Courting Controversy with a New View on Exotic Species
19 Nov 2009: Report
Courting Controversy with a New View on Exotic Species
A number of biologists are challenging the long-held orthodoxy that invasive species are inherently bad. In their contrarian view, many introduced species have proven valuable and useful and have increased the diversity and resiliency of native ecosystems.
by greg breining
When biologist Mark A. Davis talks about exotic species, he eventually comes to LTL, his shorthand for Learn to Love them. Flying in the face of the conventional wisdom among biologists that exotic species are harmful to native ecosystems, Davis and a small cohort of biologists espouse a heretical viewpoint: Exotic species are here to stay, so get used to them, and forget about ripping out the fast-spreading shrub, buckthorn, on a large scale or throwing Asian carp on the bank to die.
If the newcomers are only changing the ecosystem but “not causing significant harm,” then “altering one’s perspective is certainly much less costly than any other sort of management program,” Davis writes in his recently published book, Invasion Biology.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell says he has the best interest of polar bears at heart, but he doesn't intend to let the federal government's expanded protection for bears get in the way of the state's continued prosperity.
Like his predecessor, Sarah Palin, the governor is suing the federal government to overturn the listing of the iconic symbol of the Arctic as a threatened species, a move made last year that he believes could threaten Alaska's lifeblood: petroleum development.
"Currently some are attempting to improperly use the Endangered Species Act to shut down resource development," Parnell says. "I'm not going to let this happen on my watch."
As Alaska North Slope wells dry up, the state is turning to potential offshore discoveries to refill the trans-Alaska pipeline and ensure the long-term prospects of a $26 billion proposed natural gas pipeline. Protections for polar bears under the Endangered Species Act could thwart that, Parnell says, adding that they're not needed.
"Alaskans have an excellent track record of both developing our natural resources and protecting our wildlife," says Parnell, who replaced Palin when she resigned in late July.
That's a position critics dispute after the 10.8-million gallon Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, a 200,000-gallon North Slope pipeline spill in March 2006, and the state-funded killing of more than 1,000 wolves and hundreds of black bears since 2003 to increase moose and caribou populations.
Polar bears are regulated by the federal government like whales and seals. They spend most of their lives on frozen ocean water, where their main prey, ringed seals, give birth to pups in lairs. Warming of Arctic waters has significantly diminished the sea ice.
George W. Bush's Interior secretary, Dirk Kempthorne, listed polar bears as threatened in May 2008, eight months after summer sea ice levels melted to their lowest recorded level ever: 1.65 million square miles, or nearly 40 percent below average since satellite monitoring began in 1979.
Most climate modelers predict a continued downward spiral, possibly with an Arctic Ocean that is ice free during summer months by 2030 or sooner.
The federal agency over two years however compiled an administrative record consisting of more than 175,000 pages including nine peer-reviewed scientific U.S. Geological Survey reports.
The most sobering conclusion: Projected changes in future sea ice will result in the loss of two-thirds of the world's current polar bear population by 2050, including all of America's. Researchers included the caveat that their assessment may have been conservative because Arctic sea ice decline likely was underestimated by the models used.
After the listing, Palin sued, saying the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision was not based on the best scientific and commercial data available as the law requires.
A month after he announced his full support for outer continental shelf petroleum development, Parnell said in October that the Endangered Species Act was being used as a "land use planning tool" instead of a species protection vehicle and the state filed new briefs in the polar bear lawsuit.
Alaska's lawyers will argue that the research was flawed, that federal officials looked too far into the future and that modeling is uncertain. Especially troublesome, Alaska Attorney General Dan Sullivan says, is that for the first time, the federal government listed a species with high population numbers — 20,000 to 25,000 worldwide, up from 8,000 to 10,000 in the 1960s.
"Never before has a species been listed when the population of that species is at its highest, most robust," Sullivan said. "It's at all-time historical highs."
The legal theory sets a dangerous precedent, he says, that could make Alaska the world's largest zoo with no additional benefit to wildlife.
"Any species that lives in an Arctic environment could be listed under the ESA without regard to the current health or size of the species population," he said.
Kassie Siegel, the attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity who wrote the original listing petition, expects the Alaska lawsuit to fail, saying state officials cherry-picked facts and ignored others.
Sport hunting in the 1950s and '60s dropped polar bear numbers to dangerously low levels and led to a 1973 international treaty that limited hunting, she said. Polar bears rebounded when hunting was controlled but have fallen again with sea ice decline, including animals in the two best studied subgroups, western Hudson Bay and Alaska's southern Beaufort Sea.
A 2006 USGS report estimated the Beaufort Sea polar bear population at 1,526, down from a previous estimate of 1,800 bears, a 15 percent decline. However, researchers said the study used different counting methods and the two estimates could not be statistically differentiated.
Siegel said an overall view of the research — declining cub survival, declining body size, diminishing sea ice — led to the listing decision, she said. Congress anticipated doubts but said decisions must be made on the best science, even if it's incomplete, she said.
"The agency can't just point to some remaining uncertainty and refuse to take action," she said. "We want the agency to proactively protect species under this law."
The stakes are high for Alaska. About 90 percent of Alaska's general fund revenue budget is fueled by the petroleum industry. The trans-Alaska pipeline is running at less than one-third capacity and only high oil prices and a new method of taxing oil production have kept Alaska from slashing government services or looking for other revenue sources, such as a state income tax.
In a decade or so, offshore gas production could be crucial for a new large-diameter pipeline, a project for which Parnell's revenue commissioner says there is no future alternative.
Questioned about the cost of fighting the federal government over the listing, Parnell says the cost of doing nothing was far greater.
"We're going to take every step we can to fight for Alaskan jobs and our economy," he says.
