by Lyndal Rowlands
UNITED NATIONS Alex Pietrangelo Blues Jersey , March 3 (Xinhua) -- Even if you don't buy ivory or eat shark fin soup, you can still help save wild animals, Nik Sekhran, director for Sustainable Development at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), told Xinhua in a recent interview.
The World Wildlife Day, which falls on Thursday, has a special theme this year -- "The future of wildlife is in our hands".
Sekhran Paul Stastny Blues Jersey , who took part in the official UN event to mark the day, told Xinhua that China's recent efforts to help stop the trade in ivory have helped contribute to a dramatic fall in demand.
"You've seen the price of ivory fall, in fact it fell by over a thousand (U.S.) dollars in 2015," said Sekhran.
Sekhran said the Chinese government's stand against ivory -- as demonstrated for example by public ivory burn -- had helped bring awareness to the frightening impact of the trade in ivory, including on Asian elephants.
According to Sekhran, there has also been "a major change in China" and other Asian countries in the consumption of shark fin, with actions such as the government's decision to ban shark fin soup at official banquets.
However Dmitrij Jaskin Blues Jersey , cutting out products like ivory or shark fin is not the only way to help conserve wildlife, said the UN official.
"For the individual (who) doesn't consume ivory, they should ask themselves what else are they consuming and understand that the choices that they make (have) implications for the environment," he said.
For instance, Sekhran said, the whitening agent used in toothpaste is contributing to the loss of habitat for lemurs in Madagascar. While macaws from central and south America are being endangered by the illegal trade in pets, he said Alexander Steen Blues Jersey , carbon dioxide accumulations in the atmosphere are contributing to the loss of coral reefs, which provide a vital ecosystem for tropical fish.
Better understanding the inherent and future value of wildlife biodiversity will help us to ensure that it is available for future generations, Sekhran said.
"We're undervaluing the environment and when you undervalue something you tend not to conserve it," he said.
"The value of an elephant in Kenya over its life time is some one million dollars in terms of its contribution to tourism, whereas a poacher might get 600 dollars or something like that for the tusks," he said.
Similar values can also be attributed to other wildlife, he said.
"Around the world many countries depend on wildlife tourism Brayden Schenn Blues Jersey ," he said, citing countries which benefit from underwater wildlife through diving and snorkeling-related tourism.
Yet, the illegal trade in wildlife products is still extremely lucrative, and these funds are often being diverted to criminal networks, creating an additional problem.
"The illegal trade today in wildlife products and derivative is in the order of up to 23 billion dollars a year. It's massive and we're seeing it's cataclysmic in terms of the impact on some species," he said.
The UNDP is working with governments and communities to help them better understand and use the inherent values of the environment, for example Scottie Upshall Blues Jersey , through sharing profits from new medical discoveries, he added.
"We've been trying to do that with a view towards giving communities today an incentive for options now," he said. "Otherwise you have a situation where you have future generations that will look back and say look, we've lost something, we've lost something enormous."
"Biodiversity provides the stuff of future development whether its around tourism, whether it's around sustainable fisheries, whether its around sustaining agriculture Joel Edmundson Blues Jersey , by providing vital ecological services such as the protection of pollinators," he said.
- What Is an Athlete? :
Mr. Stewart gave this speech at the 2013 Middle School Athletics Banquet. Mr. Stewart retired after the 2012-13 academic year, having served the Academy community for 44 years.
Forty-five years of teaching, 30 of them coaching Academy teams, has given me time to reflect on the impact that participation in athletics can have on one's life. Looking back over the years, I have found the advantages of playing sports and taking in life's experiences to be immeasurable.
But first let me pose to you the question, just what is an athlete? To answer my own question I have recorded a few thoughts about what it was like for me growing up in the burbs of Philadelphia.
See if any of the following statements relate to you:
First Carl Gunnarsson Blues Jersey , our parents recognized the traits when we were very young. We were the youngsters who could not sit still. If there was a ball near by it was soon in our hands. At home, our indoor games ruined furniture, marked up walls, and broke family heirlooms.
Growing up, we organized neighborhood pick-up games, made up our own rules of play, and worked to get everyone involved.
As kids we collected sports cards Jaden Schwartz Blues Jersey , autographs, and pictures of our favorite players. Our rooms did not deny our passion for sports. Our equipment was everywhere.
We thrived on competition and could not wait to get started. Going to sleep before a big game was difficult.
Our uniform was our most prized piece of clothing and our first varsity letter became our most valued possession.
We catalogued our personal and team records, and still keep news clippings where we can readily review them today.
We turned to the sports page of the paper first and discussed its news before tackling any other topic.
In Middle School we lived for Friday games and bus trips to play new schools.
In college we loved playing Saturday afternoon games before a home crowd.
To us every game and every opponent was a new adventure. The tougher the opponent, the harder we played. And never tell us we are the underd. Cheap Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys China Free Shipping Cheap NBA Jerseys Cheap Replica NBA Jerseys Cheap MLB Jerseys Online Cheap College Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Authentic College Jerseys Cheap Authentic MLB Jerseys Cheap Replica Soccer Jerseys Cheap Soccer Retro Jerseys