“To restore stability to our planet, we must restore its biodiversity, the very thing that we’ve removed. It’s the only way out of this crisis we’ve created – we must rewild the world.’ – David Attenborough
The broad C’s of rewilding – Cores, Corridors and Carnivores – largely encapsulate the conservation rationale behind most large scale rewilding endeavours whose grander aim is to increase biodiversity, reverse extinction trends in several species, and revive ecological machinery to mitigate climate change. This includes identifying and demarcating a large core (inviolate of humans) region in need of ecological restoration and allowing regeneration of degraded and imbalanced ecosystems. For smooth movement of animals such as wide ranging large carnivores and genetic flow between animal populations, ensuring healthy connectivity between such core areas and other wilderness areas is crucial. Wildlife corridors connecting two or more cores need to be restored with the help of local communities, preserved, and protected. Carnivores represent the apex predators within ecosystems whose presence and reintroduction within a landscape enables ecosystem revival.
Natural ecosystems by nature are self-regulating and self-sustaining. But, impact of human actions have rendered large swathes of natural habitats dilapidated, destroyed and wounded. Wildlife populations the world over have witnessed a staggering 60% or more decline in just the last 40-50 years. We have essentially fractured the carbon absorbing sinks such as oceans and forests, and are now reeling under the impact of man-made climate change further compounded by continued and relentless carbon emissions. Only restoration of such ecosystems on the land and in the seas will keep all dominoes from falling, and ecosystem functions from collapsing.(Wildlife Conservation Trust)
For this series " Cores, Corridors, Carnivores" we will start with exploring the impact that the famous mountain lion P22 had in Los Angeles, California (and the world!) and the construction of the worlds largest wildlife crossing in the world to date, The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing.
In an effort to get You involved we invite you to become a citizen scientist! yes, You. We invite you to download the community powered App " iNaturalists " and become deeply familiar with the natural world around you and join us in an ecosystem revival!
Music : Truth in Stones by Kevin McCloud
