Environmentally Responsible Traps for Pest Hornets are Round the Corner

Hornets are a nuisance. They raid beehives and ravages fruit crops. This makes them a serious pest to man. Thanks to new research, a way out is round the corner. The cue comes from nature itself. Read on.

Orchids usually have nothing of value to offer their pollinators. To overcome this drawback nature has devised ingenious ways. Orchids lure the pollinators with the scents of more rewarding flowers or potential mates.

Scientists have now discovered that a species of orchid, which lives on the Chinese island of Hainan, Dendrobium sinense, fools its hornet pollinator (Vespa bicolor) by issuing a chemical that honeybees use to send an alarm. Hornets capture honeybees to serve as food for their larvae. The deception by the dendrobium by secreting this particular chemical makes the hornets pounce on orchid flowers as though they were attacking prey. Result is pollination by proxy.

Scientists have identified the chemical responsible for this aggressive behavior by the hornets. It is Z-11-eicosen-1-ol. The chemical is a major compound of honeybees' alarm pheromone. Here comes the clue for making an environmentally responsible trap for Pest Hornets. Details of the study have been published online on August 6th in Current Biology.

Here is yet another reason for conserving our biodiversity. For many of our headaches there are remedies in nature. We do not have to run after toxic chemicals. Humans are concerned about short term gains only and plunder the nature without blinking an eyelid. We tend to forget the big picture in nature. It is high time we realized our follies and start paying more attention to holistic conservation.

Rhinos- WWF Rings Alarm Bells

According to WWF sources Rhinos are in a desperate situation. Poaching driven by demands from some Asian countries is casting a shadow on the very existence of rhinos. Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai nationals are mainly behind this racket of poaching.

Between 2000 and 2005 an estimated two to three Rhinos were killed a week. The total population worldwide is around 18,000 only. At least 12 rhinoceroses are being poached each month in South Africa and Zimbabwe alone. About 10 rhinos have been poached in India and at least seven in Nepal since January 2009. The combined population of India and Nepal is only 2,400.

According to WWF lack of adequate law enforcement and a low level of prosecutions for poachers are the main reasons for the plight of rhinos. Many Governments are lackadaisical in their ways of administering wildlife reserves.

WWF has exhorted the Governments concerned to crack the whip and come down on organized criminal elements responsible for this trade. Only tough actions can ensure future survival of rhinos

Back on the Net

Hi Guys,
I am back on the net. Sorry about this inordinate delay in posting. I was hamstrung by a lack of access to the internet during my sojourn

No Upadates for 2 Weeks

For the coming two weeks I will be travelling to places where I have no access to the internet. So there won't be any updates to the blog during this period

Danger List of World Heritage Sites Needs Radical Change – IUCN

IUCN considers that the Danger List of World Heritage Sites needs radical change if it is to remain an effective conservation tool. Many nations do not realize the fact that it is intended to be a constructive conservation tool, which mobilizes the international community to support national efforts.

Putting a site on the danger list is often seen by Governments as criticism and opposition follows from the unenlightened quarters.Taking umbrage shows a poor understanding of the whole concept. IUCN strongly opines that the list of World Heritage in Danger needs to be re-established as a way to ensure and maintain credible standards for protecting the world’s natural and cultural treasures.

According to Tim Badman,IUCN's Special Advisor on World Heritage,the World Heritage List in Danger is not working as it was intended and it needs an overhaul. The danger list is intended to turn international concern in to real conservation results. The World Heritage Committee which met in Seville last week added two natural sites to the danger list; Los Katios National Park and the Belize Barrier Reef. A third threatened site was not included.

The Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra was not added to the List of World Heritage in Danger, despite IUCN’s recommendation.Road construction, illegal logging, poaching, uncontrolled tourism, as well as insufficient support from the government, are among the threats facing the site. Survival of key species, such as the Sumatran tiger, rhino, orangutan and elephant is hanging in balance.

Posted with inputs from IUCN

To read the full report, please click here

For more information please contact:

* Borjana Pervan, IUCN Media Relations Officer, m +41 79 857 4072, e
borjana.pervan@iucn.org
* Sarah Horsley, IUCN Media Relations Officer, m +41 79 528 3486, e
sarah.horsley@iucn.org

Photos and audio material available here

Extinction crisis Looms Large Over Open Ocean (pelagic) Sharks and Rays

Overfishing and bycatch of Open Ocean (pelagic) Sharks and Rays is driving them to the brink of extinction. A recent study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group, has set the alarm bells ringing. The study found that 32 percent of the species are threatened with extinction. They are now more threatened than birds (12 percent), mammals (20 percent), and even amphibians (31 percent).

The demand for shark meat and fins are on the rise. Shark fin soup is considered a delicacy in many areas. In finning the crudely is abhorrent. The fins are sliced off the shark and the body tossed overboard. Sharks take many years to mature and have relatively few young. So the effect of overfishing is profound.

IUCN has requested all countries to strictly enforce laws and protect the species considered Critically Endangered and Endangered. 24 percent of the species are Near Threatened and 25 percent Data Deficient.

Here is a list of the shark species.

Endangered, 4 species

Ornate eagle ray Aetomylaeus vespertilio; Giant devilray Mobula mobular ; Scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini ; Great hammerhead Sphyrna mokarran.

Vulnerable, 16 species

Whale shark Rhincodon typus; Smalltooth sand tiger Odontaspis ferox; Pelagic thresher Alopias pelagicus; Bigeye thresher Alopias superciliosus; Thresher shark Alopias vulpinus; Basking shark Cetorhinus maximus; Great white Carcharodon carcharias; Shortfin mako Isurus oxyrinchus; Longfin mako Isurus paucus; Porbeagle shark Lamna nasus; Tope shark Galeorhinus galeus; Oceanic whitetip shark Carcharhinus longimanus; Dusky shark Carcharhinus obscurus; Sandbar shark Carcharhinus plumbeus; Night shark Carcharhinus signatus; Smooth hammerhead Sphyrna zygaena.

Near threatened, 15 species

Frilled shark Chlamydoselachus anguineus; Bluntnose sixgill shark Hexanchus griseus; Spotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari; Manta Oceanic Manta birostris; Spinetail devilray Mobula japanica; Crocodile shark Pseudocarcharias kamoharai; Silvertip shark Carcharhinus albimarginatus; Bronze whaler Carcharhinus brachyurus; Spinner shark Carcharhinus brevipinna; Silky shark Oceanic Carcharhinus falciformis; Galapagos shark Carcharhinus galapagensis; Bull shark Carcharhinus leucas; Blacktip shark Carcharhinus limbatus; Tiger shark Semipelagic Galeocerdo cuvier; Blue shark Prionace glauca.

For more information please contact:
• Sarah Horsley, IUCN Media Relations Officer, t +41 22 999 0127, m +41 79 528 3486, e sarah.horsley@iucn.org
• Rob McNeil, International Media Director, Conservation International, t +1 703 341 2561, e rmcneil@conservation.org
• Mona Samari, Shark Alliance, t +44 (0) 7515 828 939, e mona@communicationsinc.co.uk

Sweden Plumbs for Climate-friendly Food Choices

Swedish authorities have devised guidelines entitled 'Environmentally-smart Food Choices', for climate-friendly food choices. The authorities have recommended to the citizens to reduce their meat and rice consumption to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to the report meat is the food group that has the greatest impact on the environment.

Meat consumption in Sweden has grown by an average ten kilos per person over the past ten years and now totals 65 kilos

One kilo of beef contributes up to 15-25 kilos of greenhouse gases. This is ten times more than the carbon footprint of the equivalent amount of chicken.

The authorities recommend that eating less meat, and making careful choices about what is eaten, is the smartest environmental choice the citizens can make.

Further recommendations include eating seasonal, locally-produced fruits, vegetables and berries, avoiding bottled water, soda and palm oil and limiting rice consumption as its cultivation produces methane.

The Swedish authorities are the first in Europe to develop such recommendations. They will be sent out to other EU countries for a broader discussion before it is implemented in Sweden.

Tracking Animals-Combining Indigenous Skills and Modern DNA Analysis

Inuits of Canada have the uncanny ability to identify a Polar Bear's sex, age and size from its foot prints in the snow. Hunters have been utilizing these skills for a long time. Now scientists are utilizing the skills along with modern technology to survey Polar Bears that are becoming scarce.

Polar bears across the Arctic are imperiled due to overharvesting and climate change. Reproductive and survival rates have declined due to changes in the sea ice. There are currently 19 populations of polar bears in the Arctic, in Canada, Alaska, Russia, Norway and Greenland. Thirteen of these populations live wholly or partially in Canada.

The new project is headed by Biologists Peter V.C. de Groot and Peter Boag. In the new method a number of "hair traps," (fenced enclosures baited with meat) will be set up about 15 kilometers apart across a 600 kilometer stretch of wilderness. Bits of hair left behind by the bears as they attempt to grab the meat are sent to Dr. Boag's lab, where the number and sex of the animals are determined using DNA markers. As adjunct to the experiment samples of bear feces are collected and genetically screened at the Laboratory of Wildlife Diseases at the San Diego Zoo for the presence of pathogens that may infect polar bears. Analysis of Polar bear footprints is part of Dr. de Groot's tracking method where Inuits’ skills come in handy. The new method is cheaper and much easier than the current tracking practice, in which the bears are spotted from helicopters, tranquilized and marked.

