A model that explains how geckos move and cling on to walls and ceiling

                                            Pic credit: Oregon State University

Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a model that explains how geckos move and cling on to walls and ceiling. Geckos, spiders and some other insects have branched hairs called “seta” that can instantly turn their stickiness on and off, and even “unstick” their feet without using any energy.

The “smart” adhesion system allows the geckos to run at 20 body-lengths per second. The scientist added that the forces provided by the seta could actually support 50 times the body weight of the gecko.

Details appear in the latest issue of Journal of Applied Physics

We are facing a “biological holocaust” warns Dr E.O. Wilson

Dr E.O. Wilson, 85-year old Harvard University scientist considered as world’s foremost authority on biodiversity has warned that we are staring at the face of a “biological holocaust”. The renowned scientist was talking to the interviewers of journal of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. He had a prescription in mind.

“I see a chain of uninterrupted corridors forming, with twists and turns, some of them opening up to become wide enough to accommodate national biodiversity parks, a new kind of park that won’t let species vanish,” said Dr Wilson. Dr Wilson’s dream is to see humans essentially withdraw from half of the Earth. Giving an exposition of his “Half Earth” theory, he said: “It’s been in my mind for years that people haven’t been thinking big enough – even conservationists.

Dr Wilson added that these “corridors” he had in mind running vertically down continents will let species move north as temperatures rise, for example, while those going horizontally will enable species to move east as rainfall declines in the west. We need large corridors at the landscape levels as “islandisation” can have a disastrous impact on wildlife,

Elan Filler, a 7th grader cracks the mystery of fungus infections

A fungus called Cryptococcus gattii is causing untold misery to lot of patients in Southern California. This has been going on for years. No one had a clue to where it came from. The suspects were trees.

Elan Filler, a 7th grader was looking for a science fair project. Her dad Dr. Scott Filler who is an infectious disease specialist at the University of California ran in to Springer's advisor Dr Heitman at a conference, and told him about Elan and her project. Dr Heitman took it up with Springer. Soon Elan was swabbing tree trunks and growing out the fungus in Petri dishes as per plans chalked out. Springer analyzed the genetic fingerprints of fungi in the samples. To the delight of scientists C. gattii from three trees, Canary Island pine, New Zealand pohutukawa and American sweet gum, matched almost exactly with C. gattii from infected patients.

Details are published in the latest issue of PLOS Pathogens. Elan Filler has been named as an author on the study

What a shame - Zambia has lifted the 2013 ban on hunting

Zambia has lifted the 2013 ban on hunting.  Hunting wildlife, with the exception of big cats, is now legal. Disturbing fact is that hunting of elephants will be allowed.  Read it against the report from scientists that an estimated 100,000 elephants in Africa were killed for their ivory between 2010 and 2012 and their numbers are declining by two per cent to three per cent every year. More animals are being killed than their recruitment. It is a real shame

Genetic proof of new variety of tarsier

                                           Pic credit: University of Kansas

Researchers at the University of Kansas' Biodiversity Institute have established the presence of a new variety of tarsier. Pronounced as (tar-SEER). Tarsiers are completely carnivorous, a unique phenomenon among primates.

Details appear in the latest issue of journal the journal PLOS ONE

Never buy a Dell computer- Their service sucks

Guys, if you are planning to buy a computer never go for Dell. I had unpleasant experience with their third rate service.

Last week for no apparent reason, my computer failed to hook on to internet. I attached the modem to another laptop and it worked flawlessly. Just to make make doubly sure I took the modem to the provider BSNL and they hooked it on to their computer. Again there was seamless connectivity.

