Ireland - Golden eagles to the rescue of sheep

I read with great interest in Belfast Telegraph the reintroduction success of iconic Golden eagles in Ireland and how some of the apprehensions of farmers have been proved wrong.

When Golden eagles were reintroduced in Ulster there was lot of protest from farmers who feared that the eagles will lift their lambs. They have realized that their fears were misplaced. Golden eagles are proving to be the best friends of the sheep farmers. There is a definite decline in the number of attacks by local hooded grey crows on newborn lambs.

The eagles were reintroduced after an absence of more than 100 years. A total of 58 young golden eagles have been released since the project began in 2001. The plan is to release a total of 75 birds
The project group had to meet the 53 reintroduction guidelines set by the International Union for conservation of Nature before they obtained a license to import golden eagle chicks from Scotland. Scotland has a stable golden eagle population of 420 breeding pairs

Listen to Live Feed of Whale Songs

Michael Andre’, a bioacoustician at the Technical University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain has come up with an ingenious method of listening to live feeds of whale songs. He has created a website where you can listen to the live feeds.

The songs come from 10 hydrophones spread around European waters, and one in Canada. Several more are planned to come soon in Canada and in Asia.The primary aim of the researchers was to study the effects of human activity on whales and dolphins. The hydrophones are placed on the seabed, on existing research platforms that monitor earthquakes and tsunami. The streams of audio data go to a server where the signals are analysed and published directly on the internet. An algorithm developed by Andre’ filters the different frequencies in the signal to identify specific sounds, including the songs of 26 species of whales and dolphins.  

The new system could also reveal the effects of noise pollution on whales’ .It should be possible to determine if animals change course in response to bursts of noise, or alter their preferred routes because of new sources of noise like shipping routes or harbours.

So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and listen to the whale songs. Click here.

Slideshow of Hundreds of New Species Found in Papua New Guinea Provided by Sciencemag

During a 2-month exploration researchers have discovered 200 new species of plants and animals deep within the forests of Papua New Guinea. This includes two new mammals, 24 new species of frogs, nine new plants, and almost 100 new insects. Have a look at the slide-show.Click HERE

International Year of the Bats

Bats, the worlds only flying mammals are one of the planet’s most misunderstood and persecuted mammals. Around half of to the world’s 1100 bat species are currently at risk.

Bats save the farming industry millions of dollars each year. They also play a key part in sustaining the world’s forests. Bats provide ecological benefits such as pest control and seed dispersal. Bat populations in large urban areas can consume up to 30,000 pounds of insects in a single night.  An estimated 134 plants that yield products used by humans are partially or entirely dependent on bats for seed dispersal or pollination. Environmental experts say bats as indicators of biodiversity and healthy ecosystems

Most people are unaware that bats provide invaluable services to the environment. Bat populations have declined alarmingly in recent decades. Despite intensified conservation efforts, over half of all bats species are now classified by the International Union for Conservation as threatened or near threatened.

The recently launched, UNEP-backed ‘Year of the Bat’ will promote conservation, research and education on bats. The Year of the Bat in 2011 will coincide with the United Nations’ International Year of Forests. The Year of the Bat will encourage people across the world to get involved in bat conservation efforts

Dr. Merlin Tuttle, a leading ecologist and wildlife photographer and founder of Bat Conservation International has been designated as the honorary ambassador for the Year of the Bat.

This Week's Wildlife Images

Have a look at the smashing wildlife images from Guardian. Click HERE

The Fresh Air Fund

Some time back we had published a post about The Fresh Air Fund

Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund has been giving inner-city children the joy of a summer vacation with volunteer host families and at Fund camps, creating unforgettable memories and fresh possibilities.

Sara Wilson, of Fresh Air Fund informs me that lot of interest was generated this summer within the blogosphere. They  had close to 5000 volunteer host families open their home to a NYC child and 3000 children visited their camps. Their Facebook Page continues to be a hub of activity. There are some excellent photos and videos from their  host families. 

You can follow the excellent work at  http://www.facebook.com/freshairfund

It is Not Too Late to Save Our Declining Coral Reefs

Eminent marine scientists from Australia and the USA writing in the latest issue of Trends in Ecology and Evolution (TREE) say there is still time to save our coral reefs even though they are in precarious condition in some areas.  About 125,000 square kilometres of the world’s corals have disappeared so far. According to latest report 19% of all reefs have been effectively lost, another 15% are critical and likely to be lost in 10–20 years, and a further 20% are under threat from local human pressures.

The efforts should be to improve the resilience of coral reefs, so that they can withstand the impacts of climate change and other human activities. The scientists say some reefs degenerate into a mass of weeds and never recover – an event known as a ‘phase shift’ – while on other reefs the corals manage to bounce back successfully, showing a quality known as resilience. The degradation and disappearance of corals can be arrested and reversed with the right management prescriptions.

The team has come up with certain recommendations.

• Empower and educate local people to look after their own reefs
• Change land uses that cause damaging runoff and sediment
• Control not only fishing, but also fish markets to protect herbivorous fish
• Integrate resilience science with reef management and support for local communities in restoring their reefs
• Improve laws that protect coral reefs globally
• Confront climate change as the single most important issue for coral reef management and conservation by sharply reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Restoration of sites in Hawaii, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the Caribbean, Bahamas and Philippines amply demonstrates that with dedicated efforts restoring coral reefs is not a pipe dream