HOW WE CAN PROTECT NATURE?

Ecocide is the extensive damage to, destruction of or loss of ecosystem(s) of a given territory, whether by human agency or by other causes, to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of that territory has been or will be severely diminished.

A timeline setting out how we can have an international law of Ecocide in place by 2020 can be found here. A law of Ecocide will halt dangerous industrial activity and empower governments and business to put people and planet first.

Ecocide very nearly became an international crime when the Rome Statute was being drafted. But at the 11th hour it was removed. Many countries objected to it’s removal in 1996. You can read what happened here.

You can help advance an international law of Ecocide in many ways: see our what you can do page, map your support, sign a petition for the global law of Ecocide at Avaaz (and if in Austria please also sign the second petition for Austria to be the country that leads), send a letter to your Head of State, join our facebook group, sign-up for our newsletter, become a Voice for the Earth.

Click here to read the Ecocide Act and the proposed amendment to the Rome Statute.

Click here to watch Polly’s Tedx talk

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How to Save the Earth from Pollution thumbnail

Taking small steps helps to fight pollution.

Saving the Earth from pollution can't be achieved single-handedly but you can make an important contribution. Adopting a green lifestyle is an important first step. You can, for example, use chemical-free household products, recycle, and reduce your carbon footprint by switching to solar power. Giving practical or financial help to organizations that fight pollution, or helping to campaign for safe disposal of waste and toxins that threaten wildlife, are also effectives ways to help save the Earth from pollution.

First national award for Vietnam’s law enforcement officers on the front-lines of wildlife protection

Help to bring recognition to some of Vietnam’s very best law enforcement officers on the front-lines of wildlife protection. In April 2013, ENV (Education for Nature – Vietnam) will host Vietnam’s very first national awards event to recognize outstanding law enforcement officers who have contributed above and beyond the call of duty in the protection of Vietnam’s wildlife. This is an important event to encourage positive change, and we are calling upon your support to help supplement funding that we have already secured to host it. Continue reading here

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CATEGORIESConservation, Vietnam, WAGI,Wildlife Trade

AUTHORwagi

FEB17

Thuma Team arrests 2 poachers!

Yesterday the WAG team got a tip off that someone had killed a kudu and was selling the meat in a local village! The team raced to the village! On arrival they found two houses with alot of meat! A kudu leg! All fresh! The team managed to arrest one in their field and another trying to get back to his house to get rid of the meat but the scouts were waiting for him at his house and managed to arrest him too! What a fantastic team! The scouts were so professional !:) Well done to you all!These days many people seem to be asking this question but very few of them would be willing to go beyond the question itself, and actually do something that would improve our environment. It seems like most of us are willing to do something to improve our environment as long there are no sacrifices needed from our side, because if helping environment means that we have to be deprived of something than all of the sudden importance of environmental issues loses great deal on their value.

What we have to be aware off is that environmental issues can't be solved by talk and questions. What we need is answers in form of real action, and not just theoretically speaking about possible ways to improve our environment like some scientists seem to be doing all the time. What we really need to do is go out in the nature, inspect our environment, find environmental problems in our area and then work on their solutions. Diagnosing environmental problem is in most cases easy to do, for instance to notice pollution, but solutions are often anything but easy because environmental problems sadly still lack required level of political support.

Each and every one of us can do something for our environment by not polluting it with garbage or any other form of pollution, by caring for plants and animals, and not doing anything that could jeopardize them. Basically what we need to do is care more for nature, and this is where the main problem lies. Our society has certain values, namely almost anything is measured in money, and this is the origin of all environmental problems world is faced with today. We can't help nature by destroying forests, causing habitat loss for many animals just to make some new building or new industrial facility. This could mean more money at the end but at what price?

We can sadly see the results of not caring enough for nature and our planet by looking at climate change problem. Heavy industrialization followed by excessive greenhouse gas emissions is changing our climate bringing warmer average temperatures to all parts of our planet, and in couple of decades time this could change entire picture of our planet. In negative sense, of course, in form of drought, floods, hurricanes, hungers, sea levels increase, etc.

