s work on freshwater, across Canada and around the world.

One of the key messages in the Living Planet Report is that the world’s fresh waters are coming under increasing pressure. The impacts of growing more food, generating more electricity with hydropower dams, and quenching the thirst of expanding cities and industry has lead us to a situation where 71 countries [PDF] are experiencing stress on what we call “blue” water—the water stored in and withdrawn from rivers, lakes, streams and aquifers. In the of worst cases, rivers are running dry [PDF]—rivers like the Yellow in China, the Murray in Australia, and the Rio Grande separating Mexico from the U.S. These tragedies are the result of withdrawing too much water or holding back too much of the natural flow behind dams, and increasingly, by the impacts of climate change which are leading to more severe and frequent droughts in many areas.

When a river’s flow is choked off, big problems arise for both nature and for people. When a river runs dry, the consequences can be devastating.

The global trends and comparisons in the Living Planet Report tell an important story about Canada’s fresh water, and Canadians’ use of this precious resource. Let’s start with water use. Canada’s Water Footprint of Production is the 16th largest of the 130 nations surveyed in the Living Planet Report. The Water Footprint of Production [PDF] is a measure of the amount of water that is consumed and polluted in the production of agricultural crops and livestock, and through household and industrial water use. It is an important indicator of the demands humans and our economic activities are placing on their nation’s water resources.

But in a country as large Canada, with our diverse geography and climate, national rankings and indicators can be misleading. This important point is stressed in the report [PDF]:

“One limitation of this analysis is that it looks only at a national level, whereas water use is very much at a local or river basin [or watershed] level. Thus, countries classified as not being under water stress may have areas under high stress, and vice versa.”

This is certainly the case in Canada. When we focus on the watershed scale—the scale that matters most when considering fresh water availability and use—we see a different and clearer picture of the health of Canada’s rivers, and of the impacts of our demands on the waters that follow their course. We demonstrated this in our report, released a year ago next week, titled Canada’s Rivers at Risk. In some rivers, such as the South Saskatchewan and the St. Lawrence, flows have been modified to the extent that freshwater ecosystems are in serious trouble. On the other hand, Canada is home to some of the world’s last large wild rivers—rivers like the Mackenzie and the Skeena that still flow freely from source to sea, unimpeded by large dams and over-taking of water—rivers worth protecting while we still have a chance few other nations do.

Skeena River near Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada (c) Mike Ambach/WWF-Canada

Dealing with the big problems, while at the same time protecting what we still have, will require a new freshwater conservation agenda for Canada.  WWF-Canada is hard at work setting that new agenda through the emerging Living Rivers Campaign—a multi-year initiative through which we intend to change the face of water policy and management in Canada to ensure nature’s water needs are addressed in all of Canada’s rivers.

The scale of our ambition with our Living Rivers Campaign rivals that of our Endangered Spaces campaign in the 1990s.  We doubled in a decade the amount of protected area in Canada.  In our Living Rivers Campaign, we’re targeting river flow across Canada: protecting it in wild waters, managing it better in tamed rivers, and restoring it in highly degraded systems.

Stay tuned for more as we build from the global picture presented in the LPR to our national Living Rivers Campaign that will deliver conservation results ‘on the water’ in rivers and watersheds across Canada.

http://blog.wwf.ca/blog/2010/10/15/fresh-water-lifeblood-of-a-living-planet/

One of the world's few remaining wild tigers.

There are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild. Scientists say the situation is so bad that, unless we act urgently, tigers will be extinct in the wild by the time of the next Chinese Year of the Tiger in 2022.  That means that, without urgent action, tigers will be gone from the earth in 12 years.

The good news is that it is not too late to prevent this.

Here are some things you can do to help save the tiger:

Join WWF’s Tx2 campaign:
WWF’s Tx2 campaign aims to double the wild tiger population by the next Chinese Year of the Tiger in 2022. Your support will encourage anti-poaching efforts, raise awareness against trade and the consumption of tiger parts and products, and build political will in tiger range countries to protect tiger habitats.

Spread the word:
Send an e-card to your friends and tell others that the tiger and its habitat are under threat and that they need our help.

Be a responsible tourist:
The wilderness is to be experienced and not to be disturbed and polluted. Follow the forest department guidelines when visiting any wilderness area, especially tiger reserves. As the saying goes “Don’t leave anything behind except footprints, and don’t take anything away except memories.”

Voice your concerns with the policy makers:
If you are really concerned and feel that more needs to be done for tiger conservation, then write polite letters to the decision makers – the Prime Minister, the Environment Minister or even your local MP.

Help prevent illegal wildlife trade:
Say “NO” to tiger trade by refusing to buy tiger parts and items prepared from tiger derivatives. If you know of any information on poaching or trade of illegal wildlife, inform the local law enforcement agencies. You can also contact TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade program of WWF and the IUCN. TRAFFIC works diligently to stop poaching and end illegal wildlife trade. They will pass on your information to the correct authorities.

Reducing pressure on tiger habitats:
By reducing the use of natural products, such as timber, derived from tiger forests.

Volunteer to help protect tigers:
Volunteer with WWF-India for an opportunity to help protect tigers and its habitat.

No matter where you live, no matter how small your actions are, we ALL have a part to play in saving the tiger—and our planet as a whole. We must act now before it’s too late.

Learn more at: http://wwf.ca/conservation/species/tigers/

Photo by MICHAEL NEUGEBAUER

It has been 50 years since Dr. Jane Goodall, world-famous primatologist and UN Messenger for Peace, first set foot on the shores of Lake Tanganyika to begin the ground-breaking study that introduced us to our closest animal relatives. Since then, the chimpanzee research she pioneered at Gombe has produced a wealth of scientific discovery, and her vision has expanded into a global mission to empower people to make a difference for all living things.

Visit www.janegoodall.ca to learn how the Institute is helping to deliver that global mission and how her work with chimpanzees is helping to redefine our place in the natural world.

http://www.janegoodall.ca/Gombe50.php