England – Policeman Gets Award for Wildlife Protection

A cop keen about wildlife is a rarity. Here comes a glowing example from England that turns the belief on its head. A Scottish policeman Charles Everitt has been given a UK-wide award for his work in tackling wildlife crime. The award is titled Wildlife Law Enforcer of the Year.

Charles Everitt , who has been in this job for the last eight years, investigated 27 wildlife cases last year. He is not the sort of guy who does only what the statute books says. He recently helped set up a community peregrine-watch on a site near Edinburgh. This site had been plagued by chick poachers. As a result of his dedicated work the site saw the first hatching of the birds in 15 years.

 Everitt has waged a relentless battle against deer poaching, hare coursing and unlicensed zoo animals. In an operation against Scottish traditional medicine shops selling products containing protected species this policeman seized goods worth a fortune.

Tahrcountry salutes this magnificent policeman  and exhorts policemen around the world  to follow the trail shown by Charles Everitt.

This Year's Ig Nobels – a Rip-roaring, Rib Tickling Lighter Look at Science

Here is something on the lighter side for Sunday. My friend Jeffrey from England has mailed me info about this year’s Ig Nobels winners.

For those of you who have no clue about Ig Nobels, it is an event organized by the humor journal Annals of Improbable Research to promote the public appreciation of science. It is a reward for scientists who take a lighter look at science making the people laugh, and then make them think. This year marks the 21st anniversary of the Ig Nobel Prizes.

Here is the roundup of this year’s winners.

Engineering: Marine biologist Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse of the Zoological Society of London and colleagues. They get the award for their method of collecting samples of whale snot using a remote-controlled helicopter.
Medicine: Psychologist Simon Rietveld of the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and colleagues. They get the award for discovering that asthma symptoms can be successfully treated with roller-coaster rides.
Physics: Public health researcher Lianne Parkin of the University of Otago in New Zealand and colleagues. The get it for proving that wearing socks on the outside of shoes reduces slips on icy surfaces.
Peace: Psychologist Richard Stephens of Keele University in the United Kingdom and colleagues. The grab the prize for demonstrating that swearing alleviates pain.
Public health: Microbiologist Manuel Barbeito of the Industrial Health and Safety Office at Fort Detrick, Maryland, and colleagues for determining that microbes flourish in the beards of scientists.
Economics: The executives of Goldman Sachs, AIG, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, and Magnetar "for creating and promoting new ways to invest money--ways that maximize financial gain and minimize financial risk for the world economy, or for a portion thereof.
Chemistry: Engineer Eric Adams of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and colleagues. They get it for disproving the belief that oil and water don't mix.
Management: Social scientist Alessandro Pluchino of the University of Catania in Italy and colleagues for mathematically demonstrating that organizations can increase efficiency by giving people promotions at random.
Biology: Biologist Libiao Zhang of the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and colleagues for their study of fellatio in fruit bats. 

Real Nobel winners receive around $1.4 million dollars, but not Ig Nobels winners. This year's ceremony was an exception. It included a cash prize: A $100 trillion note from Zimbabwe the value of which is around 0 as a result of hyperinflation.

Book Recommendation

Here is a book worth possessing. Ocean Drifters, a secret world beneath the waves, a new book by Dr Richard Kirby

Dr Kirby examines the hidden microcosm of life, the world of plankton, lurking behind the waves. The microscopic algae and the tiny animals that eat them float freely on the surface of the sea. They are the basis of marine food chain, generating oxygen, and playing a key role in the global carbon cycle.

Dr Richard Kirby's superb high-magnification photographs and informative text is a feast for the eye and a great read.

• Paperback: 192 pages

• Publisher: Studio Cactus Ltd (September 15, 2010)

•   ISBN-10: 1904239102

•   ISBN-13: 978-1904239109

Guardian has published superb images  from this book. Click here to view it.

This week's Wildlife Images

Have a look at this week's beautiful wildlife images from Guardian. Click HERE

Surprise- A Fish that Suckles its Young

I read with utter fascination the news about the fish that suckles its young  A team of biologists from Denmark, led by Prof Skov  of the University of Copenhagen, have discovered a fish that suckles its young. Even more surprising the young suckle while still within their mother's body. The fish that has thrown up the surprise is European eelpout (Zoarces viviparus). Eelpout is found near the coastal waters throughout large parts of Europe, from the southern parts of the English Channel to the Baltic Sea and the White Sea.

Eelpout has pregnancies, lasting approximately six months and give birth to large baby fish quite disproportionate to its size. Scientists say the suckling explains why it can give birth to large, live baby fish.

Other fish, such as guppies and mollies, also give birth to live young but they have short gestation times lasting a few weeks or less, and their embryos feed on yolk from egg sacs within their mother's body.

