Peter Van Kets’ Post

Now you see them, now you don't. Penguins evolved to have black backs and a white belly, so they are harder to spot from above the water, or from in the water below. Clumsy on land, they transform into the sleekest of swimmers, with the gentoo penguin able to easily lap even an Olympic swimmer several times over. They like the cold, making the Antarctic and the icy Southern Ocean, with its frigid, nutrient-rich waters, a preferred habitat. The world's largest colony of more than a million chinstrap penguins, as well as Adélie, gentoo, king, and macaroni penguins, can be found in the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, some of the most remote islands in the world. Threatened penguins and other seabirds, as well as the islands' incredible biodiversity, rely on a healthy, productive ocean. Through Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy, and working together with the Great Blue Ocean coalition, I've been working for years to advance marine protections for these islands. Earlier this year, the UK and local government vastly expanded the existing MPA with full protection for more than 166,000 additional square kilometres of these waters, in great news for nature and for the millions of penguins! 🐧🏔️🌎 The Pew Charitable Trusts, #PewBertarelliOceanLegacy #GBOceans #worldpenguinday #penguin #penguins #chinstrappenguin #biodiversity #ocean #nature #conservation #marineprotection #marineconservation #marineprotectedareas

23 𝑶𝑪𝑻𝑶𝑩𝑬𝑹, 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑳𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒅❄ 𝑫𝒂𝒚🎊 International Snow Leopard Day is observed annually on October 23rd. This day was established in 2013 by the 12 snow leopard range countries: 𝘈𝘧𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯, 𝘉𝘩𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘯, 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘢, 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢, 𝘒𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘬𝘩𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯, 𝘒𝘺𝘳𝘨𝘺𝘻𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯, 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘢, 𝘕𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘭, 𝘗𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯, 𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢, 𝘛𝘢𝘫𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘜𝘻𝘣𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯. 📌The goal is to raise awareness about the conservation of these elusive and endangered big cats and their fragile ecosystems. #InternationalDay

ICYMI: Recently, Heiltsuk youth participated in a shoreline clean up across their territories. Even though the majority of the debris didn’t originate from local villages, the project is an opportunity to collaborate on shared values in ways that will be held for years to come. “In doing this work, we’re exemplifying Heiltsuk values of respect and reciprocity — for the land and water that give back to us in so many ways. Learning that if there was respect for the land and water, there would be no debris to clean up… This also teaches them to take care of what belongs to them.” Learn more from Coastal First Nations - Great Bear Initiative about their efforts in safeguarding waters and keeping them healthy for future generations. https://bit.ly/3TkW7Hw

🌊 Dive into action this #EarthDay with WeWard! 🌱 Did you know? More than half of the world's #seagrass cover has vanished since 1977, with 7% disappearing annually - that's like losing a football field every 30 minutes! 😱 That's why we're leading the charge in fostering natural regeneration by restoring 100m2 of vital seagrass in Bagamoyo, Tanzania! Our collaboration with WeWard and @SOATanzania aims to combat #seagrassloss, a dire threat to marine ecosystems. 🌍 Seagrasses play a pivotal role in #carbonstorage, #oceanregulation, and #mitigatingacidification - it's time to revive them! 🙌 Through WeWard, your collected wards can ignite real change. 🌟 Every contribution counts towards revitalizing these underwater forests, securing a healthier planet for all. 🌿💧 #RestoreOurSeagrass #EarthDay2024 #WeWardForChange

It's more than about time to take on board indigenous voices and perspectives when it comes to the protection of whales in New Zealand and the Pacific. In the indigenous Maori world view as well as many Pacific and other indigenous cultures worldwide, human beings are seen closely intertwined with one another. Also, humans are closely interconnected with the animals, nature/the environment, the sun, moon and stars, and the weather/climate. My understanding from within this Maori perspective/indigenous perspective is that by causing pollution to the rivers, lakes, and oceans, and the depletion of ocean marine life through over-fishing, shark-finning, and the hunting of whales etc we are only hurting ourselves in the process and the survival of future generations to come as well as the survival of the animals, and nature/the environment on in our part of the world and the planet in general.

