THE HALF EARTH PROJECT

My mother recently forwarded me a very interesting blog by her college mate Mr. Sridhar Radhakrishnan. An acclaimed environmental activist in India, Mr. Radhakrishnan is actively involved with Environmental Health and Justice. Titled 'Half the Earth for Nature and the Wild', his blog written in the light of the Corona pandemic led me to “The Half Earth Project” that I find worth sharing through this forum, along with Mr. Radhakrishnan’s blog (link to which is also appended below, under References and Sources)

“The Half Earth Project” shares its name with the book “Half Earth-Our planet's fight for life” by E. O. Wilson. The book and the project propose to set aside and reserve half of the Earth- land and sea, for natural ecosystems to ensure sustainable health of our planet. I was amazed at a concept so simple and effective, considering that such allocation can reverse the species extinction crisis by providing suitable habitat for all species. Conserving our rich biodiversity including ourselves in this way will help to maintain the delicate balance in nature, with due regard to the 3Ps of sustainable development (People, Planet and Profits!).

Half-Earth Project Map

https://www.half-earthproject.org/maps/

The enhanced Half-Earth Project Map on the project website shows conservation status in various parts of the world, an elaborate version of the Neighborhood Biodiversity Map that we have worked on through the Tunza Forum. 

https://tunza.eco-generation.org/biodiversity/index.jsp

I urge all readers to explore the Half-Earth Project Map with relevant details on species populations, human pressures on those species, and current conservation projects in place. Do also go through the project links under references and sources for more interesting details on the project.

About E.O. Wilson

An American biologist, naturalist and Pulitzer winning writer, Edward Osborne Wilson has spent his life studying animals and fighting for their conservation. An acclaimed scientist and Entomologist, his specialty is myrmecology, the study of ants. He was also the foremost proponent of sociobiology, the study of the genetic basis of the social behavior of all animals, including humans.

Theme of Project/Book

“With the biodiversity of our planet mapped carefully and soon, the bulk of the Earth’s species, including ourselves, can be saved.” – E.O. Wilson

The project calls to dedicate half of the Earth to nature. In my opinion, this is an achievable and effective plan. It seems very logical that excluding half of the planet from human occupation and pledging it for natural development of flora and fauna is perhaps the only way to preserve the world's biodiversity. Wilson also believes that it is a necessary step in order to ensure the preservation of all species, including us humans. Taking this route would provide a solution that matches in magnitude to the problem.

The book explains our biosphere in detail, and its importance for our survival. Wilson also duly reminds us of our humble place, undermining the assumed importance of human race, as he points out that we are only a blink of geological time. He then goes on to say that we have unrightfully become self proclaimed rulers of this time and the actions we take are affecting not only ourselves but life itself. I strongly agree with Wilson’s perspective that the consequences of our actions will not only impact the present but also have far reaching effects on the future of the planet.

My views on Wilson's perspective

An important aspect of the book that I find really inspiring and relevant is the fact that Wilson pays tribute and shows respect to all animal species big and small, that are facing imminent extinction. His documentation exhibits his passion and strong commitment towards the cause of preservation of nature as he tries to cover every aspect of the matter, ensuring that not even microorganisms are overlooked as integral parts of the biosphere.

I see Wilson as a knowledgeable, well informed and influential change maker. With a very clear and educated understanding of fragility of nature, he relies on science to promote ethics or perhaps the other way round. I can relate to that ideology, being a firm believer that environmental sustainability requisites technology and conscientiousness to go hand in hand. 

Wilson critiques the Anthropocenists who believe that human beings can save themselves through technology and engineering. He also mentions his dissatisfaction with technology like cloning because he believes it can ruin the balance of the ecosystems. Personally, I agree with him and also believe that technology and scientific development aside, experiments and artificial methods to create natural ecosystems and cloned creatures carry the risk of going horribly wrong, thus resulting in disturbing and disrupting the fragile balance of nature.

Some people may see this kind of text as pessimistic or disregard it as it interferes with capitalist and consumerist development. Others may refer to Wilson as a doomsayer or find his proposal far fetched. However, I see his writing opposing any negative outlook and his explanations being more optimistic. He gives a clear solution and assures that there is still time. As will be clear from the project website wherein all why’s and how’s are explained, Wilson also gives actual spots on the planet where this biodiversity should and can still be cultivated. I see Wilson’s plans as an urgent call for action with a clear action plan duly elaborated with precise steps to be followed, thus ensuring that while he highlights a problem, he also offers the solution at the same time.

Conclusion

Indeed, we have to understand that nature is not ours to own but instead we belong to it and we must learn to share it with other rightful stakeholders. Nature has its own ways to maintain ‘social’ or safe distancing as may be needed among its members. While expanding our ownership of the planet, we displace other living beings from their habitats- pushing, cornering and crowding them. And it is very likely that something like the Corona Virus pandemic can arise as a result of habitat and biodiversity loss that brings animals and pathogens in close contact with humans, or diseases spilling from animals to humans.

Before signing off, I want to quote the after-note in Mr. Radhakrishnan’s blog, that started me off on this topic!

“If you still find it difficult to agree to this, and want a factual justification, let me try giving you one. The human population is 7.6 billion, and the population of all animals, though difficult to estimate, the best studies put it at 20 quintillion. That makes the human to animal ratio at 0.000000038 to 1. Inspite of this overwhelming disadvantage, we get half! Convinced?”

References and Sources

https://thanaltrust.org/sridhar-radhakrishnan/

https://halfdonesridhar.blogspot.com/2020/04/half-earth-for-nature-and-wild-day-17.html

https://www.half-earthproject.org/

https://www.half-earthproject.org/discover-half-earth/