Members in Africa

[greycloud]

Wondering what your feelings are on this:http://www.savetheserengeti.org/

 

[bogo1]

Hi,
I don't live your way, but am in and out of northern Kenya right "next door" quite a bit for work. There is a tension between needing to develop industry vs. need to preserve and protect. Sometimes these are seemingly impossible contradictions. In this case, though, there is an alternative solution that will have less negative impact and more potential to be a success for both opening up the region and protecting the animals and people who already live on it. I hope reason prevails. The Chinese government is pushing for the shortest, easiest route and that will be hard to counter.

 

[Spiritbird]

I watched a 60 min.segment on TV where it was shown how the Mara river is drying up and the annual migration will be effected. The river is drying up because at he head of the river tribes have planted crops and taken down trees in order to live there. The government has tried to get the peope off the land so much that they burn down the villages and the tribes will still not leave. Seems to be many conflicts between the people needing to survive and the land and animals needing to survive. I do not think this is what GC's link was about but it is all part of the big picuture. While I do not live in Africa my heart has been there for many lifetimes.

 

[triordan]

spiritbird i watched the same show just a few days ago, i believe it was on pbs?
i was very sad afterwards~

 

[wildheart]

It is just like the 6 planned hotels that are going to be build in Kruger National Park to raise more money because the government do not want to fund our National Parks any more. Kruger Park is already overcrowded and this will mean the end.

Interdesign Landscape Architects

Animals always come last. In my opinion the only way to safe earth is by placing restrictions on humans - 2 kids and nothing more. This can turn into a very long debate, but no matter what - animals are always on the loosing end.

 

[HRH Di]

Animals always come last. In my opinion the only way to safe earth is by placing restrictions on humans - 2 kids and nothing more. This can turn into a very long debate, but no matter what - animals are always on the loosing end.

I agree completely. It's a very difficult debate. Procration is a basic instinct in all life so the thought of limiting it is counter to what we're evolved to do. But as "highly" evolved beings, we can make these decisions for the greater good - see birth control. However, tradition and religion can get in the way - see the Catholic church vs. birth control and the Chinese 1 child law. The faithful Catholics are forbidden from limiting the size of thier family even if they can't afford to support them and Chinese baby girls are being abandoned on buses and in fields because tradition favors boys.

I saw a documentary on the plight of Chinese baby girls and there is a significant gender imbalance in China. The current little boys aren't going to have any girls to marry or have children with because families don't want their girls.

I'm not attacking the faithful or traditional people, they're doing what they feel is right. But there has to be a way to fix this, right?

But we're getting away from the actual topic of the thread. The indiginous people of these regions usually know how to live in harmony with their environment. Its everyone else who mess things up. They have significant negative impact on the environment when they're pushed into corners or industrialization "up stream" increases their impact.

Animals are on the endangered list for 2 reasons: loss of habitat due to pillaging of the land or the animal has something we want - like ivory, soft fur, etc.

All this is my opnion only...I'm in no way an expert on any of this.