The efforts of Canadian scientists are laudable. The skills of indigenous communities are utilized in the research and management of wildlife. The communities stand to benefit economically also. It is worthy of emulation by other nations.

Humans are Much Closer to Orangutans than Chimpanzees – New Evidences

Path breaking research by scientists from the University of Pittsburgh and the Buffalo Museum of Science, headed by Dr Jeffrey H. Schwartz and Dr John R. Grehan, based on DNA analysis, indicates that humans are much closer to orangutans than chimpanzees. Till now the belief was that humans are closely related to chimpanzees. But this has never been supported by fossil evidence.

The new report says humans, orangutans, and early apes belong to a group separate from chimpanzees and gorillas. Schwartz and Grehan analysed hundreds of physical characteristics cited as evidence of evolutionary relationships among humans and other great apes, the chimps, gorillas, and orangutan. They selected 63 that could be verified as unique within this group. The rider was that they should not appear in other primates. Analysis of these features found that humans shared 28 unique physical characteristics with orangutans, compared to only two features with chimpanzees.

Schwartz and Grehan then examined 56 features uniquely shared among modern humans, fossil hominid and fossil apes. They found that orangutans shared eight features with early humans. Chimpanzees and gorillas were found to share only those features found in all great apes. Schwartz and Grehan have classified humans, orangutans, and the fossil apes into a new group called "dental hominoids," named after their similarly thick-enameled teeth.

One conundrum in the midst of all these evidences was that early human and ape fossils are largely found in Africa, whereas modern orangutans are found only in Southeast Asia. As an explanation they propose that the last common human-orangutan ancestor migrated between Africa, Europe, and Asia at some point that ended 12 million to 13 million years ago. Plant fossils indicate that forests once extended from southern Europe, through Central Asia, and into China prior to the formation of the Himalayas. Schwartz and Grehan say the ancestral dental hominoid lived and roamed throughout this vast area. As the Earth's surface and local ecosystems changed, descendants of dental hominoids became geographically isolated from one another.

The fascinating details of the study appears in the latest issue of Journal of Biogeography

Whisky and wildlife Conservation

Whisky and wildlife conservation sounds a wee bit awry. But Scotland’s Famous Grouse Whisky and RSPB (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) have a fantastic ongoing programme worthy of emulation by others.

Money donated by Famous Grouse Whisky is utilized for conservation of endangered iconic bird of Scotland the Grouse. This partnership was recently given the ‘Best Partnership’ award at the Scottish Charity Awards (hosted by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations - SCVO). Famous Grouse is launching a new whisky which will benefit the threatened black grouse. 50p per bottle will be donated from sales to the RSPB.

RSPB's uses the money for habitat restoration work for the threatened species. The deal has raised £30 000 so far. Gregg Wilkie, Senior Marketing Officer with RSPB Scotland, who initiated the Partnership, says “What better excuse is there to enjoy a dram of Scotland's national drink?"

Tahrcountry exhorts other business houses to follow this wonderful example.

Nature’s Delicate Tightrope Walk

We still have not fully understood the intricacies of working of nature. We fiddle with it sometimes with good intentions but end up getting counterproductive results. Here is an example of how overzealous conservation efforts drove a species of butterfly, Large Blue Butterflies’ (Maculinea arion), to extinction in UK but was brought back from the brink after careful study and understanding of the ecosystem processes. The whole scenario was the culmination of 40-year research effort by Dr Jeremy Thomas of the University of Oxford in Oxford, UK.

The butterflies disappeared from Britain in 1979. Butterfly collectors were generally blamed for the decline of this butterfly. This was far from the truth. The study throws light on how the large blue butterflies’ dependence on a single species of ant led to the butterflies' disappearance.

Adult females of Large Blue butterflies lay their eggs on Thyme flowers in the summer. The caterpillars secrete chemicals that attract red ants and fool them into thinking the caterpillars are ant grubs. The ants carry the caterpillars into their underground nests. Caterpillars that have been taken to the nest of one particular ant species, Myrmica sabuleti, will survive to adulthood. The caterpillars' secretions are a close match to those of M. sabuleti grubs. Ants never discover that they have been fooled, and continue to protect the caterpillars for 10 months even though they feed on the ants' own brood. In early June, the caterpillars form a chrysalis and crawl above ground. Two weeks later they become full-fledged butterflies.

In their overzealous attitude to conservation the authorities initially fenced off the habitat of the butterflies to prevent entry and give total protection to the butterflies. The scientists soon realized that the grass in the butterflies' habitat had grown too long, as grazing had been completely stopped with the formation of fences. The soil characteristics also changed. It was now too cool to support adequate numbers of M. sabuleti ants. Without enough ants to raise their young, the large blue butterflies dwindled.

In the late 1970s, after 40 years of trying to save the large blue by preventing entry of butterfly collectors, conservationists followed Dr Thomas' recommendations, They restored the butterfly' habitat by clearing scrub and reintroducing grazing animals. Grazing was intimately associated with the ecological processes.

Starting in 1983, Thomas and his colleagues began introducing large blue butterflies imported from Sweden, into the restored habitat. The butterflies started establishing. The butterflies now occupy 30 percent more colonies than they had in the 1950s. The large blue is now one of three butterflies on course to meet the Convention of Biological Diversity's target to reverse species' declines by 2010. In the 1970s, the International Union for Conservation of Nature selected three butterflies, the Large Blue, Queen Alexandra's Birdwing of Papua New Guinea and the monarch butterfly of North America as global flagships for the cause of lepidopteran conservation.

The research paper is entitled, "Successful Conservation of a Threatened Maculinea Butterfly." It is slated to appear in Science, at the Science Express website, on 18 June 2009.

A Bird that is faster than Jets

A bird that outpaces a Jet sounds unbelievable and has the feel of a leaf out of science fiction. But it is true. During courtship flights, male Anna's hummingbirds sustain accelerations that would put to shame a fighter pilot.

Chris Clark, a biologist at the University of California used high-speed video footage to study the bird’s flight. His cameras were able to capture 500 frames per second. He has shown that, relative to their body size, Anna's hummingbirds are the fastest moving vertebrates.

And why does the bird push itself to such acrobatic displays? It is to impress the females during courtship. To impress the females, the males drop out of the sky in U-shaped flights and as they dive they travel nearly 400 times their body length each second. It is greater than the top speed of a fighter jet with its afterburners on, 885 metres per second, or the space shuttle during atmospheric re-entry, 7,700metres per second. . Centripetal accelerations reach 10 g, a force equivalent to 10 times the gravitational pull of Earth. Fighter jet pilots can pass out at accelerations above 7 g.

Clark used decoy stuffed models of female birds for his experiment. The males readily responded to the decoys.

Personally I am humbled by these mysteries of nature that is surfacing. We know so little about nature and still we are going all out to damage our environment. We have only scratched the surface.

The details of the amazing findings are reported in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

The Science behind the Taming of Animals

All of us have at some time or other wondered why some animals are easy to tame while others are difficult if not impossible to tame. Here come answers to the riddle from the scientists.

In a path breaking research a team of scientists from Germany, Russia and Sweden have discovered a set of genetic regions responsible for animal tameness. Most delighted would be animal breeders, farmers, zoologists, and anyone else who handles and raises animals. For them this will be a blessing indeed. This can also be used as a way to produce tame animals.

Frank Albert, a scientist from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany and the first author of the research is all excited about the prospects the new research offers. He says "Maybe we would be able to domesticate a few of those species where humans have historically not been successful like the wild African Buffalo." The study will lead to a detailed understanding of the genetics and biology of tameness.

The roots of this study date back to 1972 when researchers in Novosibirsk, USSR (now Russia) caught a group of rats in the wilderness around the city. Some of the rats were aggressive while others were tame. The scientists mated the tame with the aggressive rats and identified regions in the rat genome that cause a rat to be tamer or more aggressive.

End result of this research is that it offers clues about how genomes can be manipulated to breed tame animals of species once believed to be untamable.

The details are published in the June 2009 issue of the journal Genetics

Reference


1. Albert et al. Genetic Architecture of Tameness in a Rat Model of Animal Domestication. Genetics, 2009; 182 (2): 541 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.109.102186

WILD9 - The 9th World Wilderness Congress

Registration is now open for the 9th World Wilderness Congress

For the first time ever, the WWC will convene in Latin America from 6-13 November, in the city of Merida, Yucatan, in the heart of the Mayan world. Many of the world’s leading conservation experts, politicians, academics, corporations, artists, native peoples, students and many others will gather in Merida, Mexico to debate and act upon the most urgent environmental issues of our time.

With Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón as the Honorary Host of WILD9, the schedule is already filled with leading names in conservation today. Wilderness and Climate Change is a central theme - driving the message that protecting wild nature eliminates at least 1/4 of the carbon threat.

