Target: Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States ambassador to the United Nations
Goal: Demand protection for the dugong and other ocean-dwelling animals.
The dugong, which is an aquatic mammal closely related to the manatee, has just been officially considered functionally extinct in China, with only three coastal sightings in the last five years. Due to unregulated fishing, habitat degradation, and climate change, these gentle ocean giants face a similar fate throughout the rest of the world, including in the U.S., where they are classified as “vulnerable” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list of threatened species.
We must do better to protect these and other species threatened by our own activities, and enforce more effective conservation efforts. Currently, countries are planning to meet in New York to sign a new UN treaty which, if agreed upon, would designate about 30% of the world’s oceans as protected areas. This will be the last of five meetings held by UN members to rectify this issue, and may be the very “last chance” for this agreement—and our oceans.
Sign this petition to encourage that UN representatives agree on this law. The future of the dugong—and tens of thousands of other species—may very well be riding on this decision.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield,
Climate change, overfishing, and habitat degradation have wreaked havoc on marine ecosystems, severely affecting the biodiversity of our oceans. Of the many species affected by human activity is the dugong. This extremely gentle aquatic mammal, which is a close relative of the manatee, has recently been declared functionally extinct in China. The dugong, which are classified as “vulnerable” according to the IUCN red list, face similar threats throughout all the world’s oceans they inhabit.
There remains a small glisten of hope for the dugong and other animals affected by the catastrophes of human activity. The UN plans to hold its fifth and final meeting on an ocean protection plan this month in New York. The results of this meeting may in fact be the ocean’s very last chance at recovery.
We are urging you, Ms. Thomas-Greenfield, to please agree to the conditions laid out at the meeting for stricter protections for 30% of the world’s oceans and to please help convince other UN delegates to do the same. It is no longer a question of personal interests or politics—we all depend on our oceans.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Nom d’util
