Well-being Archive

Coral reef | Photo credit: whitcomberd, Adobe Stock

Jan 05, 2023 COP 15 – Can We Meet Biodiversity Goals & Targets?

Posted at 14:18h In Articles, Environment Well-being, Letter from the President, Public Awareness/Attitudes, Sustainability/Biodiversity, WellBeing News - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil and Kathleen Rowan CEO, WellBeing International

IntroductionInitially scheduled to be held in Kunming, China, in 2020, the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP15) for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its additional protocols was postponed because of the COVID pandemic and rescheduled into two parts. The first part...

Five of the rescued lions waiting for a snack at the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado | Photo credit: Wild Animal Sanctuary

Dec 21, 2022 The Long Journey Home for the Holidays

Posted at 15:54h In Animal Well-being, Articles, Tales of WellBeing, Tigers in America, Ukraine Rescue, Wild Animals - By Kathleen Rowan and Andrew Rowan

Many African cultures believe it takes a community to raise a child. It also takes a community of people, organizations, and supporters to rescue eleven lions from Ukraine and bring them to their forever homes for the holidays. The end-of-year holidays are traditionally a time...

Urban Fox | Video credit: attapun_an | shutterstock

Dec 06, 2022 Living with Urban Foxes

Posted at 16:10h In Animal Well-being, Articles, Public Awareness/Attitudes, Sustainability/Biodiversity, WellBeing News, Wild Animals - By John Hadidian, PhD

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most widely distributed wild carnivore on the planet, with a natural range that spans the entire Northern Hemisphere. Below the equator, foxes have been introduced to the Falkland Islands and Australia, where they cause widespread damage to domestic...

Fruits and vegetables in a market in India | Photo credit: saiko3p, AdobeStock

Dec 06, 2022 The Global Food System and Sustainability

Posted at 16:09h In Articles, Land Management, Public Awareness/Attitudes, Sustainability/Biodiversity, Well-being, WellBeing News - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil

In the last few years, several major reports have all called for changes in the world’s food system – usually emphasizing the need to shift to diets that emphasize plant-based nutrition – to ensure a sustainable future for the planet. These reports include:-2015 WHO...

Dec 06, 2022 The Well-Being Nexus

Posted at 16:00h In Animal Sentience, Animals, Letter from the President, Sustainability/Biodiversity, Well-being, WellBeing News - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil

Progress following the Passage of the 2022 Animal Welfare, Environment and Sustainable Development Resolution at the UN Environment Assembly In March of this year (2022), the UN Environment Assembly passed a Resolution (EA.5/Res.1) that requested the Executive Director of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) in Nairobi,...

Nov 23, 2022 Thanksgiving, Family & Pets: A time to reflect on family ties

Posted at 09:07h In Book Review, Companion Animals, Tales of WellBeing, Well-being - By Andrew Rowan

Thanksgiving is perhaps the most important family holiday in the United States. As we head into the coming week and the gathering of family members, it seems appropriate to reflect on our families and who is included at this critical time. In the Rowan household,...

Geese flying | Photo credit: tntemerson | iStock

Nov 10, 2022 The Nexus Between Animal Welfare, Environment, and Sustainable Development

Posted at 18:25h In Animal Sentience, Animals, Articles, Environment Well-being, Ethics, Regulation, Law, Sustainability/Biodiversity, WellBeing News - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil

The Nexus between Animal Welfare, the Environment, and Sustainable Development was the focus of a Resolution (sponsored by six African states and Pakistan) passed by consensus at the Fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) in March of 2022. The Resolution requested the United Nations Environment...

Hot summer in the city | Photo credit: Tomwang112, iStock

Nov 10, 2022 COP27 – Can We Move Forward?

Posted at 16:44h In Environment Well-being, Ethics, Regulation, Law, Letter from the President, Sustainability/Biodiversity, WellBeing News - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil and Kathleen Rowan CEO, WellBeing International

Under the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) opened in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on November 6 and runs through the 18th. World leaders, climate campaigners, and climate stakeholders are gathered amid challenging world economic dynamics,...

Oct 19, 2022 The Donkey: An Unsung Hero of Human Civilization

Posted at 20:33h In Animal Well-being, Articles, Tales of WellBeing, Working/Equid Animals - By Andrew Rowan

Noted anthropologist and commentator on human-animal interactions and a great admirer of donkeys and their grit, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas wrote the Foreword for a 2010 book by Andy Merrifield, "The Wisdom of Donkeys." Thomas has great admiration for donkeys and their fortitude. In her Foreword...

Oct 19, 2022 Sloboda Zvierat: Helping People and Animals Inside and Outside Ukraine

Posted at 17:00h In Animal Well-being, Animals, Articles, Sloboda Zvierat, Ukraine Rescue - By Kathleen Rowan CEO, WellBeing International

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has wreaked destruction and devastation on people, animals, and the environment. While the latest missile attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure and population have dimmed hopes for any resolution in the near future, let us reflect on some positive stories. For example,...