And what is the worst part in all of this? The worst part is definitely the fact that despite being pushed so heavily by different environmental problems we still don't do enough to move them away from us, instead they are pushing us even more, up to the point where they will be able to completely squeeze us. Slow politics run by different industry lobbies still looks in this world with the greedy eyes that only tend to boost their profits, and our economies are holy cows that must be protected at any cost.

You probably still remember all the fuss about financial crisis and how quickly world leaders acted to save their precious economies? If you can also remember world leaders pushed aside environmental problems to be solved in better times once the recession will be thing of the past. Now that world economies have started moving upwards yet again we do not see any solution for environmental problems that should be high on political agenda these days. All we see is further negotiations, and lots of promises how world is finally ready to go green.

How far from truth this is? World is really ready to go green only if by green we mean color of the money. because despite living in the 21st century very little has changed in the last 300 years. We can't improve our environment unless we first improve ourselves, our values and the way we think. This really requires total change of our society that takes lot of time, and time seems to be slipping away from our hands bringing us closer and closer to total environmental catastrophe. Do we really need to see the worst before start changing things?

The Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve in South Africa is a valuable ecosystem, and as a typical South African landscape it should be preserved just like diverse habitats for characteristic species of plants and animals. Savannah, grassland, and forests extend over roughly 4.8 million hectares of land along the border between South Africa and Mozambique. An estimated 1.5 million people live in the region.
On September 20, 2001, Kruger to Canyons was registered by UNESCO as the 411th biosphere reserve worldwide. UNESCO biosphere reserves are internationally important model regions that stand for sustainable development and the preservation of habitats. They are intended to bring the interests of environmental protection and commerce into harmony, thus enabling people and nature to coexist. Nature is not protected from people here, rather preserved for and with the people to demonstrate that sustainable development can create income and reduce poverty. The UNESCO global network of meanwhile 560 biosphere reserves shows how sustainability can be lived.
Protection, development, and research

Biosphere reserves essentially serve as open-air laboratories for an innovative alliance between protection and use that take on three fundamental and mutually complementary functions in accordance with international guidelines: First, they should protect nature and its genetic resources. This means that reserves should conserve natural habitats largely unaffected by humans, preserve semi-natural and diverse cultural landscapes, including often traditional forms of land use, and ensure the sustainable use of resources as appropriate for the location. Each biosphere reserve includes a representative diversity of indigenous flora and fauna. Second, they should be developed sustainably. As a new type of economic landscape, the aim is for ecologically appropriate land use in cooperation with the people living there. The concrete development goals are a function of the specific ecological and socio-economic conditions. Third, they should assume a pioneering role by means of targeted research and the role of a multiplier through educational measures. Solutions that fulfill the complex and often seemingly contradictory requirements of nature and humankind usually require long-term ecosystem research and monitoring.
Characteristic of biosphere reserves is their subdivision into three landscape zones. The sensitive core zone is an area devoted to strict protection of the animals and plants living there and the associated habitats and landscapes. The so-called buffer zone surrounding the core zone is intended to screen it from external influences. Ecological agriculture and gentle tourism are permitted in the buffer zone, and the focus is on the care of habitats created over the centuries by mankind. The greatest area is occupied by the development zone. Although all economic and land use forms are permitted here, this transition zone serves a very important purpose: to sensitize society to the topic of sustainability by means of targeted model projects.
The 411th UNESCO biosphere reserve extends over roughly 4.8 million hectares of land along the border between South Africa and Mozambique
© Google
The 411th UNESCO biosphere reserve extends over roughly 4.8 million hectares of land along the border between South Africa and Mozambique zoom in
Ecological sustainability

UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere program is the foundation for the creation of biosphere reserves and research into the most important ecosystems around the world. Established in 1970, this interdisciplinary program continues to provide key impetus today and is committed to preserving biological diversity, improving the conditions of human life and survival, and further refining the socio-economic and cultural prerequisites for ecological sustainability.

