A friend of mine has initiated a Kickstarter to fund a documentary: the population of sun bears in Borneo is dwindling. Paul, my classmate in Bali, wants to raise awareness of these gentle, intelligent creatures before people wipe them off the map. They make popular pets due to their demeanor; they’re hunted for their pelts; and their bile is prized for Chinese medicine (predictably).

Biodiversity is the concept that the ecosystem upon which our livelihood relies works best with as many different animals and plants to support it as possible. Monocropping destroys vast tracts of land; removing a predator species allows the prey to overpopulate and suffer, as well as placing a burden upon the animals or plants it needs for support, which sets off an ever-widening wave of imbalance. Raising awareness of sun bears will generate interest in finding peaceful, creative ways to allow them to exist peaceably alongside human settlements, rather than at conflict with the invasive human species.

It doesn’t take much to support a Kickstarter project, but it does take a lot of people. If you have a couple bucks, please consider helping my friend, and the Bornean sun bears, with a show of support.

The title’s a link. Apparently Photobucket’s having a photo contest about adventure, so I thought I’d take a shot. It costs you nothing to vote for my “story,” if you’d like to help out.