Everyday Extinction is now LIVE

A post shared by Everyday Extinction (@everydayextinction) on Sep 19, 2017 at 5:35am PDT

It’s with great pleasure that I share with you the announcement of a new collaborative feed we have just launched on Instagram, called ‘Everyday Extinction’. The purpose of the feed is to highlight the causes, effects and solutions to the current 6th global biodiversity extinction crisis.

In founding this new feed, I have brought together a mix of wildlife photographers, photojournalists, fine art photographers and scientists to give a broad view of the various challenges facing species across the world at the moment.

Image by @sean_gallagher_photo A fisherman holds up a shark fin in a market in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. According to the Guardian newspaper, “Indonesia catches on average 109,000 tonnes of shark per year, giving it the dubious distinction of being the world’s biggest shark fishery.” Unregulated trade in the fishing industry in this region of the world is pushing many species to the brink of extinction. Science Daily reports, "About half of the world's 1,200 species of sharks and rays are listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature @redlist_of_ecosystems including 20 that may not be traded internationally….A majority of shark fins and manta ray gills sold around the globe for traditional medicines come from endangered species". #everydayextinction #biodiversity #extinction #indonesia #sharks

A post shared by Everyday Extinction (@everydayextinction) on Oct 3, 2017 at 10:33pm PDT

You may or may not be aware of the global extinction crisis. It’s a topic which hasn’t been covered much by the mainstream media which is part of the reason why this feed was founded. Our first aim is to help increase awareness about this issue amongst the general public via photography and social media. The vivid and sometimes stark images offer insights into the many ways in which humans have caused the current crisis but also the many ways in which we can stem the loss of species.

Image by @adriansteirn. There hasn’t been a more dangerous time to be a pangolin (Pholidota). The species has become the most trafficked mammal in the world. They are illegally traded for their scales, as bush meat or for medicinal purposes. But the threat of their extinction rarely makes news. An organisation in Zimbabwe aims to change this by educating the public about an animal many may not know even exists. Enabled by the @TikkiHywoodTrust, a group of men dedicate their lives to rehabilitating captured pangolins. They are entrusted with caring for animals that have endured major stress, often having been transported many kilometres bound in a sack, starved and dehydrated. Eight species of pangolin exist, four Asian and four African, all appear on the IUCN Red List, ranging from endangered, to critically endangered and vulnerable, all eight of the species' populations are decreasing. With the depletion of the Asian populations, poachers have redirected their efforts to Africa. For more information or to assist visit: https://www.tikkihywoodtrust.org/ #EverydayExtinction #Conservation #Biodiversity #Pangolin #Scales #Africa #Asia #Zimbabwe #Poaching #Extinction #Trafficking #Endangered

A post shared by Everyday Extinction (@everydayextinction) on Sep 26, 2017 at 11:25am PDT

It is this mix of imagery that celebrates biodiversity but also shows the harsh reality of species loss that we hope will spark thought and perhaps action from our followers.

Along with climate change, this is one of the most important environmental issues of our time. If you are on Instagram, please follow our daily updates there and help us spread the word about this desperately underreported issue.