The 11th hour By the time we realized that, knowingly or unknowingly, we had unleashed destructive campaigns against the environment, global communities had to contend with the devastating effects of climate change. Excessive heat and droughts, floods, landslides, even hurricanes and earthquakes are signs of anger from Mother Earth. “Natural” has long been a misnomer for manmade disasters, and ongoing “weather anomalies” are nature’s very own reaction to human adversity towards the environment. Important plant species lost to deforestation, keystone creatures hunted almost to extinction, threatened or endangered marine and oceanic life, coral bleaching, wide scale industrialization, and, among many other factors, a score of armed conflicts with powerful explosive weaponry have caused a large-scale ecocide. How do we change this situation? Thankfully, through collective initiatives, a global awakening has been taking place, although this process is still gradual. Effective, innovative concepts have emerged and are being implemented to prevent and stop the eco crises, and to maintain and ensure a secure future for everyone: ocean cleaning, agrotourism, sustainability, reforestation, habitat restoration, environmental stewardship, and other similar notions, all interrelated. “Rewilding nature” is a concept with a very wide outreach, literally.
Reversing the damage Throughout the world, local authorities, non- governmental organizations, various civic groups, social entities, sponsors, conservationists, workers, and volunteers have joined hands and forces to create, expand, connect, and convert natural habitats into large networks of aquatic and land parks, free from poaching, invasive farming, accumulation of plastic, and large pollution sources. When wildlife returns and recovers that’s a sure sign that nature is bouncing back. Some species of plants, insects, birds, and animals thought extinct or that have been critically endangered are now making a spectacular recovery. Parks, reserves, and protected areas offer, among many benefits, safari type tours on all continents, not just Africa, where people can observe animals directly, and learn about their life and behavior in natural habitats. Parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite in the USA are perfect illustrations of this new global trend. Recently, countries such as Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia not only solved their water shortage problem through saltwater desalination, but also produced a surplus of available drinking water by utilizing extensively a system of desert fog water farming through specialized nets. European investments of eco-conscious
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