“Longline to extinction” (February 11), describing decades of work to record the decline of subantarctic albatrosses, struck me deeply. No doubt if more people saw these majestic creatures, they would achieve the profile of other charismatic endangered species. But, as we know, this would not necessarily ensure their survival.
The phrase “shutters of conservation fatigue” resonated. In 2019, I completed a diploma in environmental studies as an adult student. After four years’ study, strangely, I was left with an even deeper and paralysing sense of helplessness. My attempts to discuss global warming or biodiversity loss since have led to the dreaded shutters of fatigue, followed by a quick change of subject.
The image of a male albatross waiting patiently every year for his mate long ago drowned by a longline is poignant, but I struggle
