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Evaluating Articles and Sources: Wildlands Network

Wildlands Network article is not fully up to date. It seems as though the article is missing all of the On-the-Ground campaigns that are ongoing, along with the campaigns that are written on the Wildlands Network page.

Using the Wildlands Network website, where information of all the current campaigns reside, there will be much more to add to the page.

Along with the current campaigns, there could also be an addition of the origins and history of the Wildlands Network.

History

In 1991, Dr. Michael E. Soulé envisioned a conservation group that focused on fieldwork, all based on sound science. Soulé joined forces with David Foreman, Douglas Tompkins, and other conservationists, he formed the North American Wilderness Recovery Strategy. The name would later become simplified to the Wildlands Project, now known as Wildlands Network.

Since its founding, Wildlands Network has worked to simplify conservation terms in order for the public to understand them. The Wildlands Network has also helped universalize the language for conservation planning. The Wildlands Network has helped inspire many other conservation organizations across the world.

Rewilding North America Projects

Eastern Wildway

Continuing off of the current article

In 2015, the Eastern Wildway Network was formed in order to advance efforts in North America. Over 30 conservation leaders have partnered in order to aid the conservation efforts and introducing essential species back into the area, like wolves and cougars. The partnership serves to open more opportunities for the Eastern Wildway campaign to reach its goals.

On-the-Ground Campaigns

On-the-Ground campaigns are the current fieldwork campaigns that the Wildlands Network has committed to.

Wild Cats Campaign

Cougars, Jaguars, Bobcats, Lynx, and Ocelots are important to the natural cycle of the ecosystem. Their populations have dwindled due to hunters, trappers, and habitat loss. This has caused great ruin to the natural world. The Wildlands Campaign caters to each of these cats in their original habitats in order to foster the populations.

Cougars

Cougar populations have suffered due to human interference. Whereas cougars were once prevalent in Eastern North America, their populations have dwindled as a result of human interference. The Eastern North America decisuous region therefore could fail to regenerate because of the abundant populations of deer. The Wildlands Network focuses on 2 main goals in regards to the conservation of cougars. To push stronger policies for the protection of cougars in the Eastern U.S, and to continue the recovery of cougar populations in various wildland complexes. One of the main methods of carrying out these goals is to educate the public on the need for cougars.

Jaguars

Jaguars are the largest wild cats in the world, and once roamed from the southern U.S to Argentina. Jaguar populations are dwindling at an alarming rate due to rapid urban development. The Wildlands Network focuses on creating conditions for jaguars to migrate freely between the US and Mexico because this migration path is essential for their survival (see Borderlands Campaign. One of the ways the Network is doing this is by advocating for wildlife crossing structures at key locations along Highway 2, which runs parallel to the U.S-Mexico Border.

Borderlands Campaign

The Borderlands Campaign's goal is to ensure that wild animals have access to all of the natural immigration pathways that they had long before humans colonized the land. Political boundaries are meaningless to animals, and the Wildlands Network attempts to help governments recognize that by campaigning for animal crossing bridges rather than walls. The Wildlands Network identifies core areas and habitat corridors essential for the natural immigration patterns of many species. There are currently three core areas in Northern Mexico that the Network is hoping to strengthen protections in.

Red Wolf Campaign

The Wildlands Network focuses on merging science and activism in order to protect the remaining red wolves in the southeastern United States. The red wolf is one of the critically endangered in the world. Only about 30-50 of them exist in the wild. The Network is trying to take measures on their behalf in order for them to survive. Red wolves are essential for keeping deer populations in check because deer are destructive to vegetation. Red wolves also help keep smaller animals in check, preventing them from overpopulating. The Wildlands Network is currently focused on three major campaigns to save the Red Wolves. Firstly, installing cameras in the areas where red wolves are known to roam, and releasing the footage to the public in order to show that wolves are not overkilling deer, but rather keeping their populations in check. Secondly, promoting political pressure on the United States Fish and Wildlife Services, which is the main U.S agency in charge of conservation efforts of Red Wolves under the Endangered Species Act. Thirdly, advocating for red wolves targeting the public such as through newspapers, presentations, and rallies.