SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
@saveoursprat.bsky.social
We are a West Cork community campaign of local citizens and inshore fishermen, calling for a moratorium on all industrial sprat trawling until this ecological keystone species recovers.
https://www.saveoursprat.ie/
https://www.saveoursprat.ie/
Pinned
We here at Save Our Sprat want to stop the indiscriminate fishing of Sprat in Bantry Bay to ensure its future as a key link in the food chain on which our marine life and the people around the Bay are dependent on.
www.saveoursprat.ie
Industrial scale trawling threatens the complete collapse of sprat populations on which the incredibly rich marine ecosystem of Bantry Bay depends.
SAVE OUR SPRAT is campaigning for a moratorium on all such activity until the species recovers.
Please join or support us!!
www.saveoursprat.ie
SAVE OUR SPRAT is campaigning for a moratorium on all such activity until the species recovers.
Please join or support us!!
www.saveoursprat.ie
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
Chinese fishing firm Kaichuang reports nearly 200% increase in krill catch in Antarctica
with profits jumping 270%
Absolutely disgusting they are taking essential food from the whales and penguins and leaving them to starve
www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-...
with profits jumping 270%
Absolutely disgusting they are taking essential food from the whales and penguins and leaving them to starve
www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-...
Chinese fishing firm Kaichuang reports nearly 200 percent increase in krill catch, aligning with nationwide ambitions
Shanghai Kaichuang Marine International has largely expanded its krill catch in 2025, causing its profits to soar.
www.seafoodsource.com
December 7, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Chinese fishing firm Kaichuang reports nearly 200% increase in krill catch in Antarctica
with profits jumping 270%
Absolutely disgusting they are taking essential food from the whales and penguins and leaving them to starve
www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-...
with profits jumping 270%
Absolutely disgusting they are taking essential food from the whales and penguins and leaving them to starve
www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-...
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
The fishing industry is lobbying hard to maintain business as usual even as their members stare into the abyss.
Most fishermen want a change in direction!
thefishingdaily.com/latest-news/...
Most fishermen want a change in direction!
thefishingdaily.com/latest-news/...
EBFA Meets Commissioner to Discuss Future of Bottom Fishing in Europe - The Fishing Daily - Irish, UK and European Fishing Industry News
The EBFA met with Commissioner Costas Kadis to discuss the future of bottom fishing in Europe waters following concerns about its future
thefishingdaily.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:14 PM
The fishing industry is lobbying hard to maintain business as usual even as their members stare into the abyss.
Most fishermen want a change in direction!
thefishingdaily.com/latest-news/...
Most fishermen want a change in direction!
thefishingdaily.com/latest-news/...
Today in Bantry Bay and in a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) around Garinish Island, two under 18m vessels have been pair trawling.
While they are most likely fishing for sprat, and that's not illegal for these trawlers, we have 3 key questions for the government ...
🧵
While they are most likely fishing for sprat, and that's not illegal for these trawlers, we have 3 key questions for the government ...
🧵
December 3, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Today in Bantry Bay and in a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) around Garinish Island, two under 18m vessels have been pair trawling.
While they are most likely fishing for sprat, and that's not illegal for these trawlers, we have 3 key questions for the government ...
🧵
While they are most likely fishing for sprat, and that's not illegal for these trawlers, we have 3 key questions for the government ...
🧵
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
That was the case, for example, when the government granted a private company a licence to rip out *1,860 acres* of wild kelp forest here in Bantry Bay.
Only through judicial review was that prevented. Once this legislation goes through, the only option left to communities will be direct action.
Only through judicial review was that prevented. Once this legislation goes through, the only option left to communities will be direct action.
December 2, 2025 at 9:57 PM
That was the case, for example, when the government granted a private company a licence to rip out *1,860 acres* of wild kelp forest here in Bantry Bay.
Only through judicial review was that prevented. Once this legislation goes through, the only option left to communities will be direct action.
Only through judicial review was that prevented. Once this legislation goes through, the only option left to communities will be direct action.
While welcoming the ban on boats over 18m long inside 6 miles, we don't believe it'll protect sprat populations, or the ecosystems that depend on them.
Find out why in this great @irishwildlifetrust.bsky.social webinar with our Dolf D'hondt and the IWT's Grace Carr.
youtu.be/o1HbD934bjM?...
Find out why in this great @irishwildlifetrust.bsky.social webinar with our Dolf D'hondt and the IWT's Grace Carr.
youtu.be/o1HbD934bjM?...