Details of the discovery are published in the latest issue of Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.

One-fifth of the World's Plants are Under Threat of Extinction

A study conducted by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Natural History Museum, London and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has revealed that one in five of the world's plant species are threatened with extinction. The study was in response to the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity and the 2010 Biodiversity Target.

The study gives a clear global picture of extinction threat to the world's known plants. According to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's Director, Professor Stephen Hopper plants are the foundation of biodiversity and their significance in uncertain climatic, economic and political times has been overlooked for far too long.

The study revealed that Plants are more threatened than birds, as threatened as mammals and less threatened than amphibians or corals. Gymnosperms are the most threatened group. The most threatened habitat is tropical rain forest.

The study assumes significance against backdrop that governments are to meet in Nagoya, Japan in mid-October 2010 to set new targets at the United Nations Biodiversity Summit.

For more information log on to Kew Gardens.

Forestry and Climate Change – The portents

Forestry commission of England is keeping one step ahead in anticipation of vagaries of climate change. They have come up with some recommendations to tackle the menace. I found the research note very useful.

Here is an excerpt.

The changing climate presents challenges for forest planning and forest management.  The commission says the projected increases in temperature, changes in the seasonality of rainfall, and an increased frequency of extreme events add complexity to species selection and silvicultural practice. The commission calls for adjusting forest management now to take care of anticipated future changes. There is an urgent need to increase resilience by reducing exposure to risks in forestry and in the goods and services that woodlands provide for society. 

As a result of climate change tree growth will increase in some areas while they will decline elsewhere. The effects will vary with species. Some relatively less known species will become predominant. This could include some species from other continents. New approaches to woodland management will be required to address the threats of drought and risk from pests, diseases, wind and fire. 

There are many uncertainties associated with climate change with imponderable impacts on trees, silviculture and forest operations. This uncertainty should not prevent adaptation but should act as a driver for woodland managers to implement measures that increase resilience whatever climate change brings. A key concept in managing risk is diversification. This include broadening the choice of genetic material and mixing tree species in different ways, to varying management systems and the timing of operations.

The report is free. Click Here if you are keen to read the full report

PUT YOUR QUESTIONS TO DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

Guardian is offering you a golden chance to put your questions to legendary conservationist David Attenborough. These questions will be the basis for an interview slated for next month.

For the past 50 years David Attenborough has been crusading for nature conservation. Even at 84 he is at his favorite passion. Next month, in First Life, he explores the lives of the world's very first animals in BBC.

Questions should be sent to readers.newreview@observer.co.uk by the end of Tuesday 28 September or tweet them to @ObsNewReview.

Before sending the questions please log on to Guardian. Click HERE

Mountain coati the Least Studied Carnivore in the World

I was fascinated to read about the only Mountain coati (Nasuella olivacea), kept in captivity. The mountain coati was confiscated from poachers by police and environmental authorities. It is being kept in at Bioparque la Reserva in Cota, Colombia.

The mountain coati is perhaps the least studied carnivore in the world. Information about it is very limited as it is a very elusive animal. Deficient data available are from skins, tissue samples and skulls kept in natural history museums. It belongs to same family of raccoons and kinkajous and lives in the forests of Colombia and Ecuador

World DNA Barcode Library

A  DNA barcode library has been put in place in Toronto by An international consortium of geneticists. The aim is to build a digital identification system for all life on Earth. Barcoding for 80,000 species with one million barcode records is complete. This is the largest biodiversity genomics initiative ever undertaken.
 
By 2015, scientists expect to enter DNA barcode records from five million specimens representing half a million species. 
 
This DNA barcoding project will reduce the time and cost of species identification.  It promises a future where everyone will have rapid access to the names and biological features of every species on Earth.   It will be a vital tool for conservation. A handheld barcode reader is round the corner.

"The International Barcode of Life is assembling a global network of taxonomists, biologists and geneticists to embark on the next great exploration of the natural world," says Dr. Christian Burks, President and CEO of the Ontario Genomics Institute and Chair of the iBOL Consortium board of directors.

UK’s Most Wildlife Friendly Farmers

Two brothers John and James Davison from the hills of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, have won this year’s Nature of Farming Award, in UK.

The award was in recognition of their tireless efforts to create the ideal habitat for lapwings, curlews, Irish hares and a host of other insect and plant life. The brothers raise sheep and cattle on their 350-hectare farm near Ballymena. They garnered 53 per cent of the public’s vote.

The award is instituted by the RSPB with support from BBC Countryfile Magazine, Plantlife and Butterfly Conservation. It is funded by the EU Life+ programme.

The winners will receive the top prize of £1,000 which  will be presented with their award later this year.

This week's Stunning Wildlife Images

Have a look at this week's magnificent wildlife images from Guardian. Click HERE