The rights of nature movement extends far beyond Ecuador, with advocates seeking and securing legal protections for wild spaces in communities, cities, and countries around the world. Biodiversity loss is local, and so are the solutions to this crisis.
When given the opportunity, nature can be restored. Whether you’re 8 or 80 years old, you can make a meaningful impact in the protection of biodiversity. Here are some ideas on how to help champion wildlife where you live.
Support Reserva: The Youth Land Trust
The world’s first entirely youth-funded nature reserve, Reserva: The Youth Land Trust is empowering young people to make a measurable difference for threatened species and habitats through conservation, education, and storytelling. Help Reserva create a world in which young people inherit and help maintain a biodiverse planet.
Get involved at reservaylt.org
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Organize a Bioblitz And Contribute to Citizen Science
Organizations like Reserva and EcoMinga catalogue plant and animal diversity — a project called a bioblitz — in order to track species abundance and frequency across a given area. This data is used by scientists and activists to design protections for natural spaces.
Bioblitzes are a valuable type of citizen scientist in all ecosystems, from the rainforests of Ecuador to your local park. Using free downloadable apps like iNaturalist and Seek, you can identify plants and animals in nearby wild spaces, all while sharing your photo observations with experts. Bring your friends, family, and community members together for an outdoor “bioblitz” activity and log observations from an entire park or public greenspace.
Learn how to conduct a bioblitz right here on wildhope.tv
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Stand Up For The Rights of Nature
Rights of Nature is a global movement to protect nature by recognizing its legal rights. Support the Bioneers Tribal Rights of Nature Project and their efforts to train community leaders around the world in this framework.
Learn more at bioneers.org/rights-of-nature
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Protect Amphibians and Reptiles In Your Community
Whether you live in a rainforest, big city, or small rural town, there are plenty of ways you can help support your local wildlife. Join HerpMapper, a global cooperative project, and share your amphibian and reptile observations with local scientists and conservationists.
Get started at https://scistarter.org/herpmapper
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