Commercial Hunting

After reading this weeks readings in the Cartoon Guide to the Environment I realized what I wanted to blog about since it is something that has irked me for quite some time. I am talking about commercial hunting, the very source of rainforest diversity depletion, food chains getting disrupted, illegal whaling in Japan, and much other environmental factors gone awry.

Before the world was industrialized that is to say before we started a mass market that could be traded anywhere in the world, people would hunt, fish, and farm for their own family or their own community. Now it is at the point that we can get generally anything we want from anywhere we want so long as there is a demand. Even if the demand is for something that does not provide reasonable food, clothes, and shelter, if the money is there it will be provided. In the process of wanting something exotic and extravagant they are just depleting a resource that is too fragile to continue hunting without the animal going extinct or greatly effecting its habitat. This leads to regulations and even with regulations the demand is just as high which continues the hunting but for a higher price.

An example of an ecosystem being greatly disrupted by commercial hunting in the rain forests in south Asia, Africa, and in the Amazonian. Since the diversity of species is quite numerous in these regions they are targeted for the rarity that appeals to the general public. Regulations in these area are far lower then they should be such as in the Amazonian rainforest only 1.6 percent is protected. So the rest is free reign for commercial hunters and loggers to take advantage of. This is reinforced by the communities surrounding these areas since in every market they need workers to help get the products out of these forests so then roads are created and vehicles are mobilized to supply the world with what it wants, regardless of the repercussions it could have on the environment.

On top of products such as Ivory from Elephants or feathers from exotic birds a ever threatening product would come from our sea creatures such as whales and seals. Seals have been hunted for many years but the demand for their warm stylish coats made places such as Canada slaughter houses that was extremely barbaric in action (79% of hunters would skin the seal without the seal even being dead.) It has finally come to its end(not entirely though) but to the extent where countries stopped getting the imports at the rates it used to be. Another product is whale which you can see right on the discovery channel “Whale Wars” which is about the illegal poaching of Whales in Japan. Although they say they are hunting the whales for scientific research you can buy a whale burger anywhere in Japan. The Japanese deny that they are illegally killing whales yet they have propaganda all over Japan urging people to eat whale since they were needed to be killed off to preserve the fish environment that Japan is so dependent on. There is no evidence that the whale community has this effect at all.

In the end you just realize how ridiculous people are about getting what they want even if there are dire effects that come from it. Who are we to effect Earth's ecosystems in the way that we do only to benefit ourselves and could easily do without? When will we learn???



http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0430-hunting.html
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/08/23/japan-whaling-scientific-research-or-commercial-hunting/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_hunting
-Chapter 9 in Cartoon Guide to the Environment