Interesting facts about ancestor of Elephants unearthed

Analysis of chemical signatures preserved in fossil teeth of ancient ancestor of the elephants, which lived 37 million years ago, has come up with interesting findings. These ancestors lived in water and had a lifestyle similar to a hippo but had the appearance of a Tapir. The animals were related to seagoing manatees and dugongs. Study of fossil teeth has indicated that the animal grazed on plants in rivers and swamps.

Experts from Oxford University and Stony Brook University, New York did the analysis. The scientists were investigating the lifestyle of the two early elephants called proboscideans – Moeritherium and Barytherium, which looked like a slender version of today's Asian elephant, when they came up with new findings. These animals lived over 37 million years ago in Egypt's Fayum Desert. At the time sub-tropical rainforest and swamps covered the deserts of northern Egypt.

Full report is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Systems that save biodiversity

A new EU-funded research project GEM-CON-BIO (Governance and Ecosystems Management for the Conservation of Biodiversity) shows how governance patterns impact biodiversity. The study comes out with the finding that most successful governance patterns for biodiversity conservation are a mix of financial incentives, regulations and voluntary engagement. Thirty case studies were analysed in the project.

GEM-CON-BIO compared governance structures of the following areas

Europe (such as in Biosphere reserves in Germany and in the Danube Delta, public and private forests and wetlands across Europe, the North Sea Fisheries, etc.);

USA (such as the Habitat Programme of Maine where towns have to develop credible habitat management plans before they receive public funds for other needs); and

Other parts of the world (such as Mongolia or Ethiopia where traditional institutions and community management seem to regain credibility as effective biodiversity management and conservation practices).

GEM-CON-BIO is funded through the EU’s sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. The project falls under Priority 7 - Citizens and Governance in a knowledge-based society. It runs until the end of April 2008, and brings together 9 partners from 7 European countries, plus partners from Iran, Indonesia, and Bolivia. The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece leads the project. IUCN is a full partner in the project, and is coordinating the organization of the policy conference.

Posted with inputs from IUCN

New technique to pinpoint key biodiversity hotspots

Scientists have developed a new technique that pinpoints key biodiversity hotspots. The methodology identifies exact areas that support a wide variety of organisms. Scientists tested the new system to identify vital habitats in Madagascar. Claire Kremen, a conservation biologist from the University of California, Berkeley, US headed the project. Scientists gathered existing data from Madagascan scientists on more than 2,300 species. Once they gathered the data they put it through an optimisation analysis. Data was added on habitat suitability from remote sensing images from satellites, and several layers of climatic information including average monthly temperature and rainfall. What they were looking for was 10% of the country that could include all of those species. A computer programme was developed which allows scientists to find a solution that not only includes all the species, but also includes as much as possible of the habitats that they need. The program was also able to pinpoint what species were at a greater risk of extinction. Even though the programme was developed for Madagascar it could be put to use in other areas also. This is expected to give a new impetus to conservation especially in rain forest areas rich in biodiversity. Details appear in Science magazine.

Competition – Wildlife poet of the year

If you have a way with words and love nature here is an announcement from BBC you should read. Go through it and enter the competition

Does the natural world inspire you to write poetry? If so, enter our competition and you could win a fabulous wild week on the Isle of Skye, plus your poem will be published in BBC Wildlife and broadcast on Radio 4's Poetry Please.

Do you have a way with words? If so, why not share your thoughts and feelings about wildlife and nature (no domestic plants or animals please) through verse? This is an intense and intimate writing style, and so the best poetry starts with your own lived experiences. Call upon your senses to create fresh images (avoid clichés), and don't feel you have to write about significant issues.

You can choose any form of poetry that suits you – from free verse to formal rhyme – just keep it to fewer than 50 lines. The poems are judged anonymously; so don't put your name on your entry. Simply fill out the entry form that can be found in the April issue of BBC Wildlife and tape it to the back of your entry.

The Prizes – Adults
The winning poem will be published in the October issue of BBC Wildlife (on sale 25 September) and broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Poetry Please in October.

The winner will also be awarded a wonderful week-long wildlife break on the lovely Isle of Skye and neighbouring Lochalsh, courtesy of Skye and Lochalsh Marketing Ltd. To see the full list of excursions available as part of the 1st prize, please visit www.skye.co.uk/promotions.php?promo=49

Three runners-up, and the poet whose verse most amuses the judges, will each receive a copy of Nature's Top 40: Britain's best wildlife – the country's finest nature spots as voted for by viewers of BBC 2 – and Collins British Wildlife, the definitive photographic guide to Britain's plants and animals, both courtesy of Collins.

The Prizes – Young Poets
There is a prize for the best poem in each of the following age categories:
a) 7 and under
b) 8 to 11
c) 12 to 14
d) 15 to 17

Each young winner will receive a copy of Nature's Top 40 and Collins British Wildlife. Their poems will be published in the October issue of BBC Wildlife and may also be selected for broadcast on Poetry Please.

How to Enter
Your entry must arrive by 23 May 2008. Send it to: BBC Wildlife Poet of the Year 2008, 14th Floor, Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN. Young poets please remember to write your category letter on the outside of the envelope. Fax (for overseas entries only): 0044 117 933 8032.

13 Winners will be notified by 12 Sept 2008. The results will be published in the October issue of BBC Wildlife (on sale 25 Sept 08) and the winning poems may be published on Skye & Lochalsh Marketing Ltd’s website, www.skye.co.uk.

Lynx making a comeback in Italian Alps

After a gap of nearly 100 years a Lynx (Lynx lynx) has appeared in Italian Alps. According to Italian authorities the Lynx has crossed over from Switzerland. Lynx were reintroduced in Switzerland in the 1970s after being wiped out in the early 20th Century. There are about 100 lynx in Switzerland, in two main areas, the north-western Alps, which includes Interlaken, and the Jura Mountains near Lake Geneva. There are an estimated 8,000 lynx throughout Europe. It is the third largest predator in Europe after the brown bear and the wolf. There are three other species of lynx. The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), is close to extinction with only 100 left in the wild. The other two species are the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) and the bobcat (Lynx rufus), which is native to North America.

Amazing compass sense of Moths

Migrating moths have always puzzled scientists. They had no clue about how the moths avoid being blown away from their seasonal breeding grounds by gusty winds. Recently an international team led by entomologist Jason Chapman of Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, U.K., tracked swarms of silver Y moths (Autographa gamma) leaving the United Kingdom for their winter breeding site in the Mediterranean. The insects have a penchant for cruising on faster, high-altitude air currents that mainly occur at night. The scientists found that during most of the mass migrations, a significant proportion of the moths pointed their bodies in the same direction. When the wind direction was off by more than 20 degrees, the moths changed their flight angle to stay on course. This clearly demonstrates a compass sense in the nocturnal migrating insects. Dragonflies and butterflies were already known to change their flight paths to compensate for wind drift. Full report appears in the latest issue of Current Biology. Amazing facts. The findings have unexpected spin-offs. The scientists say understanding the moths’ sense of direction could help in predicting future insect migrations, which are likely to increase as global warming makes northern countries more hospitable to pests.