Merck wants to act in an ecologically sustainable manner. The global initiative of the Lab Essentials Business Field for 2010/2011 is called Sustainable Protection. The involvement of this business field is focused on safety for the user, responsible management of resources, and environmental protection. Products that fulfill these criteria are highlighted as part of this initiative. One example is the Titripac®, which is marketed exclusively by Merck. The Titripac® from Merck is an innovative and secure packaging system for high-quality, ready-to-use volumetric solutions (TitriPUR®) suitable for determining contents, concentrations, or impurities, or for buffer solutions (CertiPUR®) used to measure pH.
The absolutely tight packaging effectively eliminates the possibility of contamination with air, carbon dioxide, or microorganisms. The consistent quality of the solutions is assured from the first drop to the last. The packaging is also environment-friendly. The box can simply be disposed of in a paper recycling bin, and the inside bag can be folded up small by hand prior to disposal. “We are offering our customers an innovative solution with this form of packaging, which is recyclable, produces little waste, and is easy to use,” says Christel Schmidt, of the Lab Essentials Marketing Wilderness World Heritage Area.^[50]Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the natural environment on individual, organizational or governmental levels, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and technology, the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently. This has been recognized, and governments have begun placing restraints on activities that cause environmental degradation. Since the 1960's, activity of environmental movements has created awareness of the various environmental issues. There is no agreement on the extent of the environmental impact of human activity, and protection measures are occasionally criticized.

Academic institutions now offer courses, such as environmental studies, environmental management and environmental engineering, that teach the history and methods of environment protection. Protection of the environment is needed due to various human activities. Waste production, air pollution, and loss of biodiversity (resulting from the introduction of invasive species and species extinction) are some of the issues related to environmental protection.

Environmental protection is influenced by three interwoven factors: environmental legislation, ethics and education. Each of these factors plays its part in influencing national-level environmental decisions and personal-level environmental values and behaviors. For environmental protection to become a reality, it is important for societies to develop each of these areas that, together, will inform and drive environmental decisions.[1]

Contents [hide]
1 Approaches to environmental protection
1.1 Voluntary environmental agreements
1.2 Ecosystems approach
1.3 International environmental agreements
2 Government
2.1 Africa
2.1.1 Tanzania
2.1.1.1 History of environmental protection
2.1.1.2 Government protection
2.2 Asia
2.2.1 China
2.3 European Union
2.4 Russia
2.5 Latin America
2.5.1 Brazil
2.5.2 Mexico
2.6 Oceania
2.6.1 Australia
2.6.2 New Zealand
2.7 North America
2.7.1 United States
3 In literature
4 Challenges
5 See also
6 References
Approaches to environmental protection[edit]

Voluntary environmental agreements[edit]
In industrialized countries, voluntary environmental agreements often provide a platform for companies to be recognized for moving beyond the minimum regulatory standards and, thus, support the development of best environmental practice.[2] In developing countries, such as throughout Latin America, these agreements are more commonly used to remedy significant levels of non-compliance with mandatory regulation.[3] The challenges that exist with these agreements lie in establishing baseline data, targets, monitoring and reporting. Due to the difficulties inherent in evaluating effectiveness, their use is often questioned and, indeed, the environment may well be adversely affected as a result. The key advantage of their use in developing countries is that their use helps to build environmental management capacity.[3]

Ecosystems approach[edit]
An ecosystems approach to resource management and environmental protection aims to consider the complex interrelationships of an entire ecosystem in decision making rather than simply responding to specific issues and challenges. Ideally the decision-making processes under such an approach would be a collaborative approach to planning and decision making that involves a broad range of stakeholders across all relevant governmental departments, as well as representatives of industry, environmental groups and community. This approach ideally supports a better exchange of information, development of conflict-resolution strategies and improved regional conservation.[4]

International environmental agreements[edit]

Kyoto Protocol Commitment map 2010
Many of the earth’s resources are especially vulnerable because they are influenced by human impacts across many countries. As a result of this, many attempts are made by countries to develop agreements that are signed by multiple governments to prevent damage or manage the impacts of human activity on natural resources. This can include agreements that impact factors such as climate, oceans, rivers and air pollution. These international environmental agreements are sometimes legally binding documents that have legal implications when they are not followed and, at other times, are more agreements in principle or are for use as codes of conduct. These agreements have a long history with some multinational agreements being in place from as early as 1910 in Europe, America and Africa.[5] Some of the most well-known multinational agreements include: the Kyoto Protocol, Vienna Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer and Rio Declaration on Environment and Development

