Weekend Rounds – July 3, 2022

Call us old fashioned, but we like planet Earth. And we try our best to walk the walk…in past editions of Weekend Rounds we’ve written about why animals matter for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and we’ve made environmental initiatives a key pillar of our CSR platform. Last year, we donated a portion of sales to Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada (if you have a recommendation for our 2022 donations please reply to this email and let us know). 

So it should come as no surprise that our top story this week is on another report published by the International Fund for Animal Welfare called Thriving Together: The Critical Role of Animals in Achieving the SDGs.  The SDGs have often been criticized for not recognizing the importance of the the natural world, but it is crucial that we acknowledge and act upon the belief that improved animal health can lead to greater food security, prevention of disease, and increased resilience against the impacts of climate change and natural disasters.

You can read the full report here, which includes some of the most beautiful wildlife photography you’ll ever see.

Or you can skim some key findings highlighted in the report:

• Climate Action, SDG #13. Large mammals such as elephants and whales are keystone species that help to promote growth and sequester carbon as they traverse vast habitats. Global losses of wildlife have cascading consequences throughout ecosystems, which in turn make humans more vulnerable to the dangers of climate change.
• Life on Land, SDG #15. Humanity is at a critical juncture in preventing biodiversity loss and halting the extinction of endangered species. We rely on terrestrial ecosystems in both subtle and obvious ways, some of which we may not realize until it is too late. When wildlife habitats are protected, ecosystem services thrive and destructive forces are mitigated.
• Life Below Water, SDG #14. When marine and coastal species are healthy and their habitats protected, they too contribute to key ecosystem services that support the functions and benefits of flora and fauna. Marine species are integral to the ocean-based resources upon which many communities absolutely depend.
• Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG #8. In direct contrast to poaching and other wildlife exploitation, nature tourism creates economic growth in a sustainable way—focused on productive, inclusive and decent work for all. To Africa alone, 80% of tourism is attributed to wildlife viewing.
• Good Health and Well-Being, SDG #3. Habitat destruction, unsanitary livestock conditions and global wildlife trade are just a few of the ways in which wildlife comes into closer and sustained contact with humans. Proper management would have a profound effect on protecting people from zoonotic disease spillover events. At the same time, evidence increasingly shows that immersion in nature is beneficial for physical and mental health.