Hello everyone,

In this report, I would like to share with you a story of one of the greatest people in the area of endangered species preservation. Recently, I have had a chance to read about him and to find out about his achievements. I think his figure embodies a perfect attempt of wildlife conservation.

To give you an introduction into the topic, I would like to delineate the measures which are usually undertaken to preserve endangered species.

One of the ways is called captive breeding. Basically, animals are bred under a human control for example in a zoo or in conservation facilities. However, this measure may give rise to a reduction of immunity and inbreeding due to low diversity of animals[i].

Another way is private farming, which includes taking care and breeding of endangered animals in order to obtain profit, either due to tourism or selling[ii]. Although it might not seem as a good way to conserve endangered species, it actually helped in the process of rhinos conservation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endangered_species). 

However, the person who I would like to introduce to you, Professor Carl G. Jones, had a revolutionary approach to this area of science. Professor Carl G. Jones is a conservation biologist, who is well-known for his great achievements in the field of conservation and restoration of endangered species[iii].

When I was researching his person, what I found really fascinating is his approach to conservation.

He is the proponent of direct actions. That means if the species is in decline, for example due to shortage of food, it is necessary to feed it[iv]. On the one hand, such techniques counter the ideas of conventional conservation methods, which suggest the least interference in nature that is possible[v]. On the other hand, in the case of Mauritius kestrel, which Carl G. Jones was involved in, initial attempts of implementation of conventional techniques did not work[vi]. However, when reverse techniques were implemented, including stronger incursion in nature, the population of these endangered animals started to increase. As the population was restored, it brought the balance of the whole ecosystem[vii]. To sum up, the professor was the supporter of the application of empathy and love to animals, instead of strict set of procedures. Thanks to this attempt, he was able to adapt next steps to the requirements of the environment and chose the most optimum solutions.

Mauritius kestrel, from the world’s rarest bird restricted only to Mauritius, by 2000 was classified as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List[viii]. Although, at first sight it might not sound very positive, I would actually call it a feat of human endeavour. Unfortunately, now, the species is endangered, but it is still better than it was in the beginning. It is a terrific step in the conservation and a massive improvement.

The contribution of Carl G. Jones concentrated on the restoration of bird and plants species in Mauritius and Rodrigues[ix]. In total, he successfully completed five bird restorations[x]. He also helped to conserve Rodrigues flying fox. It is even more astonishing that most of these actions ended up as success even though initial number of animals was even as low as four[xi]!

I think it is fantastic to see that Professor Carl Jones is still working on it.

I think being close to nature is what we all should take form his biography. Such an approach really works and it proves its efficiency. It helped save many species on the verge of extinction. Therefore, if we all reconnect with nature, we might help save the environment and wildlife.