Delegates
 from around the world met at a UN sponsored Convention on International
 Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) forum in Doha, Qatar to discuss 
measures for further protection of endangered species such as the polar 
bear, bluefin tuna, tiger, rhinoceros and shark. 
The meeting 
came as conservationists warn of a wider biodiversity that is rapidly on
 the decline. Dr. Stuart Simon of the International Union for the 
Conservation of Nature stated that species are currently vanishing 
faster than they can evolve. 
In England alone, nearly 500 
species have died out, almost all in the last two centuries. Another 
topic discussed was the illegal trafficking of exotic animals such as 
lions, leopards and primates, with cruel practices that include drugging
 or even removing their teeth for placement in unnatural conditions such
 as 
the extreme confinement required for public entertainment or display. 
CITES
 Secretary-General Willem Wijnstekers urged for governments to pass more
 stringent laws to curb practices as these. We thank Dr. Stuart, CITES 
Secretary-General Wijnstekers and all conference participants for your 
factual observations as we join your concern and pray that humans of 
every nation act now in choosing more harmonious lifestyles to protect 
the cherished species of our planet. 
As during an October 2009 
videoconference in Indonesia, Supreme Master Ching Hai has often 
addressed the need for action to halt the tragic suffering and loss of 
our animal co-inhabitants.
Supreme Master Ching Hai: In
 our society, the law only punishes someone who has done something wrong
 to the society. The animals, they have never done us any wrong. They 
live their life quietly, they’re eating whatever God provides them, they
 don’t harm us in any way. Even if in some cases they do, it’s because 
we destroy their habitats, because they have nowhere to live, they have 
no more food in  nature for them to eat. 
Now we are at the point
 where we must change while there is still time, otherwise we will face 
disastrous consequences and we might lose the whole world, our lives 
altogether. 
So please, everyone, plant veg, be veg and we can go green later when we’ve already saved the planet. 
http://www.theage.com.au/world/experts-warn-species-loss-is-unnatural-20100308-psre.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif-green/2010/mar/15/common-english-species-driven-towards-extinctionhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/georgemonbiothttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-crossfield/cites-biodiversity-loss-a_b_502180.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif-green/2010/mar/15/common-english-species-driven-towards-extinctionhttp://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jevDJg208yKfWqIXsudEh0psa3RgD9EG7MG81 http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=112824