Research Exploratory Blog II: Research Prospectus

Why choose research topic on poachers in Africa?
     - poachers pose a very serious threat to endangered species. These people hunt these animals illegally for profit
   - extinction of animals is a very serious problem and poachers contribute to it

Thesis: Does poaching need more severe consequences and increased law enforcement due to its effect on the near extinction, or complete extinction, of valuable wildlife in Africa?

Points supporting thesis:
   - in detail description of what animals are facing extinction in africa and how poachers have a hand in it

• maybe adding why the animals are poached (fur, tusks, trophies, etc.) will help persuade the audience that something more needs to be done

   - how many animals are killed each year due to poaching (statistics)

• numbers may persuade reader of the seriousness of the problem

   - i will need to explain why extinction is detrimental to not only Africa but the entire planet

•  if a species goes extinct what happens to its food source? (do they become over populated due to lack of threats)
• what happens to predators who use the now extinct species as a food source? (do they become endangered due to lack of a mian resource or find other means?)
• research on the animals will be difficult due to lack of living organisms, but rather traces of them

Counterarguement
   - I can't think of a counterarguement about poaching being bad?

Research
   - statistics on how many/what types of animals are poached each year in africa
   - what is being done to prevent/catch poachers? What is their punishment?
   - are there any invasive species due to poaching of their predators?
 *by doing this research i hope to find out how serious the problem of poaching is in africa, whats being done to stop it, and how we can help.
  
Credible sources
   - https://web-ebscohost-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=126&sid=23646abc-8939-43fc-b8bd-4992e36b2968%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=52768098

• An assessment of illegal hunting on farmland in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: implications for oribi (Ourebia ourebi) conservation. (journal article)
• source: south african journal of wildlife research
• this article relates to my topic because it discusses the decline in oribi (small antelope) due to poaching
• also it discusses what is being done in south africa in hopes to reduce poaching

   - https://web-ebscohost-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=126&sid=23646abc-8939-43fc-b8bd-4992e36b2968%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=33461595

• Combating the Illegal Trade in African Elephant Ivory with DNA Forensics (journal article)
• source: conservation biology
• this article relates to my topic because it discusses what is being done to stop the ivory trade in africa (which is possible through poaching since ivory comes from animals such as the elephant and rhino which are illegal to hunt)

   - https://web-ebscohost-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=126&sid=23646abc-8939-43fc-b8bd-4992e36b2968%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=43371740

• THE INTERNATIONAL BAN ON IVORY SALES AND ITS EFFECTS ON ELEPHANT POACHING IN AFRICA. (journal article)
• source: british journal of criminology
• this article relates to my topic because it discusses what is being done to prevent poaching (making ivory sales illegal gives the poachers less availablity to sell what they poached - but sales still occur illegally)

Acheivement of Desire

Rodriguez had a difficult childhood since he was never able to relate with his parents or family. Being educated in America, unlike his parents, he was able to learn more and excel further than his parents could, and become successful. He was always a committed student and eager to learn new things. Although this characteristic helped him get far in life it also pushed him away from his family. Being taught at an English school and having educated people around him, he lost his Spanish accent and it became difficult for him to communicate with his family because of the education, and now, cultural barrier.
Rodriquez faced what many people of all different races face today. I can see where he is coming from even though my parents have always been involved in my schooling and encouraged me to excel and try my best. I have a cultural barrier between the rest of my family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins) because I moved to the U.S. It's difficult for me to communicate with them because of the language difference so I understand how frustrating it must be for Rodriguez to want to be able to communicate with his family but not be able to because of a barrier.

Summary of "Why Bother?"

Michael Pollan writes about how global warming is such a serious and immense issue and yet it is still not our top priority and little is being done to prevent the issue from escalating. He discusses how people make up reasons for why they shouldn't change what their doing to help the environment because it won't make a difference or too little of a difference. Some examples included: walking to work can increase your appetite and therefore increase your carbon footprint, no matter how much you switch to energy saving resources someone else out there is emitting just as much carbon dioxide that you are trying to reduce.
Pollan suggests that minor changes in our lifestyle won't do much to help save our planet from global warming in time. He states that we must make major changes and quickly. He also believes that law enforcement may the only way to get people to make a change, because people rely on others to fix their problems and enjoy cheap energy because it makes life easier.
Pollan states that one way to save the earth is to start caring. He hopes that when enough people start caring, then it will create a chain reaction and caring about our planet (as well as doing something about it) will become a popular idea. But Pollan's major idea is for everyone to plant their own food, even if it's just a small amount, because doing so will reduce a person's carbon footprint significantly.

Research paper brainstorm

Wildlife
What are we doing to protect wildlife? A few laws? What do the laws state and what is the punishment for violating them? What about poachers...how are they being stopped? Does law enforcement do anything to protect the environment and prevent the poachers or is something done when it is too late.
Poachers: people who take/kill plants or animals from the environment without permission (illegally). Predominately in Africa.
Paper can be written on what wildlife is and why it's important to us. How poachers not only affect the wildlife population, but us as well. What we are doing to stop it, what we should do to stop it. Do we need a more severe punishment, inform more people, and/or increase law enforcement (if we have any at all)?
Poachers ---> endangered species ---> extinct species ---> less biodiversity. Can also effect other species. If one species goes extinct, another species might become invasive because there are no natural predators left or other species might dwindle and become extinct as well because their main food source has been removed.
Thesis (summary): What are we doing to stop poachers from destroying valuable wildlife?