New facts about Bats

New facts about bats are coming to light. A study by Margareta B Kalka, Adam R. Smit and Elisabeth K. V. Kalko has come up with the finding that bats have dramatic ecological effects that were previously overlooked. The experiment was done in a lowland tropical forest in Panama and concluded that bats eat as many insects at night as birds do during the day and disappearance of insect-eating bats in agricultural landscapes could have negative effects on crop cultivation. Kalka recommends “bats should be included in future conservation plans aimed at preserving the integrity of tropical forests and also considered in agricultural management strategies based on natural pest control". Margareta B. Kalka and Adam R. Smith are from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama. Elisabeth K. V. Kalko is from Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Germany.

Details of the work appear in the journal Science.

M.B. Kalka et al (2008). "Bats Limit Arthropods and Herbivory in a Tropical Forest" and K. Williams-Guillen et al (2008) "Bats Limit Insects in a Neotropical Agroforestry System." Science 4 April 2008.

Saving the Snow Leopard

Representatives from 12 Asian nations, China, Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, met in Beijing from March 9 – 11 to frame a multinational conservation plan to save the highly endangered snow leopard. The conference was hosted by the Chinese Institute of Zoology in partnership with Panthera Foundation, and co-sponsored by the Snow Leopard Trust and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). It has been described as a watershed event in the effort to save snow leopards. Several work sessions that sought specific results, which would be immediately applicable to preserving snow leopards across their central Asian range were organised. An estimated 3,500 to 7,000 snow leopards live in the rugged mountaintops of central Asia. Dr George Schaller who did seminal studies on snow leopard made a fervent plea for their conservation. The conference drafted a vision statement for the next century.

The conference vision for Snow Leopards over the next century:
A world where snow leopards and their wild prey thrive in healthy mountain ecosystems across all major ecological settings of their entire range, and where snow leopards are revered as unique ecological, economic, and spiritual assets.

Love rites of Amazon River Dolphin

Now this is awesome. Just when we thought we knew everything out come surprises. A group of British and Brazilian researchers have found out that South American river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) uses branches, weeds and lumps of clay to woo the opposite sex and frighten off rivals. They would slowly come up above the surface of water in a vertical posture holding this stuff in their mouths. Details appear in the journal Biology Letters.

The Amazon River dolphin can be found in the Amazon River system as well as the Orinoco River system flowing throughout South America, mainly in the countries of Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana and Peru. Adults grow to 2.5 metres and weigh 150 kilos. The dolphin eats crabs, shrimps, and sometimes even turtles and catfish.

Amazing Elephant Facts on BBC

Did you know that elephants could store water for an emergency? For me it was new info. Amazing. Now read on.

A BBC team has filmed elephants spraying themselves with water that they had stored in a reservoir in their throats several hours earlier, to escape extreme heat. The reservoir is the pharyngeal pouch just behind the tongue. They sprayed it on to the outside of the ear that was facing the wind to cool down. The footage was recorded in Namibia. Martyn Colbeck is the cameraman. The desert elephant has adapted to go up to five days without drinking.

Trigger for bird songs discovered

Scientists from the Roslin Institute, Edinburgh and Nagoya University in Japan have identified the trigger for bird songs prior to mating. They have unravelled how part of a bird's brain is affected by seasons. They have discovered that genes in cells on the surface of the brain were switched on when the birds received more light. Pituitary gland releases a hormone in the spring in readiness for mating. This is fantastic research output unthinkable till a few years back. Researchers used a genome chip, known as a microarray, to scan 28,000 genes from the Japanese quail to arrive at the fascinating findings. As science advances, the peek in to the mysteries of nature is becoming increasingly easier.

Tunisia - Scimitar Horned Oryx to be reintroduced

Scimitar Horned Oryx (Oryx dammah) have been extinct in Tunisia since the late 1970s. Efforts are on to release Oryx from American and European zoos back to the wild in Tunisia. The Oryx are currently being held in a 20,000-acre fenced area in Dghoumes National Park. Once a sustainable population has been established, possibly ten years from now they will be released in to the wild. The efforts were initiated at the request of Tunisia to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and the Secretariat for the Convention on Migratory Species. For more information about this animal click here

Encyclopedia of Life.

The path-breaking project “Encyclopedia of Life” has just added the first 30,000 species pages (1/60th of the total recorded species), including 25 pages that are examples of what the site will include in the future. The project aims at gathering accurate and detailed information on the earth's known 1.8 million species and each will have its own web page. Macarthur Foundation provided the grant to start the project and the site was initially launched in May 2007. Experts in the field will evaluate all the information before publication. This will be a comprehensive database. Jim Edwards is the Executive Director of Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) the most ambitious project ever undertaken.

Dolphins and Whales 3D

The secret world of bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, and 10 other cetacean species have been graphically described in the new IMAX film “Dolphins and Whales 3D”. Produced by François Mantello. The film has some stunning underwater footage. Narrator Daryl Hannah does a terrific job. All the sequences were shot under water. None of the animals shown in the film were trained or captive. The wonderful film inspires people to take action to conserve the ocean.

Jack rabbits living in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem disappear

A new study by Wildlife Conservation Society has found that jack rabbits living in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem have disappeared. According to the study's lead author, Dr. Joel Berger, a Wildlife Conservation Society conservationist, and professor at the University of Montana, no one knows what caused the rabbits to disappear. Dr. Berger believes that the absence of jack rabbits may be causing elevated predation by coyotes on juvenile elk, pronghorn and other ungulates. Dr Berger recommends reintroduction and believes reintroduction may result in the establishment of dynamic ecological processes that were intact before rabbits vanished from the ecosystem. The details of the study appears in the journal Oryx

Aerospace engineers look at birds, bats and insects for improved military aircrafts

University of Michigan engineers are studying birds, bats and insects as a step toward designing flapping-wing planes with small wingspans. Scientists say a Blackbird jet flying nearly 2,000 miles per hour covers 32 body lengths per second. But a common pigeon flying at 50 miles per hour covers 75. The roll rate of the aerobatic A-4 Skyhawk plane is about 720 degrees per second. The roll rate of a barn swallow exceeds 5,000 degrees per second. While military aircraft can withstand gravitational forces of 8-10 G, birds routinely experience positive G-forces up to 14 G. The birds also have outstanding capabilities to remain airborne through wind gusts, rain, and snow. Exciting prospects are in store for the future of military aviation.

