A unique, free online gardening resource to help people growing more flowers for bumblebees and other pollinating insects has been launched at the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show in the Peak District. 

The conservation charity’s upgraded, interactive ‘Bee kind’ web tool helps people across the UK choose the best plants for pollinators – including native ‘bee super plants’, such as apple trees, bugle, foxglove, lavender, and red clover.

Users can find out and score how bee-friendly their patch already is, and how to improve it for pollinators, with advice based on conditions in their own gardens.

Vital information

Users can also discover how to ensure bumblebees have a lifeline of food even in months when nectar-rich plants are in short supply. 

Gill Perkins, Bumblebee Conservation Trust CEO, said: “Bee kind provides people with vital information to make bee-friendly choices in their gardens and green spaces.

“With so much worry about insect declines, it’s useful to know there are simple, positive actions we can all take. If everyone planted just one bee-friendly plant we could make a huge difference to bumblebees and other insect pollinators.”

Bee kind is available at here and can be used by schools, businesses, councils and the public. It can also help local authorities deliver national and local pollinator strategies.

The tool includes a database of more than 650 plant species – never collected for pollinators in this way before – with many images generously provided by the Royal Horticultural Society and Floral Images. 

Citizen science

The charity’s experts spent a year upgrading Bee kind – including by reviewing the latest scientific evidence about the best plants for bees – with invaluable input from volunteers and Plantlife.

The tool will be updated as more data becomes available, including citizen science feedback from users.

The work was led by the Trust’s Senior Science and Policy Officer Darryl Cox, who said: “Redeveloping Bee kind has been a collaborative effort involving a lot of people, and the result is an exceptional educational resource that people across the country can use to help bumblebees and other pollinators survive and thrive.”

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust has created Bee kind for UK-wide use through the charity’s Pollinating the Peak project, supported by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Jonathan Platt, Head of the National Lottery Heritage Fund East Midlands, said: “I’m delighted we have been able to support Pollinating the Peak thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players.”

Nectar-rich habitats

Platt continued: “Bee kind is an important resource which will enable us all to turn our love for bumblebees into action – creating havens for bumblebees in our gardens and green spaces whatever their size.”

Pollinating the Peak is taking action for bumblebees in the Peak District and Derbyshire, including by encouraging people to use Bee kind to create more nectar-rich habitat in their gardens and communities.

Bumblebee populations have crashed and two species have become extinct in the UK during the last 80 years. For information about the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, visit the website.

This Article 

This article is based on a press release from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. 

Protesters from across Europe descended on the headquarters of the European Investment Bank (EIB) last week to demand an immediate end to the public bank’s financial support of fossil fuel projects around the world.

This was the first time that the EIB’s head office has ever been directly targeted in this way.

The action is taking place just one week before EU Finance Ministers – the EIB’s Board of Governors – will be holding meetings to review the bank’s energy lending policies.

Mounting pressure

Dozens of protesters representing at least twelve countries blocked the bank’s entrance. The Executive Director of the EIB was invited to join participants as they listened to the testimonies of representatives from communities around the world who are fighting against new fossil fuel projects funded by the EIB.

Participants used art, songs and chants to demand an immediate end to financial support for fossil fuel companies and projects.

The bank is facing mounting pressure to update their lending policies in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change as public awareness of the scale and urgency of the crisis continues to grow.

The Governors of the EIB are publicly elected finance ministers of EU member states and, as such, have a responsibility to act in accordance with national and international climate targets. Public pressure to ensure that they do this has increased considerably in recent months as a result of the school strikes and other climate movements that have been sweeping Europe.

A number of protests have targeted the financial sector in particular, highlighting the role of both public and private finance in propping up the fossil fuel industry and driving climate breakdown. More such actions are expected in the coming months.

Bold action

Camille, one of the protesters, said: “People across Europe are rising up to demand that our money will no longer be going to support the expansion of fossil fuel projects around the world. Communities are already feeling the impacts of climate breakdown.