When to Expect the Swarm: Flying Ant Day 2024 in the UK Flying Ant Day, often mistaken for a single occasion, marks a season of significant activity among Black Garden ants (Lasius niger) and Yellow Meadow ants (Lasius Flavus), specifically the emergence of winged queens and males for their nuptial flight, an event critical for colony propagation. This event, usually occurring in the hot, humid months of July or August, provides fascinating glimpses into the captivating life cycle of these ants. Urban heat islands often trigger these winged ants to emerge earlier in cities. The incident is a pivotal ecological point, supplying food for various animals and fostering biodiversity. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/dsAJazeJ

🌊 Why investment in ocean leaders from the Global South is a must 🌍      Our project partner Aqua-Farms Organization - AFO, has published an insightful article on its Tanzania Dive Labs initiative, which plays a crucial role in developing future leaders committed to ocean conservation. 🪸     The programme has certified over 25 individuals as scuba divers, from Open Water to Divemaster levels, addressing the systemic barriers African marine scientists face in education, as well as incorporating storytelling to amplify and inspire marine conservation efforts. 🤿     ORRAA works with AFO to enhance the resilience and livelihoods of vulnerable coastal communities by channeling investment into impactful solutions, including establishing a voluntary carbon market to restore mangroves and developing micro credit and savings schemes to upgrade to tubular nets for seaweed farming.    Why is this important?     As Nancy Iraba, AFO’s Underwater Program Lead, explains, “Countries in the Global South are often at the frontline of climate change and environmental degradation, making it imperative for local communities to be actively involved in conservation efforts. Empowering young leaders from these regions ensures that those most affected by environmental challenges have the skills and agency to address them.”     📖 Read the full article here: https://ow.ly/1eEO50TBoZI      #OceanLeaders #TanzaniaDiveLabs #GlobalSouth #ORRAA #AFO #CoastalCommunities

Please take a read of the report by Gardawheh et al. on the state of Mangrove Ecosystems in Liberia, in observance of World Mangroves Day. Happy world Mangroves Day!

Part 2 of, “On a Mission to Save the Whales” is here!😊 We hope you’re enjoying it so far.🐳 💙 “The Struggle in Norway” (🇳🇴): Turning her focus to Norway, Anna faced a more politically complex situation. Norway openly defied the IWC’s ban, driven by economic interests and cultural traditions. She worked with Norwegian researchers to collect data on whale populations, finding that commercial whaling was disrupting critical breeding individuals. Anna’s research provided compelling evidence of the negative impacts of whaling, which she used to advocate for non-lethal research methods and promote whale-watching tourism as a sustainable alternative. Her efforts included presentations to policymakers and public forums, which helped shift the debate toward more sustainable practices. Call to Action: Advocate for sustainable marine conservation policies and support initiatives that promote non-lethal research and eco-friendly tourism as alternatives to commercial whaling. Until the finale..👀 — #adventure #explorepage #igdaily #aeonforocean #marinebiologist #marinebiology #oceanconservation #stopwhaling #japan #norway #story #nonprofit #humpbackwhale #greywhale #killerwhale #orca #minnesota #marineconservation #augustvibes #follow #education #staytuned

Laws of the Jungle. In an era where low -mid skilled manpower predominately accelerating most of the emerging economies. "Understanding" management skills made easy, follow the Animal spirit. The Jungle Book . Take that plunge: Wildebeest Migration . The Mara river phenomenon. Transfer of knowledge and yet maintain legacy: Monarch butterfly Migration. It takes four generations to complete single cycle of migration. Best team collaboration: Team Orca's killer instincts. Competitive strategy: African Wild dog pack attack strategy. Maintaining business landscape and contingency: Follow the Matriarch Elephants. Red vs Blue ocean strategy: Understand the Lion Pride. Balancing between over & under kill. Making way for next generation. Delegation, Empowerment & hierarchy: The hyena clan Defense strategy: Communication between plants when attacked by leaf cutter ants. Travel with purpose & loyalty: Red Salmon Migration , Albatross Confidence: Female Cheetah A true outlier. A lone killer. A bold statement of survival skills. Watch & learn. 2.5 hrs of average time spent on media per person can be spent well, while avg time spent on L&D is below par. Planet Earth, nature's best institution. (Indeed ,with all due respect to renowned institutions and their contributions.) #skilldevelopment #perspectives #travel #education #nature #planetearth #africa #canada #rainforest #learninganddevelopment #techadoption