"Most Important" Biodiversity Access/Benefit Meeting Intellectual Property Watch, 10 November 2009 The UN Convention on Biological Diversity is this week undertaking what it said could be the most important negotiation in its history. The CBD is negotiating details of a fair and equitable access and benefit sharing (ABS) regime - in particular, the use of traditional knowledge as related to genetic resources and capacity building and [...] More: http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/11/09/most-important-biodiversity-accessbenefit-meeting-this-week/
AGRICULTURE AND BIODIVERSITY; BIOSAFETY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
The fight over the future of food Reuters, 10 November 2009 NEW YORK/WASHINGTON/MILAN (Reuters) - At first glance, Giuseppe Oglio's farm near Milan looks like it's suffering from neglect. Weeds run rampant amid the rice fields and clover grows unchecked around his millet crop. More: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE5A909H20091110
BIOSAFETY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
GM potato gets roasting in South Africa Checkbiotech, 10 November 2009 South Africa's Agricultural Research Council has appealed against the government's decision to reject a genetically modified (GM) potato it was hoping to release to farmers. More: http://greenbio.checkbiotech.org/news/gm_potato_gets_roasting_south_africa_0
Threatened Maldives urges joint action at climate talks Reuters, 10 November 2009 MALE (Reuters) - The Maldives, threatened by rising sea levels because of global warming, on Monday pleaded with developed nations to reduce carbon emissions and said developing nations could change the outcome at climate talks in Copenhagen. More: http://in.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idINTRE5A83R020091109
A terrifying vision of a world devastated by climate change Guardian (UK), 10 November 2009 What would your world look like if it were devastated by climate change? In the small, impoverished community of Gabura in Bangladesh, the concept of global warming, often only words on a screen or in a newspaper to us, is an all too bleak reality. More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2009/nov/10/oxfam-gabura
Yangtze warned to prepare for more droughts, floods and storms WWF, 10 November 2009 Beijing, China? Temperatures across the Yangtze River Basin could increase from 1.5 - 2 Degrees Celsius over the next 50 years, while extreme weather events will also become more frequent, according to the largest river basin climate vulnerability assessment yet done. More: http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/?180063/Yangtze-warned-to-prepare-for-more-droughts-floods-and-storms
CLIMATE CHANGE; FOREST BIODIVERSITY
Indonesian forests on frontline of climate debate Agence France-Presse, 10 November 2009 TELUK MERANTI, Indonesia — With the approach of global climate talks in Copenhagen, activists are hoping to draw world attention to their fight to save the last tropical forests on Indonesia's Sumatra island. More: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hJgV7IUWkr6styUDcDMd7i_757WQ
CLIMATE CHANGE; MOUNTAIN BIODIVERSITY
Indian study challenges global view on Himalayan glaciers Hindu (India), 10 November 2009 NEW DELHI: India on Monday challenged the internationally accepted view that the Himalayan glaciers were receding due to global warming. More: http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/10/stories/2009111057462000.htm
India 'arrogant' to deny global warming link to melting glaciers Guardian (UK), 10 November 2009 IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri accuses Indian environment ministry of 'arrogance' for its report claiming there is no evidence that climate change has shrunk Himalayan glaciers More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/09/india-pachauri-climate-glaciers
Saving the world's rarest wolf Mongabay (India), 10 November 2009 Living on the roof of Africa, the Ethiopian wolf is one of the world's rarest carnivores, if not the rarest! Trapped on a few mountain islands rising over 4,000 meters above sea level on either/both sides of the Great Rift Valley, this unique canid has so far survived millennia of human-animal interactions in one of Africa's most densely populated rural lands. More: http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1109-interview_ethiopian_wolf_sillero.html
China ivory demand bodes ill for Africa's elephants Reuters, 10 November 2009 GUANGZHOU/NAIROBI (Reuters) - Tucked into a grimy building in Guangzhou, a small band of Chinese master carvers chip away at ivory tusks with chisels, fashioning them into the sorts of intricate carvings that were prized by Chinese emperors. More: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/NJ0Sy330pVI/idUSTRE5A901D20091110
40% of lowland forests in Sumatra and Indonesian Borneo cleared in 15 years Mongabay (India), 10 November 2009 Forty percent of lowland forests in Sumatra and Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) were cleared from 1990 to 2005, reports a high resolution assessment of land cover change in Indonesia. More: http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1109-indonesia.html
Hunting across Southeast Asia weakens forests' survival, An interview with Richard Corlett Mongabay (India), 10 November 2009 A large flying fox eats a fruit ingesting its seeds. Flying over the tropical forests it eventually deposits the seeds at the base of another tree far from the first. One of these seeds takes root, sprouts, and in thirty years time a new tree waits for another flying fox to spread its speed. More: http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1108-hance_corlett.html
FOREST BIODIVERSITY; CLIMATE CHANGE
Norway offers Guyana up to $250mln to save forests Reuters, 10 November 2009 OSLO, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Norway agreed on Monday to pay Guyana up to $250 million by 2015 to preserve forests in the South American nation as part of a scheme to slow climate change. More: http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSL9486183._CH_.2400
GENERAL
Genetic tests help track food web, climate change Reuters, 10 November 2009 BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - New uses of genetic testing can help track how animal diets may change due to global warming and are helping crack down on wildlife smuggling, experts said on Saturday. More: http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE5A60MZ20091109
A Hunt for Seeds to Save Species, Perhaps by Helping Them Move New York Times, 10 November 2009 Is it wise or foolish to assist with the migration of plants? Some experts see unintended consequences and others say it is worth the risk. More: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=e2e4497b038e594e0d3c24d17dac9b28
W Australia sea level rising fast BBC News, 10 November 2009 Rising sea levels in Australia are worst in the west, where they are double the world average, new figures reveal. More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/8349760.stm
'Last chance' for tuna authority BBC News, 10 November 2009 The body charged with conserving Atlantic tuna has a "final chance" to get things right at its meeting, the US commissioner says. More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/science/nature/8350903.stm
PROTECTED AREAS / IN-SITU CONSERVATION
Marine Reserves Can Be An Effective Tool For Managing Fisheries Science Daily, 10 November 2009 ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2009) — Studies conducted in California and elsewhere provide support for the use of marine reserves as a tool for managing fisheries and protecting marine habitats, according to biologists at the University of California, Santa Cruz. More: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109142129.htm
TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, INNOVATIONS AND PRACTICES - ARTICLE 8(J)
How rainforest shamans treat disease Mongabay (India), 10 November 2009 Ethnobotanists, people who study the relationship between plants and people, have long documented the extensive use of medicinal plants by indigenous shamans in places around the world, including the Amazon. But few have reported on the actual process by which traditional healers diagnose and treat disease. More: http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1110-herndon_amazon_shaman.html
Weeds threaten wildlife and create fire hazard in Deep South USA Today, 03 November 2009 MONTGOMERY, Ala. — An invader is on the march in the Deep South, threatening wildlife habitats, timber and agricultural production, and creating fire hazards. More: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2009-11-02-grass-weeds-south_N.htm
BIOSAFETY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
Le sans OGM a sa définition Actualitiés News Environnement, 03 November 2009 Le Haut conseil sur les biotechnologies (HCB) a publié sa définition du « sans OGM » qui est, selon Greenpeace, « la moins mauvaise possibilité de maintenir et amplifier les filières sans OGM … » More: http://www.actualites-news-environnement.com/21887-sans-OGM-definition.html
BUSINESS AND BIODIVERSITY
Chocolate Goes Green: Kraft Rolls out Sustainable Sweet Treats TriplePundit, 03 November 2009 Kraft Foods recently announced it is launching a type of chocolate derived from sustainable cocoa farming. The premium dark chocolate, Cote d'Or, contains cocoa from farms that meets Rainforest Alliance Certified standards. More: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EnvironmentalNewsNetwork/~3/qEP1PLZfRwY/40653
Sahara Sun 'to help power Europe' BBC News, 03 November 2009 A sustainable energy initiative that will start with a huge solar project in the Sahara desert is announced by a consortium of 12 European businesses. More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/africa/8337735.stm
Without reinstatement of key provision, REDD could subsidize large-scale forest destruction Mongabay (India), 03 November 2009 The elimination of a key provision from the negotiating text for the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in developing countries (REDD) mechanism could turn the proposed climate change mitigation scheme into a subsidy for large-scale conversion of natural forests to industrial plantations, warned environmentalists today at the resumption of U.N. climate change negotiations in Barcelona. More: http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1102-forests.html
CLIMATE CHANGE; MOUNTAIN BIODIVERSITY
Climate Worries To Send Nepal Cabinet To Everest Base Planet Ark, 03 November 2009 KATHMANDU - Nepal's cabinet plans to meet at the base camp of Mount Everest this month to highlight the impact of global warming on the Himalayas ahead of next month's U.N. negotiations on climate change, a minister said on Monday. More: http://www.planetark.com/enviro-news/item/55304
Indonesia activist hunts poachers of endangered wildlife Los Angeles Times, 03 November 2009 Irma Hermawati, who works for a nonprofit, seeks to stem a lucrative trade in rare animals, including orangutans and the Sumatran tiger, that is evident in teeming Indonesian markets. The monkey, shackled to an iron stake, paced a narrow strip of dirt filled with its own excrement. As people laughed and pointed, the creature bared its teeth and lunged at the end of its line. More: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/environment/~3/PulRi0Mbeg0/la-fg-indonesia-wildlife2-2009nov02,0,1236109.story
Un tercio de las especies, en peligro de extinción El Mundo , 03 November 2009 La nueva 'lista roja' de especies amenazadas incluye al 21% de los mamíferos, un tercio de los anfibios y el 12% de las aves del planeta. Leer . Escuchar More: http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2009/11/02/ciencia/1257184713.html
L’ONU crée un groupe d’experts sur le financement d’une gestion durable des forêts Actualitiés News Environnement, 03 November 2009 L’ONU a annoncé la création d’un groupe d’experts sur le financement d’une gestion durable des forêts. Le Forum des Nations Unies sur les forêts a en effet pris la décision de créer un groupe spécial intergouvernemental d’experts chargé de réfléchir au financement d’une gestion durable des forêts. More: http://www.actualites-news-environnement.com/21880-onu-experts-financement-gestion-durable-forets.html
Five nations sign up to UN initiative to tackle deforestation UN News Centre, 03 November 2009 2 November 2009 – Five countries today joined the United Nations initiative aimed at combating climate change by creating incentives for poorer countries to reverse the trend of deforestation and invest in more sustainable forms of development. More: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32811&Cr=forest&Cr1=
FOREST BIODIVERSITY; BUSINESS AND BIODIVERSITY
Disney to give $7 million to reforestation projects Reuters, 03 November 2009 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Walt Disney Co said on Tuesday it will invest $7 million in forest conservation projects in the Amazon, Congo and United States as part of its effort to reduce emissions, waste and energy use as a corporation. More: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/EU-7j5seMww/idUSTRE5A20SH20091103
GENERAL
China seeds clouds in wheat-growing areas to ease drought Reuters, 03 November 2009 BEIJING (Reuters) - Many Chinese wheat-growing provinces in the north seeded clouds over the weekend to help end a persistent drought and encourage the growth of winter wheat. More: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/icKu4dF8yBo/idUSTRE5A10J920091102
Landslide risk rises near Three Gorges Dam: report Reuters, 03 November 2009 BEIJING (Reuters) - China's vast Three Gorges reservoir will see a increasing number of landslides and other geological hazards as the water reaches its maximum level this autumn, a magazine report warned on Monday. More: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/8VJ7JuW2qBY/idUSTRE5A11C520091102
INLAND WATERS BIODIVERSITY; CHEMICALS AND POLLUTION
Chemical spills after ship accidents in China Reuters, 03 November 2009 Chinese workers are trying to clean up dangerous chemicals in the central reaches of the Yangtze river and an oil spill near an eastern Chinese port, after two shipping accidents this weekend. More: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EnvironmentalNewsNetwork/~3/YkMqFUTruuQ/40649
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
Canada Finds Patents No Help For Poorest In Need Of Medicine Intellectual Property Watch, 03 November 2009 Canada's National Bureau of Economic Research today released a report on the relationship between patent protection for pharmaceuticals and investment in development of new drugs since the negotiation of the 1994 World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). The NBER report "Investments in Pharmaceuticals Before and After TRIPS" found that [...] More: http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/11/02/canada-finds-patents-no-help-for-poorest-in-need-of-medicine/
El Kilimanjaro se quedará sin nieves antes de 2022 El Mundo , 03 November 2009 El cambio climático derretirá los últimos glaciares perpetuos de África en menos de dos décadas si no se invierte la tendencia del clima. Leer . Escuchar More: http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2009/11/02/ciencia/1257187191.html
China threatened by 400 invasive alien species: expert Xinhuanet, 02 November 2009 FUZHOU, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- China is threatened by more than 400 invasive alien species, which has caused billions of yuan of economic losses, an agricultural official said Monday. More: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/02/content_12373525.htm
Climate worries to send Nepal cabinet to Everest base Reuters, 02 November 2009 KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's cabinet plans to meet at the base camp of Mount Everest this month to highlight the impact of global warming on the Himalayas ahead of next month's U.N. negotiations on climate change, a minister said on Monday. More: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5A11OZ20091102
Money and science key to climate success: China Agence France-Presse (France), 02 November 2009 BEIJING — Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao reiterated to the European Union Monday that technology transfers and financial support from developed nations were key to the success of upcoming climate change talks. More: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gftd1AJmLqVP6Pt4RBTekQkoKnuQ
Higher temperatures will harm many crops, report says Miami Herald, 02 November 2009 WASHINGTON -- Global warming would be bad news for all those amber waves of grain, and for the corn and soybeans that are plentiful throughout the Midwest. More: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/AP/story/1311374.html
Final round for UN climate talks BBC News, 02 November 2009 The latest round of UN climate talks opens in Barcelona on Monday with major divisions remaining between countries. More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8334985.stm
Eleventh meeting of the COP-11 to convention on biodiversity- 2012 in India PIB (India), 02 November 2009 India offers to host the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the convention on biological diversity in 2012. More: http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=53761
River dolphin population stable, says report Assam Tribune, 02 November 2009 GUWAHATI, Nov 1 – A recent report on the status of Ganges river dolphins (Plantanista Gangetica Gangetica) in the Brahmaputra and adjoining rivers has suggested that after a long period of decline, the population of the endangered species could have stabilised. More: http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=nov0209/at03
GENERAL
02 November 2009
'I Am Optimistic' Spiegel (Germany), 02 November 2009 In a SPIEGEL interview, former US vice president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore, 61, discusses Barack Obama's environmental policies, the endless push by lobbyists to derail reforms and his hopes for a global deal at the climate change summit in Copenhagen next month. More: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,658673,00.html
A visit to an eco-pioneer’s wilderness cabin Financial Times, 02 November 2009 The dog team strained through a blizzard of fine snow, pulling our sled towards the mountain. Then we stopped. “We will snowshoe from here,” shouted my guide, Kenneth Trasti-Smedstad, above the wind. More: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0d7c3b66-c200-11de-be3a-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check=1
Champion sprinter Usain Bolt kicks off ‘long run’ to save the planet – UN UN News Centre, 02 November 2009 30 October 2009 – Jamaican sprinter and Olympic champion Usain Bolt today launched the Long Run Initiative aimed at supporting global ecotourism projects, which the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says are vital for conserving natural and cultural heritage. More: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32792&Cr=unep&Cr1=
Medicines Access Again Captures Attention At WTO As Progress Urged In Round Intellectual Property Watch, 02 November 2009 Access to medicine and preservation of biodiversity topped the agenda at the World Trade Organization Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Council meeting this week, as a new alleged drug seizure in France, a concern over a largely-unused amendment to TRIPS intended to help developing countries gain access to medicine, and a renewed mandate on biodiversity at the World Intellectual Property Organization influenced the issues on the table. More: http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/10/30/medicines-access-again-captures-attention-at-wto-as-progress-in-round-urged/
Un Project Seeks to Protect West African Coastline Scoop, 02 November 2009 In West Africa, the coast is more than just a simple marker between land and sea. It’s also the home of millions – as much as 80 per cent of the populations of many countries live nearby – and a vital source of livelihoods and income thanks to the critical industries of fishing and tourism. More: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0911/S00016.htm
S Sumatra`s mangrove forests in critical conditions :official ANTARA News, 02 November 2009 Palembang, S Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Mangrove forests in South Sumatra are in critical conditions due to the conversion of coastal areas into shrimp and fish farms by local residents, a provincial maritime official said. More: http://www.antara.co.id/en/news/1257159087/s-sumatras-mangrove-forests-in-critical-conditions-official
Global Warming Cycles Threaten Endangered Primate Species
Global Warming Cycles Threaten Endangered Primate Species
ScienceDaily (Oct. 29, 2009) — Two Penn State University researchers have carried out one of the first-ever analyses of the effects of global warming on endangered primates. This innovative work by Graduate Student Ruscena Wiederholt and Associate Professor of Biology Eric Post examined how El Niño warming affected the abundance of four New World monkeys over decades.
Wiederholt and Post decided to concentrate on the way the oscillating weather patterns directly and indirectly influence plants and animals in the tropics. Until the research by Wiederholt and Post, this intricate network of interacting factors had rarely been analyzed as a single system. "We know very little about how climate change and global warming are affecting primate species," explains Wiederholt. "Up to one third of primates species are threatened with extinction, so it is really crucial to understand how these changes in climate may be affecting their populations."
The research will be published on 28 October 2009 in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, a fast-track journal of the Royal Society of London.
The scientists focused on the large-bodied monkeys of South America, which are highly threatened. Choosing one species from each of the four genera of Atelines, Wiederholt and Post examined abundance trends and dynamics in populations of the muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus, formerly B. arachnoides) of Brazil, the woolly monkey (Lagothrix lagotricha) in Colombia, Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi), which was studied on Barro Colorado Island in Panama, and the red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) in Venezuela.