“We need to change course – and fast – but despite this, money keeps flowing to new and existing fossil fuel projects.

“Young people across more than 165 countries are striking in numbers we have never seen before to demand bold action to keep fossil fuels in the ground and stop climate breakdown.

“We all need to take action that is commensurate to the threat. That means going after the fossil fuel industry, and its political and financial backers”.

This Author

Marianne Brooker is The Ecologist’s content editor. This article is based on a press release from 350.org.

Image: Forge Mind Archimedia, Flickr. 

The lung development of children could be stunted by the release of micro-plastics from car tyres, according to an investigation.

Toxic particles emitted from all vehicles including exhaust fumes, metallised rubber and brake dust, are contributing to poor air quality in cities, a study for Channel 4’s Dispatches discovered.

The findings came from an experiment conducted by the programme and scientists from King’s College London (KCL).

Unsafe air

Air pollution is linked to the early deaths of about 40,000 people a year in the UK and causes problems like heart and lung disease and asthma.

Professor Frank Kelly, of KCL, said: “We know that some of the components from brake wear, together with micro-plastics from tyres, will be irritating and causing reactions in the lung, which over time would not be good for our health. We have not known about this issue. This is a new finding.”

One in three children is breathing unsafe air and the modern car tyre is now around 50 percent plastic, according to the programme.

Die

The Dispatches study monitored 50 pupils at Lordship Lane Primary School in Haringey, north London, which found they were exposed to high levels of nitrogen dioxide, an inflammatory pollutant.

Measures including planting hedges around the school, fitting mesh on windows and installing an air-purifier in classrooms led to a drop in nitrogen dioxide exposure by around one-fifth, it said.

Around 9,000 Londoners die prematurely because of polluted air, according to the Mayor’s Office. The Dispatches programme: Britain’s Toxic Air Scandal, airs on Channel 4 at 8pm on Monday.

This Author

Thomas Hornall is a reporter for the Press Association. 

Climate change poses a significant threat to humanity, as a rise in sea levels would lead to an increased incidence and intensity of natural disasters, including floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, storms and drought.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines catastrophic climate change as a temperature increase of 1°C to 3°C above pre-industrial levels.

If the earth’s climate temperature increased by 2°C, subsequent floods would eliminate 280 million people, earthquakes would wipe out 17.6 million and drought/famine would result in 230.8 million fatalities, scientific studies have shown. 

Global heating

According to research conducted by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the climate has warmed at a rate of roughly 0.15-0.20°C per decade since 1975.

The IPCC estimates that global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C between 2030 and 2052, meaning the climate could reach 2°C as soon as 2055 – and that’s if warming takes place in a linear progression.

If the earth’s climate heated up to 44°C, catastrophic floods would wipe out the earth’s population due to melting glaciers causing sea levels to rise. If the world’s climate continues to warm at roughly 0.20°C per decade after hitting 2°C in 2055, this temperature would be reached in 2,136 years from today.

Bangladesh is the most likely location of origin for a catastrophic flood, having had 14 historic incidences of flooding since 2008.

Every so often a new speculation or conspiracy will go viral that claims that the end of the world is near. But how credible are these theories, and what is really the biggest threat to the global population?

Comprehensive guide

How Will the World End reveals how the world could really end by breaking down theoretical but conceivable infectious disease outbreaks, nuclear warfare, climate change induced natural disasters and asteroid impact events. 

The comprehensive guide curates and analyses official reports, historic incidences and pioneering scientific studies to predict the potential location of origin for each event, estimate the likely death toll and calculate the total number of days until the global population is eliminated.

But it’s not just gradual temperature increase that could result in catastrophic climate change. According to Senior Meteorological Consultant Jim N R Dale, an asteroid impact could intensify global warming to a cataclysmic level.

He said: “An asteroid impact that was not immediately catastrophic is likely to increase the likelihood of climate change – more likely towards significant cooling.

“This would be due to the amount of gasses/debris released from the impact and subsequent masking of the sun’s light/heat, rather like history shows r.e. major volcanic activity.”