IWT Webinar: Trawling & Sprat Protection in Ireland’s Inshore Area
YouTube video by Irish Wildlife Trust
youtu.be
December 2, 2025 at 7:12 AM
While welcoming the ban on boats over 18m long inside 6 miles, we don't believe it'll protect sprat populations, or the ecosystems that depend on them.
Find out why in this great @irishwildlifetrust.bsky.social webinar with our Dolf D'hondt and the IWT's Grace Carr.
youtu.be/o1HbD934bjM?...
Find out why in this great @irishwildlifetrust.bsky.social webinar with our Dolf D'hondt and the IWT's Grace Carr.
youtu.be/o1HbD934bjM?...
Wondrous kelp forests harbor a complex ecosystem that’s teeming with life, cleaning the water and the atmosphere, and bringing new hope for the future.
share.google/Z2S1xWnxict3...
share.google/Z2S1xWnxict3...
Underwater Forests Return to Life off the Coast of California, and That Might be Good News for the Entire Planet
Wondrous kelp beds harbor a complex ecosystem that’s teeming with life, cleaning the water and the atmosphere, and bringing new hope for the future
share.google
November 26, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Wondrous kelp forests harbor a complex ecosystem that’s teeming with life, cleaning the water and the atmosphere, and bringing new hope for the future.
share.google/Z2S1xWnxict3...
share.google/Z2S1xWnxict3...
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
At NSW Parliament, Aboriginal Sea Country leaders, scientists, and industry came together to call for urgent action on urchin overgrazing and kelp forest loss along the Great Southern Reef.
Read the full story and the Sea Country Alliance’s plan greatsouthernreef.com/nsw-sea-country-alliance
Read the full story and the Sea Country Alliance’s plan greatsouthernreef.com/nsw-sea-country-alliance
November 11, 2025 at 11:20 PM
At NSW Parliament, Aboriginal Sea Country leaders, scientists, and industry came together to call for urgent action on urchin overgrazing and kelp forest loss along the Great Southern Reef.
Read the full story and the Sea Country Alliance’s plan greatsouthernreef.com/nsw-sea-country-alliance
Read the full story and the Sea Country Alliance’s plan greatsouthernreef.com/nsw-sea-country-alliance
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
EU Fisheries Ministers have ignored science again.
2026 Baltic quotas breach the #CommonFisheriesPolicy and the multiannual plan for the Baltic, risking collapse of herring, sprat & cod.
Short-term profits are being prioritised over long-term sustainability. ⤵️
2026 Baltic quotas breach the #CommonFisheriesPolicy and the multiannual plan for the Baltic, risking collapse of herring, sprat & cod.
Short-term profits are being prioritised over long-term sustainability. ⤵️
Fisheries Ministers Risk Breaking EU Law, Jeopardising Baltic Sea Recovery
Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the Baltic Sea Multiannual Plan (MAP), prioritising short-term interests over long-term ecosystem recovery.
europe.oceana.org
October 28, 2025 at 1:18 PM
EU Fisheries Ministers have ignored science again.
2026 Baltic quotas breach the #CommonFisheriesPolicy and the multiannual plan for the Baltic, risking collapse of herring, sprat & cod.
Short-term profits are being prioritised over long-term sustainability. ⤵️
2026 Baltic quotas breach the #CommonFisheriesPolicy and the multiannual plan for the Baltic, risking collapse of herring, sprat & cod.
Short-term profits are being prioritised over long-term sustainability. ⤵️
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
"Industrial fishing can extract in a day what a small boat might take in a year"
Coastal fishing now involves very few fish and very few young people. If this is to change we need to say goodbye to industrial fishing.
theconversation.com/governments-...
Coastal fishing now involves very few fish and very few young people. If this is to change we need to say goodbye to industrial fishing.
theconversation.com/governments-...
Governments can protect marine environments by supporting small-scale fishing
Nearly 30 per cent of the world’s population lives in coastal areas. A changing climate and biodiversity loss represent an unprecedented threat to these ecosystems.
theconversation.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:58 PM
"Industrial fishing can extract in a day what a small boat might take in a year"
Coastal fishing now involves very few fish and very few young people. If this is to change we need to say goodbye to industrial fishing.
theconversation.com/governments-...
Coastal fishing now involves very few fish and very few young people. If this is to change we need to say goodbye to industrial fishing.
theconversation.com/governments-...
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
Planet’s first catastrophic climate tipping point reached, with coral reefs facing ‘widespread dieback’
Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2C ‘as fast as possible’, warm water coral reefs will not remain ‘at any meaningful scale.’
