CITES: CoP-OUT with Chris Mercer
October 24, 2016
Hosted by Eli Weiss
[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]
Guest Information
Episode Description
As the dust just begins to settle from CITES, the veil lifts and the shock waves of the decisions ripple across the world- through the conservation communities and the ‘industry’. The other side altruism is business, and philanthropy and conservation today has become very big business indeed, when model base is ‘utilization’, ‘consumptive’ and a flip definition of ‘sustainable use’. There is a disturbing trend with far reaching consequences when wild life becomes, as my guest Chris Mercer calls it, Alternative Livestock. Domestication of once wild animals as commodity, spin it into something appealing and call it conservation. The general public is being misled. In shiny halls and cafes back room deals political favor and alliances are being made, and at this level it’s about trade, and trade is about money. New boundaries are being crossed, losses expanding, and the last frontier, wild life, is under siege.
Our Wild World
Monday at 8 AM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel
An informative and lively opportunity for listeners of all ages to learn about and raise awareness of contemporary challenges in wildlife and environmental conservation, both in Africa and parallels in the U.S., while also providing direct avenues to a variety of projects to personally take action and get involved.
While our project focus covers sub-Saharan Africa, the results of what we accomplish have global impacts, and further, how we choose to live daily will have impacts upon the future of Africa, our world’s wildlife and people. Our topics will cover a variety of themes including current news, what you can do now, what conservation and sustainability actually mean, how poverty impacts sustainablilty, foreign aid, book reviews, animal behavior, photography, living with wildlife in your back yard, interviews with renowned experts, and your questions and answers. Our Wild World is broadcast live every Monday at 8 AM Pacific Time on the VoiceAmerica Variety Channel.
Eli Weiss
A photographer, philanthropist and Wildlife Conservationist, Eli Weiss grew up in Illinois, Wyoming and Colorado, attended university in Colorado and the UK, and after spending time in Aspen from 1963-1979 she settled in Woody Creek, where, in 2000 she founded the non-profit WildiZe Foundation. In Founding Wildize, Weiss was able to combine her love of photography, art, nature, environmental ethics and conservation in such a way as to benefit our planet. The Foundation serves individuals and educational institutions dedicated to the conservation of wildlife, wildlife habitats and the indigenous cultures of Africa and raises awareness through on-the-ground projects and education both in Africa and the United States. Their mission is to establish direct relationships to projects in sub-Saharan Africa, offering targeted grant funding that support conservation efforts, educational programs and sustainable indigenous economies. Several times per year, Weiss visits the Foundation's grantees across sub-Saharan Africa, developing ongoing programs and building new, long-term relationships. Weiss has worked with experts and leaders in the field of conservation, administering over 2.5 million dollars of public and private grant funding across 75 grantees from specialists to community groups, giving her a well-rounded depth of knowledge critical to raising awareness of the various issues and toward implementing solid solutions based on science, the environment and culture.
