Photography And Conservation

  Environmental and Wildlife Conservationists often talk about ways to improve awareness of the connection between humans and the environment.  The constraints of human perception provide a limited understanding in relation to the depth of this connection.  Even though we might not be able to understand how deep this connection is we do know it exists, and that humans are interconnected with all other living organisms.  We share and live off the same resources that support life on the planet, the earth's biosphere.  This connection between all living organisms surviving in the same biosphere cannot be ignored and the choice to make decisions that do not support co-existence not only separate our species from the necessary interdependence of biological organisms on the earth's geo systems; the geosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere (rivers, lakes, and oceans), and atmosphere.  When humans ignore the fact that geo systems parallel the human body.  Both are constantly adjusting and changing to maintain homeostasis, a stable equilibrium, or balance, is necessary to sustain health both in the human immune system and the earth's systems.  But when this balance is lost then toxins begin to accumulate, which lead to disease and ultimately death.      Understanding the connection to all other living organisms on the planet means understanding the choices humans make  that have a negative impact on the environment undoubtedly change the environment and disrupt the earth's homeostasis.  Increasing levels of toxins and pollutants threaten the conditions for life to exist on this planet.    

So, if humans ignore our connection and interdependence with other organisms and continue to pollute the watersheds that provide habitats which support a large biodiversity of species, and provide us with water for consumption, and the irrigation of our crops all of which are necessary for our survival.  If we continue to pollute the rivers, streams, and lakes that eventually cause the species living in a watershed to no longer exist then it is just a matter of time until the living conditions that support humans will no longer exist and surely we will suffer the same fate as the other species that were forced into extinction. 

   According to the State of California, there are approximately 2.9 million acres of wetlands in California. Amongst the 2.9 million acres of wetlands, 28 coastal wetland areas have been recorded, 15 of which have the largest recorded numbers of wildlife. Scattered along the southern coast from Santa Barbara County to the Mexican border the largest concentration of connected wetlands are located in Ventura County, Long Beach, and Southern San Diego. In the past century, California has lost more than 90 percent of its estimated 2.9 million acres of wetlands. In 2017, An already dire situation was made worse when politicians in Washington, pressured by the President, pushed for roll backs of the Clean Water Act, also known as The Waters of the United States Act.