UNIT PAPER 4 – MY WORLDVIEW

1.      A.         We are separate from nature because we live in urban areas and because we are higher up on the evolution chain. This means we have brains that we can use to reason with and we should use this tool to better the planet, and not just for ourselves. We are in charge of nature to a certain degree because we should use our knowledge to co-exist with animals and plants in a way that is not destructive to them. Humans have the ability to both grow and destroy things through neglect and overuse. We must use our superior knowledge to ensure our natural resources are not destroyed. We need nature to exist as a human race.

B.         Stewardship comes with responsibilities to use the environment and its natural resources wisely. We need to use our knowledge in a way that doesn’t destroy or alter the natural balance of animal and plant life. We need to make sure that our needs don’t take precedence over those of the animal and plant kingdoms. Having ethical and moral standards means we need to make sure that genetically altering one species doesn’t negatively impact the future of others. Scientists are often questioned about their ethics when they manipulate plants and livestock to improve them to be bigger, better, more colorful and tastier. The outcome does not always mean it makes it healthier for us, and the outcome may have adverse effects us mankind somewhere down the line. Neither does it mean it won’t adversely affect the environment that it competes with.

C.         We are part of nature and should harvest only what we can use or what can be replaced. Sustainable energy resources should be a priority today as mankind has used up so much that nature has supplied. It may not be available forever, and so we should make a concerted effort for the future generations now, not later. Governments should be the driving force and provide funding and research for finding new ways to harness Mother Nature as a resource. As the human population grows worldwide, so we use more and more of the resources that are available to us. Sustainable energy should be geared more towards the natural than the synthetic.

A responsible way of using sustainable resources is to plant more trees than are cut down. To reduce our carbon footprint we could reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and come up with other natural resources that are easily available. For example solar energy from the sun is abundantly available and is less harmful to the environment because it has no toxic output like the emissions from car exhausts.

2. 4 causes of environmental problems are:

1. Overpopulation worldwide. This leads to the next issue of:

2. Poverty. When overcrowding occurs it often overflows into poverty.

3. Unsustainable resource use.

4. Industrial waste and by-products that are needed to produce consumer products.

3. I would choose to do a research paper on Aldo Leopold because he cared about our environment and in particular the land. He cared enough that he founded the Wilderness Society to make sure others would learn to appreciate and respect our land and take care of it. Leopold’s “Land Ethic” as it was called, encompassed the land, plants, animals and water, everything that is nature. He was the pioneer who set the standards for future generations to respect the interaction of man and nature. His ideas gave birth to the conservation ideals of today. “A land ethic, then, reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of the land” (Leopold’s Land Ethic). His love of the land has been passed on to his children who now manage his foundation, which was formed in 1982. They run “programs in ecological management and environmental education…designed to increase our society’s awareness and appreciation of the land” (Leopold’s Land Ethic). This is something we should be teaching our children so the message is not lost and will continue on into future generations.

Source:

Leopold’s Land Ethic. Web, 2 May, 2013. http://www.aldoleopold.org/AldoLeopold/LandEthic.pdf

JAGUARS ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST

Panthera onca, otherwise known as Jaguars, are regal, beautiful and extremely powerful animals. Jaguars are many different hues of tan, or even white but all have rosette shaped black spots. The spots on their heads, limbs and undersides are more solid spot than rosette. Fully grown Jaguars are muscular and powerful predators with fangs and retractable claws to enhance their killing power. ”The Jaguar has a rough tongue that is designed for peeling the skin away from the flesh of its prey, and…from its prey’s bones” (Miller, Peter et al). Adult males can be as large as seven feet long, excluding their tail, and they can stand up to 75 centimeters and weigh up to 300 pounds. They survive on a wide variety of land and water prey. In open land they use tall grasses to stalk their prey, in forests trees are their tool to pounce on birds or monkeys and in the water they can swim to capture fish, frogs and turtles.

Because Jaguars will hunt sheep and cattle, human farmers will shoot to kill them. Jaguars are not known for attacking humans unless they are cornered and forced to defend themselves. Humans are the main cause for the Jaguars current plight of coming close to extinction. Overpopulation and human encroachment into Jaguars natural habitats have had long term effects on the Jaguar population. Central and South America have slashed and burned many acres to make way for new housing. “Logging and cattle ranching as well as having to compete with humans for food has brought a large decrease in its population” (Miller, Peter et al).

“Current range which once included the Southern portion of North America is now restricted to Mexico, Central and South America and extending down into Northern Argentina” (Shorter). During the 1960s it is believed that 15,000 to 18,000 Jaguars were shot each year in the Brazilian Amazon. That is not counting the rest of the Jaguar population at that time. “Jaguars were listed on CITES Appendix 1 making it illegal to trade their skin or parts for commercial gain and offered protection for most of their range with the exception of Ecuador and Guyana” (Miller, Peter et al). Some wildlife preservation camps on protected land have been part of the recovery process, but a lot more needs to be done. There are several organizations like “Defenders of Wildlife” and “Wildlife Conservation Society”, who are dedicated to finding solutions to keeping Jaguars around for many more generations. “The WCS Jaguar Conservation program began in 1999 to…work with the people who live with jaguars to minimize conflicts…(W)e also work, pro-actively, with indigenous communities… to promote co-existence” (Jaguar). More importantly, “in 1990, with financial support from USAID, WCS joined with the governments and conservationists of Central America to establish an initiative known as the Paseo Pantera of Path of the Panther…to connect…small protected areas of the jaguar. The concept was adopted by all seven countries of Central America…to maintain biodiversity in the region” (Jaguar).

 “The Tucano Indians of the Amazon believed the sun created the Jaguar to represent him on earth” (Shorter). Whatever one’s belief is, we owe it to the future of the planet to preserve this beautiful creature. With concerted joint efforts of the United States of America and other countries lucky enough to still have Jaguars, we can make a difference.

Sources:

“Jaguar”. Wildlife Conservation Society. Web, 30 April, 2013. http://www.wcs.org/saving-wildlife/big-cats/jaguar.aspx

Miller, William, Robbie Peter et al. “Jaguars”. Web, 30 April, 2013. F:\Endangered Wildlife Jaguar.mht

Shorter, C.M. “Wildcats of the world”. Tiger Homes. Web, 30 April, 2013. http://www.tigerhomes.org/wild-cats/wc-jaguar.cfm