Articles by "conservation"
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April 16, 2020 , , , , , , ,
Conservation groups say nature must be a cornerstone of economic recovery plans for the sake of people, health and economies.
The call comes amid fears of a "spike in poaching" as rural communities lose vital income.
In Cambodia, 1% of the entire population of one critically endangered bird was wiped out in a single event.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said three of only a few hundred remaining giant ibis were poisoned.
And more than 100 painted stork chicks were killed at Cambodia's Prek Toal Ramsar Site, the largest water bird colony in Southeast Asia.
Conservationists are noticing increases in hunting of protected species since the spread of coronavirus began to disrupt traditional economic and social systems in rural areas, said the WCS.

"Suddenly rural people have little to turn to but natural resources and we're already seeing a spike in poaching," said Colin Poole, WCS regional director in Phnom Penh.
Conservation organisations need to be doing their utmost to support local people, he said. "They're the last line of defence for these forests, these birds, these wetlands, and they're the people that need support right now so they have alternatives and they don't need to turn to natural resource extraction to survive."
In India, there have been reports of an upsurge in tiger poaching, while there are fears in Africa that the rhinoceros and other endangered species could be at risk.
Matt Brown, director of the Africa region for the Nature Conservancy, spoke of a sudden decline in tourism revenue at some of Africa's key wildlife reserves and national parks as a result of the pandemic.
"The concern is how do these areas maintain the effectiveness of their wildlife patrolling and security when about 50% of their planned revenue for the year has now dropped to zero," he said.
And the closing of export businesses and manufacturing plants had put a lot of people out of work, which on top of the tourism drop was "a double whammy".
"There could be an increased direct poaching pressure on wildlife as a result of the downturn in the global economy," he said.

Value of nature

Finance ministers from G20 countries are meeting this week to discuss economic recovery plans to address the impacts of the pandemic.
Conservation group Campaign for Nature, which includes experts from Asia, Africa and Latin America, is calling on ministers to include protection of nature in their plans.
Hugo van der Westhuizen, of the Frankfurt Zoological Society, said now more than ever was the time to re-evaluate the value of nature.
"Conservation cannot be built and maintained only on tourism income or donor funding," he said. "Covid-19 is teaching us that we take nature for granted, together with clean water and air, and it seems we need to lose something before we realize its value. Nature cannot be recreated once it is gone."
Source: By Helen Briggs
BBC Environment correspondentDate: 16 April 2020
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April 14, 2020 , , , , , , , , , ,
It's not known how the virus might affect great apes like gorillas

Great apes have been put on lock down against the threat of coronavirus.

Gorilla tourism in Africa has been suspended, while sanctuaries for other apes, such as orangutans, have closed to the public.
It's not known if great apes can contract the virus, but there are growing fears that our closest living relatives might be equally at risk.
This week a tiger at Bronx Zoo tested positive for coronavirus.
New measures have been put in place to protect big cats and their caregivers.
Dr Kirsten Gilardi is chief veterinary officer for Gorilla Doctors, which provides veterinary care to gorillas in the forests of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"We don't know if it's infected mountain gorillas; we have not seen any evidence of that," she said. "But because mountain gorillas are susceptible to human pathogens, we know that they can develop respiratory illness."

Dr Eddy, head veterinarian in DRC, treating an injured gorilla (prior to the outbreak)
Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are an endangered species of great ape found only in the forests of Rwanda, Uganda and the DR Congo. All three countries have seen human cases of coronavirus, with gorilla tourism currently suspended.

Social distancing

The work of vets and rangers who care for wild gorillas continues, but with added precautions. "Much of what we're practicing right now, in terms of social distancing, and self-quarantine, are at the heart of the recommendations for protecting great apes as well," said Dr Gilardi, who is also a veterinary professor at the University of California, Davis.

The new virus is part of the coronavirus family, which includes the common cold, Sars and Mers
Even before the outbreak, people were asked to stay seven meters away from gorillas at all times. New guidance from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) calls for a minimum distance of 10 meters from great apes, with visits by humans reduced to the minimum needed to ensure their safety and health. No person who is ill, or who has been in contact with a sick person in the preceding 14 days, should be allowed near them.
Habitat loss and poaching are big threats to the survival of great apes, but viruses are also a concern. Infectious disease is now listed among the top three threats to some great ape groups. Past research has shown that chimps can contract the common cold virus, while the Ebola virus is thought to have killed thousands of chimpanzees and gorillas in Africa.