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2C ‘as fast as possible’, warm water coral reefs will not remain ‘at any meaningful scale.’
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Planet’s first catastrophic climate tipping point reached, report says, with coral reefs facing ‘widespread dieback’
Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2C ‘as fast as possible’, warm water coral reefs will not remain ‘at any meaningful scale’, a report by 160 scientists from 23 countries warns
www.theguardian.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Planet’s first catastrophic climate tipping point reached, with coral reefs facing ‘widespread dieback’
Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2C ‘as fast as possible’, warm water coral reefs will not remain ‘at any meaningful scale.’
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2C ‘as fast as possible’, warm water coral reefs will not remain ‘at any meaningful scale.’
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
Half of Ireland’s rivers, lakes and estuaries in unhealthy state as standards slide again.
Successive governments have "engaged in rhetoric around restoring rivers and lakes to health rather than implementing real measures to prevent decline." - SWAN
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...
Successive governments have "engaged in rhetoric around restoring rivers and lakes to health rather than implementing real measures to prevent decline." - SWAN
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...
Half of Ireland’s rivers, lakes and estuaries in unhealthy state as standards slide again
Agriculture, sewage, chemicals and physical damage all threatening nature’s waterways
www.irishtimes.com
October 14, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Half of Ireland’s rivers, lakes and estuaries in unhealthy state as standards slide again.
Successive governments have "engaged in rhetoric around restoring rivers and lakes to health rather than implementing real measures to prevent decline." - SWAN
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...
Successive governments have "engaged in rhetoric around restoring rivers and lakes to health rather than implementing real measures to prevent decline." - SWAN
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
The biggest global gathering of nature organisations, scientists and governments, which takes place every 4 years, has just concluded. Once again, there was no representative from the Irish government - why have we opted out of participating in these events?
iucn.org/press-releas...
iucn.org/press-releas...
IUCN World Conservation Congress concludes in Abu Dhabi with ambitious vision for nature conservation
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 15 October 2025 (IUCN) – The IUCN World Conservation Congress closed today in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, setting the vision for nature conservation for the next ...
iucn.org
October 18, 2025 at 12:47 PM
The biggest global gathering of nature organisations, scientists and governments, which takes place every 4 years, has just concluded. Once again, there was no representative from the Irish government - why have we opted out of participating in these events?
iucn.org/press-releas...
iucn.org/press-releas...
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
Hunted at sea, sold worldwide: Inside the global shark trade. 🦈
Humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks annually.
That's almost 274,000 sharks every day, 11,000+ sharks every hour & 3 sharks per second.
www.fairplanet.org/story/hunted-at-sea-sold-worldwide-inside-the-global-shark-trade/
Humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks annually.
That's almost 274,000 sharks every day, 11,000+ sharks every hour & 3 sharks per second.
www.fairplanet.org/story/hunted-at-sea-sold-worldwide-inside-the-global-shark-trade/
Hunted at sea, sold worldwide: Inside the global shark trade | FairPlanet
A rare look inside one of Southeast Asia’s largest - and most controversial - shark markets.
www.fairplanet.org
October 3, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Hunted at sea, sold worldwide: Inside the global shark trade. 🦈
Humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks annually.
That's almost 274,000 sharks every day, 11,000+ sharks every hour & 3 sharks per second.
www.fairplanet.org/story/hunted-at-sea-sold-worldwide-inside-the-global-shark-trade/
Humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks annually.
That's almost 274,000 sharks every day, 11,000+ sharks every hour & 3 sharks per second.
www.fairplanet.org/story/hunted-at-sea-sold-worldwide-inside-the-global-shark-trade/
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
Counting down the 10 final days of our shore survey, we want to inspire you until the very end! Plan a survey in your local area now, and explore the complex varieties of seaweeds on your shores! Book your survey unit today! Coastwatch.org
(Images via iNaturalist and Seaweed.ie)
(Images via iNaturalist and Seaweed.ie)
October 5, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Counting down the 10 final days of our shore survey, we want to inspire you until the very end! Plan a survey in your local area now, and explore the complex varieties of seaweeds on your shores! Book your survey unit today! Coastwatch.org
(Images via iNaturalist and Seaweed.ie)
(Images via iNaturalist and Seaweed.ie)
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
@swanireland.ie @saveoursprat.bsky.social
Friends in Koksilah watershed Vancouver island ask us to share&sign and support please. Sign the Open Letter to Mosaic logging company www.koksilahwatershedgroup.org/open-letter-... Stop Proposed Mines Road Logging Activity in the Koksilah Watershed
Friends in Koksilah watershed Vancouver island ask us to share&sign and support please. Sign the Open Letter to Mosaic logging company www.koksilahwatershedgroup.org/open-letter-... Stop Proposed Mines Road Logging Activity in the Koksilah Watershed
Sign the Open Letter to Mosaic
Stop Proposed Mines Road Logging Activity in the Koksilah Watershed
Dear Jimmie Hodgson,
We, the undersigned members of the Koksilah Watershed community, urge you to halt Mosaic’s proposed loggin...