Government[edit]

Discussion concerning environmental protection often focuses on the role of government, legislation and law enforcement. However, in its broadest sense, environmental protection may be seen to be the responsibility of all people and not simply that of government. Decisions that impact the environment will ideally involve a broad range of stakeholders, including industry, indigenous groups, environmental group and community representatives. Gradually, environmental decision-making processes are evolving to reflect this broad base of stakeholders and are becoming more collaborative in many countries.[6]

Many constitutions acknowledge the fundamental right to environmental protection, and many international treaties acknowledge the right to live in a healthy environment.[7] Also, many countries have organizations and agencies devoted to environmental protection. There are international environmental protection organizations, as the United Nations Environment Programme.

Although environmental protection is not simply the responsibility of government agencies, most people view these agencies as being of prime importance in establishing and maintaining basic standards that protect both the environment and the people interacting with it.

Africa[edit]
Tanzania[edit]

Zebras, Serengeti savana plains, Tanzania
Tanzania is recognised as having some of the greatest biodiversity of any African country. Almost 40% of the land has been established into a network of protected areas, including several national parks.[8] The concerns for the natural environment include damage to ecosystems and loss of habitat resulting from population growth, expansion of subsistence agriculture, pollution, timber extraction and significant use of timber as fuel.[9]

History of environmental protection[edit]
Environmental protection in Tanzania began during the German occupation of East Africa (1884-1919)—colonial conservation laws for the protection of game and forests were enacted, whereby restrictions were placed upon traditional indigenous activities, such as hunting, firewood collecting and cattle grazing.[10] In 1948, Serengeti was officially established as the first national park for wild cats in East Africa. Since 1983, there has been a more broad-reaching effort to manage environmental issues at a national level, through the establishment of the National Environment Management Council (NEMC) and the development of an environmental act.[11]

Government protection[edit]
The Division of the Environment is the main government body that oversees protection. It does this through formulation of policy, coordinating and monitoring environmental issues, environmental planning and policy-oriented environmental research.The National Environment Management Council (NEMC) is an institution that was initiated when the National Environment Management Act was first introduced in 1983. This council has the role to advise governments and the international community on a range of environmental issues. The NEMC has the following purposes: provide technical advice; coordinate technical activities; develop enforcement guidelines and procedures; assess, monitor and evaluate activities that impact the environment; promote and assist environmental information and communication; and seek advancement of scientific knowledge.[12]

The National Environment Policy of 1997 acts as a framework for environmental decision making in Tanzania. The policy objectives are to:

Ensure sustainable and equitable use of resources without degrading the environment or risking health or safety
Prevent and control degradation of land, water, vegetation and air
Conserve and enhance natural and man-made heritage, including biological diversity of unique ecosystems
Improve condition and productivity of degraded areas
Raise awareness and understanding of the link between environment and development
Promote individual and community participation
Promote international cooperation [12]
Tanzania is a signatory to a significant number of international conventions, including the Rio Declaration on Development and Environment 1992 and the Convention on Biological Diversity 1996. The Environmental Management Act, 2004, is the first comprehensive legal and institutional framework to guide environmental-management decisions. The policy tools that are parts of the act includes the use of: environmental-impact assessments, strategics environmentals assessments and taxation on pollution for specific industries and products. The effectiveness of shifing of this act will only become clear over time as concerns regarding its implementation become apparent based on the fact that, historically, there has been a lack of capacity to enforce environmental laws and a lack of working tools to bring environmental-protection objectives into practice.[11]

Asia[edit]
China[edit]

The Longwanqun National Forest Park is a nationally protected nature area in Huinan County, Jilin, China
Formal environmental protection in China was first stimulated by the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm, Sweden. Following this, China began establishing environmental protection agencies and putting controls on some of its industrial waste. China was one of the first developing countries to implement a sustainable development strategy. In 1983 the State Council announced that environmental protection would be one of China’s basic national policies and in 1984 the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) was established. Following severe flooding of the Yangtze River basin in 1998, NEPA was upgraded to the State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) meaning that environmental protection was now being implemented at a ministerial level. In 2008, SEPA became known by its current name of Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China (MEP).[13]