DNA barcoding developed for plants

Scientists have developed a barcode that can distinguish majority of the plant species. A small gene, gene matK located in the chloroplast of the plant, is the key to the bardode. DNA barcoding is already a well-established technique in animals. This may not work properly in hybrids as hybrids have their genome rearranged, which may confuse the information provided by matK. In future as sequencing technology gets faster and cheaper, hand held devices at ports and airports could check if illegal species are being transported. Currently, there are only a few experts that could accurately identity the plant composition of biodiversity hotspots in the world. This certainly would come as a big boost for conservation. This path breaking work is reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal

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Salmon Facts

An upcoming issue of Geophysical Research Letters has very interesting observations about Salmon. Led by geomorphologist Marwan Hassan of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver,Canada, the research opens up new info about various facets of Salmon migration unknown to us till now. The researchers found that the salmon account for up to 50% of the annual amount of sediment migration in a given stream. People have known for a long time that salmon dig up the stream bottoms. But it is the first time that details about how they do it are coming out. Sediment traps were used to track the movement of preplaced magnetized particles to study the effect of salmon digging up in four mountain streams in British Columbia. Oxygenation of the river is improved by this activity of Salmon. Multiplied by millions of salmon, and repeated year after year the shape of streambeds and the health of stream ecosystems are directly affected. The researchers feel that the fish could be shaping larger-scale valley features and even influencing landscape evolution.

The inputs for this post have come from ScienceNOW Daily News.

World's second largest wetlands reserve formed in Congo

World’s second largest wetlands reserve has been declared in Congo. This declaration is in tune with Ramsar convention. Named Grand Affluents wetland reserve, it comprises an area of 6 million hectares. This will help secure water and livelihoods for millions of people. Wild animals like elephants, hippopotamuses buffalos and many species of migratory bird stands benefited by this. Convention on Wetlands was first signed in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea on 2 February 1971.

Elusive Arctic wolves Caught In Camera

The BBC natural history team following Artic wolves (Canis lupus arctos) has hit pay dirt after months of arduous work. The team has managed to film the Artic wolves taking to the water to hunt waterfowl, a behaviour that has never been reported before. Even observing the animal is difficult in the extreme conditions of Canadian Arctic and northern parts of Greenland. Wolves usually eat large hoofed animals like Caribou and musk oxen. Hats off to the intrepid BBC team for this magnificent achievement.

Poor prospects for Captive-bred carnivores released in the wild

A study on reintroduction of captive-bred carnivores, which reviewed 45 cases involving 17 carnivore species, has come up with the finding that only 30 percent of captive animals released survived. The main drawback stems from the fact that reintroduced animals’ lacks the natural behaviour prowess needed for survival. The results of the study have important implications for conservation programs involving reintroduction. The advice is thorough study if conditions before attempting reintroductions. The research also emphasized the need for long-term monitoring of released animals. In spite of these adverse findings the researchers believe that reintroduction projects are vital to conservation efforts. The findings appear in the latest issue of journal Biological Conservation. Kristen Jule from University of Exeter of the lead author.

New Gigantic Palm Tree Discovered in Madagascar

A new genus of gigantic palm tree has been discovered in the Analalava district of Madagacar. The trunk of the tree towers over 18m high. The leaves are 5m in diameter. The palm is so massive that it can even be seen in Google Earth. The palm grows to big size and bursts into branches of hundreds of tiny flowers. This terminal flowering exhausts the tree completely and it soon dies. Swarming insects and birds surrounds the flowers. Each flower is capable of developing in to a seed. The confirmation that this is a new genus came from the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. There are only three other known genera in this tribe, scattered across Arabia, Thailand and China. Madagascar is home to more than 10,000 plant species and 90% of Madagascar's plants occur nowhere else in the world. Full details of the discovery appear in the latest issue of Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.

New Hope For Northern Bald Ibises

Northern Bald Ibis is considered to be Middle East’s rarest bird. The bird was thought to be extinct in the Middle East in the 1990s. Fortunately in 2002 a colony of six birds was discovered in Palmyra, Syria. RSPB and BirdLife Middle East swung in to action immediately. Adult and young birds were fitted with satellite tags to try to discover and protect their migration routes and wintering sites. Conservationists were delighted to hear the news that Northern bald ibises were seen last month in the Jordan Valley for the first time in 13 years, and in Djibouti, east Africa, for the first time ever. These two sightings of the species 1,500 miles apart have given a boost to the conservation efforts. Scientists now think that that the number of birds could be more than estimated. It also deepens the mystery of where the birds go on migration. Tracking adult birds was successful in 2006. Three birds flew a total of 3,700 miles to the Ethiopian highlands and back last spring. Scientists hope to tag more young birds in Syria this summer. Conservationists fear lots of birds are being shot down on migration. Tracking the birds will help protect them throughout their range.

Trees That Hire Bodyguards

The latest issue of journal Science has fascinating facts about intricate web of life in Africa. Scientists report how elephants, giraffes and other large herbivorous spur Acacias to “hire” and support ants as bodyguards. The whistling thorn tree (Acacia drepanolobium) and the biting ant (Crematogaster) that lives on it form a relationship, evolved over many millennia, in which both species co-operate and in turn benefit from each other. Acacia trees provide ants with swollen thorns, which serve as nesting sites, and nectar, which the ants collect from the bases of Acacia leaves. In return for this investment, ants protect the tree from browsing mammals by aggressively swarming against anything that disturbs the tree. Healthy trees have hundreds of the thorns, often containing more than 100,000 ants per tree. When the threat from these mammals stops or decreases, the trees slash their investment in ants, opening both to other attackers. Fewer colonies of weakened ants become less able to defend their territory from another species of ant that moves in which does not have a mutually beneficial relationship with Acacias. This new ant species feeds away from the tree and does not protect it from attackers. It actually encourages a destructive, wood-boring beetle whose cavities then serve as this ant’s home. The trees untouched by browsing mammals are infested with more of the beetles gradually weakening the trees. The trees wind up actually needing the mammals. Getting rid of the mammals causes individual trees to grow more slowly and die younger. The research has important implications for conservation. The cautionary note is that because many of the mammals are threatened, human activities like population growth, habitat fragmentation, over-hunting, can influence the ecosystem with unexpected consequences.

Chimps’ Ways Of Warding Off Malaria

The journal Naturwissenschaften has come out with some amazing facts about behaviour of chimps. The researchers at Kibale National Park in Uganda have discovered that geophagy(Soil ingestion) is helping chimps to ward off malaria by bestowing ingested plants with anti-malarial properties. Digested leaves of Trichilia rubescens showed no significant anti-malarial activity when eaten alone. When the leaves and soil were digested together, the combination acquired anti-malarial properties.