Other topics such as Freshwater and Underground Wilderness, Climate Change and Biodiversity, Fire in Nature, Transboundary Conservation and Connectivity, Marine and Oceanic Wilderness, and the Role of Human Communities in Nature will guide the trainings, plenary sessions, local excursions, working and poster sessions, cultural events and celebrations. In one of many associated sessions, the world’s best conservation photographers will participate in the first RAVE (Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition) of Mexico’s unique Yucatan Peninsula.

WILD9 is a project of The WILD Foundation, Unidos para la Conservacion, and many collaborating organizations, institutions and government agencies from Latin America and around the world.

For the most up-to-date information, Subscribe to the WILD9 newsletter and visit the WILD 9 website regularly!

Wildlife and Environment in Afghanistan- More Encouraging News

The war has taken a heavy toll of Afghanistan’s wildlife. Ecosystem in many areas has been devastated by more than 30 years of conflict. By 2002, 52 percent of the forest cover had been lost. The new threats that follow the war are contractors and the development agenda. Habitat degradation has affected both the wildlife and the people. In spite of all these problems Afghanistan still has lot of wildlife. It still has 9 felid species compared to 11 for the African continent. Afghanistan has sizable populations of snow leopards, Persian leopards and the charismatic Marco Polo Sheep, the world's largest sheep

The prophets of doom have been proved wrong. Amidst all the cacophony in Afghanistan, things are looking up for the wildlife. Recently Afghanistan had designated its first National Park in Band-e-Amir. Close on the heels of this comes another exciting news.

Afghanistan’s first-ever listing of protected wildlife list has been released by the Afghanistan Wildlife Exectivbe Committee (AWEC) coming under Afghanistan’s National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA). Thirty-three species twenty mammals, seven birds, four plants, one amphibian, and one insect finds place in the list. Protected species include Snow Leopard, Wolves, Brown Bears, Goitered gazelle and paghman salamander. The list also includes the Himalayan elm tree.

Afghanistan is also looking at the possibility of creating a network of parks. Conservation is very critical in a country where so many people directly depend on local natural resources for their survival. One man who has championed the cause of wildlife relentlessly is the legendary wildlife biologist Dr. George B Schaller. Schaller's dream is to bring the governments of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and China together in an effort to develop a four-country transboundary park in the Pamirs to give a boost to the protection of this unique mountain ecosystem.

World Oceans Day

Today the world is celebrating the World Oceans Day. This annual event serves to remind all of us our responsibility to protect the world's living ocean and conserve its resources for present and future generations.

The world's ocean covers 70% of our planet, yet less than 1% of our ocean habitat is protected. Beneath the surface of the ocean there is a mind boggling diversity of life. It is estimated that more than one million species live on coral reefs alone. Scientists estimate that at least ten million species live in the deep seas.

Ocean acidification and the warming of seawater temperature as a sequel to global warming is a looming threat that needs to be addressed immediately. The impacts of ocean warming and acidification associated with greenhouse gas emissions threaten the livelihoods and food security of millions of people round the world and in many cases it affects severely the most vulnerable people. The reduction of human induced stresses like overfishing, pollution and unsustainable coastal development needs to be tackled on a war footing.

June 8th is now officially designated as World Oceans Day by the United Nations.

Bats Can Recognize the Voices of Others of their Genre

According to a new study by researchers from the University of Tuebingen, Germany and the University of Applied Sciences in Konstanz, Germany, bats have the ability to recognize each other using voice cues.

The experiments were done on greater mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis). The researchers first tested the ability of bats to distinguish between the echolocation calls of other bats. Next in line was development of a computer model that reproduces the recognition behaviour of the bats. The researchers after extensive trials and observations concluded that signals contains individual-specific information that allows one bat to recognize another. The analysis showed that each bat has a typical distribution in the frequencies it emits, probably a result of the differences in each animal's vocal chords.

According to the researchers the ability to use these continuously emitted calls for recognition might facilitate many of the social behaviours observed in bats. The comparison of the bats with the model strongly implies that the bats are using a prototype classification approach: they learn the average call characteristics of individuals and use them as a reference for classification.

The bats required 15–24 days before they were able to correctly recognize the individuals in more than 75% of the trials.

Details of the research appear in the journal PLoS Computational Biology.

Reference

The Voice of Bats: How Greater Mouse-eared Bats Recognize Individuals Based on Their Echolocation Calls Yossi Yovel1, Mariana Laura Melcon1, Matthias O. Franz2, Annette Denzinger1, Hans-Ulrich Schnitzler1
1 Animal Physiology, Institute for Neurobiology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany, 2 University of Applied Sciences, Konstanz, Germany

England - The Return of the Great Bustard

When there is heartwarming events regarding wildlife in any country it is celebration time for conservationists across the globe. Here is some excellent news from England.

My British contacts tell me that the globally-threatened Great Bustard (Otis tarda) has bred successfully in Britain for the first time since 1832. The last female with a chick was observed in Suffolk 177 years ago.The reintroduction programme was started 5 years back. Young birds from southern Russia were brought in for the programme. A female produced two chicks last week. The authorities are very secretive about the site on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire for obvious reasons.

The bird is very charismatic. It finds a place on the coats of arms of Wiltshire and Cambridgeshire county councils and is on the badge of the Royal School of Artillery on Salisbury Plain.

Great Bustard Fact Sheet

The Great Bustard is the only member of the genus Otis and is in the bustard family. Even though the species is extinct in England Sizeable populations exist in Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Russia and Spain. It may look like a rosy picture but the species is declining due to habitat loss throughout its range. It is the national bird of Hungary. So Hungary is taking special interest for its conservation.
An adult male bird is 90-110 cm in length and weighs around10 to 15 kg. The heaviest recorded was 21 kg. The female is 30% smaller, 80 cm in length and weighs around 3.5-5 kg. Despite their large size the birds can fly at a high velocity (around 60 kilometer/hour)

The bird prefers open grassy lands and feeds on seeds, insects and other small creatures, including frogs.

Great Bustards usually live for around 10 years, but some have been known to live up to 15 years.

Galapagos Islands – Alien Mosquito Threat to Wildlife

Mosquitoes brought to Galapagos by tourists by way of ships and aircrafts is posing a serious threat to the wildlife there.

The endemic black salt marsh mosquito of Galapagos has lived on the Islands for thousands of years. It is part of the ecosystem there and does not create any problem. Scientists fear the endemic insect could pick up diseases from other mainland mosquitoes brought to the Galapagos by tourists and then transmit the infections to the rare wildlife on the islands which includes the giant tortoise, the marine iguana and the flightless cormorant. Diseases such as West Nile fever are the conservationists’ bugbear.

Unlike other species of mosquitoes the black salt marsh mosquito distributed throughout the island can feed on the blood of reptiles as well as mammals and birds.
The scientists believe that rather than controlling the islands' own mosquito, there should be a concerted effort to stop mainland mosquitoes from hitching a ride on ships and planes.

The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Migration Pattern of Wild Animals Altered Worldwide.

Migration of millions of Wildebeest across Serengeti Plains is familiar to anyone who watches Discovery or National Geographic channel. It is an amazing phenomenon that keeps us glued to the screen. People who have seen it first have been spell bound by the spectacle. This magnificent natural phenomenon is in danger of disappearing from the face of earth due to man’s avarice.

According to a new study by Dr Grant Harris from Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History and associates published in the journal Endangered Species Research, all of the world's large-scale terrestrial migrations have been severely reduced and a quarter of the migrating species are believed to no longer migrate.

D r Grant Harris says “Conservation science has done a poor job in understanding how migrations work, and as a result many migrations have gone extinct”

Migration occurs when animals search for higher quality habitat or more abundant food. Ecologically, there are two reasons attributed to food availability and subsequent migration. In temperate regions of the world, higher-quality food shifts as the seasons change, and animals respond by moving along well-established routes. In the case of savannah ecosystems, rain and fire allow higher-quality food to grow. To track this animals sometimes have to move across expansive landscapes.

Human activity has severely affected the landscape and this prevents large groups of ungulates from tracking their food. Fencing, farming, and water restrictions have contributed to the change. Over-harvesting of the animals themselves has played a role in reducing the number of migrants.

Harris and his co-authors gathered information on all 24 species of large (over 20 kilograms) ungulates known for their mass migrations. The study covered Arctic tundra (Caribou), Eurasian steppes and plateaus (Chiru and Saiga), North American plains (bison and elk), and African savannahs (zebra and wildebeests).

All the 24 species in the current study lost migration routes and were reduced in number of individuals. In North America, bison are still considered migratory, but their range is now restricted to two small sites in Yellowstone and Alberta. Similar changes are found on other continents where human activity has affected the ability of species to move to new patches of food.

For six species in particular the situation is alarming. The springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou), the blesbok (Damaliscus dorcas), and quagga (Equus quagga) of southern Africa; the kulan (Equus hemionus) of central Asia; and scimitar horned oryx (Oryx dammah) of northern Africa either no longer migrate or are impossible to be considered as migratory animals.

We are paying a heavy price for “development’ without any forethought about impact on environment

Posted with inputs from American Museum of Natural History

Here is a Surprise – Plants Can Recognize Self from Non-Self

Here is an amazing piece of information from a recent research on plants done by Dr Richard Karban from Department of Entomology, University of California and Dr Kaori Shiojiri from Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University.

