2013 United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation

2013 United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation

Pollution in the Hudson River from
an upstream golf range

2013 is the International Year of Water Cooperation designated by the United Nations. Each year, the UN decides to promote an eco-friendly concept by designating each year with this idea. For example, 2012 was the International year of Sustainable Energy for All and 2014 will be the International Year of Family Farming.

Water is a resource that is shared by all countries of the world. The substance is essential to life, food production, economic growth, and environm

ental preservation. Since water is becoming more scarce, nations must work together in managing water.

Here are some interesting facts:

• 780 million do not have access to clean water
•  Six to eight million die each year due to water-related crises
• Aoubt 2.5 planet Earths are required to ensure that every person on Earth can live the average North American/European lifestyle
• 300 to 800 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live in environments without enough water

Endangered Species-European Bison

Because of my little sister, our family had a visit to Seoul Grand Park  Zoo, the biggest zoo in Korea.
Many people were out to enjoy the breezy autumn day.

Among the animals we explored, some endangered species got my attention.
First one was European Bison. I was familiar with American Bison which often appeared on many movies and TV programs. Bison was also a wildlife in Europe and threatened to be extinct was a news to me.

According to the information on the net, Out of mammals living on the European content, the European Bison is the largest. The European Bison once lived in the forests all over Europe, but as the human population grew, the forest were destroyed and European Bisons were hunted. They were also used as food in World War 1. They once became extinct in the 1920s.

About 50 European Bisons survived in zoos and wildlife parks. In the 1950s there was a movement to increase them and return them to the wild. They escaped extinction, just in time. However, even now, there are not too many European Bisons.