Our moral compass?

Martin Luther King once said : “ Education without morals, is like a ship without a compass, merely wandering nowhere. “ What is our ‘moral compass’ when it comes to our view of the environment- and therefore undertake our activities? Do we view the environment – our Planet Earth – as simply a pool of resources, there for our use and exploitation? Or do we see our ‘part’ of Nature, so that our humans actions have consequences for other living...

The three wise monkeys 🐒

    The three wise monkeys – a Japanese pictorial maxim, embodying the proverbial principle “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil“. The three monkeys are Mizaru, who sees no evil, covering his eyes Kikazaru, who hears no evil, covering his ears, and Iwazaru, who speaks no evil, covering his mouth.   Do we act or react to environmental issues in the same way ? Are we ignoring what we are doing to Nature? Do we wish for Nature to...

Quote, unquote : the future

The future can no longer be WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN It is WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ? Henri Bergson Henri-Louis Bergson 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopher who was influential in the tradition of continental philosophy, especially during the first half of the 20th century until the Second World War. Bergson is known for his arguments that processes of immediate experience and intuition are more significant than abstract rationalism and science for understanding reality. He...

2022 : Why do we need Nature?

Ten Reasons Why Children and Adults Need Vitamin N As we begin a new year – and perhaps think about & plan our New Year’s resolutions – let’s look at why it’s good to reconnect with Nature, and ideally make Nature part of those resolutions. These below is research from Richard Louv, co-founder of Children & Nature Network The more high-tech our lives become, the more nature we need. We have a human right to a meaningful connection to nature,...

Darwin’s scientist – E O Wilson – leaves superb legacy

The naturalist was recognized for his work on social behavior and pheromones in ants and as a champion of wildlife conservation. His book “Half Earth – our planets fight for life” took on the challenge of how to save our planet – by protecting half thereof. Edward Osborne Wilson died at age 92 (December 26) in Burlington, Massachusetts. Often lauded as Charles Darwin’s natural heir, Wilson was known for his research on ant behavior and biodiversity as well as for...

Zoos – the negatives & the positives

Monday December 27th was “Visit a Zoo Day” ….. here are some thoughts about the worthiness- and some of the problems- about the “zoological park” ( zoo )   “If animals are your passion then Visit the Zoo Day gives you a great opportunity to really get close to some of the most intriguing and engaging species on the planet. Negatives… Some people think of zoos only as cruel prisons where countless animals are kept, bored and with little space...

Dragonflies threatened as wetlands disappear

The destruction of wetlands is driving the decline of dragonflies worldwide, according to the first global assessment of these species in today’s update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Their decline is symptomatic of the widespread loss of the marshes, swamps and free-flowing rivers they breed in, mostly driven by the expansion of unsustainable agriculture and urbanisation around the world. With the December update, the number of species at risk of extinction on the Red List has exceeded...

Newsflash! New species discovered in 2021

In a year of challenges and frustration, here’s some good news from BBC Wildlife team… “Taxonomists – scientists that classify species – describe thousands and thousands of new extant (living) species every year, and 2021 has seen some amazing new discoveries, including impressive spiders in Papua New Guinea named after the activist Greta Thunberg and a tiny chameleon in Madagascar. Sometimes these species are completely new ones that have never been studied by scientists before, and sometimes it’s a case of...

Australia Zoo introduces its new Sumatran elephants

SUMATRAN ELEPHANT Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus ssp. sumatranus) is the subspecies of Asian Elephant, one of two species of elephant in the world. They dwell in lowland forest of Sumatra in province of Riau, West Sumatra, and Lampung, most of it is outside a protected area. Sumatran Elephants’ weight varies from 2.25 to 5.5 tons per individual. This huge mammal can grow up to 2 to 3 m from shoulder to toe. Sumatran Elephants explore long road while looking for...