The Role of Imaging and Audio Science in Conservation
David Attenborough’s ‘Wonder of Song’ documentary focuses on the study of the evolution of bird song. However he discusses the very first recordings of Humpback calls (manipulated to x2 speed they sound a bit like birdsong) and he highlighted that at the time of these new underwater recording, humans were killing whales in their thousands and had been for centuries, almost to the brink of extinction. When the beautiful and sorrowful recordings of Humpbacks were shared with humanity in the 1960s, we heard their song and there was a sudden shift in attitude, a shift towards stopping whaling fleets, and new organisations began campaigning to end whaling. Perhaps even Paul Watson was affected and motivated by the sounds of humpacks in the first years of his campaigning?
With those first recordings, we heard humpback whales and connected with them, and felt empathy and an affinity with them. We wanted to protect them.
As we use technology to learn about nature, including using imaging and audio techniques in particular, we are able to connect to and relate to nature in a way many of us had clearly failed to do beforehand. Think about coronavirus – you know what it looks like and can therefore get a sense of scale and understanding of it because a scientist imaged it using SEM, and then digital artists expanded on those images. See here:
Humans are visual animals. Art and photography have enabled us to connect with nature in exactly the same way. I will defend the sciences of imaging and audio science because this is how much it can make a difference to the natural world, along with hugely advancing diagnoses and treatments, and scientific understanding in general. Attenborough’s films themselves are a testament to that. Wildlife photography and film is a testament to that. Imaging technology is fundamental to learning and science, and it seems also instrumental to convincing us visual humans to preserve the natural world.
Additionally, watch the documentary as it was very good!
How maverick rewilders are trying to turn back the tide of extinction | Conservation | The Guardian
I think the whole conversation around rewilding is evolving all the time. There is a purist stance of leaving nature alone to regenerate with no input; there’s the stewardship approach which promotes jobs in conversation and a whole blossoming industry of Rewilding; there’s a previously ignored stance which says humans have existed within these degraded environments and habitats for centuries and should be taken into account in all rewilding plans, all of which are primarily science-led. Then there’s these guys, and they’re the direct action types who I love.
Conservation has been chasing its tail for four decades listening to science and having discussions, getting grants and funding but not necessarily achieving much. These people take matters into their own hands. I think the scientific community often aren’t on board because they’re concerned there hasn’t been enough research into the impacts of specific species reintroductions but how long do we talk about it, consult on it and agonise over it rather than actually doing it?
Plenty of species can be reintroduced without any negative effects and instead entirety positive ones. Funding and government approval is usually the limiting factor. If educated, well-informed and experienced individuals take conservation matters into their own hands in an intelligent way, why should that be an issue? More discussion is needed.
It’s time Scotland took on landed interests over animal protections
Mountain hares winning protected species in Scotland was an amazing achievement for Alison Johnstone and the Greens in Scotland. At least 26,000 mountain hares are killed per year, a number which is most likely to be an under-estimate. The backlash from estates was intense. It always is. They do not appear to like their behaviours exposed to the public.
Week after week we hear of raptors (often protected species) killed on estates in Scotland and the rest of the UK, in particular Yorkshire and Derbyshire. This article outlines the need to push harder against large estates and the power they wield in Parliament. Too many estates persecute native wildlife and have done for centuries, usually for the benefit of non-native birds which will be shot (a sport paid for and often subsidised) and agricultural animals. I believe it is also about power and greed.
Land owners have a responsibility to stop and change this outdated approach. We can’t let the systematic destruction of our wildlife on these estates slide any longer. It’s insidious and pervasive, and needs to be stopped.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/18542803.time-scotland-took-landed-interests-animal-protections/
Extinction Rebellion: Extremism?
This is (I presume) a screenshot taken of new (now redacted) police guidelines relating to government-led advice on handling the organisation Extinction Rebellion.
To clarify, Extinction Rebellion state:
“Extinction Rebellion is an international movement that uses non-violent civil disobedience in an attempt to halt mass extinction and minimise the risk of social collapse.”
The government and police force have effectively implied that ER are a terrorist organisation. ER’s response can be found here. https://rebellion.earth/2020/01/10/how-dare-they-extinction-rebellion-responds-to-terrorism-slur-by-police/
If protesting loudly against the destruction of our planet and all living things on it, including ultimately ourselves, is somehow seen as extremism, then you know the system itself is ruled by insane oligarchs and fascists who wish to strictly control the narratives and push us further into capitalist and consumer-led environmental destruction and death. This is an attempt to silence and destroy rightful dissent against a broken system. We are not extremists; we are humans who are wide awake to the insanity of the world we currently live in and who desperately want to stop the destruction and ecological collapse happening all around us right now.
This Was The Decade Climate Scientists Stopped Being Polite | Gizmodo Australia
Scientists’ ‘politeness’ went on for far too long. If you know a truth – one that will change the world if rampant consumerism and greed continue unchecked – you do something about it, especially if you’re backed by science and academia. The people I can’t forgive are past politicians and some scientists who said little and did nothing while knowing our natural world was doomed. This applies to consumerism and capitalism, deforestation, predator persecution, climate, whaling and overfishing and more. Where were they? For 30 years from childhood I looked around and saw chaos coming and no one in power doing anything about it. Only charities like FoE, Greenpeace (back in the day) and WDC were speaking out. Too late now I fear. Humans are our own worst enemies. Too few listening to science, logic and fact, and the rest too easily swayed by rhetoric, propaganda, brainwashing and greed.
https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/01/this-was-the-decade-climate-scientists-stopped-being-polite/
Peer reviewed study shows non-lethal deterrents effectively protect livestock from wolf predation
The science is there. Will governments and hunters pay any attention to it?
Dolphins escape from Taiji facility in Japan – BBC News
It’s so tragic that these animals are so traumatised and conditioned to rely on handouts for resources that they gain their freedom after someone cut the nets and they don’t know what to do with it. Awful breaking of a wild animal’s autonomous, free spirit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38515187
The Toll of Dolphins Under Siege in Taiji | The Huffington Post
Thanks to Huff Post for sharing the plight of Taiji dolphins with its readers. It’s actually six months of every year that the Japanese fishermen commit these heinous crimes against nature and allow greed and ignorance to rule the town of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture. Half of every year they slaughter dolphins. It should be absolutely illegal to do what they do but instead they get rich from selling those they spare from the butcher’s knife to marine amusement parks around the world.
Don’t visit dolphin shows. Your ticket funds this massacre in Japan every year. Supply and demand; stop demanding dolphins entertain us, they’ll stop taking them for captivity and killing the rest.
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_586d520be4b068764965c601?timestamp=1483650102083
Wolf trapping – A diary of moving from East London to Montana
A fascinating read. I will never, ever understand hunters of any kind. Their logic and ethics are utterly skewed.
“But I learn that Jim Posewitz is that uniquely Western American who has made it his life’s work to improve ‘the image of hunting with an emphasis on fair chase ethics’ and has focused ‘on putting hunters at the forefront of our nation’s conservation ethic.’ He’s exactly the sort of person I find impossible to understand. Is it just semantics? When he talks of conservation, does he mean the conservation of a way of life based on when the trapper ruled and the West was won by guys who slept under the stars dreaming of the dead wolves at their feet the next morning? As Rick Bass says about hunters in his book The Ninemile Wolves, ‘there’s nothing harder to stereotype than a “hunter”.’ I would add that this is also true of trappers: they claim to love the wilderness, they call themselves sportsmen, outdoorsmen, and yet they are happy inflicting pain on animals in return for the price of their fur. Most hunters eat their prey, whereas trappers do it for money.”
Dragon Mother 
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