Bill Gates recently claimed that protecting nature or improving human health is an either-or choice, but former national leaders like Russ Feingold, a retired U.S. senator, and Mary Robinson, former Irish president, disagree. As chair of the Global Steering Committee of the Campaign for Nature, a nonprofit organization uniting prominent politicians in support of nature protection, Feingold emphasizes that supporting both nature and people is essential, and that these are not mutually exclusive goals. On this episode of Mongabay’s podcast, Feingold discusses the campaign’s mission and why he believes nonpartisan conservation efforts are essential. “ We need to work as citizens — not as Democrats or Republicans — but as citizens, to say ‘Whatever else you think, let’s do this together,’” he says. Feingold points to the need to provide direct funding to nations in the Global South that’s consistent and committed over the long term, bucking the trend of previous promises that have fallen through or been mired in bureaucracy. He points to the Legacy Landscapes Fund, which commits $100 million over 30 years directly to local communities for nature protection, as one example. “These programs are tangible” and actually lead to funding that will result in successful conservation, he says. The Mongabay Newscast is available on major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify, and all previous episodes are accessible at our website’s podcast page. Please take a minute to let us know what you think of our podcast, here. Mike DiGirolamo is a host & associate producer for Mongabay…This article was originally published on Mongabay

From Conservation news via this RSS feed