The scientists have gathered enough proof to come to the conclusion that Plants can recognize self from non-Self. The Experiments were done on sagebrush plant (Artemisia tridentate) and they have proved that the plants can recognize a genetically identical cutting growing nearby. The two clones communicate and cooperate with one another, to avoid damage by herbivores.
Identical experiments have shown that if a plant's roots grow near an unrelated plant, the two will try to compete for nutrients and water. On the contrary if the roots grow close to another plant from the same parent plant, the two do not compete.

Dr Karban says the plants are capable of more sophisticated behaviour than we have imagined.

The scientists placed the cuttings near its genetic parent, or near unrelated sagebrush, and let the plants grow wild in the University of California Sagehen Creek Natural Reserve. The researchers clipped each clone they planted, inducing the same kind of damage that might be caused by natural herbivores such as grasshoppers. After one year, they found that plants growing alongside their damaged clones suffered 42% less herbivore damage than those growing alongside damaged plants that were unrelated. The clipped plants appeared to be warning their genetically identical neighbours that an attack was round the corner. But clipped plants didn't appear to warn unrelated neighbours.

The findings are sure to alter the way we look at plants and have much wider ramifications when we think about it.

The details of the research are published in the journal Ecology Letters. (Volume 12 Issue 6, Pages 502 – 506)

Environment – Individuals Can Make Big Difference

Magnificent Example from Canada

In the pursuit of protecting the environment individuals can make a big difference. We need not depend on Government initiatives or doles. Here is a magnificent example of what one man can do for the welfare of the environment, from Mount Douglas Park, Saanich, Canada.

Dick Battles has been awarded Saanich Environmental Award for his selfless work in protecting the environment of Mount Douglas Park. Since 2001, Dick Battles has spent well over 2000 hours in Mt. Douglas Park removing English ivy and other invasive species. The effort was purely voluntary. He has singlehandedly removed ivy from large areas. He has been striving relentlessly to increase public understanding and appreciation for the value of native plants and natural areas. According to Saanich's Environmental Advisory Committee he is an exemplary ambassador for the park and richly deserves recognition for his many years of environmental stewardship in Saanich.

Tahrcountry salutes this magnificent ambassador for Mount Douglas Park. His actions speak louder than words and should be an inspiration for citizens round the world.

Whales - Good News from USA

Ships entering Boston harbor has been a constant threat to North Atlantic Right Whales. Risk of collisions between large ships and whales was always a looming threat. More than half of the world's North Atlantic right whales are known to be in Boston area during the spring Environmentalists have been clamouring for action for some time now. Slow moving North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered whales in the world.

From June 1, ships of more than 300 gross tons will be asked to avoid an area in the Great South Channel from April to July. Ships from southern side and entering Boston Harbour will follow a different path. This is the time whales face the highest chance of being struck by ships. The channel is a key feeding area for the North Atlantic right whale. The International Maritime Organization has adopted both of these changes. The new move is expected to bring down expected reduction in ship strikes by74%. On an average 3,500 ships move through the Boston shipping lanes every year.

The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is one of three right whale species belonging to the genus Eubalaena. They migrate between feeding grounds in the Gulf of Maine and wintering and calving areas in Georgia and Florida. Adult right whales measure 11–17 m in length and weigh up to 63,500 kg. The body of the whale is very dark grey or black, occasionally with some white patches on the belly. Females are larger than males. Forty percent of a right whale's body weight is blubber. Females give birth to their first calf at an average age of 9-10 The total population of North Atlantic right whales is thought to be around 400 only.Gestation lasts approximately 1 year. It is believed that right whales live at least 50 years.

There are two other species of right whale, Eubalaena australis, which lives in the southern hemisphere and Eubalaena japonica, the North Pacific right whale.

Reproduction cycle of the Spanish Lynx Defined from Faeces

Researcher Teresa Abáigar Ancín, of the Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA - CSIC) arid areas experiment station has succeeded in defining reproduction cycle of the Spanish Lynx (Lynx pardinus) from its faeces. She used an analysis of the sexual hormones concentration- estrogen, progesterone and testosterone- in the feces of the animal to arrive at her conclusions.

The present assumption that reproduction season is between January and February is not based on any scientific report. It depends on scanty field data. The new research unraveled the fact that the estrogen concentration levels in the feces of female lynxes are very low when they are sexually inactive. At the beginning of the female reproduction season there is a definite increase in the concentration of estrogen. It increases up to five times. This allows scientists to accurately determine the exact moment of ovulation.

The ovaries are the organs that produce the hormones progesterone and estrogen. Testosterone is produced by the testicles. These hormones go from the reproductive organs to the bloodstream and then to the digestive system, from where they are expelled outside the body. Once the pregnancy ends, or if there is no pregnancy, the production of estrogen hormones goes back to low levels until the next reproduction cycle. Thus an accurate picture of reproduction cycle is easily generated.

The research also helped the scientists to determine the end of the puberty in Iberian Lynx. The concentration levels were very low until they reached 22 months. From that age onwards, the presence of this hormone increases enormously until it touches the hormonal cycle of an adult lynx.

The results of the research will come in handy for the field management as well as captive breeding of Lynx. The spinoff is expected to benefit other carnivores also.

Reference

Andalucía Innova (2009, May 26). Spanish Lynx Reproduction Cycle Determined By Analysis Of Their Feces. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 27,

Birds that Use Tools

Birds fashioning tools and using them to meet specific needs may sound something straight out of fiction for children .But it is true. Researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Queen Mary University of London have found that Rooks, a member of the crow family, are capable of using and making tools. The research was carried out at the University of Cambridge by Christopher Bird, a PhD student, and his supervisor, Dr. Nathan Emery from Queen Mary University of London.

Rooks do not use tools in the wild state. But amazingly in captivity they quickly learn this trick and were a step ahead of habitual tools users such as chimpanzees. When the correct tool was placed out of reach, they went for another tool to get it.

In a fascinating experiment the rooks quickly learnd to drop a stone to smash a platform and get a piece of food. They very easily mastered the right size and shape of stone needed for the purpose without any training or prodding.
In another test, the rooks were able to use a hook tool to get food out of a tube. The birds even managed to bend a straight piece of wire to make it reach the food.

The scientists presume that that rooks' ability to use tools and fashion them for specific purposes may be a by-product of a sophisticated form of physical intelligence rather than tool use having evolved as an adaptive specialization.
The results are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Online May 25, 2009)

Plants as Building Blocks for Plastics and Fuels

In a path breaking research, chemists have successfully converted cellulose directly into a building block for plastics and fuels, called HMF (5-hydroxymethylfurfural). The new research breakthrough bypasses the sugar-forming step and goes straight from cellulose to HMF.

The research was led by chemist Z. Conrad Zhang from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. A combination of copper chloride and chromium chloride under 120 degrees Celsius broke down the cellulose without creating the usual unwanted byproducts. This is ten times faster than the use of acid for breaking down cellulose and works at much lower temperatures.

The new technology converted about 57 percent of the sugar content in the cellulose feedstock to HMF through a single process. The team recovered more than 90% of the HMF formed. The final product from the process was an amazingly 96% pure.

Metal chlorides and ionic liquid could be reused a number of times without losing their effectiveness. This mean the cost of production of HMF will come down. Fuel and plastic from plants is not science fiction any more. It is right here at our doorstep. A few tweaks are of course needed before the process goes commercial.

Need oriented research like this can help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

Journal Reference:
Y. Su, H.M. Brown, X. Huang, X.-d. Zhou, J.E. Amonette, Z.C. Zhang. Single-Step Conversion of Cellulose to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a Versatile Platform Chemical. Applied Catalysis A: General, Online 9 April 2009 DOI: 10.1016/j.apcata.2009.04.002

Top 10 New Species Described in 2008

The International Institute for Species Exploration and an international committee of taxonomists have released the list of top 10 new species described in 2008. The international committee of experts was chaired by Janine N. Caira of the University of Connecticut.

The annual top 10 new species announcement and issuance of the SOS report (The State of Observed Species report) commemorate the anniversary of the birth of Carolus Linnaeus, who was responsible for the modern system of plant and animal names and classifications. An estimated 1.8 million species have been described since Linnaeus started his path breaking work. The estimate of species (I would like to call it guestimate) is between 2 million and 100 million species on Earth. Most scientists peg it closer to 10 million.

Here is a List of the Top Ten Species

1) A tiny seahorse (Hippocampus satomiae ) with a standard length of 13.8 millimeters and an approximate height of 11.5 millimeters
2) A genus of palm (Tahina spectablilis ) with fewer than 100 individuals found only in a small area of northwestern Madagascar.
3) A caffeine-free coffee from Cameroon (Coffea charrieriana )
4) An extremophile bacteria that was discovered in hairspray by Japanese scientists (Microbacterium hatanonis )
5) World's longest insect with a body length of 36.6 centimeters and overall length of 56.7 centimeters (Phobaeticus chain)
6) World's smallest snake, the Barbados Threadsnake ( Leptotyphlops carlae ) 104 millimeters in length.
7) The ghost slug (Selenochlamys ysbryda )
8) A snail (Opisthostoma vermiculum ) found in Malaysia
9) A beautiful species of damselfish (Chromis abyssus )
10) A fossilized specimen ( Materpiscis attenboroughi ) , the oldest known vertebrate to be viviparous.