www.koksilahwatershedgroup.org
September 1, 2025 at 12:22 PM
@swanireland.ie @saveoursprat.bsky.social
Friends in Koksilah watershed Vancouver island ask us to share&sign and support please. Sign the Open Letter to Mosaic logging company www.koksilahwatershedgroup.org/open-letter-... Stop Proposed Mines Road Logging Activity in the Koksilah Watershed
Friends in Koksilah watershed Vancouver island ask us to share&sign and support please. Sign the Open Letter to Mosaic logging company www.koksilahwatershedgroup.org/open-letter-... Stop Proposed Mines Road Logging Activity in the Koksilah Watershed
Be part of our fun event on Sunday in Bantry! We'll collect near the bay for a group drone shot of the letters 'Save Our Sprat', followed by a free viewing of Ocean, the new Attenborough film. TD Jennifer Whitmore will tell us about her proposed bill.
Please come along, and please share!!!
Please come along, and please share!!!
September 10, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Be part of our fun event on Sunday in Bantry! We'll collect near the bay for a group drone shot of the letters 'Save Our Sprat', followed by a free viewing of Ocean, the new Attenborough film. TD Jennifer Whitmore will tell us about her proposed bill.
Please come along, and please share!!!
Please come along, and please share!!!
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
Collapse of critical Atlantic current (AMOC) is no longer low-likelihood, study finds.
Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic
fallout.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic
fallout.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low-likelihood, study finds
Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic fallout
www.theguardian.com
September 1, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Collapse of critical Atlantic current (AMOC) is no longer low-likelihood, study finds.
Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic
fallout.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic
fallout.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
"If you had a Marine Protected Area, you'd see more fish coming, more marine life and they'll get bigger and more abundant" - Ivan Donoghue of Wexford Sub Aqua Club.
#FairSeas
#FairSeas
September 2, 2025 at 12:03 PM
"If you had a Marine Protected Area, you'd see more fish coming, more marine life and they'll get bigger and more abundant" - Ivan Donoghue of Wexford Sub Aqua Club.
#FairSeas
#FairSeas
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
"Thousands of dolphins probably dying off Irish coast every year - but no research to find out why"
Hardly a mystery why, when the French limited supertrawler activity the dolphin death count dropped significantly
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...
Hardly a mystery why, when the French limited supertrawler activity the dolphin death count dropped significantly
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...
Thousands of dolphins probably dying off Irish coast every year - but no research to find out why
Undersea cameraman Ken O’Sullivan has spent 20 years among the charismatic mammals
www.irishtimes.com
August 25, 2025 at 7:24 AM
"Thousands of dolphins probably dying off Irish coast every year - but no research to find out why"
Hardly a mystery why, when the French limited supertrawler activity the dolphin death count dropped significantly
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...
Hardly a mystery why, when the French limited supertrawler activity the dolphin death count dropped significantly
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
🚨 UK seas have undergone the warmest start to any year since records began, putting our marine habitats & wildlife under immense stress. Marine heatwaves should be rare but they're now terrifyingly common. This is not normal. Time for a green future, NOW. www.cmscoms.com?p=44926
Surge in sea temperatures drives dramatic changes in UK marine ecosystems - Ocean and Coastal Futures
Ocean and Coastal Futures - We’re all about connecting people – organising events, creating communications and promoting job opportunities.
www.cmscoms.com
August 13, 2025 at 8:50 AM
🚨 UK seas have undergone the warmest start to any year since records began, putting our marine habitats & wildlife under immense stress. Marine heatwaves should be rare but they're now terrifyingly common. This is not normal. Time for a green future, NOW. www.cmscoms.com?p=44926
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
A team of scientists investigating a large area of the Pacific Ocean have found an astonishing 5,000 new species living on the ocean floor. 🐙
We must refrain from #deepseamining to avoid huge environmental damage and yet another human-made disaster: blueplanetsociety.org/deep-sea-min...