Catastrophic risk 

Alongside natural disasters, the world faces several other significant threats. These include infectious disease outbreaks, nuclear warfare and asteroid impact.

The 2018 Global Catastrophic Risks report suggests that mass destruction poses a larger threat today than it has for many years.

The comprehensive guide is released in the run up to World Environment Day. Hosted by China, the annual event seeks to encourage worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment, with this year’s focus on reducing air pollution.

This Article 

This article is based on a press release from Blue Claw PR. To find out how the world could end, visit the website. 

Downing Street has defended the need for ambitious action to tackle climate change after warnings from the Treasury that cutting the UK’s greenhouse gas emission to zero by 2050 will cost £1 trillion.

Theresa May has come under pressure from scientists, experts, health professionals and environmental groups to set a target to reduce the UK’s emissions to net zero by 2050 before she steps down as Prime Minister.

But a leaked letter from chancellor Philip Hammond put the total cost of moving to a zero-carbon economy at “well in excess of £1 trillion”, and said it will have profound implications for households, businesses and the exchequer.

Trees

Number 10 would not comment directly on the leaked letter but insisted it was the “right thing to do to protect our planet” and it would be wrong to frame the costs as a “trade-off for public spending”.

Calls to set a target came after a report from the Government’s advisory Committee on Climate Change (CCC), which recommended putting a new goal into law to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by 2050.

The committee said the goal could be achieved at the same cost as the existing legal target to cut climate pollution by 80% by mid-century, and would deliver economic opportunities.

Under a net-zero target, emissions would have to be largely eliminated from electricity generation, transport and heating, with a switch to renewables, electric vehicles and an end to traditional gas-fired boilers for heating homes.

Any remaining pollution by 2050 from areas such as agriculture and flying will need to be offset through measures to capture carbon, such as planting trees.

Civilisation

In a letter to the Prime Minister leaked to the Financial Times, Mr Hammond set out the cost of the shift.

While he backed setting a net-zero target as soon as possible in the letter, Mr Hammond warned the UK is off track on meeting interim “carbon budgets” to cut emissions, and a new target will require ambitious policies in this parliament.

This will require increased Government spending, reducing money available for other areas, and a review should be undertaken before a new legal target is set, according to the leaked letter.

Doug Parr, chief scientist for Greenpeace UK, accused the Treasury of “putting their ideology before our well-being” and failing to include the benefits of a switch to a net-zero economy.

He said: “If you want to know whether a policy is a good idea, you include the benefits as well as the costs, and in this case the benefits include an economy fit for the 21st century, cleaner air, warmer homes and maximising the chances of civilisation surviving.”

Net zero

Tanya Steele, chief executive of conservation charity WWF, said: “If we are to leave a viable planet for future generations, the Prime Minister must urgently commit to a net-zero future – a legacy to be proud of.

“The investments this requires will not only give future generations security, but in the process create jobs from new, clean industries.

“What’s more, this investment will cost less than dealing with a climate breakdown – the reality if we fail to act.”

A Number 10 spokeswoman said: “We obviously commissioned the committee to look into the target because we recognise the need to go even further than the 80% we committed to back in 2008. We are looking at that.

“Our position, as a world leader in tackling climate change, is that this is the right thing to do and it’s a question of ‘when and not if’ we get to net zero.

Emissions

“I’m not getting into the contents of the letter, but broadly there are a lot of figures out there on this issue that don’t factor in the benefits or consider the costs of not doing this.

“The costs relating to meeting this target are whole-of-economy costs, not a fiscal cost. So it’s not really right to frame it as a trade-off for public spending.”

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said: “The Tory party is way overdue in adopting a target already put forward by Labour, and now the chancellor is creating obstacles to prevent the action we desperately need to take.”

The Treasury said it would not comment on leaks, but it is understood the chancellor is not blocking a move to net-zero emissions.

This Author

Emily Beament is the environment correspondent for the Press Association.

A wind farm based on the outskirts of Glasgow has been hailed as a “national success story” – a decade on from its official opening.