The study reminds us just how incomplete our knowledge of Earth's species is.

Video by Kazakhstan Animal Rescue and Education Centre

Alejandro Medina from the organization Kazakhstan Animal Rescue and Education has sent me this good video on cruelty to pets made by them. Alejandro Medina says it is targeted at "irresponsible" owners of pets.This was originally made in Russian. Have a look at it here

The humble flour beetle is about to play a major role in the management of endangered species.

Huge impacts sometimes come from humble unexpected sources. What scientists have achieved with the flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) recently is a case in point. Scientists have been working with various organisms in their pursuit to get to the roots of genetic erosion and consequent extinction. They have now and zeroed in on the flour beetle as the perfect tool to work with. Flour beetle will be the model in a major new study of University of East Anglia, seeking answers to the consequences of inbreeding.
When the gene pool is reduced it brings about inbreeding between relatives. This entails losses in genetic variability and is a causative factor for the decline of many species around the world. The project will determine how much new variability must be re-introduced to genetically rescue an inbred population. This is bound to give a huge boost to the working resources of managers of conservation and captive breeding projects. They are indeed a delighted lot.

The project will experimentally evaluate which specific reproductive traits are affected by inbreeding. The full-fledged study is slated to run a course of three year. Deleterious effects of inbreeding are a priority in conservation initiatives set by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Conservationists around the world are eagerly looking forward to the data generated from this unique project. Thumbs up for the humble flour beetle.

Good News - World's Largest Leatherback Turtle Population Discovered

Here is some good news about Leatherback Turtles. A team of international Scientists have discovered the world’s largest population of nesting leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea), on the beaches of Gabon in West Africa. The research was led by the University of Exeter working in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Others who chipped in include University of Florence, IUCN-France, PROTOMAC (Gabon), CNDIO-Gabon, IBONGA-ACPE (Gabon), Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux (Gabon), Gabon Environnment, Aventures Sans Frontières (Gabon) and WWF-Gabon. The estimated population is between 15,730 and 41,373 female turtles.

Leatherbacks conservation gathered momentum around the world after populations in the Indo-Pacific crashed by more than 90 percent in the 1980s and 1990s. The leatherback turtle has survived for more than a hundred million years, but is now facing extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed leatherback turtles as critically endangered.

The population of leatherback turtles around the globe have been placed around 43,000 nesting females. The new discovery in Gabon may give a boost to that estimation.

The Gabon study indicated that that around 79 percent of the nesting occurs within National Parks and other protected areas which is a good sign. Gabon had created a network of National Parks in 2002 which has gone a long way in giving protection to Leatherbacks.

The details of the research are published in the May issue of Biological Conservation

Fact Sheet Leatherback
As a major jellyfish predator, the leatherback turtle provides natural control of jellyfish populations. Jellyfish can feed on fish larvae and reduce population growth of commercially important fish. Thus leatherback turtles play a very important role in nature’s scheme of things.

Leatherbacks are the most widely distributed marine turtles, and are found in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans.

The leatherbacks are the largest sea turtle, reaching up to nearly two metres and weighing around 540kg

Leatherbacks are sexually mature at about 10 years or age and may live to be 40 years old.

Leatherback is the deepest diving turtle. The deepest recorded dive is 1.2 kilometres
Unlike other sea turtles, the leatherback does not have a hard shell

The incubation period of Leatherback is around 60 days. The sex of leatherbacks is determined by the temperature of eggs during incubation. Temperatures above 29 degrees centigrade will result in female hatchlings.

Instead of teeth the Leatherback turtle has points on the tomium of its upper lip.

Leatherback has backwards spines in its throat to help it swallow food.

Leatherbacks are also the fastest reptiles on record. They have been recorded to cross 35Km per hour.

Penguin Kidnaps Chick of Mortal Enemy

I was fascinated to read in the journal Polar Biology, about this kidnapping of the chick of its mortal enemy by a Penguin.

An adult penguin was observed to kidnap a skua chick on Marion Island, in the sub-Antarctic. Penguins have been observed in the past to raise chicks of other species, but it was the first time that scientists observed Penguins trying to raise the young of its natural predator. Mature skuas go after penguins, preying on their chicks. Occasionally it grabs adults also. Chris Oosthuizen and Nico de Bruyn of the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, spotted the unusual behavior while en route to Goodhope Bay on Marion Island.

One Skua repeatedly went after the Penguin trying to win back the chick. But the Penguin successfully defended the attempt. This continued till a human observer stepped in and returned the chick to its real parents.

This kind of kidnapping usually occurs when a parent fails to correctly identify their offspring, owing to the loss of nests or because they can't resist the calls of chicks. But, usually, the behaviour and diet of adopting and adopted species are analogous. Scientists think that an increased level of the hormone prolactin, known as the "parenting hormone" is responsible for the behavior. The hormone usually helps maintain the bond between chicks and adults when they're away foraging.

Amazing are the ways of Mother Nature. We have only probed the tip of the iceberg

Book Recommendation- He Knew He Was Right: The Irrepressible Life of James Lovelock and Gaia

He Knew He Was Right: The Irrepressible Life of James Lovelock and Gaia is a definitive, authorized biography of Jim Lovelock, the iconic figure in British science, best known for his Gaia theory. The book throws light on the varied aspects of the life of this multifaceted personality. The throwback to earlier years is wonderful, inspiring and gripping. I was fascinated to read about the trials and tribulations he had to undergo. In the early days for some time he supported his family by selling his own blood. As Lovelock approaches his ninetieth birthday this book is indeed a fitting tribute. I recommend the book unreservedly.

Format : Hardback
ISBN: 9781846140167
Size : 235 x 159mm
Pages : 356 £20.00
Published : 26 Feb 2009
Publisher : Allen Lane


A paperback is also in the offing
Format : Paperback
ISBN: 9780141031613
Size : 129 x 198mm
Pages : 356
Published : 01 Oct 2009 £9.99
Publisher : Penguin

V World Conference on Mountain Ungulates – Photography Contest on Mountain Ungulates

To mark the V World Conference on Mountain Ungulates, to be held from 10-14 November 2009 at the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Granada (Granada Exhibition and Conference Centre), as part of the activities scheduled to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the declaration of Sierra Nevada as a Natural Reserve and 10 years as a National Park a Photographic Contest on Mountain Ungulates has been organised, sponsored by Nikon. Anybody can enter the contest; registration is free and the entry form is available at the conference website
(http://www.vworldconferenceungulates.org).

The photographs entered must reflect some aspect of biology and ecology of the different species of mountain ungulates and must be accompanied by a brief explanatory text.

There are three prizes for the best photographs.
1st prize: Nikon D60 + AF-S DX 18-55mm + AF-S DX 55-200mm + bag for the SLR + tripod. The winning photograph will be shown on the front cover of the journal of acts.
2nd prize: Nikon D40 + AF-S DX 18-55mm + binoculars + bag for the SLR + tripod.
3rd prize: Nikon D40 + AF-S DX 18-55mm + bag for the SLR + tripod.

Deadline for sending photographs is until 8 p.m. on 15 September 2009.

CONTEST RULES

1.OrganiserRegional Ministry of the Environment of the Junta de Andalucía


2.ParticipantsParticipation in this contest is open to any natural person. Registration is free, simply by filling in a form on this web page. Participation in the contest entails full acceptance of the rules.

3.Photographic theme: The photographs must represent some aspect of biology and ecology of the different mountain ungulate species together with a brief explanatory text (around 50 words) for each photograph.

Ethical code: To ensure more efficient preservation of nature, an ethical code must be followed that ensures and enhances photographers' relationship with nature. No irregular action that contravenes the protectionist spirit that governs all human contact with nature is permitted. Further information is available at: www.aefona.org.

4.Sending photographs: Participants must fill in the form and attached the photographs and send these to the following e-mail address (one form for each photograph): concursofoto@vworldconferenceungulates.org
Photographs that are received without including all of the details requested will not be allowed to take part in the contest.
Only digital photographs will be accepted. They must be sent in JPG format and be of a minimum pixel size of 1500 x 2000, horizontally or vertically, of a maximum size of between 500 KBytes and 6 MBytes and with a recommended resolution of 300dpi.
The photographs must be sent in colour and only basic adjustments to the photographs, such as levels, contrast, will be accepted. The photographs cannot have a border or a frame. The photographs sent must be unpublished and cannot have won prizes in other contests or have been used commercially for journalistic, advertising or any other purpose.

5.Deadline The deadline for sending photographs is until 8 p.m. on 15 September 2009.

The Sunning Chameleons- What are they really up to?

The myriad ways in which nature works never ceases to amaze me. I was reading the other day, a paper by Dr Kristopher Karsten and associates from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, about the behaviour of lizards basking in the sun. The paper fascinated me with its depth of observations.

Till now it was assumed that the lizards bask in the sun to thermoregulate their body temperature. But latest research by Karsten and associates has added a new dimension to what seemingly is a lazy action by the lizards. Dr Karsten discovered that the main function of sun basking by lizards is to acquire vitamin D from sunlight.

To test the assumption that chameleons alter their sunning behavior based on dietary vitamin D intake, Dr Karsten observed the behavioral pattern of two different groups of chameleons. One was fed crickets dusted with a vitamin D powder. The other group was fed on regular crickets and thus had low vitamin D content. The chameleons were then placed in individual outdoor enclosures that offered open area for direct sun, and a tree to offer filtered sun. The animals were free to move between sunny, UV-rich areas and shaded low-UV areas. Chameleons fed on low vitamin D diet readily compensated lack of Vitamin D by increasing their exposure to the sun’s UV rays. According to Dr Kristen “The chameleons were as effective as mathematically possible by our methods at regulating toward optimal UV exposure for their vitamin D profile,”

Scientists have not been able to find out the exact mechanism that enables the lizards to sense their internal vitamin D levels. Dr Karsten thinks there may be a brain receptor sensitive to the vitamin d levels which triggers the behavior of sun basking. Getting to know the intricacies of why lizards do what they do will certainly help people who manages animals in captivity.

Details of the research appears in the May/June issue of journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

Arabian Tahr gets Increased Protection

The United Arab Emirates has established the Wadi Wurayah Fujairah, the habitat of endangered Arabian Tahr as the country’s first protected mountain reserve. The 129 km-square protected area occupies the northern reaches of Fujairah between the towns of Masafi, Khor Fakkan and Bidiyah. His Highness Shaikh Hamad Bin Mohammad Al Sharqi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Fujairah, issued a decree this week that officially established the mountain reserve. The Arabian Tahr (Arabitragus jayakari) is highly endangered, with fewer than 2,500 adults in the wild.

Under the proposed protection plan reviewed by the royal court protection will be intensified and steps will be taken to educate the visitors. Visitors will be fined for leaving litter behind, polluting the water and painting graffiti.

The move comes at a time when there is international concern about the welfare of Arabian Tahr. Tahrcountry salutes the architects of the new initiatives.

Grey Whale conservation -Sakhalin Energy consortium heeds to the call of the environmentalists

Heeding to the call of environmentalists Russia’s Sakhalin Energy consortium has agreed to suspend oil operations during the breeding season of Grey Whales (Eschrichtius robustus). The main feeding area of the whales is in the Piltun Bay at the northeastern part of Sakhalin shelf. Conservationists the world over are delighted. Once declared extinct, the Western Pacific Gray whale was rediscovered in the late 1970s.

The Western Grey Whale is one of the world’s most endangered whales, with only 25 breeding females remaining. The whale feeds only in the summer. The whale is listed as "critically endangered" by Russia and is on the redlist of International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Recent research had shown how oil exploration could alter the behaviour of grey whales. Noise from oil and gas exploration has driven the whales into deeper waters making it hard for their calves to feed and thrive.

Things are not very rosy however. BP, Exxon and Rosneft operating in the area have ignored the appeal from conservationists so far. Conservationists the world over are making repeated appeals to the erring firms to heed to their call. Let us hope that wiser counsel would prevail.

Good News from Afghanistan on the Environment Front

What we hear regularly from Afghanistan is depressing news about bombings, ambushes, excesses of Taliban and suffering of the common man. Here is something that will give you cheer. On the occasion of the Earth Day, Afghanistan has declared its first National Park. This is an event for the entire world to rejoice.

The newly declared Band-e-Amir National Park near Bamyan Valley is a spectacular region of deep blue lakes separated by natural dams of travertine, a mineral deposit. If Bamayan Valley rings a familiar tone for you, you are smack on target. Yes, it was here that Taliban destroyed 1,500-year-old giant Buddha statues.

Next on the agenda of the Afghan administration is efforts directed towards acquiring the World Heritage Status for the park. This will give a tremendous boost to the park. It will also bring in foreign tourists. Even though foreign tourists have given the place a wide birth after the eruption of violence in 1979 thousands of afghans visit the place every year

Much of the Park’s wildlife has been lost in the continuing violence. But Ibex and Urial still survive there precariously. The region also boasts of Afghan Snow Finch which is a bird found only in Afghanistan. The conservation community the world over is watching with great interest the happenings in Afghanistan

Imminent Danger- Forests as Sources of Greenhouse Gases

Forests are considered to be a great source of carbon sinks. But this rosy picture is likely to change with the global warming. The warning has come from International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO).

The latest report of International Union of Forest Research Organizations titled "Adaptation of Forests and People to Climate Change – A Global Assessment" and authored by 35 forestry scientists, made a detailed analysis of the likely impacts of climate change across the world's major forest types and their capacity adapt to climate shifts. The report will be formally presented at the next session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) taking place from 20th April to1 of May 2009 at the UN Headquarters.

Dr Risto Seppälä, a professor at the Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla) and Past President of IUFRO, who chaired the expert panel that produced the report says, “We normally think of forests as putting the brakes on global warming, but in fact over the next few decades, damage induced by climate change could cause forests to release huge quantities of carbon and create a situation in which they do more to accelerate warming than to slow it down”. A 2.5-degree-C rise in temperatures would eliminate the net carbon sequestering function of global forests. Presently forests worldwide capture about a quarter of carbon emissions.

The study observes that as climate change progresses over the next decades:

1) Droughts are projected to become more intense and frequent in subtropical and southern temperate forests, especially in the western United States, northern
China, southern Europe and the Mediterranean, subtropical Africa, Central
America and Australia. These droughts will also increase the prevalence of fire and predispose large areas of forest to pests and pathogens. .

2) In some arid and semi-arid environments, such as the interior of the American
West, forestry experts’ worry that climate change could be so dramatic that timber productivity could “decline to the extent that forests are no longer viable.”

3)  Decreased rainfall and more severe droughts are expected to be particularly stressful for forest-dependent people in Africa who look to forests for food, clean water and other basic needs. For them, the scientists predict climate change could mean “deepening poverty, deteriorating public health, and social conflict.”

4) In certain areas, climate change could lead to substantial gains in the supply of timber. The combination of warming temperatures and the fertilizing effect of increased carbon in the atmosphere could fuel a northward expansion of what is known as the boreal forest, the coniferous timber lands that run across the earth’s northern latitudes and include forests in Canada, Finland, Russia and Sweden. Research from the report indicates that climate change could cause more than a 40 percent increase in timber growth in Finland. However, over the long-term, if climate change continues at the current pace the boreal expansion eventually will be offset by an increase in insect invasions, fires, and storms.

Ameliorative strategies

The report says that sustainable forest management practices could help ameliorate some of the impacts of climate change, but such efforts may only be a temporary reprieve in the face of rising carbon emissions.

Professor Andreas Fischlin of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, who is one of the lead authors of the study says "Even if adaptation measures are fully implemented, unmitigated climate change would, during the course of the current century, exceed the adaptive capacity of many forests," "The fact remains that the only way to ensure that forests do not suffer unprecedented harm is to achieve large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions."

The report concludes by saying more research is needed to better understand precisely how climate change will impact forests and how effective different adaptation responses will be. The challenge to policy makers is that they must act even in the face of imperfect data because “climate change is progressing too quickly to postpone action.

Sidamo Lark on the Way to Oblivion?

The Ethiopiaian Sidamo Lark (Heteromirafra sidamoensis), one of the most ancient types of larks, is in parlous state. Unless efforts are made on a war footing to conserve the species it will have the dubious distinction of being the first recorded bird extinction on the continent. The forebodings are the outcome of a survey of the bird's habitat done by zoologist Claire Spottiswoode of the University of Cambridge. The associates for the study were the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society, Birdlife International and the University of East Anglia. The study found that Sidamo lark is now restricted to a single patch of grassland of 35 square kilometres. The survey also revealed that a maximum of 358 Sidamo Larks remain. The lower estimate is just 90.

Scientists discovered Sidamo Lark only in 1968. The bird was only seen once during the course of last 25 years.

The main reason attributed for the sorry state of affairs is the depredation of highland savannah. The savannah used to be maintained by fire and by the grazing of large herbivores. Borana pastoralists also played a part in the past. They used to walk their cattle across the plain in the course of their migration between different wet and dry season grasslands. The situation is completely changed now. The numbers of Wild animals have dipped and the present numbers is too low to stop shrubs from invading the grasslands. The pastoralists have abandoned their old time tested ways. The new fad is intensively reared livestock and agriculture, which impacts the birds quite badly.

Factors outside Ethiopia also contribute to the woes of the bird. The conflict in neighbouring Somalia is driving armed nomads to cross the border and move into the region to graze their cattle. Increasing droughts and climate change also are threats that loom over the survival of the bird.

The researchers have advocated control of grazing by domestic cattle. They have also advocated that the shrubs that have sprouted in the grassland should be removed. A careful watch over expansion of agriculture in to the habitat of the critically endangered bird has also been advocated.


