Posts Tagged ‘About Animals’
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
In the largest debt-for-nature swap the U.S. government has organized so far under the U.S. Tropical Forest Conservation Act, the United States has signed an agreement with Indonesia to forgive nearly $30 million in debt.
The U.S. government has agreed to forgive $30 million in Indonesian debt in exchange for Indonesia’s agreement to protect Sumatran forests, according to Conservation International.
Indonesia is said to be the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, behind the United States and China, because of its deforestation rate. These forests are home to critically endangered Sumatran rhinos, tigers, orangutans, and other rare wildlife.
How it works (in a nutshell)
Instead of repaying the debt, Indonesia is to place the money in a trust, to be paid over eight years, which will be used to protect 13 forest areas on Sumatra. Grants from the trust will be issued for critical forest conservation and restoration work in Sumatra.
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Tags: 30 Million, About Animals, About Politics, Carbon Dioxide, Conservation International, Critical Forest, Deforestation Rate, Forest Areas, Forest Conservation Act, Forests, Grants, In Asia, International Indonesia, Nature Swap, Nutshell, Orangutans, Rare Wildlife, Repaying The Debt, Restoration Work, rhinos, Sumatra, Tigers, Tropical Forest Conservation
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Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Giant poisonous jellyfish are poised to assault Japanese waters, experts warn.
Reports of massive bloomings indicate that this season’s Nomura’s jellyfish spawn should be a big one. The good news is that there may not be a nation on Earth more psychologically prepared for the invasion of giant monsters.
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Tags: About Animals, Bloomings, Earth, Giant Monsters, In Asia, Invasion, japan, Japanese Waters, Jellyfish, Nomura, Poisonous Jellyfish, Spawn
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Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
As recently as 1995, there were only 50 known Kakapo still surviving. Relentless hunting by humans, widespread forest clearing, and the introduction of dogs, cats, and rats nearly wiped these friendly, flightless birds off the planet.
Thanks to New Zealand’s Kakapo Recovery Programme’s intensive species management and successful breeding results, the Kakapo (Strigops habroptila) population has now increased to 124 birds.
The program requires intensive monitoring of wild adult birds on Codfish Island and Anchor Island - the only locations of the remaining Kakapo. Hand-raising of some of the chicks has also been necessary, and 17 Kakapo have been hand-raised and returned to the wild.
Kakapo Recovery Plan
The ultimate vision for the species is to have at least 150 adult females. Species management is guided by the Kakapo Recovery Plan to:
- Maximize recruitment in the kakapo population
- Minimize the loss of genetic diversity in the kakapo population
- Secure, restore or maintain sufficient habitat to accommodate the expected increase in the kakapo population
- Maintain public awareness and stakeholder support for kakapo conservation
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Tags: About Animals, Adult Birds, Adult Females, Anchor Island, Chicks, Codfish Island, Dogs Cats, Flightless Birds, Forest Clearing, Genetic Diversity, hunting, In Oceania, Kakapo Recovery, New Zealand, Parrot, Public Awareness, Rats, Recruitment, Species Management, World Population
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Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
According to the most recent data estimates, roughly 70 million sharks are caught (and killed) each year, most of this is for food, some for sport, and sadly, some just out of fear.
But most of the commercially fished sharks are in fact killed for their fins only–their mutilated carcasses are simply tossed overboard. This is known as “finning”. The fins make their way into a dish known as shark fin soup–a prized delicacy in Japan but also in some Scandinavian countries and in Germany. And as its popularity increases, so do catches–and almost any shark will do (100 out of 400 species are presently exploited for food, according to the Shark Foundation). According to the IUCN (which tracks endangered species with its annual “red list“) and governmental and NGO conservation groups, one third or more of all shark species are endangered.
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Tags: About Animals, About Politics, Carcasses, Conservation Groups, Delicacy, Dish, Fear, Finning, Fins, germany, Iucn, japan, Ngo, Popularity Increases, Scandinavian Countries, Shark Fin Soup, Shark Species, Sharks, Us Congress
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Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Isalo National Park, Madagascar (photo: Bernard Gagnon)
160 million years ago, what is now called Madagascar–the world’s fourth largest island–broke free from its parent continent (Africa), allowing evolution to do some of its most creative work.
The Island, located just off the Southeast coast of Africa and roughly the size of California, is home to an amazing array of life-forms found no where else: bats (with suction cup “elbows”), the Silky Sifaka lemur (an ancient line of primate relatives), dozens of “new” species of scorpions and spiders, and an estimated 200 - 400 new species of frog (most of which have yet to be named). There are also numerous, unique species of plants. An estimated 80% of these new species (especially the frogs) exist only in protected areas of Madagascar’s remaining rain forests.
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Tags: About Animals, About Politics, Bats, Bio Diversity, Continent, Creative Work, Elbows, Frog, Frogs, Gagnon, Hot Spot, Lemur, Madagascar Coup, Million Years, New Species Of Frog, Primate Relatives, Rain Forests, scorpions, Sifaka Lemur, Southeast Coast, Spiders, Suction Cup
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Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
According to research recently published in the journal Conservation Biology, Earth is now experiencing its “sixth great extinction event” with disease and human activity as the major driver, leaving a devastating toll on vulnerable species, particulary in the South Pacific and southern hemisphere.
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Tags: About Animals, About Environment, Earth, Extinction Event, In Global, In Oceania, Journal Conservation Biology, Southern Hemisphere, Vulnerable Species
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Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Hungary villagers have been caught stealing meat from the nearly extinct lions of Waza National Park.
The villagers likely scare off the lions with sticks or fire shortly after they make a fresh kill. Researchers fear the practice may be more common than previously thought, and it may help explain why lion numbers are plummeting in Cameroon.
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Tags: About Animals, Hungary, In Africa, Lion, Lions, People
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Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
Smooth snakes are to be released in Devon, where they have not been seen for over 50 years.
Ten smooth snakes (Coronella austriaca) will be collected, under license, from several populations in Dorset, and released at one of the RSPB’s heathland nature reserves, under a project organized by Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, East Devon Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust and the RSPB, with support from Natural England, according to The Mid Devon Star.
Conservationists have found the East Devon heaths to be in “superb condition.” This made it possible for a site with “excellent quality of heath” to be chosen for the smooth snakes - a site that will provide the best opportunity for the species to expand into a much wider range.
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Tags: About Animals, Amphibian, Conservation Trust, Conservationists, Dorset, East Devon, england, Heathland, Heaths, Mid Devon, Nature Reserves, Populations, Reptile Conservation, Rspb, Smooth, Snake, Snakes
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