Whitelee wind farm, the largest onshore wind project in the UK, had been set up to significantly boost the number of homes in Scotland powered by renewable energy.

It began generating electricity in January 2008 and was officially connected to the National Grid a year later, in May 2009.

Flights

On Friday, a report was published into the economic, environmental and social benefits of the wind farm.

The report notes that the wind farm has generated enough clean, green energy to provide almost 90% of total annual household electricity consumed by Scottish households and businesses.

It also highlighted that the wind farm is expected to provide a boost to the UK economy of more than £1 billion, with over £790 million in Scotland.

The wind farm is also found to have supported more than 4,000 jobs during its peak years of construction while sustaining around 600 jobs each year through its operation and maintenance.

Enough C02 is also saved by the wind farm, the report notes, that it is the equivalent of offsetting two days worth of domestic flights to and from Gatwick Airport.

Political will

The Scottish Government has declared a climate emergency and has set out targets for the country to be net zero by 2045. It is set five years ahead of the UK Government’s target of net zero by 2050.

Lindsay McQuade, of ScottishPower Renewables (which owns and operates the wind farm along with almost 40 others around the UK), said efforts to achieve Scotland’s environmental targets can be achieved through working with industry and are underpinned through legislation.

“We know that renewable energy generation needs to quadruple if we are to deliver on net zero,” said Ms McQuade

“We also know that onshore wind is the cheapest form of green energy and therefore should be part of Scotland, and the UK’s, low carbon, cost-effective electricity system.

“If we are to meet the target of net zero by 2050, our ambition has to be backed by political will and underpinned by legislation.

Decarbonise

“Since the passing of the Climate Change Act in 2008, a number of progressive policy measures have been put in place that has enabled Scotland to become coal-free.

“Working with industry and government, the same approach is now needed to ensure we can continue to invest in much-needed renewable generation and thereby achieve this objective, and support action to tackle the climate emergency facing us.”

Ms McQuade added: “Whitelee is a great example of what effective policy can deliver. It’s a national success story.

“Every year it produces the equivalent clean energy to power each and every electric vehicle currently in the UK, preventing over five million tonnes of carbon emissions had this energy come from fossil fuels.

“The decarbonisation of our economy, transport and heating systems can all be achieved through existing technology, but that has to include onshore wind if we are to decarbonise by 2050.”

This Author

Lewis McKenzie is a reporter with the Press Association Scotland.

Tory ministers have agreed to “carry forward” past “overperformance” in greenhouse gas emissions reductions so that they can pump more carbon into the atmosphere in future years. 

The government is treating climate change like some sort of game in which greenhouse gas emissions are shuffled around between different time frames, rather than treated as contributing factors in a national and international emergency.

The use of past ‘successes’ in reducing emissions to relax the agreed limits up to 2027 has met with condemnation by the Committee on Climate Change.

Climate plans

The message from this government is clear: maximise carbon emissions within an agreed carbon budget rather than minimise them.

The UK government can’t claim to be leaders in the field when it comes to tackling climate change. A recent analysis by the European Climate Foundation (ECF) – which looks at EU member states’ National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) – places the UK as 21st out of 28 EU members.

The ECF points to the UK lack of clear targets for emissions, renewable energy and energy efficiency, and a failure to specify when fossil fuel subsidies will be phased out. 

NECPs are a requirement by all EU Member States under EU Governance Regulation. These plans are an opportunity for European countries to plot the transition to a zero-carbon society and to communicate the economic and social benefits which will come with such a transition.

The fact that the UK is near the bottom of the pile suggests that the government no longer cares because they believe that EU regulation will soon no longer apply to the UK. The danger posed to our climate and to efforts to tackle the climate emergency by leaving the EU is clear. 

Carbon budget

The ECF report concludes that even top-ranked countries such as Spain, France, Greece and Sweden do not have fully formed maps that offer a climate secure future or live up to the spirit of the Paris Agreement.

