Student - 16

Summary:

• Marr is on a 5 month tour to "cultivate a new and younger generation of conservationists." It is up to the new generation to save some of the planet�s ecosystems, the problems are too great in magnitude for the older ones to solve.
• Large focus on endangered tigers, only 4 or 5 subspecies left. If things are left in their current state, all tigers will be gone in 20 years.
• One cannot save one species without saving the whole ecosystem. There are 3 factors that contribute to the elimination of ecosystems: climate change, deforestation and overgrazing.
• When spreading a message of conservation, one cannot just admonish the perpetrators for their errors; one must offer in addition a solution or two. Also, Marr said the three most important tools to conservationists are "media, media, media."

Opinion:

Anthony Marr raised some good points in his presentation. He was able to quickly overcome his odd persona and gain attention of most of the class. While his heavy interest in tigers seemed a bit odd at first, he tied them into the problems involved with the environment in general. His presentation was sobering overall, but also had a hint of hope in it. I liked how he came across as more than a crazy environmentalist who likes to admonish all people at fault for harming the earth; he offers solutions as well, and showed how he leads by example on his trips.

As mentioned in the class debriefing, the only real problems with his presentation were not his fault. Due to the dark room and the longer than usual talk, I found myself getting very sleepy during the second half of the presentation, and I am sure others were too. Marr also should have planned his presentation to allow for questions at the end. As he talked about his goal of raising a new generation of conservationists, I could not help but think his goal was somewhat unrealistic. For better or worse, society as a whole is uninformed, selfish, or simply does not care about Marr�s message. Most people will have higher priorities in life, and it�s something I will probably struggle with too.
 

Go on to Student - 17
Return to Educational Outreach: Secondary (High) Schools and Universities
 

This site is hosted and maintained by
The Mary T. and Frank L. Hoffman Family Foundation.

Since