Zoologist and TV Presenter Dr George McGavin: In His Own Words

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Bio: Dr George McGavin

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I had a very bad stammer as a kid. It’s not something that can just be cured. You just get better at dealing with it. I still had difficulties with fluency into my 40’s. However, age, knowledge and confidence are wonderful things.

Teaching is in my blood

It’s about sharing the beauty and importance of the natural world with an audience.

Insects are the powerhouse and engine room behind the entire planet

Insects are far more diverse and interesting than any vertebrate. Vertebrate animals make up less than 3% of all known species. The vast majority of species on Earth are invertebrates, largely unseen by humans and mistakenly considered to be less important. Most of these are arthropods: the insects, spiders and crustaceans. They are the major pollinators, predators, herbivores and recyclers, the food source for most species

Photo credit: Claire Thompson

I asked what Dora’s chances of survival might be. I was shocked to learn that it was a well under 50%. I hope she made it.

75% of terrestrial species (mostly insects) live in rainforests

What was 12-14% of tropical rainforests has been destroyed and now covers less than 6% of the Earth’s land surface. This deforestation is catastrophic and must be ended

At the rate they are being destroyed, most of the world’s rainforests will be lost or seriously degraded by the end of this century. We are on course to lose more than half of all extant species. It’s basic arithmetic.

I want everyone to stop buying products containing palm oil

The whole industry (and many others like it) is driven solely by the desire to make money

“I want everyone to stop buying products containing #palmoil. The whole industry, and many others like it, is driven solely by the desire to make money. #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife” @BBC presenter/Entomologist Dr George McGavin @Georgecmcgavin

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Illustration: Jo Fredriks

Here are a few of the 1000’s of animals disappearing forever due to out-of-control agriculture: palm oil, soy, timber, meat, cocoa, coffee…

Photo credit: Johnny Rogers, BBC

Proper legislation would avoid the issue of consumers being fooled. I do not knowingly buy things with palm oil; however, manufacturers can use 200 or so names for palm oil to confuse consumers. This needs to change.

Local people are often victims, as they defend their territory so as not to be displaced by oil palm

Dr George McGavin

“Local people are often the victims, as they defend their territory so as not to be displaced by #palmoil. It’s #Illegal #Indigenous #landgrabbing for so-called ‘sustainable’ #palmoil #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlif” @georgecmcgavin

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I think out-of-control capitalism has a lot to answer for

Practices such as growing soy bean or palm kernel to ship half way around the world to feed cattle somewhere else. Or a 6,000 mile round journey in order to process and then sell fruit back to the region where it was grown. Or insecticides that are marketed as being “bee-friendly.” The greenwashing around these practices is just madness.

“Out of control #capitalism has a lot to answer for. We ship #soy and #palmoil to the other side of the world to feed cattle. #Insecticides are marketed as #bee friendly! The #greenwashing of #agriculture is madness. I support the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife movement” @georgecmcgavin @BBC presenter #entomologist

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All global brands seem to be doing is churning out endless stuff that consumers don’t really need

We have overcome all manner of diseases. We have glimpsed into the far reaches of the universe. We have delved deeply into the sub-atomic structures of matter.

We can rearrange the code of life, even make new forms of life. We have avoided wars recently. Yet what we now face is very different.

As long as we continue to treat the world like a factory – churning out cheaper and cheaper food – we will destroy natural habitats, destroy wild places and destroy magnificent animals. We will head for the ultimate disaster.

Dr George McGavin

“As long as we continue to treat the world like a factory – churning out cheap food – we will destroy natural habitats, wild places and destroy magnificent #animals. We will head for the ultimate disaster” @georgecmcgavin @BBC #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife

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Measuring success according to GDP and economic growth is no longer a sensible plan at all

We are very smart animals, but we cannot see that there are limits to growth.

Politicians focus on short term solutions rather than long-term repercussions of what they are doing now

These law-makers and politicians know it all already. They just can’t bring themselves to do anything about it. They should be being proactive, but instead they are being reactive.

The bottom line is, the people in charge and also the majority of people out there, do not value the natural world enough – we love to take from it, but we do not give anything back. This has been the case for the past century since the industrial revolution and now we are going to reap the absolutely devastating storm.

I can see why this happens. There is misinformation and doubt that is stoked in the traditional media and social media

The greenwashing fills people with doubt and causes indifference.

Illustration: Hourglass by Sean Weston

The ecological and climate threat is now bigger than anything that humans have ever faced in history

This cannot be emphasised enough. For politicians, it’s bigger than they can imagine. What will it take before we realise that we face a really huge existential threat? Politicians, industry lobby groups and the media need to stop being complicit in the greenwashing, focusing on ‘feel good fluff’ and ignoring of what is going on in our world. All of us need to stop burying our head in the sand and look, really look at what is going on. Yes it’s terrifying, but it’s reality.

Illustration: Animal Utopia by Hartmut Kiewert

Photography, Art: Dr George McGavin, Craig Jones, Jo Fredricks, PxFuel, Hartmut Kiewert, Sean Weston, BBC, Claire Thompson, Rupert Soskin, Mark McEwen, Johnny Rogers.

Words: Dr George McGavin.

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