Pollution control instruments in China[14]

Command-and-control Economic incentives Voluntary instruments Public participation
Concentration-based pollution discharge controls Pollution levy fee Environmental labeling system Clean-up campaign
Mass-based controls on total provincial discharge Non-compliance fines ISO 14000 system Environmental awareness campaign
Environmental impact assessments (EIA) Discharge permit system Cleaner production Air pollution index
Three synchronization program Sulfur emission fee NGOs Water quality disclosure
Deadline transmission trading Administrative permission hearing
Centralized pollution control Subsidies for energy saving products
Two compliance policy Regulation on refuse credit to high-polluting firms
Environmental compensation fee
Environmental pollution and ecological degradation has resulted in economic losses for China. In 2005, economic losses (mainly from air pollution) were calculated at 7.7% of China’s GDP. This grew to 10.3% by 2002 and the economic loss from water pollution (6.1%) began to exceed that caused by air pollution.[14] China has been one of the top performing countries in terms of GDP growth (9.64% in the past ten years).[14] However, the high economic growth has put immense pressure on its environment and the environmental challenges that China faces are greater than most countries. In 2010 China was ranked 121st out of 163 countries on the Environmental Performance Index.

China has taken initiatives to increase its protection of the environment and combat environmental degradation:

China’s investment in renewable energy grew 18% in 2007 to $15.6 billion, accounting for ~10% of the global investment in this area;).[15]
In 2008, spending on the environment was 1.49% of GDP, up 3.4 times from 2000;[15]
The discharge of COD (carbon monoxide) and SO2 (sulfur dioxide) decreased by 6.61% and 8.95% in 2008 compared with that in 2005;[15]
China’s protected nature reserves have increased substantially. In 1978 there were only 34 compared with 2,538 in 2010. The protected nature reserve system now occupies 15.5% of the country; this is higher than the world average.[15]
Rapid growth in GDP has been China’s main goal during the past three decades with a dominant development model of inefficient resource use and high pollution to achieve high GDP. For China to develop sustainably, environmental protection should be treated as an integral part of its economic policies.[16]

Quote from Shengxian Zhou, head of MEP (2009): “Good economic policy is good environmental policy and the nature of environmental problem is the economic structure, production form and develop model.” [15]

European Union[edit]
Environmental protection has become an important task for the institutions of the European Community after the Maastricht Treaty for the European Union ratification by all Member States. The EU is already very active in the field of environmental policy with important directives like those on environmental impact assessment and on the access to environmental information for citizens in the Member States.

Russia[edit]
In Russia environmental protection is considered an integral part of national safety. There is an authorized state body - the Federal Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology. However, there are a lot of environmental problems.

Latin America[edit]

Top 5 Countries by biological diversity
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has identified 17 megadiverse countries. The list includes six Latin American countries: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Mexico and Brazil stand out among the rest because they have the largest area, population and number of species. These countries represent a major concern for environmental protection because they have high rates of deforestation, ecosystems loss, pollution, and population growth.

Brazil[edit]

Panorama of the Iguazu falls in Brazil
Brazil has the largest amount of the world's tropical forests, 4,105,401 km2 (48.1% of Brazil), concentrated in the Amazon region.[17] Brazil is home to vast biological diversity, first among the megadiverse countries of the world, having between 15%-20% of the 1.5 million globally described species.[18]

The organization in charge of environment protection is the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment (in Portuguese: Ministério do Meio Ambiente, MMA).[19] It was first created in 1973 with the name Special Secretariat for the Environment (Secretaria Especial de Meio Ambiente), changing names several times, and adopting the final name in 1999. The Ministry is responsible for addressing the following issues:

A national policy for the environment and for water resources;
A policy for the preservation, conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems, biodiversity and forests;
Proposing strategies, mechanisms, economic and social instruments for improving environmental quality, and sustainable use of natural resources;
Policies for integrating production and the environment;
Environmental policies and programs for the Legal Amazon;
Ecological and economic territorial zoning.
In 2011, protected areas of the Amazon covered 2,197,485 km2 (an area larger than Greenland), with conservation units, like national parks, accounting for just over half (50.6%), and indigenous territories representing the remaining 49.4%.[20]

Mexico[edit]
With over 200,000 different species, Mexico is home to 10–12% of the world's biodiversity, ranking first in reptile biodiversity and second in mammals[21]—one estimate indicates that over 50% of all animal and plant species live in Mexico.[22]

The history of environmental policy in Mexico started in the 1940s with the enactment of the Law of Conservation of Soil and Water (in Spanish: Ley de Conservación de Suelo y Agua). Three decades later, at the beginning of the 1970s, the Law to Prevent and Control Environmental Pollution was created (Ley para Prevenir y Controlar la Contaminación Ambiental).

In 1972 was the first direct response from the federal government to address eminent health effects from environmental issues. It established the administrative organization of the Secretariat for the Improvement of the Environment (Subsecretaría para el Mejoramiento del Ambiente) in the Department of Health and Welfare.

The axolotl is an endemic species from the central part of Mexico
The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, SEMARNAT[23]) is Mexico's environment ministry. The Ministry is responsible for addressing the following issues:

Promote the protection, restoration and conservation of ecosystems, natural resources, goods and environmental services, and to facilitate their use and sustainable development.
Develop and implement a national policy on natural resources
Promote environmental management within the national territory, in coordination with all levels of government and the private sector.
Evaluate and provide determination to the environmental impact statements for development projects and prevention of ecological damage
Implement national policies on climate change and protection of the ozone layer.
Direct work and studies on national meteorological, climatological, hydrological, and geohydrological systems, and participate in international conventions on these subjects.
Regulate and monitor the conservation of waterways
In November 2000 there were 127 protected areas; currently there are 174, covering an area of 25,384,818 hectares, increasing federally protected areas from 8.6% to 12.85% its land area.[24]

Oceania[edit]
Australia[edit]

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the largest barrier reef in the world
In 2008 there was 98,487,116 ha of terrestrial protected area, covering 12.8% of the land area of Australia.[25] The 2002 figures of 10.1% of terrestrial area and 64,615,554 ha of protected marine area[26] were found to poorly represent about half of Australia’s 85 bioregions.[27]

Environmental protection in Australia could be seen as starting with the formation of the first National Park, Royal National Park, in 1879.[28] More progressive environmental protection had it start in the 1960s and 1970s with major international programs such as the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972, the Environment Committee of the OECD in 1970, and the United Nations Environment Programme of 1972.[29] These events laid the foundations by increasing public awareness and support for regulation. State environmental legislation was irregular and deficient until the Australian Environment Council (AEC) and Council of Nature Conservation Ministers (CONCOM) were established in 1972 and 1974, creating a forum to assist in coordinating environmental and conservation policies between states and neighbouring countries.[30] These councils have since been replaced by the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) in 1991 and finally the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) in 2001.[31]

At a national level, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999 is the primary environmental protection legislation for the Commonwealth of Australia. It concerns matters of national and international environmental significance regarding flora, fauna, ecological communities and cultural heritage.[32] It also has jurisdiction over any activity conducted by the Commonwealth, or affecting it, that has significant environmental impact.[33] The act covers eight main areas:[34]

National Heritage Sites
World Heritage Sites
RAMSAR wetlands
Nationally endangered or threatened species and ecological communities
Nuclear activities and actions
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Migratory species
Commonwealth Marine areas
There are several Commonwealth protected lands due to partnerships with traditional native owners, such as Kakadu National Park, extraordinary biodiversity such as Christmas Island National Park, or managed cooperatively due to cross-state location, such as the Australian Alps National parks.[35]

At a state level, the bulk of environmental protection issues are left to the responsibility of the state or territory.[30][33] Each state in Australia has its own environmental protection legislation and corresponding agencies. Their jurisdiction is similar and covers point-source pollution, such as from industry or commercial activities, land/water use, and waste management. Most protected lands are managed by states and territories[35] with state legislative acts creating different degrees and definitions of protected areas such as wilderness, national land and marine parks, state forests, and conservation areas. States also create regulation to limit and provide general protection from air, water, and sound pollution.

