30 x 30 = Hope

"Make no little plans.  They have no power to stir men's blood"

- Daniel Burnham

Over the years, especially since I started writing this blog, I've become deeply enamored with the concept of rewilding.  This is the idea that its not enough that we save the few tattered patches of wilderness that we have left, but that we should aspire to expand protected areas and increase the amount of wild spaces left for wild things.   

Two corollaries that I've tacked on are 1.) zoos and aquariums have an ethical obligation to be active participants, preferably leaders, in any attempts to expand wildlife habitat.  2.) Wildlife conservation isn't something that should just be taking place in the developing world.  It should be happening in North America, Europe, Japan, and other highly developed countries as well.  Furthermore, when it happens in America, it shouldn't simply be out West or in Alaska, but covering areas and habitats all over the country.

30x30 is a worldwide initiative that calls upon governments of the world to protect 30% of the planet's land area and 30% of its ocean area for wildlife conservation by, you may have guessed, 2030.  It's already been endorsed by the European Union as part of its European Green Deal, and is being championed in the US by the Biden Administration by executive order; some US states, such as California, are taking their own initiatives as well.  

I'm pleased to see the the zoo and aquarium community is actively engaged in the process, providing logistical support, educational services, fundraising, and animal care expertise, which has the potential to assist in future reintroductions (see the zoo-park partnerships of the Wildlife Restoration Alliance).  There's a lot of bad news out there concerning the fate of the world's wildlife.  But at the same time, there are also lots of causes for hope.