WWF Indicts Shell

A new report by WWF — Offshore Oil Spill Response in Dynamic Ice Conditions — concludes that the highly dynamic sea ice conditions around Shell’s Sakhalin operation, which can last for more than six months of the year, would mean that the company would not be able to respond to an oil spill for half of the year or longer. WWF has demanded that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) should demand effective environmental protection measures for oil spills from Shell or decline funding. “Shell continues to gamble with the environment,” said Paul Steele, WWF International’s Chief Operating Officer. Any unrecovered oil would contaminate the feeding ground of the last known population of western gray whales. Endangered Steller’s sea eagle will also be affected.

China Cracks Down On Wildlife Smugglers

Chinese authorities in Yunnan have seized 278 bear paws and 416 pangolins from a 20-member gang engaged in smuggling endangered animals. The perpetrators are behind the bars. Bear's paw is a Chinese delicacy. Pangolin meat is believed to cure asthma. A recent survey conducted jointly by the China Wildlife Conservation Association and US non-governmental organisation Wildaid showed that those who eat wildlife fell dramatically compared with a 1999 survey. This is due to the fear of contracting diseases such as SARS. SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which broke out in China's southern province of Guangdong in 2002 killed 774 people and infected more than 8,000 people.

It is good to see Chinese authorities cracking down on smugglers. Chinese propensity to eat wildlife has been a cause of worry for environmentalists around the world. Creating awareness is our best bet for the future.

France Releases Slovenian Bear in Pyrenees

only about 18 brown bears are thought to be left in the Pyrenees and there is a shortage of females. In an effort to boost the population France has imported a female from Slovenia and released it into the Pyrenees. It was the first of five bears due to be set free before June 15 in the mountains that divide France and Spain. Eventhough farmers are worried the bears will attack their animals ecology Minister Nelly Olin said their fears are unfounded and will be addresed properly when the time comes.

130 Million Year Old Rainforest In Malaysia Under Threat

A 130 million-year-old tropical rainforest in Malaysia is under threat from logging. 300,000-hectare Belum-Temengor Forest complex in northern Perak state is a major catchment area and supports 274 species of birds and more than 100 types of mammals, including 14 globally threatened species such as the Malayan tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros and the Plain-pouched hornbill. Environmentalists are increasing the pace of protest to save this piece of land, which is also a corridor for wildlife from Thailand. The local administration is adamant saying logging provides jobs and is essential for the local economy.

It is really sad that the Malaysian Government does not realise the folly it is commiting. This valuable 130 million year forest is something which man cannot replicate if it is lost. Please try and save it for the posterity. Environmentalists from around the world are exhorted to write to nearest Malaysian embassy.

130 Million Year Old Rainforest In Malaysia Under Threat

A 130 million-year-old tropical rainforest in Malaysia is under threat from logging. 300,000-hectare Belum-Temengor Forest complex in northern Perak state is a major catchment area and supports 274 species of birds and more than 100 types of mammals, including 14 globally threatened species such as the Malayan tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros and the Plain-pouched hornbill. Environmentalists are increasing the pace of protest to save this piece of land, which is also a corridor for wildlife from Thailand. The local administration is adamant saying logging provides jobs and is essential for the local economy.

Ukrainian lawyer wins environmental prize for efforts to protect the Danube

Ukrainian lawyer Olya Melen has won this year’s prestigious Goldman Environmental prize for her work in the Danube Delta. The prize went to Olya Melen for successfully using her legal skills to temporarily halt construction of a massive canal that would have cut through the heart of the Danube Delta. This delta is one of Europe’s most valuable wetlands, home to a rich diversity of flora and fauna, including the 300 species of birds, including the globally threatened Dalmatian pelican, and 45 freshwater fish species.

European countries care less about illegal logging issues

A new WWF survey of 22 European Union governments and Switzerland has come up with the surprising fact that they care less about illegal logging issues now. This is in stark contrast to the previously conducted surveys. According to the survey, the best performing countries are the UK followed by the Netherlands, Denmark, Latvia and Belgium. WWF has urged national governments to stop paying lip service on illegal logging issues and to better support responsibly acting companies and governments inside and outside the EU through their national policies.

WWF opposes Shell’s Sakhalin II project

WWF has jumped in to the fray against Shell’s Sakhalin II project. WWf has demanded that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) should not fund Shell's proposed construction of the largest hydrocarbon construction project in the world in Russia's Far East without improved mitigation measures. Shell’s Sakhalin II oil and gas project had earned the wrath of environmentalists right from the word go. They maintain that Shell has provided no convincing evidence that the project is not harming the 100 remaining western grey whales. At the recent meeting in Vancouver, Canada, scientists confirmed that just one extra female death per year would be likely to result in their extinction. More emaciated whales were seen last year than any year since 2001 as it suggests disruption of feeding.

Here is another example where a multinationl's avarice is endangering the wildlife.

Portugal’s Wildlife Under Threat

A study by Portugal's Institute for the Conservation of Nature has found that more than half of Portugal's bird, animal and fish species face some degree of threat, mostly from human action. Species critically endangered include the Iberian lynx, the mountain goat, the monk seal, the black vulture and the Saramuga, a freshwater fish found in the Guadiana River basin. Forest fires, dams, hunting, timber planting for the pulp and paper industry, abandonment of farmland and draining of wetlands are the main culprit.

Hope for Ecuadorian Sharks

Ecuadorian Sharks have been recently threatened by overfishing. But there is new hope on the horizon. Ecuador has made a major step forward in the conservation of its sharks by agreeing on a National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks. The Plan of Action is the result of joint discussions between the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries of Ecuador, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and all stakeholders. It falls under the FAO International Plan of Action for Sharks, part of the code of Practice for Responsible Fisheries.

4th World Congress On Mountain Ungulates-Reminder

The last date for submission of Abstract is 31 May 2006. For details log on to www.wmcu2006.org

Santa Cruz Island Is All Agog

In what is described as a Blessed event for wildlife biologists a pair of bald eagles hatched a chick on Santa Cruz Island for the first time in 50 years. The successful breeding marked a significant milestone in the four-year effort to reintroduce the eagles to the island. Bald Eagles disappeared off the coast of California the 1960s as DDT polluted their food chain.

This indeed is heartwarming news for wildlife enthusiasists

Rare Tigers Born In Siberia

The first birth of Amur tiger cubs in over a century has been reported in southeast Siberia. Scientists found traces of cubs they said were about six months old and their mother in the snow-covered taiga. The tiger cubs were first spotted in the Zeiskii Nature Reserve by a driver. The WWF said tigers found in the Amur Region may have migrated there from the neighbouring Primorye and Khabarovsk Territories in Russia's Far East, home to a population of some 450 Amur tigers.

New Species Of Freshwater Stingray Discovered In Thailand

A new species of freshwater stingray has been discovered in a river in western Thailand. The species was first observed two years ago but has only now been confirmed as a new species by researchers from Smithsonian Institute. The Stingray has been named Himantura kittipongi.

Search Underway For New Director General Of IUCN

Achim Steiner will be stepping down as World Conservation Union (IUCN) Director General on 31 May in order to take up his appointment as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) from 15 June 2006. A Search Committee has been constituted to find a successor and a process launched to fill this key position of Chief Executive of the World Conservation Union. Advertisement has been placed in several major publications and it is now being widely distributed through electronic networks and on websites. Spread the message around. For more information, please visit www.iucn.org/dgsearch.

Belgian Scientists Discover African fish That Leaps For Land Bugs

Belgian scientists have discovered an African fish that leaps for land bugs.The eel catfish, Channallabes apus, was found in the muddy swamps of the tropics of western Africa. The fish is able to propel itself out of the water and bend its head downwards to capture insects in its jaws. This discovery will help to explain how fish moved from sea to land millions of years ago. Details appear in the latest issue of the journal Nature

Loch Ness Elephant?

Paleontologist and painter Neil Clark has suggested that the Loch Ness monster was perhaps a paddling elephant. Neil Clark has suggested that the silhouette of the Loch Ness monster, with its long slender neck and characteristic humps resembles silhouette of swimming Indian elephant Clark suggests that a circus caravan could have stopped to allow its elephants a rest and have a swim. Circuses used to go along the road to Inverness Unsuspecting onlookers could have mistaken the submerged pachyderm for a strange beast. Clark's theory is published in the current edition of the journal of the Open University Geological Society.

I am back in Cochin

I am back in Cochin. The updates will be resumed.