June is usually a very relevant month for nature, it actually hosts World Environmental Day. But this June is also relevant for me as it marks my own «migration» from BirdLife International to the UN Convention of Migratory Species. Let me share some thoughts about what it means to me and what I hope we can achieve in the years to come
Time to keep growing
I am already missing the incredible colleagues at BirdLife International, but after a couple of decades in the NGO sector, I felt I needed to get out of the confort zone and take up new challenges. Joining a UN convention such as the CMS means broadening my horizons to a global level and using my experience to steer change at all fronts, forging new alliances with the private and public sector, fighting misinformation and fraud, but always listening to all sectors and sensitivities.
Data never lies…humans do. Time to Re-Think!
It doesn’t really matter which scientific report you check, sooner or later you will find the astonishing number of 1 million animal and plant species threatened with extinction, many within decades. More than ever before in human history. So the question is not really whether or not we have the facts, but what is it we are ready to do to revert this trend.
Time is infinite…but not for the Human species. Time to Re-act!
Planet earth does not really «care» about global warming or plastic pollution, as it never really «cared» about dinosaurs or mammoths…but we do…cause if we wouldn’t care, why do we invest millions trying to understand and mitigate the increase in global temperatures? We know time is finite for us as a species. We know a 2 degree increase means wiping out entire ecosystems and the services upon which we survive. We need to React, cause we have clearly failed in our 2020 hopes of a greener planet.
We will only succeed if we join forces with nature. Time to Re-Connect!
Sometimes we find difficulties in explaining to our kids or friends what nature restoration is about. For me restoration is about Re-connection. It is about spending more time in your local urban park or Protected Area. It is about telling your friends to pause & switch off the phone and listen to the birds singing. It is about pushing for green belts and corridors that connect our preferred spots so we can work and learn in harmony with nature.
Migratory species do not understand a thing about political borders, but they do know a lot about surviving and adapting to a changing world. Protecting migratory species is the first step towards Re-acting and Re-Connecting, which ultimately means being part of #GenerationRestoration
Iván Ramírez 