Full details can be accessed at

Krief S, Klein N & Fröhlich F (2008). Geophagy: soil consumption enhances the bioactivities of plants eaten by chimpanzees. Naturwissenschaften (DOI 10.1007/s00114-007-0333-0)

New Hope For Biofuels

A team of US researchers has discovered that ethanol derived from switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ) delivers vast savings of carbon dioxide emissions compared with petrol. Production and consumption of switchgrass-derived ethanol cut CO2 emissions by about 94% when compared with an equivalent volume of petrol. GHG emissions were 88% less. The researchers also found that switchgrass-derived ethanol produced 540% more energy than was required to manufacture the fuel. Switchgrass Produces an average of 320 barrels of bioethanol per hectare. Although the process to produce ethanol from switchgrass was more complex than using food crops such as wheat or corn, biofuel from switchgrass could produce much higher energy yields per tonne because it utilised the whole plant rather than just the seeds. As switchgrass can be grown on marginal cropland it would not be in competition with food crops. The research paper appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Sumatra - Highways Threatening Tribes and Wildlife

Construction of a highway in Bukit Tigapuluh forest landscape, for logging trucks servicing one of the world’s largest paper companies (Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) is threatening two tribes of indigenous people and endangered species like elephants, tigers and orangutans. The forest is one of the prime forests in Sumatra, with amazing biodiversity. It is also the location of a successful conservation project to reintroduce orangutans. After careful studies 90 Sumatran orangutans were recently introduced into the area for the first time in more than 150 years. One of the tribes threatened by APP-linked activities is wholly dependent on the Bukit Tigapuluh forests for survival. APP partners have already cleared an estimated 20,000 hectares of natural forest.

Conservationists the world over are appalled by this desecration of nature.

For more information contact

Desmarita Murni, WWF-Indonesia: +62 811793458) dmurni@wwf.or.id

IUCN launches initiatives for sustainable water use in Asia Pacific

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in association with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched initiatives to achieve more sustainable management of precious water resources in the Asia Pacific region. The initiatives were launched at the Asia Pacific Water Summit, held in Beppu, Japan. The fact that water is to be managed in a way that provides both environmental and development was stressed.IUCN Director General Julia Marton-Lefèvre said that in order to realise environmental flows there needs to be more integrated thinking to recognise the environment as a stakeholder in water-related decisions. Environmental flows refer to water within a river, wetland or coastal zone which maintain ecosystems and their benefits where there are competing users. The conference also highlighted the need to invest in ecosystems as development infrastructure which must be maintained, restored, monitored and managed.

For more information contact

IUCN: Kate Lazarus, kate@iucnlao.org, +66 81 371 3062, www.iucn.org

The Ants and The Butterflies – Fascinating Facts

The latest issue of science has some interesting facts about relationship between butterflies and ants in Denmark. In parts of Denmark, the Alcon blue butterfly caterpillars feed within ant colonies. The caterpillar, which later develops into a large blue butterfly, mimics the surface hydrocarbons, the surface chemicals that the ants have on their own brood. The caterpillars first start developing on a food plant, but after they reach a certain stage they leave the food plant and wait on the ground to be discovered by these ants. Adult ants think the caterpillar is one of their young. The authors believe that the butterfly and ants are engaged in a kind of coevolutionary arms race. This parasitism by caterpillars sometimes wipes out entire ant colony. But other times, ants are able to recognize the caterpillars as invaders and kill them. If you are keen about details look it up in Science

A Mosaic of Chemical Coevolution in a Large Blue Butterfly

David R. Nash,^1* Thomas D. Als,² Roland Maile,³ Graeme R. Jones,³ Jacobus J. Boomsma¹

¹ Institute of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
² Department of Genetics and Ecology, University of Aarhus, DK-8000 Århus C, Denmark.
³ School of Chemistry, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK.

Science 4 January 2008:
Vol. 319. no. 5859, pp. 88 - 90
DOI: 10.1126/science.1149180

Happy New Year

New Frontiers For Tigers In Thailand

Thailand right now has a population of 720 tigers. Wildlife experts say this could go up to 2000 with sagacious planning. The basis for this enthusiastic forecast is based on a study by Thailand's Department of National Park, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation and the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society. The authors of the study conducted intensive surveys of tigers in Huai Kha Khaeng reserve, using camera traps. According to the scientists the primary thrust should be curtailing of habitat loss and strict enforcement of antipoaching activities. Thailand has some of the most notorious poachers in South East Asia. Another stumbling bock was the fact that until now the courts have refused to jail tiger traffickers, choosing instead to hand down small fines. December issue of the journal Oryx has all the details of this fascinating study which opens the door of hope for the Tiger enthusiasists against a global decline in population. The global estmate right now is around 500 tigers.

Driving Out Large Mammals – The Human Angle

The fact that human beings, in their inexorable desire for development, drive out large mammals from their habitat is an accepted fact. Now scientist have come out with facts and figures. The research was carried out by a team of scientists from Princeton University and WWF-US. Researchers found that at least 35% of mammals over 20kg had seen their range cut by more than half. The researchers compared the current ranges of the world's largest 263 land mammals with their distribution 500 years ago. Tigers, leopards, lions, American bison, elk and wolves have suffered the most. The details appear in the Journal of Mammalogy.

The Return of the Beaver

Returning of locally extinct wildlife back to original habitat is music to the ears of conservationists. Here is some music from Scotland. Beavers were hunted to extinction in Scotland in the 16th Century. Now the the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland are planning to release beavers into the Scottish wild for the first time in 500 years. The first beavers could be reintroduced to Mid-Argyll in Scotland in spring 2009. Beavers play an important role in aquatic and wetland eco-systems. In Scotland it is expected to give a boost to tourism also.

Merry Christmas

Wish You A Merry Christmas

New National Park for Russian Tigers

Here is some happy news from Russia. The Russian Government is constitituting a new national park for the endangered Amur Tigers. Christened Anyuiskii national park this is in Khabarovsk province, located in the Russian Far East. The formal declaration came on December 15. Anyuiskii Park serves as an ecological corridor in the region and will become a link in the chain of ‘the tiger econet’, a network of protected areas, which is now being created. Tiger enthusiasists all over the world are elated at this initiative by Russian Government. Hats off to the conservationists who have worked hard to bring this dream to fruition.

Apes and Facial Mimicry

Another ability once thought to be exclusively human,mimicking expressions of others, has been breached. Research by behavioural scientist Marina Davila Ross and colleagues from University of veterinary medicine, Hanover,Germany has proved that Apes share this ability with us. In Apes mimicry was more prevalent in juveniles and adolescents. The findings suggests that this ability precedes the origin of our species. Full details appear in the latest issue of Biology letters.

Kicking the CO2 Habit

The United Nations is chipping in with its mite for worldwide effort to become climate neutral. Members of the UN attending the crucial climate convention meeting in Bali announced that they are offsetting their greenhouse gas emissions linked with travel to and from the event. The move also includes the Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, and his team. This is around 3,370 tonnes of carbon dioxide worth approximately $100,000 at current carbon prices. UN bodies have jointly agreed to invest in credits accumulating in the adaptation fund of the Kyoto Protocol. Norway, one of four countries that have pledged to go climate neutral nationally, reconfirmed that it is backing the UN system-wide work towards climate neutrality with an initial investment of $820,000 for the UNEP-hosted Environmental Management Group.

