In light of the recent celebration of the Earth Day, Loro Parque, recognized by TripAdvisor as the Best Zoo in the World in 2017, announces the implementation of a new strategy, which intends to remove all single-use plastics from its facilities. The process has already started, as alternative, compostable and biodegradable materials are gradually replacing the disposable plastics.
It is well known that the human population has been increasing exponentially in the recent decades, and many scientists are now stressing the importance of raising social awareness about the fact that we have entered into the era of the sixth extinction of our planet. Only in the last 100 years, the population has increased from 2,000 million to 7,600 million people. With that, the stress on the planet has also escalated significantly, due to ever-growing exploitation of the natural recourses and spaces, and other adverse human activities.
Thus, in the same time period, the population of elephants has dropped from 10 million to less than 450,000 individuals, and the data referring to the situation of the biodiversity in the oceans is even more alarming, as a result of the overfishing and pollution, this latter primarily due to the uncontrolled use of plastics. It is estimated that every year the oceans accumulate between 8 and 13 million tons of plastics, which is 800 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower or 34 times the surface of Manhattan. Analysing such a tendency, scientists believe that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the seas than fish.
Loro Parque, recognizing the importance of minimizing the use of plastic in order to contribute to conservation of biodiversity, has decided to take further measures in this direction. In the initial phase of this strategy, at least 80% of disposable plastics used in its facilities will be removed. Additionally, in the process of the strategy implementation, the park will continue to raise awareness among the public about the existing problems and about what each one can do to help with the situation.
Loro Parque, together with Loro Parque Fundación, express their concern regarding the future of the planet, as the pressure on the natural resources will continue to grow. In the year 2050, 85% of the population in going to live in the cities, and life expectancy will reach 90 years. The zoological garden raises a question, how could the planet deal with all these difficulties if the man does not start acting in the interests of the Earth?