The UK lagging at 21st position is a terrible indictment. Certainly, given the UK’s low ranking on its energy and climate plans, the government has no case to increase its carbon budget in future years. 

The ECF urges that 2030 climate targets must “reflect the Paris-compatible objective of at least net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050”. 

The Green Party believes that we must aim higher as we face a climate emergency. The policies our seven UK Green MEPs will push for will aim to ensure we can achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

To realise this, 100 percent of our energy generation must come from renewables; we must insulate millions of homes – which will also help stamp out fuel poverty; we must end the use of coal across Europe and make it illegal to subsidise fossil fuels. We must also agree EU wide carbon budgets and a carbon tax.

Future generations

In addition, we need to stop future airport expansion and end the tax advantages currently enjoyed by the aviation industry.

We believe a frequent flyer levy could raise funds to invest extensively in regional and cross-border railway networks and make travel by train more appealing than flying.

Finally, and fundamentally, in order to reap the benefits of the dramatic changes required in the way we live, work and travel we need to introduce a Green New Deal.

This economic package would bring an end to austerity and support the transition to a carbon-neutral circular economy with high skilled, well-paid jobs across the UK and Europe. 

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg said of the European elections that you vote for the future living conditions of humankind. As Greens we pledge not to fiddle, tweak or shuffle around on climate change but to push for the bold policies that will safeguard the planet for future generations.    

This Author 

Molly Scott Cato is a Green MEP for the South West of England. 

TWELVE EATERY arrived on Bournemouth’s dining scene in November 2018 and has been busy making headlines ever since.

The organic plant-based restaurant and the UK’s first 100 percent organic bar to make cocktails with fresh cold-pressed juice is the creation of co-founders Dalton Mello and Greg Rush. 

Located in The Triangle, an area known for its independent businesses and vibrant nightlife: “Think Shoreditch 10 years ago,” says Mello. TWELVE EATERY is the first vegan restaurant to claim the number one spot for restaurants in Bournemouth on TripAdvisor.

Innovative food 

TWELVE shouts organic and sustainability with pride. The moment you step over the threshold, you enter a magical and colourful world filled with delicious, innovative food and cocktails.

What was once a chicken shop has been completely transformed into a stylish haven offer plant-based meals for vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, flexitarians, omnivores and meat eaters alike.

Mello and Rush ditched their London lives and invested two years producing this completely vegan and cruelty-free project. From the Farrow & Ball eco-friendly paint to the luxury vegan leather seating, the gold cutlery and the compostable serviettes, no detail has been overlooked.

The original Victorian brick wall adds character to the dining area while a modern edge is delivered by London architect Massimo Buster Minale with pendant lighting and ironmongery.

The reclaimed Victorian parquet is highlighted by the natural lights in the ceiling of the dining area, ideal for those who enjoy having lunch in the sun.

Single-use plastics 

The dynamic duo spent years at the height of London’s hospitality scene working for Caprice Holdings (AKA Balthazar, The Ivy, Sexy Fish), Gaucho Restaurants, and Burger & Lobster Group among others. Turning vegan four years ago, the pair now have ambitions for TWELVE to become the UK’s first plant-based restaurant group.

They said: “Ditching meat and dairy from our lives and careers was the best single choice we ever made.” 

Proving already to be a breath of fresh air in the hospitality world, Mello and Rush have ensured that TWELVE is a single-use plastic free establishment with a goal to become an entirely zero-waste restaurant in the coming years.

The eatery is also in the process of setting up an allotment where they will grow produce from their own food compost.

Locally sourced

The TWELVE EATERY menu is based on classic dishes from around the world made only with the finest and freshest ingredients. Head Chef, Vitaly Zhukovsky, has a strong passion for nutritious plant-based food.

Zhukovsky’s previous career in London saw him working alongside top chefs such as Dominic Teague and Gordon Ramsay: “We are passionately committed to offering British produce, no frozen food or microwaves; just fresh organic food sourced as locally as possible.”