Based on the researchers recommendations Lark is being uplisted to Critically Endangered – the highest level of threat – in the 2009 Red List of birds. The new list will be released on May 14th.

Newly Discovered Lichen Named after President Obama

A California researcher, Kerry Knudsen from the University of California-Riverside (UCR), has named a new species of Lichen discovered by him after President Barak Obama. The name given is Caloplaca obamae. The researcher says this is intended to show his appreciation for the president's support of science and science education.

The new species is Endemic to Santa Rosa Island, the second largest island off California’s coast. The new discovery is a shot in the arm for public support for preserving public lands as ecological sanctuaries. Cattle ranching had nearly wiped out the species. Fortunately a lawsuit by the National Parks Conservation Association in 1996 put an end to rampant uncontrolled grazing. But for this action the species would not have been discovered. Knudsen says this is a stark reminder that many species are disappearing without ever being known to science.

The Tale of the elephant from the Tail

I was fascinated to read about this new technique developed by Professor Thure Cerling and associates to decode eating habits of the elephants from its tail. It is amazing. Professor Thure Cerling used Global Positioning System and analyzed carbon and other isotopes in the tail hair of elephants to monitor their movements and varied diet in the Buffalo Springs national reserves in northern Kenya.

Clear cut evidences of elephants gorging on grasses during rainy season and switching over to trees and shrubs emerged from the isotope based study of elephants ‘ tail.
There are enough reasons for the elephants to gorge on grass. This is a ploy intended to bulk up for pregnancy. 22 months after conceiving, the elephants gave birth to healthy babies.

Use of water also came under the scanner. According to Professor Cerling in the dry season, rivers tend to be quite evaporated and have different isotope ratios than in rainy season, when they are flowing. The elephants drink the water, and it actually changes the isotope composition of their blood, which is reflected in the isotope composition of the hair.

The research brought to the fore the impact of overgrazing by cattle on the typical wet season diet of elephants. Competition with cattle results in poor access to high-quality grass forage as the cattle keep the grass very short by its distinctive feeding habits, thus our competing elephants in the rush for prime forage.The study warns that as Kenya's population continues to explode, and as global warming brings in more droughts, the competition for grass with domestic cattle might threaten the elephants' ability to bulk up for pregnancy.

The advantage of the new method according to Professor Cerling is that we get a continuous record of elephants’ diet even though we don't have anyone on the ground watching them. This will be of great help to the mangers of wildlife in devising their strategies.

Details of the study appears in the on line edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Kenyan Inventor Develops Cheap Efficient Solar Cooker and Wins an Award

I was delighted to hear about this news about a new solar cooker with enormous potential. A Kenyan inventor has won the $75,000 prize for his solar cooker made from cardboard. The cooker is made from two cardboard boxes, which use reflective foil and black paint to maximise absorption of solar energy. The temperatures inside the pot can reach at least 80C. The device can be used for cooking and for sterilising water.

The competition was organized by the organization Forum for the Future in association with Financial Times newspaper and technology company HP. The aim of the competition was to support concepts that have "moved off the drawing board and demonstrated their feasibility" for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but have not gained corporate backing.

The inventor says the device will help to reduce dependence on firewood thereby putting a brake on deforestation. According to him it will also give a boost to health as it has the potential to reduce the ill effects of smoke. Nearly two billion people in the world use firewood as their primary fuel. So the potential is enormous.

I did not give you the name of the inventor. Here it is. He is Jon Bohmer, who founded the company Kyoto Energy in Kenya. Hats off to him for developing a simple device that has the potential to reduce deforestation in developing and under developed countries.

Virus Powered Batteries are On Its Way

Virus powered batteries? Sounds a wee bit far fetched but it is true; they are in its way. A team of scientists from MIT in the US led by Professor Angela Belcher has come up with this seemingly impossible feat. Professor Belcher used viruses to build both the positively and negatively charged ends of a battery and it is working. A lithium-ion battery has been constructed, where generically engineered viruses were used to create the negatively charged anode and positively charged cathode. The beauty is that virus is harmless to humans.

The batteries have the capacity and performance of rechargeable batteries that is used to power plug-in hybrid cars. The prototype battery is the size of a coin but Professor Belcher believes that the technology developed can be used to create flexible batteries that can take the shape of their container. This meets the requirements of mobile and other small devices to a dot. Right now the virus battery can only be charged and discharged about 100 times, but Professor Belcher says improved versions with linger life are on its way.

Conservationists would be delighted to learn that the process to build the batteries uses no harmful or toxic materials. What we need is things like this, development of technologies that does not harm the environment. Tahrcountry salutes Professor Angela Belcher. Full details of the research appear in the journal Science

Leaf-Cutting Ants Help Develop New Drugs

In a spectacular case of symbiosis leaf-cutting ants have been cultivating fungus gardens that provide a safe home for the fungi and a food source for the ants for the last 50 million-years. It was only 10 years back that Cameron Currie, a microbial ecologist then at the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, discovered that leaf-cutting ants carry colonies of actinomycete bacteria on their bodies. This bacteria produce an antibiotic that protects the ants' fungal crops from associated parasitic fungi.

Currie was fascinated by his discovery and wanted to know the nitty gritty of the entire symbiosis.On 29 March, Currie, Jon Clardy at the Harvard Medical School in Boston and their colleagues reported that they had isolated and purified one of these antifungals. They named the new antifungal dentigerumycin. The story does not stop here. This newly discovered antifungal was found to slow down the growth of a drug-resistant strain of the fungus Candida albicans, which causes yeast infections in people. An excited Currie has described the ants as walking pharmaceutical factories. Different ant species cultivate different fungal crops, which in turn is affected by different parasites. So researchers are hoping to find and develop new drugs.

Another spin off of the research is the discovery that fungi associated with ants are very efficient at breaking down cellulose. Unravelling the process might allow us to make more efficient biofuels. than those made from sugary foods, such as maize.

Details of the study appears in Nature Chem. Bio (D.-C. Oh et al. Nature Chem. Bio. doi: 10.1038/nchembio.159; 2009).

Have a look at what Currie has to say about his research by clicking here


The new discovery points to the urgent need to protect our biodiversity. Everything is interlinked and mans’ folly is destroying the cornucopia before we get a chance to study them properly.

Now a Contraceptive Pill for Desert Rats

For some time now exploding Gerbil population in their Xinjiang region has exasperated the Chinese officials. Gerbils have threatened the fragile desert ecosystem of Xinjiang. Only few plants can survive in this harsh and arid region. Ceaseless burrowing by Gerbils is destroying even this sparse vegetation.

Chinese authorities tried various options like traps and biological control. Predatory birds were introduced in the region. But the problem persisted. Forestry officials are now trying a new way to control Gerbils. They are using contraceptive pills. The pill is mixed with feeds and placed in strategic locations.

The pills prevent females from getting pregnant and cause abortion in those already pregnant. The Chinese authorities consider this to be much more humane option than poisoning Gerbils. The new experiment seems to be working. If it becomes a real success the authorities are planning to introduce the system in other areas also.

Two New Greenhouse Gases Accumulating in the Atmosphere

According to the latest research spearheaded by Climate scientist Dr Paul Fraser two new greenhouse gases, one emitted by the electronic industry and the other used in pest control, are rapidly accumulating in the atmosphere. The gases are Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and Sulfuryl fluoride (SO2F2). NF3 is used by the electronics industry in the manufacture of circuit boards in liquid-crystal flat-panel screens. SO2F2 is used as a fumigant.

The scientists have made a fervent plea to include these two gases for control in the revision of the Kyoto Protocol. Kyoto Protocol has set emission targets for six gases, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, PFCs, hydrofluorcarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. Even though the quantity SO2F2 and NF3 gases are low right now, the danger signals are already there and the time is ripe for control. NF3 is 17,000 times more potent than CO2, while SO2F2 is 5000 times more potent. NF3 persists for hundreds of years in the atmosphere. The gas accumulation is growing at around 5% a year. This is faster than any other greenhouse gasses included in the Kyoto Protocol.

Details of research appears in the 12 March edition of the Journal of Geophysical Research

Chemical Warfare by Plants

Professor Byron Lamont from Curtin University of Technology Australia, and his colleagues, has come up with some surprising findings regarding the defence mechanism of plants. The Australian native plant Hakea is using chemical warfare to prevent its bright red flowers being eaten by animals. This goes against established beliefs. The belief till now was that flowers evolved as a way for plants to attract birds and animals for cross-pollination.

The team studied 51 species of Hakea, and found that they could be easily divided into two groups, insect-pollinated species and bird-pollinated species. Insect-pollinated species have predominantly tiny, white flowers surrounded by spiky, dense foliage. This stops animals such as emus and cockatoos from eating the flower. Bird-pollinated species have soft open leaves and bright, easily accessible, usually red, flowers where birds can easily land. This makes the plant vulnerable to being eaten by emus and cockatoos.

Professor Byron Lamont and his colleagues macerated the flowers on-site and then used an enzyme and a strip of paper that was sensitive to cyanide to test for its presence. They found that plants with red flowers contain 10 milligrams of cyanide per gram. This was enough to make an animal sick. It is presumed that animals that eat the red Hakea flowers may learn to associate the colour with the bitter taste produced by the cyanide. The colour red acts as a warning to herbivores like emus, parrots and kangaroos sending the message that the flower contains distasteful cyanogenic compounds.

