Panel
Saving the World From Us: Strategies for Conservation
- Wild elephant populations are predicted to face extinction within a timeframe ranging from four to eleven years, with some regions like Chad having lost 90% of their herds, while tigers are considered functionally extinct and lions face critical endangerment if Tanzania is lost as a stronghold.
- The intersection of terrorism and elephant poaching is expected to drive a convergence between human rights, international security, and conservation movements, potentially accelerating Interpol's involvement and shifting government awareness to treat the issue as a geopolitical war.
- Anti-poaching strategies rely on extreme measures including the purchase of weapons, night vision goggles, and helicopters, as well as the establishment of autonomous park management units hired, trained, and funded by private foundations like the Wildcat Foundation and African Parks.
- Organizational plans include the Wildcat Foundation dedicating 100% of activities to anti-poaching, the creation of a Global Alliance for Wildcats with a commitment of $20 million annually over 10 years, and Panthera's continued operation as a leading big cat conservation NGO since 2008.
- Financial commitments are highlighted by the US government's current $50 million annual expenditure on conservation, with a noted shift in efficiency from USAid to Fish and Wildlife, though funding remains concentrated among only a half-dozen foundations or individuals.
- Legislative efforts in New York aim to escalate ivory possession charges from an E felony to an F felony or Schedule C, while legal penalties in poaching hotspots like Chad are currently described as insufficient, with maximum fines as low as $250.
- Conservation success models involve embedding efforts within development to secure local buy-in, as seen in the Jaguar Corridor expansion across Central America, and utilizing media campaigns like spoof commercials to influence the 150 companies controlling 80% of global commerce.
- Political and logistical barriers include corruption levels varying significantly by nation, with Tanzania historically refusing external management, while Chad's success is attributed to army intervention and personal government leadership.
- Demand-side strategies alone are predicted to be insufficient to prevent extinction, necessitating a multi-pronged approach that addresses the supply chain, including the identification of state-owned carving houses in China as a primary demand source.
- Educational and societal shifts are projected to be critical, with a focus on training society to think through complex systems, leveraging the economic power of youth under 18, and using storytelling to generate the political will necessary to elevate the issue to a global priority.