Breeding success for rare lizards

Cayman blue iguana (Cyclura lewisi) is one of the critically endangered species in the world. The wild population of blue iguanas is expected to be extinct within 10 years. There is however new hope on the horizon. Three eggs laid by a Grand Cayman blue iguana that had been released into a nature reserve on the Caribbean island have successfully hatched. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. UK Is heading this successful captive breeding and release programme

Rare bats discovered in gold mine

The greater horseshoe bat, a very rare bat facing extinction threat has been discovered at the National Trust’s Dolaucothi Gold Mines in Carmarthenshire, south Wales,England. The name horseshoe bat comes from the distinctive horseshoe-shaped plate of skin around the nostrils of this bat. It is in a highly endangered state in Britain and the rest of northern Europe. The discovery in a new site is encouraging according to Carmarthenshire Bat Group, which regularly monitors the birds.

Reuters-IUCN Environmental Media Awards Announce Regional Winners

Reuters Foundation and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) have announced the regional winners of the 2006 Reuters-IUCN Media Awards for Excellence in Environmental Reporting. The six regional winners will receive a trophy at the ceremony co-hosted by Reuters and IUCN on 14 November 2006 in Nairobi, Kenya.The recipients will vie for the global prize of US$ 5,000.

This year’s regional winners competing for the global prize are:

Asia: Richard Stone and Hawk Jia of Science Magazine

English-speaking Africa and the Middle East: Anjam Sundaram of Associated Press

Europe: John Bohannon of Science Magazine

Francophone Africa: Dalia Abdel-Salam of Al Ahram Hebdo

Latin America: Marina Walker of Revista GatoPardo

North America, Oceania & the Caribbean: Sara Philips of Cosmos Magazine

North Sea Cod Fish At Alarmingly Low Level

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Ices) has said in its latest report that stocks of cod remained below sustainable limits in North Sea. Stocks have been reduced to a stage where productivity has been impaired. ICES have recommended that a total ban should be in force till 2007. The minimum desired level is 70000 thousand Tons. Ideally it should be 1500000 Tons.

Extinction Threat For Congo hippos

According to researchers from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), poaching has brought the hippopotamus population in Democratic Republic of Congo to within a few months of extinction. Mai Mai militia, which has set up camp in Virunga National Park, is catching the animals for meat and ivory. The numbers now are below 400. Twenty years ago there were about 22,000 hippos in Virunga Park.

Hi guys I am back on the net

For the past couple of months I was virtually on my toes as one of the organisers of the 4th World Congress on Mountain Ungulates held at Munnar,Kerala,India. The event was well attended and was a huge success. After the event I was in to the wrap up.Now I am a free bird and expect to resume my regular postings.

Single Fish Species Controls Health Of Tropical River

Scientists have discovered that removing just one fish species from a tropical river can have deleterious effects. This contradicts the till now held belief that the greater abundance and diversity of other species would compensate for the loss. Researchers removed the flannelmouth fish (Prochilodus mariae) from a stretch of Venezuela's Orinoco River and measured how this affected the level of carbon in the ecosystem. The researchers found that the river's carbon cycle was disrupted within 48 hours of them removing the fish. The effect lasted for at least 40 days. The amount of organic carbon on the riverbed rose by 450 per cent. Full details appear in Science today (11 August).

Environmental Crisis in Lebanon

Oil pollution in Lebanese coastal waters following Israel bombing has created an environmental crisis in Lebanon. International organisations are assisting the Lebanese government as it attempts to contain thousands of tonnes of oil believed to be on a scale during the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker incident in Alaska. The spill could be well over 35,000 tonnes endangering marine wildlife and posing a threat to the livelihood of thousands of people.

Scientists Solve Flying Reptile Mystery

The crest on the head of prehistoric flying reptiles was a puzzle for the scientists. Now UK scientists say they have resolved the mystery. A rare skull specimen found in Brazil shows the crest appeared at puberty, suggesting it was used to attract attention from the opposite sex. Dr Naish and colleague Dr David Martill who led the study examined the skull and found that the crest was different in the juvenile.Dr Naish said This is a significant find as it links the growth of the crest to physical maturity and therefore presumably to sex. The findings are published in the journal Palaeontology

Tiger Habitat Down By 40%

According to a comprehensive study just concluded, Tiger habitat is down by 40% from what they were a decade ago. WWF, Wildlife Conservation Society, the Smithsonian society, National Zoological Park and Save The Tiger Fund did the study. The study has identified 76 “tiger conservation landscapes”, places that have the best chance of supporting viable tiger populations into the future. The largest tiger landscapes exist in the Russian Far East and India. The conservation groups warn that it is critical to also address poaching of tigers along with the efforts at preserving tiger habitats.