Orangutan sanctuaries have closed
Serge Wich, professor of primate biology at Liverpool John Moores University, UK, said many governments had closed down tourism with great apes, while researchers and sanctuaries were taking extra measures.
He said: "We don't know, if they were to get infected, what the health effects would be, but obviously given the health implications for people it's a risk we do not want to take with great apes so these precautions everyone's taking are an important step to try to reduce that risk."
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre on the island of Borneo is one of many sanctuaries for great apes that has closed its doors to the public.
Susan Sheward, founder and chairwoman of Orangutan Appeal UK, said in a statement: "This disease could be fatal for the already critically endangered orangutan, it is a risk that we cannot afford take. OAUK will do everything it can to make sure that the orangutans at Sepilok stay healthy and safe."
There are four types of great apes alive today: gorillas (Africa), bonobos (Africa), orangutans (SE Asia), and chimpanzees (Africa). Humans are closely related to great apes, sharing a common ancestor several million years ago.
Source: By Helen Briggs (BBC Environment correspondent)
Date: 10th April, 2020
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April 11, 2020 1 , , , , , , , , , ,
It's not known how the virus might affect great apes like gorillas

Great apes have been put on lock down against the threat of coronavirus.

Gorilla tourism in Africa has been suspended, while sanctuaries for other apes, such as orangutans, have closed to the public.
It's not known if great apes can contract the virus, but there are growing fears that our closest living relatives might be equally at risk.
This week a tiger at Bronx Zoo tested positive for coronavirus.
New measures have been put in place to protect big cats and their caregivers.
Dr Kirsten Gilardi is chief veterinary officer for Gorilla Doctors, which provides veterinary care to gorillas in the forests of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"We don't know if it's infected mountain gorillas; we have not seen any evidence of that," she said. "But because mountain gorillas are susceptible to human pathogens, we know that they can develop respiratory illness."

Dr Eddy, head veterinarian in DRC, treating an injured gorilla (prior to the outbreak)
Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are an endangered species of great ape found only in the forests of Rwanda, Uganda and the DR Congo. All three countries have seen human cases of coronavirus, with gorilla tourism currently suspended.

Social distancing

The work of vets and rangers who care for wild gorillas continues, but with added precautions. "Much of what we're practicing right now, in terms of social distancing, and self-quarantine, are at the heart of the recommendations for protecting great apes as well," said Dr Gilardi, who is also a veterinary professor at the University of California, Davis.

The new virus is part of the coronavirus family, which includes the common cold, Sars and Mers
Even before the outbreak, people were asked to stay seven meters away from gorillas at all times. New guidance from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) calls for a minimum distance of 10 meters from great apes, with visits by humans reduced to the minimum needed to ensure their safety and health. No person who is ill, or who has been in contact with a sick person in the preceding 14 days, should be allowed near them.
Habitat loss and poaching are big threats to the survival of great apes, but viruses are also a concern. Infectious disease is now listed among the top three threats to some great ape groups. Past research has shown that chimps can contract the common cold virus, while the Ebola virus is thought to have killed thousands of chimpanzees and gorillas in Africa.

Orangutan sanctuaries have closed
Serge Wich, professor of primate biology at Liverpool John Moores University, UK, said many governments had closed down tourism with great apes, while researchers and sanctuaries were taking extra measures.
He said: "We don't know, if they were to get infected, what the health effects would be, but obviously given the health implications for people it's a risk we do not want to take with great apes so these precautions everyone's taking are an important step to try to reduce that risk."
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre on the island of Borneo is one of many sanctuaries for great apes that has closed its doors to the public.
Susan Sheward, founder and chairwoman of Orangutan Appeal UK, said in a statement: "This disease could be fatal for the already critically endangered orangutan, it is a risk that we cannot afford take. OAUK will do everything it can to make sure that the orangutans at Sepilok stay healthy and safe."
There are four types of great apes alive today: gorillas (Africa), bonobos (Africa), orangutans (SE Asia), and chimpanzees (Africa). Humans are closely related to great apes, sharing a common ancestor several million years ago.
Source: By Helen Briggs (BBC Environment correspondent)
Date: 10th April, 2020
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April 09, 2020 , , , , , , , , ,