Long-Eared Jerboa caught on Film

The mysterious long-eared jerboa (Euchoreutes naso ) which hops like a kangaroo,has been caught on camera for the first time.The animal was flmed in the Gobi desert during an expedition led by Dr Jonathan Baillie of Zoological Society of London (ZSL). The distribution of this rare animal is restricted to deserts of China (Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang) and South of Mangolia(Trans-Altai Gobi). The species is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red list

Building of Mental Maps by Elephants

Royal Society journal, Biology Letters has some interesting facts about elephants in the latest issue. Accounts of how Elephants build mental map of absent relatives by sniffing out their scent are fascinating. Elephants keep track on up to 30 absent relatives. The research was undertaken by the University of St Andrews. They studied 36 family groups of elephants living in Amboseli National Park. One of the ploys used was to collect samples of female elephant urine from the ground and present it to relatives to trick them into believing that the elephant had recently passed by. Elephants showed surprise when they encountered the scent. This and a host of other details will keep you riveted to the pages.

Photographic Memory of Chimps

Researchers of Kyoto University have come up with some amazing facts. In memory tests devised by Japanese scientists, young chimps outperformed university students. Dr Matsuzawa the lead scientist and colleagues tested three pairs of mother and baby chimpanzees against university students in a memory task involving numbers. Each subject was presented with various numerals from one to nine on a touch screen monitor. The numbers were then replaced with blank squares and the subjects had to remember which number appeared in which location, then touch the appropriate square. Young chimps outsmarted University students. The research is published in Current Biology.

Aggressive Sexual Pursuit of Males by Female Topi Antelope in Kenya.

Sexual attitude of Topi Antelope( Damaliscus lunatus jimela) in Kenya is a reversal from our usual idea about sexuality. Here aggressive females pursue the males. Lead scientist Dr Jakob Bro-Jorgensen who did the research says “some pushy females were so aggressive in their pursuit of the male that he actually had to physically to attack them to rebuff their advances." Most males refuse the advances of previous partners. This increases the chances of fatherhood with the widest possible number of partners. Each female would mate, on average, with four males, while some reached 12 different partners. These findings are contrary to conventional sexual selection theory. The research was undertaken in the Masai Mara area of Kenya. Full details appear in the journal Current Biology.

You Can Cut Down Your CO2 Emission by up to 80%

A study by Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute has indicated that carbon emissions from UK homes could be reduced by up to 80% by 2050. Financial incentives for home owners and tighter energy efficiency standards were among the study's recommendations. Cavity wall insulation, double glazing,more efficient boilers and lighting, solar panels and ground source heat pumps are in the scheme of things. One technology that could deliver sizeable saving is micro combined heat and power (CHP). Micro CHP systems generate both heat and electricity locally, and reduce costs and emissions A new legislation that will be tabled shortly will require CO2 to be cut by 60% from 1990 levels by 2050.

Fake Snakes to Scare Australian Birds

Plastic snakes are being deployed in an effort to scare away tens of thousands of starlings that have descended on Tamworth in Australia. Pungent droppings of birds have created lot of problems for the authoritities. Pink, orange, green and black plastic snakes, will be tied to branches of trees. This is a desperate attempt by the Tamworth council even though there is no firm scientific basis for the operation.

Queen Bees Control Sex of Young

A new study shows that queen honey bees can choose the sex of their offspring. The young queen goes on a flight spree and stores the sperm she collects from multiple mating for the rest of her life. She uses it up bit by bit as she lays eggs. It has been shown that if the queen adds sperm to an egg, it will produce a female and if she withholds sperm, the egg will produce a male. But the workers control the type of eggs the queen lays. The queen lays eggs in a particular cell only if the cell is big enough to accommodate a male larva, which is bigger than a female one. So depending on the cells they build of each size, the workers can limit how many male offspring the queen produces. Katie Wharton and her team of entomologists at Michigan State University in East Lansing says that in spite of this drawback the queen can still tip the balance of the sex.If you are keen about details please refer to November/December issue of behavioural ecology.

Grooming Reciprocation Among Female Primates: A Meta-Analysis

Among primates, grooming is one of the most common altruistic behaviours. Interesting facts have come put of a recent study regarding grooming.The results of this meta-analysis showed that female primates groom preferentially those group mates that groom them most. T

For more details refer to

• Journal Biology Letters
• Online ISSN 1744-957X
• Print ISSN 1744-9561

• Content Type Journal Article
• Category Animal behaviour
• DOI 10.1098/rsbl.2007.0506
• Authors
• Gabriele Schino, Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 00197 Roma, Italy
• Filippo Aureli, Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Earth Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK

Extinction Stares In The Face Of Seventy-five Percent of Bear Species

According to recent assessments by the IUCN Bear Specialist Groups which has concluded a meeting in Monterrey, Mexico, on November 10, six out of the world’s eight species of bears are threatened with extinction. Serous concern has been expressed about the world’s smallest species of bear, the sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), which has been classed as Vulnerable. It has been estimated that sun bears have declined by at least 30% over the past 30 years. Vulnerable species include Asiatic black bears and sloth bears, both inhabitants of Asia, and Andean bears from the Andes Mountains of South America. The IUCN Bear Specialist Group indicated that Sloth Bears might have disappeared entirely from Bangladesh during the past decade. Brown bears, the most widespread Ursid, are not listed as threatened globally because large numbers still inhabit Russia, Canada, Alaska and some parts of Europe. At 900,000 strong, only the American black bear is secure throughout its range, which encompasses Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Angela Cropper of Trinidad and Tobago Named New UNEP Deputy Executive Director

Ms Angela Cropper of Trinidad and Tobago has been named as the Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The announcement was made by Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary-General. Ms Cropper will succeed Mr Shafqat Kakakhel who in December steps down after nine years of distinguished service.

Ancestor Of All Primates.

A new comprehensive genetic analysis shows that flying lemurs known as colugos is our closest nonprimate cousin. This is the result of a two-pronged molecular study by Jan Janecka, a postdoctoral fellow working with evolutionary genomicist William Murphy at Texas A&M University. Both analyses brought flying lemurs closer to primates than they had ever been before. The new study shows that the ancestors of tree shrews split off first, and then the primate and colugo lineages diverged. The new evolutionary study also shows that the pentail tree shrew is the sole survivor of an ancient lineage long separated from other tree shrew species.
For more details refer to
Molecular and Genomic Data Identify the Closest Living Relative of Primates
Jan E. Janecka,Webb Miller,Thomas H. Pringle,Frank Wiens, Annette Zitzmann, Kristofer M. Helgen,Mark S. Springer,William J. Murphy

Science 2 November 2007:
Vol. 318. no. 5851, pp. 792 - 794
DOI: 10.1126/science.1147555

Iguanas Listen To Birds To Avoid Predation

Iguana the world’s only sea-feeding lizard has come up with a surprise for researchers. Scientists have noted that Iguanas recognizes and utilizes the alarm call of the Galapagos Mockingbird. This is the first instance of a non-vocal species utilizing the calls of another species. Galapagos Hawk prey on both Iguanas and Mocking Bird. Scientists are trying to ascertain whether the eavesdropping on mockingbirds is a learned behavior or ingrained.
For more details refer to Maren N. Vitousek, James S. Adelman, Nathan C. Gregory, and James J. H. St Clair (2007).
Biology Letters, Heterospecific alarm call recognition in a non-vocal reptile.

Ecological Vandalism In Cyprus

In what could be termed only as ecological vandalism Fifty-eight endangered Red footed Falcons (Falco vespertinus) have been shot dead in Cyprus. The red-footed falcon, nests in Europe and winters in Africa. Environmentalists the world over have condemned this irresponsible act and called for greater vigil.Cyprus is an important migratory route for birds.

Warning - From International Primatological Society

The International Primatological Society is ringing the alarm bell for primates. The report says Almost a third of the world's primates are in danger of extinction because of destruction of their habitat. 60 experts in the field led by the World Conservation Union prepared this report. Fate of Hainan gibbon from China and Miss Waldron's red colobus monkey from Ivory Coast hangs in balance. Scientist say as the primates are the closest living relatives of humans much more attention need to be paid to them.

New lynx population discovered in Spain

A previously unknown population of Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus ) has been discovered in Spain.Iberian lynx is considered to be the world’s most endangered cat species. The new population was discovered in previously unsurveyed estates in the Castilla-La Mancha region in central Spain. Conservationists are keen to find out whether this population is genetically distinct from the larger and more stable population of lynx found in Andujar in the south. The main threats faced by Iberian lynx are a lack of prey, accidental deaths from cars and trucks on Spanish roads, and new construction work destroying habitats.

Succour To The Birds Of Prey

Experts from 60 countries will gather for a conference at Loch Lomond , Scotland, United Kingdom from 22-25 October 2007, devising ways to save rare birds of prey. It is hoped that funds will be raised for future conservation activity. UK has chipped in with an initial £10,000 for conservation works. An agreement that will give teeth to the conservation initiatives will be finalised at a meeting in the United Arab Emirates in 2008 as a follow up to the present meeting.

Mediterranean Monk Seal To Get More Protection

A new Memorandum of Understanding for the protection of the Eastern Atlantic Populations of the Mediterranean Monk Seal has been inked. The Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Portugal and the Kingdom of Spain are the signatories. Monk Seal is classified as critically endangered by IUCN the World Conservation Union. No more than 500 seals remain in the Mediterranean and along the Eastern Atlantic coastline The Mediterranean Monk Seal plays an important role in coastal and marine ecosystems and is one of the most threatened marine mammals in the world. The MOU will help to stop the decline and promote recovery.

Ancient reptile tracks unearthed

315 million-year-old fossilised tracks of a reptile have been unearthed in Canada. The most likely track-maker was the Hylonomus lyelli reptile according to scientists. The footprints suggest reptiles evolved between one and three million years earlier than previously thought. Dr Falcon-Lang,University of Bristol, Professor Mike Benton, University of Bristol and colleagues from Britain and Canada were behind this path breaking discovery. Scientists believe that the reptiles gathering around a watering hole left the tracks preserved in sandstone. Look up the details in Journal of the Geological Society of London.

Blog Action Day

Today is blog action day.Bloggers world wide will be writing about environmental issues. Here is a small piece from me.

One thing that bothers me as a wildlifer is the increasing rate of human-wildlife conflict. This is bound to happen where the population is burgeoning. But the time has come to plan and put in to place schemes that take care of the needs of the people in and around wildlife reserves. There have been attempts in some areas. One of the finest examples is the scheme being implemented in Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala. Eco development committees of the local stakeholders have a say in running the affairs of the Park. Eco tourism related ventures bring in money to .the local community. It is truly a participatory approach in conservation. Other reserves also have to emulate this. One thing that puts off people is the delay in getting compensation for damages caused by wildlife attacks. This is one area that needs to be spruced up Compensation has to be adequate and it needs to be dispensed immediately. Delay brings in bad blood. The future of conservation in thickly populated countries lie in participatory approach. The local people have to be sensitized and brought in as partners of conservation.

China – Rare South China Tiger Observed In The Wild

China's official Xinhua news agency reports that a rare South China tiger has been seen in the wild for the first time in decades. Chinese scientists had thought the tiger was extinct. It was a Chinese farmer in Shaanxi province who took the photograph and scientists had a close look at it before they confirmed it. The tiger is critically endangered and was last sighted in the wild in 1964. South China tiger is the smallest tiger subspecies.

Blog Action Day: One issue, thousands of voices

Thousands of voices will speak out for the environment for the first-ever Blog Action Day on 15 October. This non-profit event, partnered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is an unprecedented call for bloggers around the planet to write about environmental issues on the same day.

Wildlife – Use Of Human Shield

New research findings indicate that mammals use humans to shield against carnivores. This raise the possibility that redistribution has occurred in other mammalian taxa due to anthropogenic influences in ways we are yet to determine. This calls for new look at indirect anthropogenic effects on species distributions and behaviour. The new study was based in Yellowstone and demonstrated a substantive change in how Moose avoid predator brown bears, shifts birth sites shift away from traffic-averse brown bears and towards paved roads.If you are keen about more details look below.

• Content Type Journal Article
• Category Animal behaviour
• DOI 10.1098/rsbl.2007.0415
• Authors
  • Joel Berger, North America Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Teton Valley, ID 83455, USA

• Journal Biology Letters
• Online ISSN 1744-957X
• Print ISSN 1744-9561

Wanna Make Elephants Run? Turn To Bees

African elephants are wary of bees. They have instinctive fear of the stings. The insects are able to inflict painful stings inside the animals' trunks. Researchers are using this information to drive away marauding elephants. Oxford University researchers found that elephants would quickly vacate a spot after hearing recordings of bees. The Oxford team set up concealed loudspeakers in trees where elephants regularly came. Ninety-four percent of the elephant families left the tree within 80 seconds of hearing bee sounds. More information can be accessed from the journal Current Biology.

Kouprey Is Real

The general belief to this day is that Kouprey, Cambodia’s national animal is a hybrid between Banteng and Zebu. Alexandre Hassanin and Anne Ropiquet from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France have turned this belief topsy turvy. Their DNA analysis has conclusively proved that kouprey is a real wild species, different from all other wild oxen. November issue of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. will carry the full details.

The world moves into "ecological overdraft"

The Economic Foundation UK says that the world as a whole is going into ecological debt driven by over-consumption. 'Ecological debt day' is the date when, in effect, humanity uses-up the resources the earth has available for the year, and begins eating into its stock of natural resources. Ecological Debt Day this year is three days earlier than in 2006 which itself was three days earlier than in 2005. This is just one of the findings of a new report from nef, Chinadependence: the second UK Interdependence report, published in association with the Open University. The report says the world's biggest carbon polluter is the United States. If everyone in the world had the same consumption rates as in the United States it would take 5.3 planet earths to support them. The figure was 3.1 for France and Britain, 3.0 for Spain, 2.5 for Germany and 2.4 for Japan. Green house emissions of Burgeoning economies like China and India are a fraction of those in Europe and the United States

UNEP and Google On Clean Up Drive

People across the planet will be cleaning up their area and sharing the result with millions of people on the Internet in an innovative programme launched by Google and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). During International Cleanup Weekend on 13 and 14 October, community groups and individuals on every continent will be heading out in small groups with friends and family to clean up their local parks, beaches, streets and neighbourhoods. Under this new initiative, their activities and results will make history by being posted as photos and videos onto Google Map. This will give a global platform to every local initiative. Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP's Executive Director, said: "The power of local community action is being matched by the power of the World Wide Web. This should make a formidable partnership uniting and empowering groups from Bangalore to Bermuda and Berlin to Beijing in common cause." UNEP and Google encourage everyone to plan their own cleanup close to home, wherever they think there is the biggest need for it. To get started, go to: http://maps.google.com/help/maps/cleanup/

The inputs for this entry has comwe from UNEP

Crow Facts

The latest issue of journal science has some interesting facts about crows, to be specific, about New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides). New Caledonian crows are found on the South Pacific island of New Caledonia. The birds are renowned for their sophisticated tool using ability, but until now, observing them in their natural habitat has not been successful. This species of crow is the only non-primate animal known to create and use new tools. Now scientists using miniature cameras have unraveled intricacies of how New Caledonian crows behave in the wild. They can use their bills to whittle twigs and leaves into bug-grabbing implements. The crows were also observed to be using grass stems on the forest floor for probing the leaf litter. Dr Christian Rutz, lead author of the paper is from the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford, UK.

Indonesia – Plan To Plant 79 Million Trees in One Day

Indonesia, which is facing flak from world community for deforestation at alarming rate, has decided to bow to the demands from environmentalists or at least it seems to be so. Indonesia will plant 79 million trees in a single day on November 28th ahead of the U.N. climate change summit in Bali in December. This is part of a global campaign to plant one billion trees launched at U.N. climate change talks in Nairobi last year. Palm oil plantations have done irreparable damage to rain forests and the endangered Orangutans in Indonesia and this has earned the ire of the environmentalists.

Tragedy- 10000 Wildebeest Drowned

10,000 Wildebeest have drowned while attempting to cross Kenya's Mara River. They were swept away by the current at a deep crossing and drowned. Wildebeest make their annual migration from Serengeti Plain of Tanzania to greener pastures in Kenya covering a distance of 3,200 kilometers. One percent of the total species population has been wiped out in this tragedy.

New protected Areas In Papua New Guinea

Three new protected areas have been created in Papua New Guinea. The new wildlife reserves are the new Aramba, Tonda extension and Weriaver areas covering about 710,000 hectares in Papua New Guinea’s Western Province . The area is home to unique wildlife like marsupial cats, endemic flying possums and birds of paradise. Local community leaders, politicians and wildlife officials form the synergy for this new venture. Local landowner committees will manage the areas with assistance from wildlife officials and agencies like WWF.

New Wildlife Reserves In Vietnam

In an effort to protect critically endangered wild ox saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), the central Vietnamese provinces of Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam will create two new wildlife reserves. The extent of each reserve will be 121km^2.The reserves will link up with the Bach Ma National Park to cover a continuous protected landscape covering approximately 2,920km^{2 .} Saola is found only in the Annamite Mountains of Vietnam and Laos. Very little is known about the species. The total population is thought to be no more than 250 individuals

Vietnam – New Discoveries

Scientists have discovered 11 new species of animals and plants in the Thua Thien Hue Province of Vietnam, a region known as the Green Corridor . The discovery includes three plants , five orchids two butterflies and a snake . Ten other plant species, including four orchids, are still under examination but also appear to be new species. All these species are at risk from illegal logging, hunting, unsustainable extraction of natural resources and conflicting development interests. The area is also home to Vietnam’s greatest number of white-cheeked crested gibbons, one of the world’s most endangered primates.

If you are keen about more information please contact

Dr Chris Dickinson, Chief Technical Adviser
WWF Vietnam
Tel: +84 54 887 341
E-mail: chris.dickinson@wwfgreatermekong.org

Olivier van Bogaert, Senior Press Officer
WWF International
Tel: + 41 22 364 9554
E-mail: ovanbogaert@wwfint.org

Global Warming – World Leaders To Meet In New York

150 countries are expected to attend a special UN meeting convened by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York on 24^th September to discuss the effects of global warming and the ways to combat it. The highlight is the presence of 80 heads of state. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former US Vice President Al Gore will attend the meeting.The secretary general will deliver the keynote address at Monday's summit, entitled "The Future in Our Hands: Addressing the Leadership Challenge of Climate Change." According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, if no action is taken on greenhouse gases, the Earth’s temperature could rise by 4.50°C (8.1°F) or more. Climate change will hit the poorest and most vulnerable the hardest

Bluefin Tuna – Good News

In a move to conserve endangered Bluefin Tuna the European Commission has banned the fishing of Bluefin Tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean for the rest of the year. The ban is in force in Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Spain. Italy and France. EU and international rules have provisions to punish the offenders.

Australia - Call to protect Coral Sea

The Conservationists around the world are urging the Australian government to protect the Coral Sea, which has abundant shark populations. The area is a "predator diversity hotspot" and one of Australia’s last tropical marine wildernesses area, comprising an area of 780,000sq km. Environmentalists want the government to give the area full-scale protection by giving legal status of protected area. If the proposal is accepted this would be the world's largest marine park. Illegal fishing for sharks for their fin is posing a serious threat to the area and the threat is increasing.

Virunga National Park – WWF Chips In With Help

Created in 1925, Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo is the oldest national park in Africa and also the richest in biodiversity, with over 700 species of birds and 200 species of mammals. It is also World Heritage-listed. The Park is passing through difficult times due to civil unrest in the area. WWF is working closely with UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, to prevent encroachment into Virunga National Park by people displaced by civil unrest in the area. About 35,000 people have been affected. Three camps have been set up by the displaced people in Mugunga, a small town next to Virunga National Park. One of them,the Lac Vert Camp,is partly located within the park. The main challenge is to avert a fuel wood crisis that will erode Virunga National Park. WWF is working closely with UNHCR and ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature) to find solutions to the problem, under a programme funded by the European Union. UNHCR is urging the displaced people to move from the Lac Vert Camp to a new camp that could accommodate up to 5,000 families.