Details of the study appear in the latest edition of journal New Phytologist.

Plastic Trash in the Oceans and the Plight of the Turtles

Plastics ingestion by leatherback turtles is taking a heavy toll of the critically endangered species. This is the result arrived at by Dr. Mike James and colleagues from Dalhousie University after detailed analysis of post-mortems report of leatherbacks for the past four decades. Over one third of the turtles had ingested plastic. Ingestion of plastic leads to partial or complete obstruction of gastrointestinal tract, which in turn leads to starvation and death.

Leatherbacks often confuse plastic trash with one of their favorite prey, jellyfish. Unfortunately both jellyfish and plastic trash are often found in areas where oceanic water masses meet.

The only way out of this tragic situation is use of biodegradable materials and recycling. Leatherbacks have inhabited the earth for over a hundred million years and it would be a shame if they disappear due to the folly and profligacy of man. As the old saying goes little drops of water makes the mighty ocean. Each one of us has a bounden duty to do whatever is possible to save this critically endangered turtle. Concerted action will certainly pay rich dividends in the long run.

Details of the study appear in Marine Pollution Bullentin.

Mrosovsky et al. Leatherback turtles: The menace of plastic. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2009; 58 (2): 287 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.10.018

5th World Congress on Mountain Ungulates- Online Registration

Online registration is now open for the 5th World Congress on Mountain Ungulates. Log on to the conference website www.vworldconferenceungulates.org for details. You can click here and go to the website

Tropical Forests’ Carbon Sink Function Affected by Drought.

Tropical rainforests act as important carbon sinks.These forests have been continuously giving us a subsidy. Latest research indicates that with global warming this important function cannot be taken for granted any more.Drought is affecting the capacity of tropical forests to act as carbon sinks. This has far reaching effects for the global community. It is even feared that they could turn to be carbon ‘source’. The report appears in science today magazine

The assumption is based on a study of, 2005 drought, of Amazon basin. The drought has turned some of the affected areas of the Amazon from a carbon sink to carbon source. Research plots that were monitored regularly before and after the drought revealed that forest patches subjected to a 100-millimeter decrease in rainfall released on average 5.3 tonnes of carbon per hectare as trees in the area died.
Scientists have estimated that mature tropical forests, which cover about 10% of Earth's land, absorb around 1.3 billion tonnes of carbon per year. This is the equivalent of around 20% of carbon emissions from fossil-fuel burning. This works out to around 40% of the total global terrestrial carbon sink

The need to protect tropical rainforest has acquired great significance. A global initiative is what is needed. Countries acting alone and out of sync with others will not deliver the goods.

Want to marry? Plant trees

Indonesia has long been troubled by deforestation. It has the unenviable reputation of having the highest rate of deforestation in Asia. Palm oil lobbies have played havoc with the environment. Environmentalists have been going hammer and tongs at the Government for its lackadaisical ways in enforcing forest laws.

Against the background of the above mentioned facts I was delighted to hear this piece of news from my Indonesian contacts. In an innovative move Garut district administration in Indonesia has come out with the rider that if the marriage is to be legally Okayed, the couple panning to get married must give ten trees to district administration for reforestation drive. In an adjunct move the administration has also decreed that divorces will be granted only after the supply of one tree. The latest move from the Garut administration comes in the wake of financial difficulties. Central administration had recently launched a scheme to plant million tress across Indonesia. Garut does not have the wherewithal to pursue the programme. The dovetailing of marriage registration to tree planting was a clever move to overcome the difficulties experienced.

The man who came up with the idea for the administration deserves fulsome praise. Hats off to him.

Bottled water Guzzles Energy-Think Twice Before You Buy One

Do you really need that bottle of packaged drinking water? The latest research on bottled water has confirmed what the environmentalists have charged all these years. Weighed against tap water bottled water consumes between 1100 and 2000 times more energy on an average.

Environmental scientist Peter Gleick and Heather Cooley of the Pacific Institute did the study. Details like how much energy goes into making a plastic bottle; processing the water; labeling, filling, and sealing a bottle; transporting it for sale; and cooling the water prior to consumption went in to the research. Manufacturing the bottle and transportation were found the most energy hogging activities.

Startling details have emerged from the study. The global demand for bottle production alone uses 50 million barrels of oil a year. Drinking an imported bottle of water is about two-and-a-half to four times more energy intensive than getting it locally. This often surpasses the energy needed to make the bottle. Bottled water has now surpassed milk and beer in sales.

So think twice before you grab that next bottle. If you are in a position to bring a bottle of water from home do plumb for it.

Details of the research appears in the latest issue of journal Environmental Research Letters.

Excellent Example of Public and Private Sector Participation in Conservation

Goldman Sachs has announced the gift of a sprawling wilderness area in Chile to the Wildlife Conservation Society. The 272,000 hectares has old growth forests ,unique grasslands, rivers and wetlands teeming with wildlife. The guanaco, a member of the camel family, is the region’s signature animal. Other wildlife includes Magellanic woodpeckers, Firecrown Hummingbirds, and the Culpeo Fox. The reserve is home to around 700 plant species, including several types of moss, which are unique to these islands.

Goldman Sachs, the Goldman Sachs Charitable Fund, and WCS are establishing a formal Alliance to make conservation meaningful for the area. Ecotourism, will be promoted to support conservation objectives and to provide benefit to local communities.

It was in February 2002, that Goldman Sachs acquired the area as part of distressed assets of the Trillium Corporation, a US company that owned the Chilean lands. Trillium had planned to use the land for logging. This was opposed tooth and nail by Chilean environmentalists. Goldman Sachs initially wanted to sell the area for a profit. The bank considered selling the land but realized it would face the same opposition as Trillium had. So it chose the prudent option to salvage the situation. It gave the land away as gift to WCS. Lot of deliberation was done before the Goldman Sachs Charitable Fund determined that WCS is ideally suited to manage the reserve and protect the key ecological features of this land. Goldman Sachs has pledged around $12m of its own money to ensure the land's protection for years to come. In this process Goldman Sachs has enhanced its green credentials. A case of killing two birds with one shot. The end beneficiary is conservation.

Reptile Smuggling Attempt Foiled in Australia - A Guest Post

According to an Australian news site, a man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 44 native reptiles out of Australia. The 24-year old Sydney man was apprehended by Customs and Border Protection as he made his way through Sydney International Airport. One of the more valuable specimens in the seizure was an Albino Carpet Python, worth more than $20,000.
It is estimated that only 100 of these very rare snakes still exist in the world.
Authorities found the snakes in the man's checked bags when they went through x-ray screening before his scheduled flight to Bangkok, Thailand. The reptiles were hidden in socks, small cloth bags and other articles of clothing. All of them were alive when they were seized.
The reptile menagerie included: 24 Shingleback Lizards, 16 Bluetongue Lizards and four snakes. In addition to the Albino Python, there were also three Black-headed pythons, which are extremely endangered as well. Before it left the tarmac, the man was removed from the plane and charged by Customs and Border Protection with attempting to export native species without a permit.
The reptiles are all very valuable on the black market, with a combined estimated worth of $160,000 and $200,000. None of the reptiles were harmed during their short trip and have been taken to the Sydney Wildlife World where they were examined by veterinarians and are receiving care and proper nutrition.
Wildlife smuggling is a serious offense and authorities will push maximum penalties to help curtail the practice. The man, from Bonnet Bay in Sydney, is out on bail but must appear in Downing Centre Local Court on March 24, 2009. He faces a maximum penalty of $110,000 and/or 10 years in jail is mandated under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Though this is a heartening example of increased awareness by border and customs agents regarding this issue, demand for rare species continues unabated in much of the world and authorities are left playing catch up. And because it is easy for almost anyone to smuggle many different types of (valuable) wildlife undetected, supply remains high and black market profits skyrocket.

By-line:
This post was contributed by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of the online courses. She invites your feedback at hollymccarthy12@gmail.com

Alarm Bell Rings for Asian Box Turtles

According to a new report by the wildlife trade-monitoring network TRAFFIC Unregulated trade, at 10 to 100 times legal level, has caused Southeast Asian Box Turtles almost to vanish from parts of Indonesia. The turtles are used for meat and in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Major consumers are Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Malaysia. Box turtles are also in demand as pets in the US, Europe and Japan.

The study noted 18 traders operating in Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra and Kalimantan dealing illegally in Southeast Asian Box Turtles. Each trader was handling on an average 2,230 turtles. Indonesia’s official annual export quota for this species is 18,000 turtles per year. The trade is ten times the official export quota. TRAFFIC says this is a conservative estimate. It could be as high as 100 times. At this rate the turtle would be wiped out across Indonesia in no time at all.

Weak enforcement of existing laws is a key problem. Non-inspection of shipments, falsification of CITES export permits, and lack of training amongst enforcement officers compound the problem. The report recommends better training and more cooperation between Indonesian enforcement authorities and those in importing countries to tackle illegal wildlife trade