For each species, long-term research projects carried out by other teams over decades have documented the abundance and feeding patterns of these primates. By studying the different species, Wiederholt and Post hoped to highlight the importance of the response to changing climate conditions of the trees that provide the dietary resources for the monkeys. All the species live in social groups and spend most of their time in the trees of tropical forests, using their limbs and prehensile tails to move around or to suspend themselves from branches. The monkeys differ in the proportions of fruit, flowers, and leaves in their diets. Woolly monkeys and spider monkeys predominantly eat fruit, howler monkeys specialize in leaf-eating, and muriquis also eat leaves but consume more fruit than howlers. "Long-term studies like those we derived data from are incredibly valuable for illuminating effects of global warming," Post said. "Unfortunately for endangered species, such studies also are incredibly rare. We hope our results bring attention to the importance of maintaining long-term monitoring efforts."
The team hypothesized that the trees' response to the warming events might provide a crucial link between changes in climate and monkey abundance. To test their hypothesis, Wiederholt and Post needed to compare information on the monkey populations with data on fluctuations in food resources such as leaves, seeds, and fruits. Then, using statistical models, they investigated how food and abundance information related to annual temperature and rainfall information.
Detailed ecological information was not available on each of the forests in which the target species live, so the team used information from Barro Colorado Island -- a lowland, moist, tropical forest where Geoffroy's spider monkey was studied -- as a general indicator of what happened over time in each of the habitats. From Barro Colorado, the scientists knew the number of tree species that were fruiting and flowering each month during the years between 1987 and 2004. They also looked at the annual values of flower and seed production for 44 specific tree species with seeds that are spread by mammals.
To examine these factors on a regional and local scale, Wiederholt and Post used information on mean annual temperature, rainfall, and the length of the wet and dry seasons for the years between 1960 and 1990 in Venezuela, Brazil, Barro Colorado Island, and Colombiaavailable. They obtained these data from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and from the Center for Climatic Research at the University of Delaware. "We expected to find a strong relationship between the large-scale climate and the population dynamics of these species," explains Wiederholt. "We also wanted to tease out which measures of vegetation-response to climatic conditions were most influential."
The scientists obtained large-scale climate data from the southern oscillation index (SOI), the El Niño-Southern Oscillation indices (ENSO3, 34, 4, and 12), and the Southern Hemisphere temperature-anomaly index, which are available from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean provided a rainfall anomaly index. The El Niño and La Niña phases of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO -- often called simply "El Niño") are the cycles of warm/dry and cool/wet periods in oceanic and atmospheric temperatures in the tropical Pacific region. These cycles often are associated with disruptive events in to central and northern South America, such as floods, droughts, or disturbances in fishing or agriculture.
The results of the team's analyses were spectacular. All four monkey species showed drops in abundance relating to large-scale climate fluctuations. Even though the monkey populations were separated by large distances, the three fruit-eating species had synchronous responses to large-scale warming. During El Niño warming events, trees produced more fruit than usual. Then, during the subsequent La Niña cooling events, the trees produced much less fruit, resulting in a local scarcity or even famine.
Some ecologists have speculated that high production of fruit during El Niño events may have been triggered by the increase in solar radiation, despite lower-than-usual rainfall. However, high productivity during an El Niño event might also use up the stored reserves of the trees, which would have difficulty recovering during the subsequent La Niña events, when weather was wet, cloudy, and cool. This mechanism would explain why the fruit-eating monkeys showed a delayed response to the El Niño events after a lag of one or two years.
Howler monkeys also showed declines with warm and dry El Niño events, but their population fall was out of sync with that of the fruit-eating species. The mechanism is not yet clear, but Wiederholt has some ideas. She notes, "Primate researchers have seen elevated adult female mortality and lowered birthrates among red howlers in drought years. Since leaf flush often occurs at the start of the wet season, a prolonged dry season might delay the availability of this resource for the howlers and perhaps cause them nutritional stress."
Warmer temperatures also may cause leaves -- the howlers' primary food -- to mature faster, which would accelerate the leaves' acquisition of toxins and other chemical defenses against monkeys. The factor that the scientists found was most influenced by changes in climate was the monthly maximum number of tree species that were fruiting. Climate changes also were highly correlated with the monthly maximum number of species that were flowering and with annual seed production. The length of the dry season also was highly correlated with annual flower production. Thus, vegetation responses to climatic conditions substantially altered the food resources available to primates, which in turn influenced the decline or rise in monkey abundance.
Global warming already has produced a rise of 0.74 degrees over the last century, and an additional increase of 1.8 to 4 degrees Celsius is anticipated over the next century. "El Niño events are expected to increase in frequency with global warming," explains Post. "This study suggests that the consequences of such intensification of ENSO could be devastating for several species of New World monkeys."
The researchers say that now, more than ever, quantitative studies that delineate the complex ecological links between climate, vegetation, and animal survival are urgently needed.
This study was funded by Penn State's Graduate Fellowship Program in a grant to Ruscena Wiederholt.
One of the first-ever analyses of the effects of global warming on endangered primates has examined how El Niño warming has affected the abundance of four highly threatened New World monkeys. This image shows the critically endangered northern muriqui, Brachtyeles hypoxanthus, at the RPPN Feliciano Miguel Abdala, MG, Brazil. All four monkey species showed drops in abundance relating to large-scale climate fluctuations. The study suggests that the consequences of intensified climate fluctuations could be devastating for several primate species. (Credit: Photo by Carla B. Possamai, provided by K.B. Strier)
Newly Discovered Monkey Is Threatened With Extinction(Aug. 2, 2008) — Just three years after it was discovered, a new species of monkey is threatened with extinction according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which recently published the first-ever census of the ... > read more
Climate Change Impacts Stream Life(May 5, 2007) — Climate change is warming Welsh streams and rivers, affecting the number and variety of some of their smallest animals, a major study has found. Rivers and streams are key ecosystems for many aquatic ... > read more
Counting Sheep In Climate Change Predictions(June 2, 2009) — Climate change can have devastating effects on endangered species, but new mathematical models may be able to aid conservation of a population of bighorn ... > read more
Endangered Shortnose Sturgeon Saved In Hudson River(Feb. 3, 2007) — For the first time, a fish identified as endangered has been shown to have recovered -- and in the Hudson River near New York City, report Cornell's Mark Bain and colleagues in the online publication ... > read more
Global Warming Capable Of Sparking Mass Species Extinctions(Apr. 12, 2006) — The Earth could see massive waves of species extinctions around the world if global warming continues unabated, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Conservation Biology. ... > read more
overfishing, climate: CBD headlines 23 October 2009
CBD News Headlines - 23 October 2009
CLIMATE CHANGE
London museum confronts climate change sceptics Reuters, 23 October 2009 LONDON (Reuters Life!) - London's Science Museum has waded into the climate change debate with a new exhibition called "Prove It!" that aims to persuade doubters that humans really are behind global warming. More: http://in.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idINIndia-43391420091023
Ottawa dashes hope for climate treaty in Copenhagen Globe and Mail (Canada), 23 October 2009 Hope is vanishing that a historic deal to address climate change can be concluded in Copenhagen, and Environment Minister Jim Prentice says the best chance is for a political agreement that would pave the way for a treaty to be signed later. More: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-dashes-hope-for-climate-treaty-in-copenhagen/article1334900/
Scientists: Biofuel Laws May Harm Environment National Public Radio (USA), 23 October 2009 On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to give a price tag for the Senate's global warming bill. That will frame next week's scheduled debate on the legislation. More: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114055974
Advanced biofuels will stoke global warming: study Reuters, 23 October 2009 LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new generation of biofuels, meant to be a low-carbon alternative, will on average emit more carbon dioxide than burning gasoline over the next few decades, a study published in Science found on Thursday. More: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/e0qr3Go76OM/idUSTRE59L4V920091022
WWF: Responsible forest finance can help stop climate change WWF, 23 October 2009 Buenos Aires, Argentina — Failure by the world’s financial leaders to support responsible forest finance will allow rampant deforestation to continue and contribute to the disastrous effects of climate change. More: http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/?178062/WWF-Responsible-forest-finance-can-help-stop-climate-change
ENDANGERED SPECIES
25% of top restaurants are serving fish as endangered as the giant panda Greenpeace, 23 October 2009 Having made a startling movie which has changed the way people think about what’s on their dinner plate, Charles Clover and the End of the Line team have now turned their attentions to restaurants which are still serving endangered fish. More: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/oceans/25-top-restaurants-are-serving-fish-endangered-giant-panda-20091022
Sumatran tiger population now only 500 The Star (Malaysia), 23 October 2009 TAPAKTUAN (Indonesia): There are only 500 Sumatran tigers (phantera tigris sumatrae) left living in the forests of Sumatra is now only 500, Indonesia’s Antara news agency reported. More: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/23/nation/20091023103721&sec=nation
The Yangtze River may have lost another inhabitant: the Chinese paddlefish Mongabay (India), 22 October 2009 In December of 2006 it was announced that the Yangtze River dolphin, commonly known as the baiji, had succumbed to extinction. The dolphin had survived on earth for 20 million years, but the species couldn't survive the combined onslaught of pollution, habitat loss, boat traffic, entanglement in fishing hooks, death from illegal electric fishing, and the construction of several massive dams. Now, another flagship species of the Yangtze River appears to have vanished. More: http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1022-hance_paddlefish.html
GENERAL
23 October 2009
Price tag of Asean progress: biodiversity loss Business Mirror, 23 October 2009 SINGAPORE—The Asean region registered “impressive and dramatic progress” in the last 50 years, but this came with a “stiff price” in terms of the loss of biodiversity resources, the top executive of the Asean Center for Biodiversity (ACB) said on Thursday. More: http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/top-news/17705-price-tag-of-asean-progress-biodiversity-loss.html
Secrets of frog killer laid bare BBC News, 23 October 2009 Scientists have unravelled the mechanism by which the fungal disease chytridiomycosis kills its victims. More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8319467.stm
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
Perpetual Protection Of Traditional Knowledge "Not On Table" At WIPO Intellectual Property Watch, 23 October 2009 Protection of traditional knowledge under intellectual property rights may have a time limit, though determining duration of protection measures will be more difficult than it is with Western scientific innovation, World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry said yesterday. More: http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/10/22/perpetual-protection-of-traditional-knowledge-“not-on-table”-at-wipo/
Eat for the ecosystem Economist, 22 October 2009 RED lionfish are pretty, but they are also greedy. A single one of them, introduced into a coral reef where the species is not native, can reduce the number of other small fish by 80% in just a few weeks, according to Mark Hixon, a marine biologist at Oregon State University. More: http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14637325
PROTECTED AREAS / IN-SITU CONSERVATION
Polar Bear Habitat Proposed for Alaska New York Times, 23 October 2009 The Interior Department proposed to designate more than 200,000 square miles of land, sea and ice along the northern coast of Alaska as critical habitat for polar bears. More: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=fb88ce33cd06a2ff6f033c85c5d36359
What happens when wild boars and fallow deer snack on genetically modified corn? insciences.org, 26 October 2009 Deer stew, roast of wild boar, venison ragout – come fall, all varieties of game are in season for gourmets. However, ever since the worldwide surge in genetically modified corn, critical consumers’ appetites have abated somewhat. More: http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=7313
Indian agricultural universities give green signal to Bt Brinjal FnBNews.com (India), 26 October 2009 Contrary to apprehensions of voluntary organisations over the ill effects of Bt technology for brinjals, a distinguished professor with the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) said that genetically modified brinjal (Bt brinjal) is not harmful and added that it’s a safe technology. More: http://www.fnbnews.com/article/detnews.asp?articleid=26329§ionid=1
Food regulator should seek more information before approving GM soybeans DP-305423-1 Scoop, 26 October 2009 The Centre for Integrated Research in Biosafety (INBI) has made two submissions to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) on their draft recommendation to approve the use of genetically engineered high oleic acid soybeans as human food. More: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0910/S00063.htm
German coalition cautiously favorable on GMOs Reuters, 26 October 2009 HAMBURG (Reuters) - Germany's incoming government drew mixed responses on Monday to its cautiously-favorable policy toward genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). More: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE59P2IK20091026
E.P.A. Agrees to Deadline in '11 for Setting Rules on Mercury Emissions New York Times, 26 October 2009 The Environmental Protection Agency resolved a lawsuit aimed at cutting the flow of mercury and other toxic substances from coal- or oil-burning power plants. More: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=af4c6055d37b336533338a14172dd3ca
CLIMATE CHANGE
Coalmine canaries face extinction in fatal trap Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), 26 October 2009 AUSTRALIA must create a new, expanded network of protected wetlands around its coastline or see many bird, animal and plant species become extinct as sea levels rise, the House of Representatives report says. More: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/coalmine-canaries-face-extinction-in-fatal-trap-20091026-hgpy.html
Climate change in Ghana has become a threat to livelihoods Modern Ghana, 26 October 2009 Climate change in Ghana has become a threat to livelihoods. Drought and over flooding in parts of the Northern Region of Ghana has become a yearly worry to the people and government. People along the banks of the Volta river are constantly displaced, homeless and landless. More: http://www.modernghana.com/news/245464/1/climate-change-in-ghana-has-become-a-threat-to-liv.html
Biodiversity can mitigate climate change Business Mirror, 26 October 2009 SINGAPORE—Climate change is one of the significant causes of biodiversity loss. But, at the same time, biodiversity has an important role in mitigating and adapting to climate change, a diplomat said at the Asean Conference on Biodiversity 2009 in Singapore last week. More: http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/science/17720-biodiversity-can-mitigate-climate-change.html
CLIMATE CHANGE; FOREST BIODIVERSITY
WWF: Climate deal must include strong deforestation target WWF, 26 October 2009 Buenos Aires, Argentina – Global leaders must support a clear and effective deforestation target at climate talks in Copenhagen in December, or they risk crippling the world’s ability to control climate change. More: http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/?178222/WWF-Climate-deal-must-include-strong-deforestation-target
DRY AND SUB-HUMID LANDS BIODIVERSITY
Jigawa Plants 8 Million Seedlings to Tackle Desertification Vanguard (Lagos), 26 October 2009 Dutse — JIGAWA government has planted over 8 million seedlings of different trees in all nooks and corners of the state, aimed at fighting the menace of desert encroachment. More: http://allafrica.com/stories/200910260595.html
Rare species of mangrove tree found in Sindhudurg Times of India, 26 October 2009 PUNE: City-based amateur botanist and photographer Shrikant Ingalhalikar and Narendra Page, a doctorate student of forest ecology from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, recently came across the Sundari (Heritiera littoralis), a rare mangrove tree, along the Sindhudurg coast. More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Rare-species-of-mangrove-tree-found-in-Sindhudurg/articleshow/5161312.cms
The faster, fiercer, and always surprising sloth, an interview with Bryson Voirin Mongabay.com, 26 October 2009 Sloths sleep all day; they are always slow; and they are gentle as lambs. These are just some of the popular misconceptions that sloth-scientist and expert tree-climber, Bryson Voirin, is overturning. More: http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1025-hance_voirin.html
NI wildlife plan 'needs rethink' BBC News, 26 October 2009 Northern Ireland's strategy for protecting wildlife is not working and needs a complete rethink, an environmental group has said. More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8325019.stm
MARINE AND COASTAL BIODIVERSITY
Casting a net far into the future BBC News, 26 October 2009 Debates surrounding sustainable fishing are often framed in terms of how initiatives do or do not benefit the seafood industry, or fishermen themselves. More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8320983.stm
Industry anger at bluefin tuna cut Australian, 26 October 2009 THE Rudd government has welcomed a decision to drastically slash Australia's lucrative southern bluefin tuna catch, despite criticism from the fishing industry that it unfairly penalises local efforts to boost fish stocks while letting Japanese overfishing off the hook. More: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26264637-2702,00.html
MARINE AND COASTAL BIODIVERSITY; ENDANGERED SPECIES
New Park Protects Tigers, Elephants and Carbon innovations-report.com, 26 October 2009 The government of Cambodia has transformed a former logging concession into a new, Yosemite-sized protected area that safeguards not only threatened primates, tigers, and elephants, but also massive stores of carbon according to the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which worked closely with governmental agencies to help create the protected area. More: http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/umwelt_naturschutz/park_protects_tigers_elephants_carbon_142272.html
STRATEGIC PLAN / 2010 BIODIVERSITY TARGET
ASEAN meet highlights status of biodiversity Manila Bulletin, 26 October 2009 SINGAPORE – As the International Year of Biodiversity draws near, countries all over the world are assessing how they are faring against the 2010 Biodiversity Target of significantly reducing the loss of biological diversity More: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/226493/asean-meet-highlights-status-biodiversity
TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, INNOVATIONS AND PRACTICES - ARTICLE 8(J)
Amazonian natives say they will defend tribal lands from Hunt Oil with "their lives" Mongabay (India), 26 October 2009 Indigenous natives in the Amazon are headed to the town of Salvacion in Peru with a plan to forcibly remove the Texas-based Hunt Oil company from their land as early as today. Peruvian police forces, numbering in the hundreds, are said to be waiting in the town. More: http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1025-hance_huntoil.html
What Are Coral Reef Services Worth? $130,000 To $1.2 Million Per Hectare, Per Year
What Are Coral Reef Services Worth? $130,000 To $1.2 Million Per Hectare, Per Year
ScienceDaily (Oct. 28, 2009) — Experts concluding the global DIVERSITAS biodiversity conference in Cape Town described preliminary research revealing jaw-dropping dollar values of the "ecosystem services" of biomes like forests and coral reefs -- including food, pollution treatment and climate regulation.
Undertaken to help societies make better-informed choices, the economic research shows a single hectare of coral reef, for example, provides annual services to humans valued at US $130,000 on average, rising to as much as $1.2 million.
The work provides insights into the worth of ecosystems in human economic terms, says economist Pavan Sukhdev of UNEP, head of a Cambridge, England-based project called The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB).
Based on analysis of more than 80 coral reef valuation studies, the worth of services per hectare of coral reef breaks down as follows:
Food, raw materials, ornamental resources: average $1,100 (up to $6,000);
Climate regulation, moderation of extreme events, waste treatment / water purification, biological control: average $26,000 (up to $35,000);
Cultural services (eg. recreation / tourism): average $88,700 (up to $1.1 million)
Maintenance of genetic diversity: average $13,500 (up to $57,000)
Taken together, coral reef services worldwide have an average annual value estimated at $172 billion, says Mr. Sukhdev.
He notes the growing scientific agreement that coral reefs are unlikely to survive if atmospheric carbon dioxide levels exceed 350 parts per million. Negotiators of a new climate change deal in Copenhagen in December, however, "would be proud" to achieve an agreement that limits atmospheric carbon to 450 parts per million, he says, calling that "a death sentence on the world's coral reefs."
Halving the destruction of tropical forests, meanwhile, would allow them to continue absorbing roughly 4.8 gigatonnes of carbon per year, slow the rise of atmospheric carbon levels and forestall anticipated climate change damage. Halving deforestation has a net present value estimated at $3.7 trillion, according to research.
The economic choice of turning such forests into timber or clearing them to make way for agriculture is "not very clever," says Mr. Sukhdev. "Stopping deforestation offers an excellent cost-benefit ratio."
"Investment in protected areas holds exceptional high returns," he says. Previous studies have shown that investing $45 billion "could secure nature-based services worth some $4.5 to 5.2 trillion annually." Among the specific examples cited: planting mangroves along a coastline in Vietnam cost $1.1 million but saved $ 7.3 million annually in dyke maintenance.
Examples of a rate of return on investments in ecosystem restoration:
Coral reefs: 7%, (with a cost-benefit ratio of 2.8);
Rivers: 27%, (cost-benefit ratio 15.5);
Tropical forests: 50% (cost-benefit ratio 37.3);
Mangroves: 40%, (cost-benefit ratio 26.4);
Grasslands: 79%, (cost-benefit ratio 75.1).
TEEB is a UNEP-led project supported by the European Commission, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, and the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Biodiversity and society: understanding connections, adapting to change.
Over 600 scientists attending the international 2nd Open Science Conference Oct. 13-16 hosted by DIVERSITAS, a Paris-based NGO, issued a concluding statement confirming that, "as we approach the 2010 Year of Biodiversity … the fabric out of which the Earth system is woven is unravelling at an accelerating rate."
"At the same time, we are discovering ever more about biodiversity and the benefits it provides to people. It is clear that biodiversity loss erodes the integrity of ecosystems and their capacity to adapt in a changing world. It represents a serious risk to human wellbeing and a squandering of current assets and future opportunities.
"The biodiversity scientists gathered here commit themselves to finding practical solutions to this problem. They will do so by: increasing shared knowledge of biodiversity and its functions; helping to develop systems for monitoring the biodiversity of the planet; and being responsive to the knowledge needs of society with clear communication of findings.
"The proposed mechanism for the ongoing evaluation and communication of scientific evidence on these issues is an Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). We call on governments and non-governmental organisations to join us in establishing IPBES as soon as possible. We urge policy-makers to act swiftly and effectively on the already-established and future findings relating to ways of limiting further biodiversity loss and restoring ecosystem services."
"Meeting current and future human needs must make adequate provision for the complex web of life of which people are an integral part. People everywhere must give effect to their shared desire for a biologically-rich and productive planet through their individual decisions and political voices."
Growth of global pet trade risks health
Among dozens of conference presentations, US experts warned that the risk of importing diseases is rising in tandem with growth of the multi-billion dollar pet animal trade.
The US alone imports some 200 million such animals annually from 194 countries. Most were captured from the wild and most arrived from Southeast Asia, a hotspot incubator of emerging diseases.
A study lead by Katherine Smith of Brown University found just 13% of animal shipments allowed in were classified by species -- most were admitted with vague labels like "live vertebrate" or "fish," raising concerns about not just disease but potentially introducing invasive species that could harm native ecosystems, wildlife and domestic animals.
She estimated 2,241 non-native species were imported to the U.S. between 2000 and 2006 and says there have been 335 outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases since 1940, 75% of which had animal origins. Among the outbreaks: a 2003 US outbreak of monkeypox traced to African rodents imported for pets, SARS in 2002, West Nile Virus in 1999, smallpox in the 1500s and syphilis in the 1400s.
"The threat to public health is real, as the majority of emerging diseases come from wildlife," says Dr. Smith, who listed dozens of fevers, encephalitis, Leishmaniasis, and schistosomiasis among the health threats.
Just 100 inspectors at US borders are tasked with inspecting the shipments, she adds. From 2000 through 2006, the U.S. imported more than 1.5 billion live animals, roughly equal to five animals for every citizen.
Pet shops could face tighter restrictions if the controversial Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act gets voted into law.
The researchers call for:
Stricter record keeping to help assess risk on animal imports.
Third-party surveillance and testing for both known and unknown pathogens at the exportation points in foreign countries.
Greater education of citizens, importers, veterinarians and pet industry advocates about the dangers of diseases that emerge from wildlife and that can make their way to domesticated animals and humans.
The conference concluded with a major plenary, chaired by leading expert Lijbert Brussaard, of Wageningen University, The Netherlands, on ways to reconcile the competing Millennium Development Goals of protecting biodiversity, reducing world hunger and alleviating poverty.
Among other measures, the experts called for a reduction in the estimated 30 to 40% of food lost through spoilage and waste.
On 3 October, a few weeks after Montana opened its first legal wolf-hunting season in decades, a hunter killed a female wolf in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, less than a mile from the border of Yellowstone National Park. She wasn't the first Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf to be legally hunted since wolves were removed from the federal endangered species list last May. But she was the alpha female of Yellowstone Park's Cottonwood Pack and wore a large radio collar identifying her as wolf 527F. Her behavior, travels, life history, and genealogy had been studied in detail by scientists for 5 of her 7 years. Her death, and that of five other pack members also shot outside Yellowstone, including another radio-collared female, have irrevocably changed what had been a unique long-term study, the researchers say.
WASHINGTON — The Interior Department on Thursday proposed designating more than 200,000 square miles of land, sea and ice along the northern coast of Alaska as critical habitat for the shrinking polar bear population.
The area, the largest single designation of protected habitat for any species, encompasses the entire range of the two polar bear populations that exist on American land and territorial waters. Government scientists estimate that there are roughly 3,500 bears in the two groups, known the Chukchi Sea and the Southern Beaufort Sea populations.
Officials said the bears’ range was shrinking because of the disappearance of sea ice linked to global warming.
“Proposing critical habitat for this iconic species is one step in the right direction to help this species stave off extinction, recognizing that the greatest threat to the polar bear is the melting of sea ice caused by climate change,” said Thomas L. Strickland, the assistant interior secretary for fish, wildlife and parks.
In May 2008 the Interior Department declared, under the terms of the Endangered Species Act, that the polar bear was threatened with extinction. The Bush administration found that the bears’ habitat was shrinking because of melting ice, along with commercial activities like shipping, oil and gas operations, hunting and tourism.
Yet Bush administration officials said at the time that they did not intend to use the Endangered Species Act to address global warming, a policy affirmed by the Obama administration.
��The Endangered Species Act is not the appropriate tool to directly address the carbon emissions that are root cause of climate change,” Mr. Strickland said in a conference call Thursday afternoon. He said the government was dealing with climate change through legislation, regulation and international negotiation.
Mr. Strickland and other officials said that the bears’ habitat was not being set aside as a refuge and that oil and gas exploration and other activities could continue under the terms of the species act and other laws. He noted that the Shell Oil Company had been given permission this week to drill in the proposed protected area.
“This will not be a significant additional burden on the industry,” Mr. Strickland said.
The new designation requires a government agency or commercial interest to show that any proposed activity, including oil drilling or shipping, would not destroy or adversely affect the bears’ habitat or accelerate the extinction of the species.
Alaska officials are already challenging the federal protections afforded polar bears, saying they threaten the state’s oil industry and broader economy.
The Interior Department’s polar bear policy has been under fire from environmental advocates as well. When the department listed the polar bear as threatened last year, it did not simultaneously designate critical habitat as the law requires. Conservation groups sued, and Thursday’s announcement was part of a settlement of the case.
Some wildlife advocates said the announcement did not go far enough.
“If polar bears are to survive in a rapidly melting Arctic, we need to protect their critical habitat, not turn it into a polluted industrial zone,” said Brendan Cummings, senior counsel with the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Interior Department is schizophrenic, declaring its intent to protect polar bear habitat in the Arctic, yet simultaneously sacrificing that habitat to feed our unsustainable addiction to oil.”
The habitat rule will be open to public comment for 60 days, and the agency will conduct additional scientific and economic studies of the proposal’s impact. The agency is required to publish a final critical-habitat rule by June 30, 2010.
Hybrids Of Invasive Australian Plant Species Casuarina Found Growing Widely In Florida
Hybrids Of Invasive Australian Plant Species Casuarina Found Growing Widely In Florida
Australian pine species that have become invasive in southern Florida have been found to hybridize, something that does not appear to happen in their native land. (Credit: Photo courtesy of Amy Ferriter, State of Idaho, Bugwood.org)
ScienceDaily (Oct. 23, 2009) — Hybrids of the invasive Australian plant species Casuarina exist in Florida, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and university cooperators have found.
These fast-growing, pine-like trees were historically planted widely as ornamentals and along boulevards in south Florida, and are currently being proposed as a windbreak in citrus groves. However, the trees are frequently the tallest in the canopy and can be very damaging during storms and hurricanes. Casuarina has also become an environmental problem, invading and altering natural habitats including Everglades National Park, home to many threatened and endangered species.
Based on physical characteristics, scientists have long suspected hybridization among the three Casuarina species in Florida—C. glauca, C. cunninghamiana and C. equisetifolia—but it is difficult to verify hybridization by these characteristics alone.
DNA tests conducted by botanist John Gaskin, research leader of the ARS Pest Management Research Unit in Sidney, Mont., confirm the existence of hybrids. Examining the DNA, according to Gaskin, allows for better understanding of the identity of the plants and where they came from, and helps explain how these novel hybrids have become so invasive.
Gaskin collaborated with entomologist Greg Wheeler, with the ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Matt Purcell, director of ARS' Australian Biological Control Laboratory in Brisbane; and Gary Taylor, a research associate with the University of Adelaide. The team collected leaf samples from Casuarina species in Australia and Florida. Gaskin then used genetic markers to compare the collections and confirm which species and hybrids currently exist in Florida.
The researchers found that hybrid combinations of C. glauca and C. equisetifolia are present across a wide range of southern Florida. They also found C. glauca and C. cunninghamiana hybridization in one location.
The scientists did not, however, find evidence of hybrids in Australia. This could be problematic for biocontrol efforts, which rely heavily on co-evolution of biocontrol agents and target species to insure the highest rates of effectiveness. Potential biocontrols must now prove effective against parental species and hybrids.
The research was published in the scientific journal Molecular Ecology.
ofessor Alan Cooper collecting bison bones for genetic analysis in Harbin, China. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Adelaide)
ScienceDaily (Oct. 23, 2009) — Genetic information from an extinct species of bison preserved in permafrost for thousands of years could help improve modern agricultural livestock and breeding programs, according to University of Adelaide researchers.
Researchers from the University's Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) worked with an international team of genomics researchers to analyse the genetic mutations of an ancient bison, many modern cattle breeds and members of the larger ruminant family tree, including deer, antelopes, and giraffes.
Their findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences today, open the way for identifying important mutations in the ancestors of domestic animals, says ACAD Director Professor Alan Cooper.
"The entire ancient bison genome was screened using a bovine SNP-chip -- which maps changes at 54,000 specific sites across the genome at once. This is the first time such a technique has been used to examine the genetic variation of any extinct species," Professor Cooper says.
The bovine SNP-chip was used to scan the genomes of 61 different ruminant species and 48 cattle breeds, to create a detailed evolutionary history for this complex group, which has proven difficult using traditional genetic studies.
Study leader Professor Jerry Taylor from the University of Missouri says: "We were surprised to find that we were able to generate very high quality genotypes for species for which the chip was not designed".
By analysing a very large number of mutations across the different genomes, the researchers were able to provide a far more comprehensive picture of the ruminant family tree, as well as revealing the relationships and movements of modern cattle breeds through time.
"Understanding how different genes create variation controlling growth efficiency, levels of marbling (intramuscular fat), and disease resistance could have a large economic impact for farmers who raise cattle throughout the world," says Professor Taylor.
ACAD post-doctoral researcher Dr Kefei Chen has since used the approach to analyse the genomes of the extinct aurochs, the ancestor of modern cattle, as well as early domestic cattle from China, Russia and Europe as part of a research program funded by the Australian Research Council.
Professor Cooper says: "We are using this approach to track genetic changes that took place during domestication, when much of the diversity in ancestral species was lost due to the very strong selection applied by early farmers for a few genetic traits such as docility, rapid growth and birth rates.
"The lost genetic variation may hold all sorts of valuable information for modern farming, including important adaptations to climate change."
Understanding why rye works as a cover crop Environmental Expert, 22 October 2009 Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists may soon find a way to enhance the weed-killing capabilities of a cereal grain that enriches the soil when used as a winter cover crop. More: http://www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachPressRelease.aspx?cid=20964&codi=72956&lr=1
Removing Crop Residues Without Hurting Soil Biomass Magazine, 22 October 2009 With today’s technology, at least 30 percent of agricultural residues can be removed for power, fuels and chemicals to displace fossil fuels, without hurting soil. More: http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=3194
UN expert raises concern over policies marginalizing traditional seed varieties UN News Centre, 22 October 2009 21 October 2009 – Government policies in many developing countries which promote the planting of a narrow base of agricultural crops may hurt farmers in the long run, a United Nations human rights expert warned today. More: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32660&Cr=agriculture&Cr1=
BIOSAFETY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
Controversy Rages over Genetically Modified ‘Brinjal’ Inter Press Service News Agency, 22 October 2009 NEW DELHI, Oct 22 (IPS) - Scientists and activists say that but for the fact that the 'brinjal', also called 'eggplant' or 'aubergine', is native to India and a favourite on the table, the decision to allow commercial release of its genetically modified (GM) variety may have gone unremarked. More: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48954
Uganda: Uganda Develops New Potato Varieties New Vision (Kampala), 22 October 2009 Kampala — A JOINT research supported by agricultural organisations is developing a new breed of potatoes. More: http://allafrica.com/stories/200910220375.html
Cotton Producers in Mali Speak Out Against Climate Change Voice of America, 22 October 2009 Cotton producers in southern Mali held a Climate Change Awareness Day to highlight the effects of global warming on agriculture and sustenance. More: http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-10-22-voa12.cfm
Algae may be secret weapon in climate change war Agence France-Presse, 22 October 2009 MIAMI — Driven by fluctuations in oil prices, and seduced by the prospect of easing climate change, experts are ramping up efforts to squeeze fuel out of a promising new organism: pond scum. More: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h6oL3GmHLOmF5l0vQZAZrWN2OBgQ
India: Climate deal can't sacrifice poor nations Associated Press, 22 October 2009 NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday that the world's poor nations will not sacrifice their development in negotiations for a new climate change deal. More: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jTiP6DEuUe7oDmmFc1DQI2jyCUoAD9BG4TDG0
CLIMATE CHANGE; TOURISM AND BIODIVERSITY
SEAL THE DEAL: Climate change could stem global tourism, UN cautions UN News Centre, 22 October 2009 21 October 2009 – Rising sea levels could inundate coastal holiday spots while melting snow caps could spell an end to ski resorts, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has warned, as climate change threatens tourism, a lucrative industry for the world’s poorest nations. More: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32655&Cr=climate+change&Cr1=
ENDANGERED SPECIES
Nepal conference to focus on tiger crisis Hindu (India), 22 October 2009 Tiger experts and government officials from 20 countries including 14 tiger range nations are meeting in Nepal’s capital next week to discuss issues relating to protection of the habitat of the critically endangered big cat. More: http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article37133.ece
Orangutans struggle to survive as palm oil booms Agence France-Presse, 22 October 2009 KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia — Cinta, a baby orangutan found lost and alone in a vast Borneo palm oil plantation, now clings to a tree at a sanctuary for the great apes, staring intently at dozens of tourists. More: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g6-IJpE-UKSZ7AgFCV8_WypNogiQ
Logged forests support biodiversity after 15 years of rehabilitation, but not if turned into plantations Mongabay.com, 22 October 2009 With the world facing global warming and a biodiversity crisis, a new study in Conservation Biology shows that within 15 years logged forests—considered by many to be 'degraded'—can be managed in order to successfully fight both climate change and extinction. More: http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1021-hance_forestbio.html
Protests over tuna industry development plans in Papua New Guinea Mongabay (India), 22 October 2009 People from the area of Madang in Papua New Guinea are protesting government plans, supported by the World Bank's International Finance Cooperation (IFC), to build large-scale industrial tuna canneries and docks, labeled the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ). More: http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1021-hance_pmiz.html
Brazil drivers ditch biofuel over high sugar costs Reuters, 22 October 2009 SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Some Brazilian motorists who fuel their cars solely on cane-based ethanol are switching back to gasoline as high sugar prices now make the biofuel more costly in some states. More: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/LFX0Jy_XBPQ/idUSTRE59K3YU20091021
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
Doha Talks Need ‘Serious Acceleration’ to Meet 2010 Deadline: Lamy ICTSD, 22 October 2009 WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy warned delegates at the WTO’s General Council meeting on Tuesday that they will need to dramatically pick up the pace of their negotiations if they want to wrap up a global trade deal by the end of next year. More: http://ictsd.net/i/news/bridgesweekly/57430/
Advocates Warn Against 'Monsantosizing' Of Global Food Sources Intellectual Property Watch, 22 October 2009 As the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food prepares to present his report today at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a global appeal is being filed by farmers and environmental organisations against patents on plants and animals derived from conventional breeding. More: http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/10/21/advocates-warn-against-‘monsantosizing’-of-global-food-sources/
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS; TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, INNOVATIONS AND PRACTICES - ARTICLE 8(J)
India need to develop strong legal system against bio-piracy: Prof. K V Krishnamurthy PharmaBiz, 22 October 2009 A concrete legal mechanism should be in place to protect and sharing of India's biodiversity knowledge of indigenous communities, or else it will become the property of somebody else as per the provisions of existing Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), according to professor K V Krishnamurthy, president, Foundation for the Revitalization of Local Health Traditions, Bangalore. More: http://www.pharmabiz.com/article/detnews.asp?articleid=52220§ionid=
PROTECTED AREAS / IN-SITU CONSERVATION
Australia's IBAs provide the first nationwide conservation blueprint Bird-life International, 22 October 2009 Birds Australia (BirdLife in Australia) has published Australia’s Important Bird Areas, a major contribution to conservation planning in a country where the sheer scale of the landscape has held back the identification of sites of high importance for biodiversity conservation. More: http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2009/10/australia_ibas.html
TOURISM AND BIODIVERSITY
Save turtles, score high on tourism Telegraph (India), 22 October 2009 Oct. 21: A sleepy hamlet in Morigaon is all set to lure tourists to a rare variety of turtles, thanks to a group of unemployed youths who have taken up the cudgels to preserve them. More: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091022/jsp/northeast/story_11621391.jsp
Oct 21st, 2009 | GREENBELT, Md. -- A proposed West Virginia wind power project will harm a tiny, endangered bat and its developers should be should be required to obtain permits under the Endangered Species Act, attorneys for two environmental groups argued Wednesday in federal court.
The developers admit bats will be killed by the turbines, but refuse to acknowledge the endangered Indiana bat will be among them, plaintiffs attorney Eric Glitzenstein argued in his opening statements.
"Is there some reason to think Indiana bats will escape the fate" of the other bats expected to be killed, Glitzenstein asked District Judge Roger Titus, who is hearing the bench trial.
Defense attorney Clifford Zatz said the $300 million, environmentally responsible, renewable energy project is in "limbo" because of an untested hypothesis "over a rare bat that no one has ever seen at the site."
The Washington-based Animal Welfare Institute and the Williamsburg, W.Va.-based Mountain Communities for Responsible Energy sued Rockville-based Beech Ridge Energy and Invenergy Wind. The groups say the defendants should be required to obtain U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permits for the Greenbrier County, W.Va., wind farm.
The first day of the expected three-day trial in U.S. District Court dealt with testimony by experts over whether the quarter-ounce Indiana bat with a six-inch wingspan can be found at the site.
Penn State University bat researcher Michael Gannon said surveys using nets at the site have not captured an Indiana bat, but recordings indicate the endangered bat is at the site. The judge questioned the researcher himself after the opposing attorneys did.
Gannon told the judge that of the 160 recordings that he reviewed, he was able to make an identification of 42, including three he thought were the endangered Indiana bat, although he could not say whether the recordings were of three separate bats or the same bat on three occasions.
Under questioning by Glitzenstein, Gannon said he thought bats were at the site based on the location, habitat and recordings and he felt it was likely they would be harmed by the project. Under cross-examination by Zatz, who questioned the accuracy of audio recordings, Gannon acknowledged Indiana bats had not been captured during netting survey, but added that the netting efforts were not intense enough.
In his opening statements, Zatz said the burden of proof rested with the plaintiffs and a better solution was what he called "adaptive management" of the project if it is found to affect the Indiana bat.
Salon provides breaking news articles from the Associated Press as a service to its readers, but does not edit the AP articles it publishes.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
