To some, conservation just means managing energy resources. To others, it means controlling recreation and development. And to others, it means preserving wild areas from all human impact. The same issues exist in every country, revealing unresolved dilemmas inside all of us. We all want to fill our stomachs, improve our lives and enjoy the limited time we have here.
Like it or not, we are all neighbors. Common desires can unite communities in the challenge to keep the planet healthy. Amidst overwhelming challenges, there are always inspiring, dedicated people unafraid to protect areas and animals who can’t speak for themselves.
You don’t have to sit on the sidelines — find a way to help with your time, effort or money, no matter how small. Do something to keep the beauty and health of your world alive for those you care about, in your life and beyond.
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Sheep grazing in clearcut, central Mexico
Young orangutan in Semonggoh Rehab Center, Borneo
Young orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) embracing, Semonggoh rehab center, Borneo, Malaysia
iceberg-penguin-jump-antarctica-Ron Levy Photography
Scuba lessons sign -- Hamanasi lodge beach, Belize
Icebergs melting and broken off from glacier, Antarctica
Edge of clearcut papaya forest, central Guatemala
Moose on the edge of Anchorage, Alaska
Dead wolf trapped but left to die, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Transporting an ocelot to a larger enclosure, Banos, Ecuador
Dead bald eagle caught as incidental kill in leghold trap, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. Eagle flew off with trap on food, landed and tangled in tree, then died.
Caribou helicoptered to remote location, Kenai NWR, Alaska
Dumping massive amounts of trash directly into ocean, Gibraltar
Oil slick and Exxon Valdez tanker, Valdez, Alaska, 1989
Oiled pigeon guillemot rescued from Exxon Valdez oil spill, Alaska
Dead oiled birds from Exxon Valdez oil spill, Prince William Sound, in rehab facility, Valdez, Alaska
Black vulture eating Olive Ridley baby turtle, Costa Rica
Volunteers scaring away vultures that prey on baby Olive Ridley turtles, Ostional, Costa Rica
Bringing baby endangered Olive Ridley turtles to their first ocean swim, Ostional, Costa Rica
Baby Olive Ridley turte makes it safely to his first ocean swim, Ostional, Costa Rica
Rehabilitated orphaned harbor seal released on beach, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Farm worker throwing trash directly in Banos River, Ecuador
Trash dump, Alaska
Farmer and factory near Seoul, Korea
Caterpillar dumping dirt from hydraulic mining for gold, near Dawson, Yukon Territory
Polluted aqueduct canal in Guatemala
"Hanging On" for their lives in dwindling habitat, orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus),Semonggoh Rehab Center,Borneo