Why change to a vegetarian diet? Various estimates – One Green Planet – World Land Use show that some 71% of the earth’s land area is capable of supporting agriculture (the rest is ice-bound or desert). Half of that land is used for agriculture (the rest is forest or is urbanised) but only 23% of the agricultural land is used to grow food for direct human consumption – 77% of agricultural land is used to graze livestock or grow animal feed but this contributes only 17% of global caloric supply and 33% of global protein supply for human consumption.
I trained as a zoologist and, so, have a deep understanding of the natural world and the impacts of human activities on it. Also, in my younger years I was a keen bush-walker and was involved in the youth camping movement; one of the greatest pleasures was to give, mainly, “city kids” the opportunity to get outdoors and experience nature and the environment up close. Many young kids are surprised at the notion of sleeping on the ground and, even more so, at the idea that you can do it without a roof (or even a tent) over your head.
This pre-existing awareness of the environment became coupled with an increasing awareness of the impact of human activity on wildlife. My wife, Lisa, and I went to Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana in mid-2013 and were totally astonished at the wildlife and the landscape – but any time spent in Africa makes one acutely aware of the dire threats to the wildlife – the very real prospect that, in our lifetime, the rhinoceros and African elephant might go extinct, as two sub species of rhinoceros already have.
Lisa and I next travelled to South Africa in 2017, and it was in mid-2017 that we attended a book launch at Melbourne Zoo. The author was photographer Joel Sartore. Joel’s mission in life is to take photographs of every animal species held in zoos throughout the world. The rationale is that many of these animals will become extinct and so he wants to make a permanent record of their existence. The book chronicling his work, so far, is called “The Photo Ark” . Joel’s connection with the Melbourne Zoo is that he was visiting their three campuses to take photos of some of our strange Australian animals.
During the presentation Joel shared some statistics on the impact of meat eating on the natural environment – specifically the negative impacts of habitat destruction driven by the increasing demand for meat and its link to species extinction. These statistics crystallised our thinking on moving to a vegetarian diet.
Along the way we have become increasingly involved with the local zoo – Zoos Victoria – in part, due to the interest Lisa’s father, John, had in efforts to fight extinction, particularly in respect of orangutans and Tasmanian Devils. Lisa’s father had long-standing relationships with the Orangutan Project – and Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation – and provided them with significant support, particularly in the purchase of land for orangutan habitat. In August 2018 Lisa and I travelled to Sumatra as guests of the Orangutan Project. We went with the Project’s founder and head, Leif Cocks. Among other things, the Orangutan Project supports work by The Frankfurt Zoological Society – in the rescue, rehabilitation, release and protection of orangutans in Sumatra. Orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo are critically endangered due to habitat destruction, predominantly due to forest clearing for the production of palm oil – What is Palm Oil. Some argue that palm oil can be produced sustainably without the need for further habitat destruction but others, with first-hand knowledge challenge these assertions – please check your food labels and reject anything containing palm oil.
So, our decision to move to a vegetarian diet is an expression of the adage “act local, think global” – it is driven by the recognition of the animal welfare implications of industrialised meat production and the global, welfare and environmental, implications of that industry. Why Change to a Vegetarian Diet