“Every dish at TWELVE is nutritionally developed and created to include the average daily recommended amount of B12 – hence ‘TWELVE’ – as this is the vitamin that vegans are most likely to be deficient in. Our organic B-TWELVE Burger is a prime example of that.”

Since working at TWELVE, Zhukovsky has discovered the best organic fruit and vegetable producers and farmers in the region. Products such as Isle of Wight Tomatoes, Dorset Sea Salt Company, and Sopley asparagus are some of seasonal regulars on TWELVE’s menu. 

Careful planning 

But TWELVE isn’t just an eatery, it’s also a bar. All the cocktails are 100 percent organic, made with fresh cold-pressed juice and fair-trade blue agave.

TWELVE’s organic wine list offers a range of biodynamic and low sulphur wines and champagnes as well as raw wines and wines with no added sulphur.

The selection of organic beers and ales includes gluten free beers made with quinoa. The bar is also stocked with a full range of organic spirits and liqueurs along with premium strength CBD oil which is used in TWELVE’s signature creations; the CBD Espresso Martini and the CDP Pear Aquafaba Sour.

Also open for breakfast and lunch, Mello and Rush have catered for every meal and carefully sourced an organic coffee specially roasted to achieve the perfect balance required for plant-based milks: “The incredible coffee plantation in Indonesia overlooks the shores of Lake Toba which is the largest volcanic lake in the world.

“The rich and fertile volcanic soil combined with the tropical climate gives the most amazing notes of tamarind and fudge with a silky spice finish.”

The years of careful planning, diligent research and tireless sourcing have paid off. Mello and Rush have created something very special which is evident from the moment you enter; their enthusiasm is infectious and vegan or not, TWELVE’s stylish ethos is undeniable.

This Article 

This article is based on copy provided by TWELVE eatery.  

There is the increasing urgency for innovation across the agricultural sector. If successful, this will not only address food security issues and climate change, but will enable the increase of food availability across the globe. 

The need for innovating comes at a time when major obstacles – including climate change, land degradation and loss of agricultural land, due to the expansion of cities – are already making it difficult to maintain our current food production, particularly with the threat of an agricultural crisis very much a reality across the globe.

Crippling costs, poor weather conditions and disease outbreaks have hit landscapes, farmers and businesses hard over the years and the potential impacts can be tenfold. These issues are not only prevalent in the world’s more vulnerable regions, but also in the most developed nations. 

Improving practice 

The UK has recently suffered from record high temperatures, and is also in the midst of an uncertain trading future as Brexit looms. In Africa, where water conservation issues, malnutrition and hunger are still pertinent, climate change is one of the principal causes.

The agricultural industry is a volatile one, from either ends of the globe. We are continuing to experience the struggle to meet the growing demands of the consumer, to combat the fluctuation in supply, the instability of markets and the lack of investment in the agriculture industry in many nations.

Today, countries across the globe have achieved industrial and technological revolution, with achievements and decisions being made based on data driven insights. Open Data has developed alongside these technological advancements, but has rarely been considered in its potential to tackle food issues such as food insecurity.

Not only can Open Data allow the wider access to historical and usable data that would enable farmers to develop their farming and production practices for the better, but also its efficiency in monitoring water supplies, anticipating changes in the weather and also sharing crucial information across country borders so that nations can learn best practices from each other and prosper.

Through the use of satellite data, remote sensing and mapping, farmers, businesses and consumers in the agricultural industry can harness the most relevant and useful information to improve and adapt practices, make better decisions and ensure sustainability.

Increasing access

Increasing access to a wider net of data will trigger innovations and will bring both agriculture and nutrition to the next, higher level of impact, improving efficiency, yields, competitiveness, tackle issues related to climate change and ultimately increasing food security across the world. 

For example, in Africa, initiatives like the Ghana-based organisation, Esoko, illustrate the benefits of Open Data access through mobile technology. The organisation allows farmers and their buyers to access data collected on a national scale through shared feedback. This data consists of anything from pricing of products, to market data, in order to encourage fairer pricing.

