A COVID-19 appeal -The Species Distancing Campaign
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| Organization | Applied Environmental Research Foundation(AERF) |
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| Region | India |
| Website | N/A |
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| ProjectLeader | Suchitra Naidu |
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Social distancing amidst COVID-19 is only an afterthought within a purely symptomatic treatment plan-and a desperate step that goes against our very nature of being social animals. What we need is inter-species distance rather than being away from our own kind, using ready natural buffers - OUR FORESTS. Help us save at least 150 acres of vulnerable forests in the Western Ghats,India (a global biodiversity hotspot) in order to create safe ecosystems for all us species! LIVE & LET LIVE TO LIVE
Challenge
There are almost 8.7 billion species on Earth. But the 'earth overshoot day' is occurring earlier each year and we are currently in the need of 1.75 Earths to satisfy the demand of 1 of 8.7 billion species. For this, we plunder into resources that are not meant for us, ravage eco-systems where we do not dwell, kill species who have done us no harm AND interact with species who may expose us to fatal viruses! Covid-19 is simply ONE of the many mirrors looking back if we don't correct our ways...
Long-Term Impact
Species conservation in isolation will never work unless the habitats are safeguarded. In 25 yrs, we have safeguarded more than 7500 acre and have regenerated more than 800 acres of private forests in the Western Ghats-one of the global biodiversity hotspots. The forests have always been extremely important as providers of essential ecosystem services that our lives depend on. COVID-19 has shown us that we need to save them to avert future disasters even as we recover from the current one.
References
- http://www.aerfindia.org
- https://www.overshootday.org/
- http://www.fao.org/3/ca8642en/online/ca8642en.html#chapter-4_0
- https://www.nature.com/articles/news.2011.498#:~:text=Most%20precise%20estimate%20yet%20suggests,80%25%20of%20species%20still%20undiscovered.&text=There%20are%208.7%20million%20eukaryotic,give%20or%20take%201.3%20million.
Additional Documentation
https://www.globalgiving.org//pfil/47572/projdoc.pdf
Project Gallery
Look who showed up!
Drawing fire lines to safeguard the saplings
