Staffan Widstrand

Wild Wonders of Europe

Today’s Date: 9 August 2008

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

A close encounter with a mountain gorilla family in the Virunga NP in Zaire/Kongo. Realizing that not only do we think they look like us, but also seeing in their eyes that they think we look like them actually brought me to tears.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

Yes, a bird lake in a nature reserve, within bicycle distance from home.

Now? Yes, two: Laponia World Heritage area, in Swedish Lapland, and Lofoten islands on the Norwegian coast.

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is and why?

I don’t have any particular animal as my favourite!
But I tend to be specially attracted to all large predators, both mammals, reptiles, fish and birds...
And to the apes.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

The biggest problem is without any doubt that there are too many of us humans in the world, and that the speed of population growth is so high. It is the no 1 factor behind most wars in the Third World, behind ethnic cleansing and massacres, behind increased food shortage, water shortage, global warming, industrial pollution, poverty, pressure on biodiversity, drinking water pollution, etc.
But almost nobody speaks about this problem.
And a terrible alliance of the Catholic church, the extreme islamists and fundamentalist protestants (like the Bush-administration) are stopping all measures that need to be taken when it comes to family planning, and the use of condoms and other birth control techniques.
There are simply too may of us, and if all these, and the billions coming around the corner, want to have western living standard, there is need for 2-3 more globes. But we just have one.

5. If you could give one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Don’t have more than two children, and in overpopulated countries, don’t have more than one. That is probably the biggest deed any single person or couple can carry out for the world.