At a local level, each city or regional council has responsibility over issues not covered by state or national legislation. This includes non-point source, or diffuse pollution, such as sediment pollution from construction sites.

Australia ranks second place on the UN 2010 Human Development Index[36] and one of the lowest debt to GDP ratios of the developed economies.[37] This could be seen as coming at the cost of the environment, with Australia being the world leader in coal exportation[38] and species extinctions.[39][40] Some have been motivated to proclaim it is Australia’s responsibility to set the example of environmental reform for the rest of the world to follow.[41][42]

New Zealand[edit]
At a national level the Ministry for the Environment is responsible for environmental policy and the Department of Conservation addresses conservation issues. At a regional level the regional councils administer the legislation and address regional environmental issues.

North America[edit]
United States[edit]

Yosemite National Park in California. One the first protected areas in the United States
Since 1970, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been working to protect the environment and human health.[43] All U.S. states have their own state departments of environmental protection.[44]

The EPA has drafted "Seven Priorities for EPA’s Future", which are:[45]

"Taking Action on Climate Change"
"Improving Air Quality"
"Assuring the Safety of Chemicals"
"Cleaning Up Our Communities"
"Protecting America’s Waters"
"Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice"
"Building Strong State and Tribal Partnerships"[45]
In literature[edit]

There are many works of literature that contain themes of environmental protection but some have been fundamental to its evolution. Several pieces such as A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, Tragedy of the commons by Garrett Hardin, and Silent Spring by Rachel Carson have become classics due to their far reaching influences. Environmental protection is present in fiction as well as non-fictional literature. Books such as Antarctica and Blockade have environmental protection as subjects whereas The Lorax has become a popular metaphor for environmental protection. "The Limits of Trooghaft"[46] by Desmond Stewart is a short story that provides insight into human attitudes towards animals. Another book called "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury investigates issues such as bombs, wars, government control, and what effects these can have on the environment.

Challenges[edit]

The main issues for developing countries like Brazil and Mexico are that protected areas suffer from encroachment and poor management.In Brazil, protected areas are increasing but there are significant challenges caused by human impacts. Logging and mining are potentially huge threats to protected areas. Between 1998 and 2009, 12,204 km2 of forest within protected areas was cleared, with 1,338 mining titles being granted and 10,348 awaiting approval. Developing countries need to allocate more money from their budgets if they hope to address these problems.
African governments face several challenges in implementing environmental protection mechanisms. In Tanzania for example these include lack of financial resources to manage protected areas, poor governance and corruption, and significant illegal logging and hunting.[11] Also with such large allocations of land to national parks, indigenous people have been forced to relocate what resulted in a lack of local participation in environmental decision making processes. As a result of these factors recent calls have been made to allow “parks with people” as a mean to encourage the support of better overall management and care of the land.[47]
Due to the Australian climate being dominated by deserts and semi-arid regions, most of the environmental protection challenges focus on availability and management of water resources.[48] Even though this will continue to be an issue in areas of great demand, such as the Murray-Darling basin, several events were pivotal battles in environmental protection.
Case Study, Franklin River Dam:

In 1979, the building of an hydroelectric dam was proposed on the Franklin River in Western Tasmania. The advantages of this project would be increased power production and the creation of job in a region with one of the highest unemployment rates in Tasmania.[49] Conservationist were concerned about the high concentration of Aboriginal sites and that it was one of Australia's last true wild rivers[50] The issue quickly became a focus of environmental protection, with the Tasmanian Wilderness Society leading the resistance movement. The situation escalated from a state referendum to a public blockade of construction, eventually leading to federal legislative intervention and a state challenge in the High Court.[51] The state lost the case with the area proclaimed the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park in 1981, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.[50]

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First national award for Vietnam’s law enforcement officers on the front-lines of wildlife protection

Thuma Team arrests 2 poachers!

HOW WE CAN PROTECT NATURE?

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