I rang up Dell service and explained my predicament. The guys took me through the whole gamut of trouble shooting over the phone. As the need was mine I stuck to it even though I had other pressing affairs on hand. After lot of seesaw activity, the guy told me that there was no problem with hardware and the problem could be software related. They made me re install Windows 7 which had come preinstalled. It took some more of my precious time. Even after reinstalling there was no connectivity. BSNL guys were absolutely sure that the problem was with the computer. After further round of tinkering the DEll guy told me that the problem is software and they do not attend to software problems. What utter nonsense. The computer came with windows 7 preinstalled by Dell as operating system and the system was covered under warranty. Thy have a moral responsibility to look at the problems. I got a wee bit wild and asked the guy whether I am supposed to throw away the computer which is still under warranty. I could hear him talk to another  guy and after some deliberation the Dell guy told me that a technician will come to my place and attend to the problems. Another 24 hours have elapsed and the technician is still to come and do the repairs.

So, guys, give a wide berth to Dell computers. You have better options with better service.

Undercover operation foils wildlife trafficking in Canada

The Fish and Wildlife Enforcement officials in Alberta, Canada have smashed a wildlife trafficking gang after a two-year undercover operation. Officers seized 322 packages of moose and elk meat, worth about $6,500 on the black market.  $1,105 in cash and a 2013 Ford F-150 truck was also seized. The officers added that unregulated trade in wildlife fuels black market demand which could in turn lead to more poaching.

Yes, little drops of water make the mighty ocean. If all the countries of the world join together in covert and overt actions we can certainly nip the menace of poaching.

Wildlife Ecology, Conservation, and Management, 3rd Edition

Wildlife Ecology, Conservation, and Management, 3rd Edition

John M. Fryxell, Anthony R. E. Sinclair, Graeme Caughley

ISBN: 978-1-118-29106-1

528 pages

June 2014, Wiley-Blackwell

The third edition of the magnificent book, Wildlife Ecology, Conservation, and Management is out and I had a chance to glance through it. Several improvements have been incorporated in this edition.

The authors have introduced a series of modules introducing R to readers and set up a server link to Wildlife Ecology, Conservation, and Management software examples.Worked examples enable readers to practice calculations explained in the text and to develop a thorough understanding of key statistical procedures and population models commonly used in wildlife ecology and management.

 Four new chapters have been introduced. The four new chapters cover: habitat use and selection; habitat fragmentation, movement and corridors; climate change, and; evolutionary response to disturbance. A thorough updating of all chapters has been done to present important areas of wildlife research and management with examples of recent advances.

I recommend the book unreservedly to wildlife managers, park rangers, biological resource managers, and those working in ecotourism.

All ivory market must close down, new study recommends

Legal Ivory Trade in a Corrupt World and its Impact on African Elephant Populations

ELIZABETH L. BENNETT

Article first published online: 7 AUG 2014, Conservation Biology

Elephant poaching is at an all time high in Africa. Against the backdrop of this disturbing trend, the contents of this paper assume great significance.

To save elephants, all ivory markets must close and all ivory stockpiles must be destroyed, according to this paper by Elizabeth Bennet published in Conservation Biology. Illegal hunting of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) for ivory is causing rapid decline in their populations. Since 2007, illegal ivory trade has more than doubled. Bennett says corruption enables the laundering of illegal ivory into legal or potentially legal markets. Poachers and traffickers can rapidly pay their way out of trouble, so the financial incentives to break the law heavily outweigh those of abiding by it. Maintaining reliable permitting systems and leak-proof chains of custody in this context is challenging, and effective management breaks down. Once illegal ivory has entered the legal trade, it is difficult or impossible for enforcement officers to know what is legal and illegal. Bennett signs off saying “If we are to conserve remaining wild populations, we must close all markets because, under current levels of corruption, they cannot be controlled in a way that does not provide opportunities for illegal ivory being laundered into legal markets.”

Conservation – Facing the uncertain future

I read yesterday, a very good report prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), titled Considering Multiple Futures: Scenario Planning to Address Uncertainty in Natural Resource Conservation. The report includes 12 case studies representing a range of scenario planning approaches for natural resource and conservation issues.

 The report is intended as a guide to natural resource managers’ to plan for a variety of long-term threats to America’s wildlife and habitats. Even though the report is meant for USA, it has inputs that have relevance the world over.

Service Director Dan Ashe said “Scenario planning helps environmental professionals prepare for the future in the midst of uncertainty, and provides conservation leaders with the tools they need to respond to these threats.”

