My gramma had a saying for every situation. We used to make fun of her for it, but secretly, we listened.
Whenever we were at the table discussing outbreaks of war, disease or famine and us kids would worry the world was coming to an end, Gramma would say ‘The world ends for someone every day.’ This saying served as a reminder of how lucky we were to be alive and together. It also spelled out that no one life is worth more than another, in death we are all equals.
As equal as we become, there are times when the scales are tipped and the rate of loss is not in balance with nature’s ebb and flow. The first and foremost example of this is war, times when the toll is far too high. November being the month of Remembrance Day we have a chance to reflect on a time in our history made famous by death. May we never do it again, it’s unnatural.
Tragically, even without current human conflicts, the rate of loss on our planet is unnatural now. The world might end for someone every day, but it shouldn’t end for an entire species every day. It is difficult to pass on exact numbers because many species are still unknown to science and therefore can’t be included in analysis. However, what we can agree on is that the rate of global extinction is currently 1,000-10,000 times higher than it should be naturally. Some analysis shows we are losing 150 species per day.
When we talk about Species at Risk in these pages, we aren’t talking about something rare that is exciting to see, we are talking about species that were once abundant and are now at risk of extirpation (disappearing from a region) or extinction. A real loss. And I know home wouldn’t be the same without the plants and animals that make it home, Butternut trees (endangered species), spotted turtles (endangered species), Rusty-patched bumble bees (endangered species) and more.
The only way to save these species, and manage the sixth mass extinction on our planet is through conservation, which, as of November 2023, The Couchiching Conservancy has been doing for 30 proud years. My brother in law jokes with me, every time I get home with the big news that The Conservancy has protected another nature reserve, he says ‘just another day saving the world’. For a few years I’ve laughed at it, but after the protection for the Deverell-Morton Nature Reserve, I realized he is serious. And what’s more, he’s right.
By supporting local conservation efforts you can’t necessarily save the whole world, but you can save the world for the Species at Risk in your neighbourhood; a Monarch butterfly, a Nine-spotted lady beetle, or a Whip-poor-will, and believe me, it matters to every single one of them.
Courtney Baker is the Office and Acquisition Coordinator at The Couchiching Conservancy, protecting nature for future generations.
