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Supriya Prakash Sen shares a pertinent reminder on big picture problems that we all face, and offers a solution that could be a small step in financing but a leap towards a sustainable future.

In the midst of a pandemic, the past year has been chilling at best, and a nightmare at the worst of times. However, we are lucky to be alive. Now, as vaccines get rolled out, it remains for the survivors to pick up the pieces, mourn our dead, brush off the crumbs of our past and move ahead into trying to cobble a more sustainable future.

This week, with all of us still being holed up at home, I thought it would be a good idea to make a visit to the Singapore Zoo, the River Safari and the Night Safari – where we haven’t been in years. My love of animals and wild life is tempered with the sadness from knowing I may be the last generation to actually see any of this in the wild. The shrinking habitats, the splintering of these habitats (one lonely tiger can hardly go and find his mate across the void to the next one), and the absolute filthy pollution by humans and garbage makes it almost inevitable that the last few majestic animals can only be found in a zoo.

The same is true of every other habitat- whether it is our marshlands, swamps, oceans, freshwater rivers, or frozen icelands. Every species, from reptilian to mammal to bird, is being nudged off the face of this earth by our insatiable appetite for more, more, more!

On the other hand, our #instagram generation is so good at making new concepts like Cat Cafes etc…and the business of “Humanizing pets” is actually a theme, getting VC $ and many shiny new startups to exploit this new trend. This just goes to show, that humans are not all selfish; most do appreciate the innocence of animals in our lives. We just don’t pause to do anything about it.

Key points include:

• restoring the ecological balance, one settlement at a time
• the overlay of culture, habits, skills, behaviors to ensure this is not in vain
• the economics, the financing, and the incentives so it stays that way

Read the full article, Urgent Need to Restore Lost Wildlands, on LinkedIn.