Through this initiative, the technology solution TradeNet was born. The solution collects data obtained through existing channels, such as weather data channels, along with other basic technology, and alert customers and farmers with relevant and daily updates through SMS.

Those using the technology can both collect and input data, such as the selling price of basic commodities and the prices of seeds and fertilizers. Thus, the farmers can determine their input costs, increasing their selling profit by utilizing the information made available to them.

This self-sustainable model, combining data from farmers, customers, markets, dealers and phone companies on an open system, allowed the cross-fertilization of relevant and useful industry data to benefit the livelihoods of thousands in not only the immediate community, but to the wider nation. To date, over 350,000 people have joined the Esoko platform in over 10 countries in Africa and it is still growing. 

Collaboration and accountability

With increased Open Data access, the potential to combat not only agricultural issues, but also increase food security and enable innovations to tackle climate change will rise significantly. This would include the increased access to data relating to tracked temperate changes, real-time biodiversity logging, deforestation mapping and also logging fluctuations in ocean levels across the globe.

Having access to such relevant data will allow for innovation, collaboration and create a sense of accountability through hard hitting statistics, will accelerate the progress in tackling such issues. 

There is still a long way to go before Open Data access is globally accepted and utilised. The drive and determination for it to be a success needs to be welcomed by respective governments and organisations across the globe and pushed to the top of the agenda. 

A good start would be the establishment of smart open data policies through cross-collaboration between all relevant bodies, whether in public/ private sector organisations or government to share relevant information for implementation and planning.

This open-access environment will enable farmers and food producers to make more informed decisions and help ensure smart practices in food production. With improved Open Data access, farmers will be at a position to access vital information such as historic weather patterns, soil information and food consumption data to maximize crop production and improve the livelihoods of thousands.

Developing economies

Much like a smart investment banker, a farmer can also be better equipped and prepared to handle risk – by pricing in factors such as drought or floods – and subsequently adjust his farming cycle.

With the correct approach and implementation methods in place, Open Data can have a high economic and social return on investment for countries all over the globe and in all stages of development.

Areas in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe have already demonstrated how increased access to data can help develop economies and farming practices, taking significant strides towards achieving sustainability and taking one step solving the hunger crisis. 

This Author

André Laperrière joined the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) initiative as its first executive director, in September 2015. During his career, Mr. Laperrière has led/managed numerous projects on behalf of large Private Corporations and subsequently, within the United Nations and the World Bank.

The conservation group Conservation Force is funded by hunting interests and has gained access to CITES meetings, sat on key IUCN committees, and influenced a number of major decisions affecting threatened wildlife.

Lawyers acting for Conservation Force have successfully challenged a ban on elephant trophy imports from southern African countries, and helped defeat an international proposal against lion hunting.

The group is currently opposing moves to protect endangered giraffes. It has previously lobbied for polar bear trophies to be allowed, and defends the continued hunting of leopards and a rare species of zebra.

‘Satisfying’ hunt

In the wake of the killing of Cecil the lion, Conservation Force sued Delta Airways for refusing to carry hunting trophies. It also sued the state of New Jersey for refusing to allow hunting trophies to come in through its ports.

Conservation Force is led by John Jackson, a former President of Safari Club International – the world’s biggest hunting lobby group – who has himself been on dozens of ‘big game’ hunts.

The Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting has unearthed interviews in which Jackson says killing elephants is “the most intimate, real relationship one can have with elephant. Nothing else in life is more satisfying than an elephant hunt”.

Jackson has also described shooting lions: “I can plainly see the African lion that has leaped into the air the moment its head snaps backward and explodes with smoke from my bullet.”

Deregulating conservation 

Eduardo Gonçalves, founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, said: “Hunting lobbyists are presenting themselves as conservationists. It is part of a concerted effort by the industry to peddle the lie that shooting animals for ‘sport’ is ‘conservation’.

“Conservation Force lobbies and litigates to block, strip and reduce protections for animals that hunters like to shoot. It has filed over a dozen legal challenges to conservation laws, and is demanding that the status of vulnerable wildlife be downgraded to make it easier for hunters to kill them and bring the trophies home.

