It continues with saving the world – for the fifth year in a row. The Israeli organization TiME (This is My Earth) bought two pieces of land abroad last year to save threatened species from extinction. These include two species of monkeys, several species of birds and plants. One area is in Brazil, the other in Kenya. These regions will soon be protected by the Israelis.
TiME was founded a few years ago by Professor Uri Shanas from the Faculty of Biology and Environment at Haifa-Oranim University and Professor Alon Tal from Tel Aviv University. Today the non-profit organization has more than 5700 members, including scientists from different countries. In addition to the supervisory board and members, there is a scientific advisory committee. TiME accepts members of all ages.
PLATFORM The organization, which consists entirely of volunteers, acts as an international democratic platform in which every donor, regardless of the amount of his contribution, has the right to vote where in the world the next piece of land will be bought. Members are presented with three options selected by the Scientific Committee. Each of the areas is home to a variety of critically endangered species. The acquired area will be specially protected in the near future.
The organization, which consists entirely of volunteers, functions as an international democratic platform.
“If we have previously thought that the destruction of nature affects us humans mainly through climate change, this past year we got to know another form of destruction, the corona pandemic,” says Shanas. “The pandemic has taken a terrible price on us in terms of health, economic security and personal life.”
In his opinion, the most important task for people now is to protect the natural areas in order to prevent future pandemics and to slow down global warming. “So far, we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg and will likely – as a consequence of how we deal with nature – be confronted with even worse incidents.”
crowdfunding In 2020, the members raised so much money through crowdfunding that they were able to purchase two pieces of land in one year for the first time in its history. According to TiME, 100 percent of the donations go to land purchase and protection.
The TiME members bought an area of just over two square kilometers in the Serra Bonita ridge of the Atlantic Rainforest (Mata Atlantica) on the east coast of Brazil for 140,000 US dollars. This region is considered to be one of the world’s natural regions, the preservation of which has top priority. An investigation of the area at the end of the last century showed that 458 tree species can be found on 10,000 square meters.
The northern brown howler monkey and capuchin monkey are critically endangered.
With the purchases, TiME says it will be able to save several dozen species this year. These include the endangered species of northern brown howler monkey (Alouatta guariba) and the capuchin monkey (Buff-headed Capuchin, Cebus xanthosternos). TiME also wants to protect 27 species of birds, including the endangered banded Kotinga.
DAKATCHA FOREST AREA The members had the money for the Brazilian territory together before the end of 2020. So there were a few weeks to collect for another “land package”: The choice fell on Kenya.
On the almost 0.81 square kilometers in the Dakatcha forest area, the endemic bird species Golandweber (Ploceus golandi), which has the only remaining nesting area in the world, is to be protected. The owl species Otus ireneae and the rare plant Warburgia stuhlmannii are also on the rescue plan – all for the price of 40,600 US dollars.
But TiME does not go to foreign countries, buys up tracts of land and practices so-called green colonialism, as the organization emphasizes. Instead, it is one of the central principles that the protected areas do not belong to the Israeli organization, but to local people or organizations. The country in question in Brazil is administered by Instituto Uiracu and the Kenyan country by Nature Kenya, the East African Society for Natural History.
The organization started as a small group, but has since expanded its activities considerably.
conservation hotspot “2.3 percent of the surface of the earth are designated as species protection hotspots, in which many endemic animals and plants live that are threatened,” explains the founder. “With the small land parcels that we buy, we are therefore making an important contribution to the conservation of many species.”
The concept has proven itself after five years of existence, he emphasizes. “At first it was thought that our approach was naive, but now you can see that it actually works and changes the grim reality in which we live.”
The organization started as a small group, but has since expanded its activities considerably. In addition to land acquisition and the development of nature reserves, TiME provides its educational program – in addition to Israeli schools – in educational institutions in the USA and Africa. Uri Shanas is happy about even more participation: “I invite people from everywhere to join us and be part of it, to change the present and future direction of our earth.”
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