Threat of Extinction At The Door For Many Species

2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is an indicator of the alarming rate at which some species are being pushed to the brink. There are now 41,415 species on the IUCN Red List and 16,306 of them are threatened with extinction, up from 16,118 last year. The total number of extinct species has reached 785 and a further 65 are only found in captivity or in cultivation. There are now 12,043 plants on the IUCN Red List, with 8,447 listed as threatened. Some of the highlights of the latest reports are, Yangtze River Dolphin listed as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct), first appearance of corals on the IUCN Red List, the decline of the great apes, Vulture crisis, and addition of North American reptiles to IUCN Red List
For more info log on to www.iucn.org/redlist and http://www.iucnredlist.org/

UK – Efforts On For Grass Roofs

The English county Coventry is contemplating an innovative idea to combat climate change. The idea is to lay grass roofs across Coventry building. Grass roofs can provide insulation, encourage wildlife, and help purify the air by filtering out pollution. This will also make Coventry one of the greenest places in UK.

Crimes against wild birds Go Up In UK

Crimes against birds have taken a 50% jump in UK. The latest Bird crime report by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says there were 1,109 incidents in 2006, up from 726 in 2005. Killing of raptors was the most worrying factor. Birds like Red kite, Goshawk and Hen Harrier are struggling to recover from many years of deliberate persecution. Counties Derbyshire, North Yorkshire and Northumberland were the worst offenders.

Why bears rub trees? – British Ecologist Get To The Bottom Of The Conundrum

Many theories have been advanced as to why bears rub trees. One school of thought was: female bears might rub trees as they came into oestrous. Others were of the view that bears might be giving their backs a scratch to get rid of parasites. Dr Owen Nevin of the University of Cumbria has finally solved the riddle. Adult male grizzly bears use so-called “rub trees” as a way to communicate with each other while looking for breeding females. This behaviour also helps to reduce battles between the bears. Big male bears can seriously injure and even kill each other when they get into a fight. Over the past two years, Dr Nevin used four digital cameras with infra-red trips set up opposite rub trees to collect data on which bears used the trees and when. Satellite telemetry equipment were used to track individual bears' movements. The research findings will also help improve bear conservation by affording an insight into the behaviour of secretive male bears.
If you are keen about more information contact Dr Owen Nevin, University of Cumbria, tel: 0176 889 3551, email: Owen.Nevin@Cumbria.ac.uk.

Alert – Indian Bull Frogs Being Smuggled Out

There exists a thriving smuggling racket in Indian Bull Frogs (Hoplobatrachus Tigerinus). Wildlife authorities in Assam have seized an estimated 3,000 frogs near the Kaziranga National Park. According to local authorities the frogs were destined for France via Bangladesh. The frogs are killed in Bangladesh and their legs dismembered and frozen before they are smuggled to France. The seized frogs were later released in to Kaziranga.

New Findings - Asian Catfish Migrates Hundreds of Kilometers

The latest issue of the Journal of Fish Biology has some interesting facts about Southeast Asian catfish. A new study by Zeb Hogan, Ian Baird, Richard Radtke and Jake Vander Zanden shows that the Catfish (Pangasius krempfi) travels thousands of kilometers from the South China Sea up the Mekong River to spawn. This is similar to many salmon species that spend the first part of their lives at sea and then migrate thousands of kilometers up coastal rivers to spawn. This turns topsy-turvy the present belief that Catfish does not travel much. The new findings also suggest that related catfish species all over the world may be more migratory than previously thought.

For more information, see the paper: Hogan, Z, IG Baird, R Radtke and MJ Vander Zanden (2007) Long distance migration and marine habitation in the tropical Asian catfish, Pangasius krempfi. Journal of Fish Biology 71, 818–832.

Vietnam – Shocking – Frozen Tigers Recovered From Fridge

It is hard to believe. But it happened. Vietnamese police have recovered two frozen tigers from an apartment, along with two soup kettles filled with animal bones. A 40-year-old woman has been taken in to custody. The woman confessed that she was making traditional medicines. The conjecture is that the tigers were brought from Myanmar or Laos. While the wildlife enforcement laws in Vietnam are strong Myanmar and Laos pays only lip service.

Global Environmental Flows Network Launched

The Global Environmental Flows Network was officially launched during the 10th International River Symposium Conference currently on in Brisbane, Australia. ‘Environmental Flows’ refers to water provided within a river, wetland or coastal zone to maintain ecosystems, and their benefits where there is competing use and demand. The network was crated by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Delft Hydraulics, DHI Water and Environment, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), Swedish Water House, and the Global Water for Sustainability Program (GLOWS). Water managers, NGOs, local communities, scientists and researchers, as well as governmental and intergovernmental agencies that are interested in sharing knowledge or experiences on environmental flows can utilize the network

For more information log on to www.riversymposium.com

Congo - Endangered Gorillas Caught In The Crossfire

Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have taken control of large tracts of the Virunga National Park, home of the endangered mountain gorillas. Conservationists the world over are worried about the fate of the animals. Only 700 mountain gorillas remain in the wild. Half of them are in Virunga National Park.

WWF Advocates Bluefin Tuna Sanctuary

Concerned about plummeting Bluefin tuna population, WWF is advocating immediate establishment of a sanctuary for the bluefin tuna around the Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean . The proposal is based on research by Spanish marine biologists , which has established that the area is of outstanding importance for the breeding of the species. WWF is also working on scientifically based recovery plan , which will be discussed in the next meeting of ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) in Turkey this November.

Beware of That Pigeon Droppings

Pigeons are beautiful to behold. But acidic pigeon droppings may cause lot of problems to iron structures. Pigeon droppings contain ammonia and acids. Experts investigating the recent bridge mishap in Mississippi think that continued build up of pigeon droppings may have contributed to faster build up of rust, and this in turn may have contributed to the causes of collapse of the bridge.

Italy - Pope Leads Catholic Church's First Eco-Friendly Rally

Pope Benedict on Saturday led the Catholic Church's first eco-friendly youth rally. Pope exhorted the estimated 300,000 young people to shun love for the disposable. The rally was held in central Adriatic shrine city of Loreto. Recycled paper, backpacks made of recyclable material, a flashlight operated by a crank instead of batteries and biodegradable plates were the highlights of the camp. The main piece of advice was “Discover the beauty of love, but not disposable love, that is here today and gone tomorrow”

Colombia - New national park created

The Colombian government has created a new national park, Serranía de los Churumbelos Auka Wasi National Park, covering 97,180 ha, which will give a boost to the conservation of Andean and Amazon ecosystems. The area harbours abundant wildlife, including the Andean bear, jaguar, tapir and puma, 30 species of amphibians, 16 species of reptiles, more than 140 species of butterflies, 825 species of plants and 461 species of birds. Sacred areas of several indigenous communities such as the Inga and Yanaconas, will also be protected.