“It wants to deregulate conservation and liberalise laws that protect wildlife. It wants the number of animals that can be hunted, and the places they can be hunted, to increase. To do this it promotes the supposed ‘conservation benefits’ of trophy hunting of lions, leopards, zebras, and rhinos.

“Conservation Force’s board includes leading trophy hunters. Their sponsors are firms connected with the trophy hunting industry. Their donors include hunting groups whose interests Conservation Force has promoted at CITES meetings.

“The group’s leader, John Jackson, has been on dozens of big game hunts, shot multiple elephants, and has a personal trophy room filled with stuffed zebras, giraffes, bears, and cougars.”

Extinction emergency 

Gonçalves continued: “He has travelled the world giving talks to pro-hunting audiences on how to build ‘public acceptance’ for ‘sustainable use of wildlife’.

“Conservation Force’s agenda has nothing to do with conservation. In the era of supposed ‘fake news’, Conservation Force is the ultimate Orwellian misnomer. It’s mission is to defend hunters’ so-called “rights”.

“Institutions and individuals who have succumbed to its charms need to wake up. There are serious questions to be answered by CITES and IUCN about how trophy hunting interests have been allowed to work their way into the heart of decision-making processes affecting vulnerable wildlife. Organisations like Conservation Force should be barred, not feted.

“We’re facing a global extinction emergency with up to a million species under threat. They include some of the hunting world’s favourite targets. Thanks to the industry’s lobbying efforts – and the naivety of officials at CITES and IUCN – a cruel colonial pastime has successfully persisted to the present day and is compounding the crisis facing endangered animals.

“If trophy hunters really are interested in conservation, they should forfeit the huge amounts of money they pay to go on luxury hunting Safaris to kill animals for entertainment and instead donate that money directly to genuine conservation work”.

Critically endangered 

The Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting has published figures showing that CITES has permitted international trade in trophies of tigers, black rhinos and animals that have gone extinct in the wild such as the scimitar-horned oryx and the Arabian oryx, which was wiped out by hunters in 1972. British trophy hunters are among those who have shot these endangered animals for trophies.

It is prohibited under CITES to trade ‘Appendix I’ listed species unless there are exceptional circumstances. However these restrictions do not apply to trophy hunters as trophy hunting is considered by CITES to be a non-commercial ‘sport’ and is therefore exempted.

There has been a surge in popularity in trophy hunting of some critically endangered species. Records of black rhino hunting trophies show 11 were taken in the 1980s, two in the 1990s, 26 in the 2000s, and 81 from 2010 to 2017.

Black rhino trophies included feet, bodies, skins and genitalia, as well as horns. British trophy hunters were among those to have hunted black rhino.

Hunting

Despite tigers’ status as one of the most endangered mammals on earth, CITES records show tiger trophies being traded with CITES’ permission as recently as 2016. At least two of the tigers shot for sport had been bred in captivity in South Africa.

The IUCN responded in a statement: “Trophy hunting is badly run in some sites by some unscrupulous individuals and has caused problems, and this poor practice requires urgent action and reform, but trying to ‘demonise’ hunting diverts much needed attention from real conservation problems.”​​​​​​

“Conservation Force has not ‘worked its way into the heart of decision-making processes’ in IUCN. Conservation Force is one of more than 1,000 IUCN members and does not have disproportionately any more influence than other organisations – a number of prominent animal welfare organisations are also members of IUCN.”

A spokesperson for Conservation Force provided the following statement: “Most of this article is a shotgun attack against Conservation Force. Of course, the force is a conservation organisation. It is a registered public charitable foundation with published wildlife, habitat and associated rural community missions and purposes.

“The second negative insinuation is that Conservation Force is somehow not up front about it’s connection with hunting. To the contrary, we are proud hunters and broadcast the fact. Regulated hunting is the force for conservation underlying the name Conservation Force.”

This Article 

This article is based on a press release from the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting.