endangered species - how to stop this?

[pinkytoe]

http://news.yahoo.com/boat-filled-protected-species-hits-145652278.html
I recently went to a talk about this subject and the speaker honed in on the fact that almost all of the illegal poaching of endangered species is being instigated by the Chinese. She mentioned that Africa is currently full of Chinese ringleaders who pay poachers for tiger bone, elephant tusk, etc. Nothing seems to dissuade them as the profits and demand are too high. How does one change a culture that honestly believes that tiger bone works better than Viagra as an example? This stuff just makes me incredibly sad...

[SteveinMN]

I think part of the problem (maybe a major part) is that the Chinese do not suffer the fallout of sponsoring the poaching.

Kind of like how intellectual property is treated in China: in a word, disregarded. The Chinese are blatant copiers even among themselves. I've long hoped that China's ascendancy in the manufacturing world would foster more respect for IP once Chinese companies had IP to protect. I have to admit I haven't seen that yet. Maybe if it were critical Chinese species which were disappearing, there would be more of a push by China to stop that behavior. As we say here frequently on other threads, the perpetrator has to want to change before change is possible.

[Dhiana]

There lived a unique species of dolphin in China and it was known that they would die out wih the building of the Three Gorges Dam project. Didn't stop them :(

[ApatheticNoMore]

Perhaps if they could raise tigers in captivity for their bones. I know, I know, it's still pretty ugly. Hey, I'm not their customer and species protection is clearly not being enforced. Someting kind of similar to the concept of farmed fish (which may not be that great an idea either). But if the point is not to drive wild species to the brink of extinction ... then domestication?

As for IP I'm more and more sympathetic to the anti-IP side. Basically patenting of life forms (GMOs etc.) and the genome itself (in effect making basic scientific research illegal) has convinced me which side I'm definitely not on!

It's sad about the dolphins, dolphins are supposed to be so intelligent too.

[SteveinMN]

As for IP I'm more and more sympathetic to the anti-IP side. Basically patenting of life forms (GMOs etc.) and the genome itself (in effect making basic scientific research illegal) has convinced me which side I'm definitely not on!
I think there are two discussions here: the discussion about what should be granted IP protection, and discussion of the infringement of existing IP.

I'm on the fence myself about patenting GMOs and the like, but should there be protection for a company or organization which has processes ("natural" or otherwise) for, say, a new variety of apple? That's a discussion for another thread, I think.

I'm talking about Chinese car manufacturers copying the styling of a BMW to the point where all it's missing is the roundel (the blue-white propeller symbol) or the people who built fake Apple Stores to sell fake Apple products. In the scheme of life itself, styling a BMW or selling an iDevice isn't a monumental achievement. But blatantly stealing someone else's work? I don't like that. IME, that practice, as well as continuing to profit by harvesting endangered species, indicates a basic lack of respect for one's fellow humans.

[pinkytoe]

Perhaps if they could raise tigers in captivity for their bones.
After researching this further, they do have tiger farms for production of tiger "wine".

[Rogar]

As disheartening as this is, I'm not too sure how much the common person can do. There are non-profits, like probably the WWF, that I'm sure fund programs that try to protect some of the global endangered species. Some of the more glamorous mega-fauna like tigers and elephants deservedly get a lot of attention, but there are usually local opportunities to help with species of concern. Amphibians are disappearing at mysterious and alarming rates and we have a few local amphibian survey programs that I've volunteered with. We also have programs to help monitor traditional Peregrine Falcon and Bald Eagle nesting sites and several other programs of the like in my area. Sort of the think globally, act locally theory.

I used to boycott products from China as much as reasonable. Anymore, it is nearly impossible, but still try a little.

[minimalistgeneration]

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