What gives you hope for the future?

[UngulateNerd92]

As you probably know all too well, the struggle to protect nature can be disheartening at times. Whether it’s a disappointing political decision, a species in decline or an extreme weather event; the seemingly unending supply of bad news isn’t great for morale.

As a consequence, it can be easy for people to fall victim to doomism: to be so overwhelmed by despair that they feel they should just give up.

But we cannot let that happen. Apathy and inaction, induced by the false belief that an impending apocalypse is inevitable, are just as dangerous as science denial.

And we cannot forget that there is reason for hope! We all need to understand that the world can change for the better, and that despite the destruction, as long as there’s a bird out there singing, that bird needs protection!

Our BirdLife Partners across Europe and Central Asia are out on the field every day, fighting to save our planet. So we asked them: what gives you hope for the future? Here is a selection of the answers they provided. Hopefully, their answers can help inspire you to get up in the morning and keep up the good fight too.

What gives you hope for the future?

 

[PossumRoach]

Nothing. Because sometimes I fear that we might end up destroying the earth, our civilization, or ourselves in an attempt to fix it to what we (or our supreme leaders from the UN) think is the best for the planet.

 

[Mr. Zootycoon]

What gives me hope? When I hear the flycatchers, hardly returned from their gargantuan journey from Africa, sing like there's no tomorrow. When I watch newly metamorphosed natterjack toads crawl out of their natal pool, vulnerable but persistent, into the wider world. When I see the cuckoo flowers giving the road verges and meadows a purple glow in early spring. When I walk along a stream where banded demoiselles are dancing just above the water surface. When I am lucky enough to witness a newly hatched lapwing popping its head out from underneath mother's belly. When I hear the far-reaching bellows of wild-living cattle in the early morning mist, echoing through the forest. When I'm surprised by the sudden flash of orange as a Queen of Spain Fritillary opens its wings just before my eyes. Even when I just see the white flowers of chickweed, fragile and tiny, sprout between the tiles in the garden.

There's just too much left to fight for to give up.

 

[Bengal Tiger]

Seeing nature makes me want to fight for it and do whatever it takes for it to do well.