Ecopaparazzi

Look Out! We take action and pictures to heal the Earth.

Biodiversity Hotspots

SPECIAL REPORT: UN Launches Year of the Gorilla 2009




The most remarkable places on Earth are also
the most threatened.
These are the Hotspots: the
richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and
animal life
on Earth.

What is a Hotspot?

Conservation International has identified 34 biodiversity hotspots around the world. Hotspots hold especially high numbers of endemic species, yet their combined area of remaining habitat covers only 2.3 percent of the Earth's land surface. Each hotspot faces extreme threats and has already lost at least 70 percent of its original natural vegetation.

What are the problems and solutions in the hotspots?

  • Africa and Madagascar
    For Africa to meet its pressing needs, wisely using its abundant natural resources may be the continent’s best bet. To help in this effort, the UN has declared 2009 The Year of the Gorilla.

  • Asia-Pacific
    The Asia Pacific offers conservationists one of the best opportunities to nurse the environment back to health. Despite concerns about the demands placed on the environment, paradise still abounds.

  • Europe and the Middle East
    From bike lanes in Paris to development bank investments in conservation, Europe’s vision for a sustainable future is clear.

  • North and Central America
    North and Central America drive worldwide change – for better and for worse. The United States is the largest greenhouse gas emitter, and Central America’s deforestation rates are proving dangerous.

  • South America
    In the Amazon and the Andes, South America guards the world’s largest supply of fresh water, one our most basic survival needs.



What is the most pressing issue in the hotspots?

EXTINCTION is the gravest aspect of the biodiversity crisis: it is irreversible.


Is there anything I can do to help?

Every 20 minutes a species is pushed to the brink of extinction. That's 1,000 times the natural rate of species loss. Sign the CI petition and voice your concern for the survival of plants and animals worldwide.


Signing a petition isn't enough. What other actions can I take?

  • Become Informed: The first step toward being a responsible green citizen is knowing the issues and taking time to think about them.

  • Travel Sustainably: Next time you go on vacation or need to take a business trip, consider ways you can cut down on carbon emissions.

  • Become a Green Consumer: It is becoming easier and easier to know what effects the things you buy have on the environment.

  • Spread the Word: It will take a green revolution to reverse current trends. Use the social networks to tell everyone to get on board

Living green means knowing, acting, and sharing.




CALCULATE YOUR IMPACT

Every choice you make either helps or hurts Earth. Even a small reduction in consumption can make the difference between what's lost and what's saved. Know your impact and then make positive changes in your lifestyle. Act Now. Go to the carbon calculator.


Measure your Eco Footprint

We all have an impact on Earth, an ecological footprint left behind by our activities and consumption. Size up your footprint by taking this quiz.

Protect an Acre

  • Every 4 hours a forest the size of Manhattan is razed and climate change is worsened.
  • Help protect acres of forest, one mouse click at a time.
  • Agriculture for meat production is a leading cause of ecological destruction. Eat green.



    Green living means thinking about climate change and energy use.
    It means thinking about biological diversity
    and the well-being of those who draw their livelihoods from nature.

    Living Green takes effort.
    But isn’t Earth worth it?
    Aren't you worth it?
    Aren't our children?
    Aren't our grandchildren?
    What will you do TODAY?


Take Action By taking just one step toward a greener life today, you are making a difference. We can all make responsible choices without sacrifice.

About

Jeanette McDermott Jeanette McDermott created this social network on Ning.

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Eco photos show the beauty and destruction of Mother Earth. Pictures sound the alarm; wake us up; and motivate us toward activism.

Members

  • Lady Anna MacMillan
  • Tangkor Dong
  • Diana Oleskevich
  • maria teresa de carolis
  • Samantha Shaw
  • Madeleine Truax
  • abel saenz
  • Jinxie
  • jhudiel
  • Publio F De La Rosa
  • Jeanette Fourie
  • Octávio Lima
  • Angela Leary
  • Cal Desmond-Pearson
  • Anna Cocker

ECO KUDOS

With both acknowledged and possible calamities as compelling and urgent
catalysts, Raincoast Conservation is advocating for British Columbia's first fully protected salmon runs. The move is an effort to save the grizzly bear species.

This bold and ambitious proposal runs contrary to the historical underpinnings of salmon management, as fisheries managers have always assumed that salmon exist exclusively for human consumption.

According to Raincoast, it is a matter of competition, and the odds are stacked against carnivores in these coastal salmon forests.

Notes

Follow Us

Created by Jeanette McDermott Aug 23, 2009 at 12:25pm. Last updated by Jeanette McDermott Aug 23.

UFP Newsletter

Learn about the Ursa Freedom Project campaign to free 9,000 bears from bile farms.


Created by Jeanette McDermott Apr 20, 2009 at 1:17pm. Last updated by Jeanette McDermott Jun 15.

TAKE ACTION!

Feed the hungry.
Save indigenous people.
Stand up for workers' rights.

Be kind to animals.
Stop factory farms.
Save 100 animals every year.

End deforestation for grazing.
Save an acre of trees.
End grazing on public lands.

Tell USDA 'Wildlife Services'
to stop killing wildlife for
corporate ranchers' profits.

Stop wars for resources.
Help end corporate rule.
Live your conscience.

Save our oceans.
Stop the #1 polluter of water.
Support a sustainable planet.

Think outside yourself.
Live compassionately.
Stop the violence.

LEARN!

Within these eco portals are key people and organizations that are working to heal Mother Earth.

Smithsonian Zoogoer archives

Download the Educator's Guide to Biodiversity and engage in dialogue about teaching youth about our wondrous Mother Earth.

The IUCN Red List is a key conservation tool. Download the pdf to learn more.

"The longer we wait, the more expensive it will be to prevent future extinctions," says Dr Jane Smart, Head of IUCN's Species Programme. "We now know what species are threatened, what the threats are and where we have no more excuses to watch from the sidelines."

Click here to read informative articles each month.

Latest Activity

Ninon CZ This weeks article: CA Seagull unbalancing the wetlands.
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I have not seen it but would like to see it. Does anyone know where can I see it beside the discovery channel?
November 15
Ashley Wetzel added a discussion to the group Ursa Freedom Project
When we think about the human crimes made against bears, we most certainly consider these human crimes to be ethical issues. However, are ethical concerns also conservation concerns? And where do we draw the line? Please, feel free to weigh in on ...
November 14
A video by Jeanette McDermott was featured
"Dirt! The Movie" is a new film about, well ... dirt. It tells the story of Earth's most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility, from its miraculous beginnings to its crippling degradation, and regeneration by people around the world.  ...
November 13
Jeanette McDermott added a video
"Dirt! The Movie" is a new film about, well ... dirt. It tells the story of Earth's most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility, from its miraculous beginnings to its crippling degradation, and regeneration by people around the world.  ...
November 13
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Michael Ki is now a member of Ecopaparazzi
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Siew Te Wong and Ashley Wetzel are now friends
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November 12
Ashley Wetzel "Among the earliest forms of human self-awareness was the awareness of being meat." - David Quammen - Can we stop hating predators now?
November 11
SPHP GLOBAL NETWORK Checking LINKAGES of SPHP GLOBAL NETWORK with other networks re GLOBAL ECOSYSTEM
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