A plant charity is predicting a boost for wild flowers because some councils have stopped mowing verges and parks during the Covid-19 crisis.
Plantlife has been urging councils for years to cut grass less often.
It also wants them to delay cutting until flowers have had chance to seed.
The charity says it has seen a shift in attitudes in recent years, but some Councillors still say their citizens prefer neatly-manicured lawns and verges.
Now Plantlife’s preliminary research suggests that municipal mowing has been among the first activities to be cut under the crisis.
That’s partly because staff are sick or self-isolating, and partly to save money as budgets are squeezed.
Plantlife’s Trevor Dines told BBC News that an upsurge in public support for wild flower verges had already persuaded some authorities to restrict cutting.
Emptying bins

He said that a search of local authority websites and social media suggested that more councils are now being jolted into a policy change so they can re-deploy ground staff to services such as emptying bins.
He said: “We have seen an upsurge in members of the public complaining that their councils are cutting the daisies. These sort of comments used to be outweighed by people complaining about untidy grass verges, but it seems as though the balance has shifted.
“Obviously we’re extremely worried about the Covid crisis and want it to end as quickly as possible. But if councils do change their methods because of the crisis, they might find it wins public support, which would be good for the future.”
Among the councils registering changes due to the Covid crisis are:
  • Lincolnshire “Grass cutting and litter picking are among non-essential services being scaled back.”
  • Flintshire “All Council operated grounds maintenance, grass cutting and horticultural operations will be suspended until further notice.”
  • Stockton-on-Tees Borough “Grass cutting will be restricted to minimum levels with the exception of areas where it is needed to ensure public safety – for example, to maintain lines of sight at road junctions.”
  • Newcastle – “Grass cutting and shrub bed maintenance will cease for the time being.”
  • Wigan – “The maintenance of non-essential grass cutting will be suspended for the foreseeable future. We have acted swiftly to redeploy staff to front line services, such as bin collections.”
Plantlife wants councils to delay cutting until the end of August or the start of September until after plants have seeded.
Meanwhile, the reduction of traffic during the Covid-19 crisis will produce another benefit for wild flowers.
Typically, roadside verges are drenched with nitrogen emissions from vehicle exhausts. This fertilises the hardier species in the plant world, which can harness the nitrogen to grow and out-compete more delicate wild flowers.
Mr Dines said: “There has been a phenomenal change in the quality of air – we can see so much more clearly into the distance. The lack of pollutants is going to help wildflowers on verges.”
Source: By Roger Harrabin (BBC environment analyst)
Date: 9 April 2020
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April 05, 2020 , , , , , , , ,
Despite being treated as humanity's rubbish dump for decades, the oceans of the world are proving remarkably resilient, says a new scientific review.

Building on that resilience could lead to a full recovery within three decades, the researchers argue.
Climate change, and the challenges of scaling up existing conservation efforts, are the big hurdles, they say.
The researchers caution that the window for action is now very narrow.
  • UN panel signals red alert on 'Blue Planet'
  • Ocean plastic tide 'violates the law'
  • Ocean plastic could triple in decade
The oceans have been exploited by humans for centuries, but the negative impacts of our involvement have only become clear over the last 50 years or so.
Fish and other marine species have been hunted almost to extinction, while oil spills and other forms of pollution have poisoned the seas.
Over the last few decades, the growing influence of climate change has bleached corals, and seen the ocean's acidity increase. This was documented in last year's special report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
This new review recognizes the scale of the problems but also points to the remarkable resilience of the seas. Humpback whale numbers have rebounded since the ban on commercial whaling.
The proportion of marine species assessed as threatened with global extinction by the IUCN has dropped from 18% in 2000 to 11.4% in 2019.