Chinese Panda Sanctuary Gets World Heritage Status

The Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries in southwestern China has been named a World Heritage site by the United Nations. Out of the 1,600 Giant Pandas that are left in the wild,30% lives here. The move brings cheer to the conservationists who have been clamouring for this for many years.

Taiwanese authorities seize Illegal ivory

Taiwanese authorities have confiscated more than five tonnes of ivory in the southern port city of Kaohsiung Harbour. The seizure weighed a total of 3,026kg. The illegal consignment originated from Tanzania and was destined for Manila, the Philippines. Asian and African elephants are listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), which prohibits all commercial trade in these species. Environmentalists have urged Taiwanese authorities to link up with the ASEAN-WEN( Association of South-east Asian nations Wildlife Enforcement Network), as well as at the source in Tanzania, to ensure follow-up investigations.

West African black rhino feared extinct

The West African black (Diceros bicornis longipes) is now feared extinct. This is according to new estimates announced by the African Rhino Specialist Group (AfRSG) of the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission. An intensive survey earlier this year of the West African black rhino has failed to locate any sign of their continued presence in their last refuges in northern Cameroon. AfRSG chairman Dr Martin Brooks said “this subspecies has been tentatively declared as extinct”

Scientists Unravel Mammoth Coat Colour

Scientists have determined the coat colour of mammoths that roamed the Earth thousands of years ago. The information came from a 43,000-year-old woolly mammoth bone from Siberia using the latest genetic techniques. The animals would have sported dark brown coats. Dr Michael Hofreiter from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany, led the study. Details of the study appear in the latest issue of journal Science.

World Conservation Union Recommends Three New World Heritage Sites

Based on a rigorous yearlong evaluation process, World Conservation Union has recommended for inscription on the World Heritage List 3 new sites. The sites are China ’s Giant Panda Sanctuaries, the species rich Pacific waters surrounding Colombia ’s Malpelo Island, and the uplifting Kvarken Archipelago of Finland. World Heritage Committee will take decisions next week at its 30th session in Vilnius, Lithuania.

New Discoveries In Juruena National Park, Brazil

Scientists from Brazil's National Institute for Amazon Research and the Amazonas Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainable Development have discovered two new frogs, fish and bird species, one tree species and one primate. Covering 1.9 million hectares, the establishment of the Juruena National Park is part of ongoing efforts by the Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) Programme, a large-scale conservation programme aimed at creating and supporting a system of well-managed protected areas and sustainable natural resource management reserves in the Amazon.

Efforts on To Rescue Yangtze River dolphin From The Brink

Yangtze River dolphin ( Lipotes vexillifer) in China is probably the world's most endangered mammal. Recent surveys found only 17 living individuals.Efforts are on to rescue this dolphin from the brink. It's been suggested that the only way to save them from dying out is to set up a closely monitored breeding population under semi-natural breeding conditions. A reserve will be set up in oxbow lake. Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has mooted the plan. It is going to be a very expensive proposition. ZSL and its collaborating organisations anticipate the endorsement of their plan, and have started to look for funds. The rescue plan speaks of conducting five dolphin capture operations in the Yangtze within the next three years. Once enough stock has been established the Yangtze River will be restocked.

New National Park Established In Georgia

A new National Park named Mtirala National Park, covering 15,806 ha, has been established in the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia.The area harbours important species like lynx brown bear, Caucasian salamander, golden eagle, black vulture and falcon.

Exciting Bird Rediscovery In Manas National Park

The Manipur Bush- Quail last sighted 99 years ago has been rediscovered in Manas National Park,Assam,India.The rediscovery was made ornithologist Anwaruddin Chaudhary and the Park Dy Director Ritesh Bhattacharjee. The authentic reords of the last sighting was from Morni, Assam in 1905.An intensive survey has ben planned to obtain more details

Three New Lemurs Discovered In Madagascar

Madagascar is famous for its well over 70 species of lemurs, primitive primates which are distant relations to humanity. The formal announcement regarding the discovery of the three new species was made at a conservation conference on Wednesday in the Malagasy capital. The species have been named Microcebus mittermeieri, after Russell A. Mittermeier, the president of green group Conservation International and a renowned field primatologist, Microcebus jollyae, after Alison Jolly, a pioneering lemur researcher from Princeton University, and Microcebus simmonsi, after Dr. Lee Simmons, director of the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska.