The past year may have seemed like doom and gloom for the environment, but there was plenty to be thankful for. Below are some of the happier environmental stories of 2017.
1. New populations of rare wildlife were discovered
In 2017, conservationists were able to find new populations of endangered wildlife. For example, a rich population of the 'helmeted hornbill,' a large bird in the Malay Peninsula, was found. This was a species that was nearly extinct at one point due to the extreme poaching, but the new discovery has sparked hope for the future.
There were also discoveries made in the forests in Karen state in southeast Myanmar, as 31 different mammals were recorded in this area. These consisted of tigers, asian elephants, phayre's langurs and dholes. The place was previously prohibited due to political and security reasons.
2. A U.S. subnational delegation bypassed Trump and committed to keeping America’s Paris goal
In June 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump decided to pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change. He also decided not to pay for a pavilion at the U.N.’s climate summit held at Bonn, Germany, that the U.S. federal government has sponsored for 22 years.
In opposition to President Trump's stance, a rival coalition of U.S. governors, mayors, business and religious leaders sponsored an unofficial pavilion named “America’s Pledge: We Are Still In.” Governor Jerry Brown of California and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg led the delegation. According to Mr. Bloomberg, decisions on whether or how the U.S. takes action on climate change are made by cities, states, and civil society, not federal government. These delegations were ready to continue supporting Paris Agreement if Washington won't support the cause.
3. Philanthropists and companies made big commitments for the environment
This year, many philanthropists and companies start to make efforts for the environment. The Gates Foundation announced a $300 million grant to support agriculture research that would help famers in Africa and Asia adapt to climate change. The William and Flora Hewlett also announced a $600 million donation over to nonprofits that are working on climate change solutions. In addition, there were other foundations that announced that they will support conservation efforts. For instance, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation announced $20 million to local and global nonprofit organizations.
4. Large Marine Reserves were created
Niue, a small island country in the South Pacific with a population of just 1,600, established a new marine protected area that covers 40 percent of the island’s exclusive economic zone. Through the 127,000-square-kilometer (49,000-square-mile) marine reserve, the government of Niue hopes to protect its fish stocks and help reduce overfishing of threatened fish species.
5. Newfound technologies are boosting conservation efforts
This year we saw the ever-increasing potential of technology to improve conservation monitoring and efforts. The international Barcode of Life initiative, for example, has developed a new LifeScanner Lab-In-A-Box portable DNA barcoding kit that can be used by rangers, police and port-of-entry officials to rapidly identify the species of plant and animal samples found on suspected smugglers. Another team has developed a handheld portable DNA sequencing device that allows it to identify plants faster than before in the field. Researchers have also adapted widely used technologies, like thermal imaging video technology, to detect the impact of white-nose syndrome in hibernating bats.
- article on 'Mongabay' summarized by Justin Chung