We must refrain from #deepseamining to avoid huge environmental damage and yet another human-made disaster: blueplanetsociety.org/deep-sea-min...
Deep sea mining is a recipe for certain disaster - Blue Planet Society
A team of scientists investigating a large area of the Pacific Ocean known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone have found an astonishing 5,000 new species living on the ocean floor. The species they logged...
blueplanetsociety.org
July 28, 2025 at 9:13 AM
A team of scientists investigating a large area of the Pacific Ocean have found an astonishing 5,000 new species living on the ocean floor. 🐙
We must refrain from #deepseamining to avoid huge environmental damage and yet another human-made disaster: blueplanetsociety.org/deep-sea-min...
We must refrain from #deepseamining to avoid huge environmental damage and yet another human-made disaster: blueplanetsociety.org/deep-sea-min...
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
The ban on inshore trawling will not result in benefits for wildlife without proper regulation of this zone - something the government can do unilaterally (i.e. without EU approval unlike the offshore area), but will they?
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/ou...
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/ou...
Large trawler restrictions welcome but careful management still needed
It has been a long road to get to this point, but will it finally result in pressure being lifted on important ecosystems and in particular the small whale populations that have abandoned the south co...
www.irishexaminer.com
July 29, 2025 at 8:54 AM
The ban on inshore trawling will not result in benefits for wildlife without proper regulation of this zone - something the government can do unilaterally (i.e. without EU approval unlike the offshore area), but will they?
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/ou...
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/ou...
GREAT NEWS!!!
As Pádraic rightly says, the fight for inshore ecosystems goes on, but this is an important victory for Irish marine life!
As Pádraic rightly says, the fight for inshore ecosystems goes on, but this is an important victory for Irish marine life!
It appears that a ban on boats over 18m within 6mn of the coast is to come into effect next year while a quota will apply to sprat. This doesn't go far enough as we need to end all trawling and dredging but this is progress so good news!
July 22, 2025 at 8:06 PM
GREAT NEWS!!!
As Pádraic rightly says, the fight for inshore ecosystems goes on, but this is an important victory for Irish marine life!
As Pádraic rightly says, the fight for inshore ecosystems goes on, but this is an important victory for Irish marine life!
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
Rethinking Marine Protected Areas – why current practices are failing ❌
We're told that 30% of the ocean 🌊 will be protected by 2030. But only 8.4% of our blue planet is protected and just 2.8% is effectively protected.
✊Real change is needed #30x30
blueplanetsociety.org/rethinking-m...
We're told that 30% of the ocean 🌊 will be protected by 2030. But only 8.4% of our blue planet is protected and just 2.8% is effectively protected.
✊Real change is needed #30x30
blueplanetsociety.org/rethinking-m...
Rethinking Marine Protected Areas - why current practices are failing - Blue Planet Society
We keep hearing that 30% of the ocean will be protected by 2030. But only 8.4% of our blue planet is protected, and just 2.8% is effectively protected. We need drastic change to achieve the 30% target...
blueplanetsociety.org
July 22, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Rethinking Marine Protected Areas – why current practices are failing ❌
We're told that 30% of the ocean 🌊 will be protected by 2030. But only 8.4% of our blue planet is protected and just 2.8% is effectively protected.
✊Real change is needed #30x30
blueplanetsociety.org/rethinking-m...
We're told that 30% of the ocean 🌊 will be protected by 2030. But only 8.4% of our blue planet is protected and just 2.8% is effectively protected.
✊Real change is needed #30x30
blueplanetsociety.org/rethinking-m...
Reposted by SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY
🐬 With a dolphin pod threatened by noise pollution, fishing gear & boats, campaigners on an island off South Korea are lobbying to extend legal status to the vulnerable animals. Can giving these dolphins the same legal rights as humans help save them? www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Could giving this pod of dolphins the same legal rights as humans help keep them safe?
With a bottlenose population threatened by fishing gear, boats and pollution, campaigners on South Korea’s Jeju island are lobbying to extend legal status to the vulnerable cetaceans
www.theguardian.com
July 15, 2025 at 5:22 PM
🐬 With a dolphin pod threatened by noise pollution, fishing gear & boats, campaigners on an island off South Korea are lobbying to extend legal status to the vulnerable animals. Can giving these dolphins the same legal rights as humans help save them? www.theguardian.com/environment/...