If you are interested in having a look at the report, download it HERE

New frog species from Malaysia

The newly discovered frog from Malaysia named Hylorana centropeninsularis

                                          Pic credit:Chan et al. 

Read the details in Herpetologica

Kin Onn Chan, Rafe M. Brown, Kelvin K.P. Lim, Norhayati Ahmad and Lee Grismer. 2014. A New Species Of Frog (Amphiba: Anura: Ranidae) of the Hylarana Signata Complex from Peninsular Malaysia. Herpetologica, 70(2), 2014, 228–240 

A peep in to community managed forests of the world

To bait or not to bait

To bait or not to bait: A comparison of camera-trapping methods for estimating leopard (Panthera pardus) density

Byron D. du Preez, Andrew J. Loveridge , David W. Macdonald

Biological Conservation

Volume 176, August 2014, Pages 153–161

Leopards have lost a third of their historical range, and their current CITES status is ‘Near Threatened’ even though they have the largest natural distribution among felids. In this paper the authors describe the pros and cons of normal camera trapping versus baited camera trapping in getting accurate data on leopard populations

unbaited camera-trapping has the disadvantage of low capture rates which in turn affects the accuracy of the resultant density calculations. Another disadvantage is that dependent cubs are underrepresented in the data skewing demographic structure.

In their research the scientists found that baited camera-trapping significantly increased leopard capture rates, as well as recording dependent cubs. To boot it was also cost effective. It has the potential to accurately survey unmonitored populations; including where their density is too low to determine accurately via other means.

The importance of landscape history

Even though I was hooked on to my passion for hiking, flying and skydiving during the course of my sojourn, I found enough time at night to read. I got an opportunity to read a wonderful book by landscape historian Prof Tom Williamson. The book was borrowed from a British acquaintance.

Prof Tom Williamson has authored an important, path breaking book. According to Dr Williamson far from being 'natural', nature and the countryside have for centuries been influenced by activities of humans. Because of this fact we need a better understanding of the human history of important habitats in order manage them into the future. The book examines the impact of social and economic organization on the English landscape and biodiversity against backdrop of agricultural revolution, landed estates, the formation of large-scale industry and the growth of towns and suburbs. Even though the thrust is on England it has inputs that matters the world over. The author dug in to game books, diaries, churchwardens' accounts and even folk songs for his work. The outcome is an original perspective on the complexity and ambiguity of man/animal relationships in this post-medieval period.

Dr Williamson says “"What remains certain is that nature has never existed outside of or independent from the activities of men. The nature lies embedded in the social and the economic: its history is largely, though not entirely, that of successive forms of social, economic, and agricultural organization.

"We must accept the essentially unnatural character of our natural heritage, and we must also celebrate what some have evocatively termed the 'unofficial countryside', of gravel pits, wasteland and sewage farms. But we must also strive to preserve what remains of our 'traditional' countryside, for cultural reasons as much as for biological ones." He also argues that recreating lost habitats needs to be done with an historical perspective and warns of the danger of a one size fits all approach.

Published: 05-12-2013 Format: Paperback

Edition: 1^st

 Extent: 296

ISBN: 9781441124869

 Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic

 Illustrations: 25

Dimensions: 234 x 156 mm

Reckoning the impact of social values on spatial conservation priorities

Here is a good paper on coming to terms with impact of social values on spatial conservation priorities. Impact of social values has a very important place, in the scheme of things, while devising conservation strategies. The scientists used conservation planning software Zonation to arrive at some interesting conclusions.  Conservation planners will find the paper very useful.

