The incredible story of #Jacob, the three-legged lion that swam the equivalent of an Olympic triathlon distance, has been featured in every major news outlet globally - reaching millions of people. What does this mean for #conservation and #planetary #health?
This tells us that the struggles Jacob has faced resonate with people, and that people care deeply about nature.
Jacob has been repeatedly caught in poachers' snares and steel traps (how he lost his leg), his family was poisoned for their body parts, and he has lost substantial habitat that would connect him with potential mates.
In a lot of ways, Jacob is symbol of what wildlife, and biodiversity more broadly, are facing in an increasingly human-dominated world. Rising and shifting demands for food production, energy and mining infrastructure, land-clearing for roadways and urban development, and overexploitation/poaching are just a few of the many human pressures impacting countless species and ecosystems globally.
As scientists, every day we are learning more about the impacts of losing species and ecosystems on human health and well-being. Like many species, large carnivores like Jacob are important ecosystem regulators - that is, they are critically positioned in ecological food webs - and their loss can trigger cascades that impact entire ecosystems and possibly human communities.
The flow-on effects of losing these species involve disease risk, agricultural productivity, and local tourism economies, among others. Therefore, the question of whether or not to protect and restore wildlife and ecosystems goes beyond the species themselves and relates directly to our health and well-being.
While Jacob the lion has had his fair share of tough times, we hope that his story will continue to resonate with people to generate momentum for policies and practices that reduce human impacts on biodiversity and that promotes protection and restoration of Earth's remaining protected areas.
For more, check out our article in The Conversation here: https://lnkd.in/ewAPZuR5
Check out our scientific publication here: https://lnkd.in/gs2zdSPv
Maastricht University
Maastricht University - Faculty of Science and Engineering
Griffith University
Volcanoes Safaris
Alexander Braczkowski
Male lions in a Ugandan game reserve are making a risky 1,5km swim, braving crocodiles and hippos, it is thought to find females.
Read all about the potential factors leading to this previously-unobserved behaviour - https://lnkd.in/dfCJnUfb
?? Alexander Braczkowski, Griffith University/ Christopher O'Bryan, Maastricht University/ Duan Biggs, Northern Arizona University and Robynne Kotze, PhD, University of Oxford
#EnvironmentAndEnergy
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4 个月LOVE this!!! Thank you to Pac-12 SAAC!