On November 5th I will be presenting a short talk at the Love your Wildlife Festival in Cygnet, Tasmania on the subject ‘Animals are not the Icing on the Cake.’ Here’s a quick synopsis.
Love your Wildlife Festival
- Where: Supper Room, Cygnet Town Hall TAS
- When: Sunday November 5th, 10:00AM
If you happen to be a southern Tasmanian, I hope to see you there. For those who can make it, I will be available to sign books. Otherwise, the talk may be recorded, in which case I’ll add it below after the event.
Animals are not the Icing on the Cake
We have a tendency to regard animals as like the icing on the cake. That’s to say, either only pretty to look at or down right devils! Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Tasmanians are blessed to live among an abundance of native animals and this makes the island one of the luckiest places on Earth. Because restoring habitable ecosystemsHow ecosystems function An ecosystem is a community of lifeforms that interact in such an optimal way that how ecosystems function best, is when all components (including humans and other animals) can persist and live alongside each other for the longest time possible. Ecosystems are fuelled by the energy created by plants (primary producers) that convert the Sun's heat energy More isn’t about planting forests or fishing less, it’s about protecting the homes of wild animals, who literally build our life support, food, soil and water.
Wildlife is restoring dying economies
On mainland Australia where Eastern Barred Bandicoots are almost extinct, their reintroduction into farmland has led to restored soil organic layers and humidity, eradicated flooding, weeds and directly increasing agricultural profits. This has come about by allowing animals to live, thrive and survive. Plus, it happened in fewer than five years.
Restoring our climate is more wildlife-driven than we think
These remarkable stories of rapid restoration and recovery are repeated worldwide.
Climate is not simply a global problem. Floods, cloud-formation and rainfall are created from patterns of nearby animal activity. This stability and, therefore, resilienceReferring to an ecosystem’s ability to maintain a steady stable-state. The need to build resilience is entirely anthropocentric and symptomatic of ecosystems that are damaged or declining, leading to loss of ecosystem services on which humans depend. More, is a local phenomenon. Which is why everyone can play a role in rebuilding their own sustainable society. It’s also why the solutions are to empower communities to protect their own natural heritage by newfound respect for the conservationWhy is animal conservation important? Animal conservation is important, because animals are the only mechanism to create biodiversity, which is the mechanism that creates a habitable planet for humans. Without animals, the energy from today’s plants (algae, trees, flowers etc) will eventually reach the atmosphere and ocean, much of it as carbon. The quantity of this plant-based waste is so More of wildlife. It’s for all our sakes.
Tasmania, where animals will be our best hope
Tasmania is one of the few places on Earth that’s ideal to do this.
All it takes is a change in direction and an appreciation that animals are not the icing on the cake. They are, simply put, humanity’s best hope.
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ABOUT Wildlife in the Balance by Simon Mustoe, has been dubbed ‘perhaps the most important book of our time’ by Ian Redmond OBE and as a ‘captivating literary masterpiece’ by Salon Privé Magazine (UK). For the first time ever, it tells the story of why animals are humanity’s best hope.
BUY Wildlife in the Balance: available online as an eBook and Audibook, and as a paperback to order from all good bookstores worldwide. Or you can buy direct from Simon.
Travel with Simon: https://simonmustoe.blog/expedition-cruise-to-the-coral-triangle-trip-reports-raja-ampat/