Integrating Biological and Social Values When Prioritizing Places for Biodiversity Conservation

A paper by

AMY L. WHITEHEAD1, HEINI KUJALA, CHRISTOPHER D. IVES, ASCELIN GORDON, PIA E. LENTINI, BRENDAN A. WINTLE, EMILY NICHOLSON and CHRISTOPHER M. RAYMOND

Conservation Biology, Volume 28, Issue 4, pages 992–1003, August 2014

  The cascading impact of social values on spatial conservation priorities has received little attention from scientists and is poorly understood. Here the scientists present an approach that incorporates quantitative data on social values for conservation and social preferences for development into spatial conservation planning. They undertook a peoples’ participation GIS survey to spatially represent social values and development preferences and used species distribution models for 7 threatened fauna species to represent biological values. These spatially explicit data were incorporated in the conservation planning software Zonation to examine how conservation priorities changed with the inclusion of social data. Integrating spatially explicit information about social values and development preferences with biological data produced prioritizations that differed spatially from the solution based on only biological data. However, the integrated solutions protected a similar proportion of the species’ distributions, indicating the fact that Zonation effectively combined the biological and social data to produce socially feasible conservation solutions of approximately equivalent biological value. The scientists were able to identify areas of the landscape where synergies and conflicts between different value sets are likely to occur. They emphasize that Identification of these synergies and conflicts will allow decision makers to devise communication strategies to specific areas and in turn ensure effective community engagement and positive conservation outcomes.

Now, that’s what I call exemplary punishment

Poachers in Africa usually get away with light punishments.  Not anymore. The judiciary is pouncing on poachers.

In a decision hailed by conservationists across the globe, a poacher from South Africa has been sentenced to the heaviest penalty possible now, 77 years, for killing three rhino calves in the Kruger National Park (KNP).

The South African court also held the poacher, Mandla Chauke, responsible for the death of his accomplice. The accomplice was killed by park rangers in the shoot-out following the poaching.  The court convicted Chauke for murder also.

The verdict has come as a shot in the arm for the embattled park rangers who go through extreme ordeals in the course of duty.

Poverty alleviation,close links with local communities, concern for their welfare  and condign, speedy punishments for poachers, hold the keys to future conservation strategies

Arabian tahr- Exciting news

My friends in UAE, has some exciting news regarding endangered arabian tahr. Management of Nature Conservation (MNC), has done some admirable piece of work in ex-situ conservation.100 animals were born this season, in this facility. The centre is expecting five more births before the season ends. The highlight is a twin birth; a rare occurrence in Arabian tahr. The centre has 425 Arabian tahrs, believed to be the world’s largest Arabian tahr population in captivity.

A rare occurrence. Pic of twin tahrs born in Management of Nature Conservation facility

Pic credit: MNC

out, travelling

I will be travelling to areas with no internet connectivity for the next few days. Consequently there will be no update till 26th.

Cookies, citizen science and robust research methods to track the diversity of ant species

This is brilliant. Scientists from North Carolina State University and the University of Florida have combined cookies, citizen science and robust research methods to track the diversity of ant species across the United States. The method has helped the scientists to collect more data, more quickly, from more places than a research team could do otherwise. The protocol involved Pecan Sandies cookies and sealable plastic bags, with specific instructions of what should be done. More than 1,000 participants, with samples from all 50 states, have taken part in the project since its launch in 2011.

The project increased the public's ecological literacy and the criticisms that public involvement made citizen science data unreliable was turned on its head. It emphatically depicted that citizen science is very reliable if properly guided.

Details of the study appears in the open-access journal Ecosphere published online on July 7

Cause for alarm- Disturbing increase in Thai ivory trade

A survey by TRAFFIC has revealed a near trebling of the number of ivory items for sale in the past 18 months and a sharp rise in the number of outlets selling ivory in Bangkok. The quantity of ivory found far exceeds the limited supply available. Thailand permits legal trade in ivory from domesticated Asian Elephants in Thailand. This is the loophole used by unscrupulous elements.

“As TRAFFIC’s latest market research demonstrates, Thailand’s efforts to regulate local ivory markets have failed: it is time for the authorities to face the facts—their nation’s ivory markets continue to be out of control and fuel the current African Elephant poaching crisis. Without swift and decisive action to address glaring legal loopholes, this unacceptable situation will continue,” said Naomi Doak, TRAFFIC’s Co-ordinator for the Greater Mekong region.

The findings are published in TRAFFIC report:  Polishing off the ivory: Surveys of Thailand’s ivory market

If you are interested in reading the report click HERE