"Our study documents the recovery of marine populations, habitats and ecosystems following past conservation interventions. It provides specific, evidence-based recommendations to scale proven solutions globally," said lead author Carlos Duarte, who is professor of marine science at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
"We know what we ought to do to rebuild marine life, and we have evidence that this goal can be achieved within three decades. Indeed, this requires that we accelerate our efforts, and spread them to areas where efforts are currently modest."
The researchers identified nine components that are key to rebuilding the oceans: salt marshes, mangroves, seagrasses, coral reefs, kelp, oyster reefs, fisheries, megafauna and the deep ocean.
The scientists recommend a range of actions that are required including protecting species, harvesting wisely and restoring habitats.



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"We now have the skills and expertise to be able to restore vital marine habitats such as oyster reefs, mangrove swamps and salt marshes - which keep our seas clean, our coasts protected and provide food to support entire ecosystems," said co-author Prof Callum Roberts from the University of York, UK.
"Science gives us reason to be optimistic about the future of our oceans, but we are not currently doing enough in the UK or globally," he added.
A big challenge is climate change, which is raising sea levels and making the waters more acidic. The amount of warming that has already taken place will likely make rebuilding tropical reefs quite difficult.
"If we don't tackle climate change and raise the ambition and immediacy of these efforts, we risk wasting our efforts," said Prof Duarte.
"We also need to move closer toward reducing pressure on fish stocks, and tackle elements of pollution, such as plastic litter,"
Another big question is money. The new study estimates that it will costs $10-20bn a year to rebuild marine life by 2050. But the review also points out that for every dollar invested, the expected return would be $10.
The authors acknowledge that governments have many other issues on their minds right now but they believe that rescuing the oceans is a very achievable goal.
"Failure to embrace this challenge, and in doing so condemning our grandchildren to a broken ocean unable to support high quality livelihoods is not an option," added Prof Duarte.
The study has been published in the journal Nature.
Source: By Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent (BBC NEWS)

Date: 1 April, 2020

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April 04, 2020 , , , , , , , , ,
The largest turtle in the ocean, the leather back gets its name from its tough, rubbery skin.
Migrating long distances a year, the turtle can cross the Pacific Ocean.
But with threats like getting tangled in fishing gear, the future for one distinct population looks "dire," say conservation groups.
At the current rate of decline, the critically endangered Eastern Pacific leather back turtle will vanish within 60 years.
We have just 10 years left to put measures in place to save it, says a group of conservation scientists and organisations including Fauna & Flora International (FFI).
"We have it within our power to protect these animals and enable them to thrive, but all those who have a hand in shaping their future need to work together to do so," said Alison Gunn, programme manager for the Americas and the Caribbean at FFI.

Leather back turtles are found across the world. While considered a single species, populations found in different oceans are reproductively distinct. The Pacific leather backs are most at risk of extinction, with both Eastern Pacific and Western Pacific leather backs continuing to decline.
Key nesting habitats in the Eastern Pacific are in Mexico and Costa Rica, with some isolated nesting in Panama and Nicaragua. Over the last three generations, there has been a greater than 90% decline in the female nesting population.
"If this particular population goes they're completely irreplaceable, because they're unique to this particular part of the oceans," said Alison Gunn. "There's a lot of conservation action happening right now. We need to increase the collaboration that's already happening in order to ensure that this population is not lost."

Key interventions

If conservation efforts are targeted and scaled up at high-priority sites, and projects are quickly implemented and maintained, the Eastern Pacific leather back population can eventually stabilize and increase, according to a population model.
Two things must be achieved in the next 10 years to save the Eastern Pacific leather back:
  • Avoiding the deaths of 200-260 leather backs a year caused by "bycatch" of turtles in fisheries
  • Producing 7,000-8,000 more hatchlings a year through better nest protection and improved incubation conditions.
Leather backs are the largest of all sea turtles, weighing up to 2,000lb (900kg) and reaching over 6ft (2m) in length.
The population of leather backs in the Eastern Pacific has declined by more than 90% since the 1980s, which qualifies as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The study is published in the journal, Scientific Reports.

Source: By Helen BriggsBBC News, science and environment (BBC NEWS)Date: 4th April, 2020

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