Nature conservation
Category archives for Nature conservation
Wildlife in Protected Areas Compared to Non-Protected Areas of Kenya
Posted by Greg Laden on July 9, 2009 It has become virtually axiomatic that as climate shifts or other potential insults to the ecology of a given area occur, plants and animals enclosed in parks bounded by “impermeable” landscapes are at great risk. Instead of the extreme ranges of a plant or animal moving north or south, or across a gradient of rainfall,…
Life in Biosphere 2
Posted by Greg Laden on July 3, 2009 Several years ago, I was at a going away party for Bruno. Bruno was a hard core scientist who was being brought into the Biosphere project down in Arizona to get it straightened out after a long period of bad press. One of the folks at the party was an archaeology graduate student, Ben, who…
Are you a nature nerd?
Posted by Greg Laden on July 1, 2009 Well, I am, and so is Betsy: When I was growing up, there were two distinct types of people: the cool people and the nerds. The cool people were the football players, the cheerleaders, and anyone in a rock band. The nerds were the ones who got good grades, wore black rimmed glasses and were…
Finding Coral
Posted by Greg Laden on June 23, 2009 Background: The Finding Coral expedition set sail June 8th in search of deep sea corals on in Hecate Strait and the Queen Charlotte Basin. Two Deep Worker manned submarines will be piloted by our blue ribbon science team, traveling to depths up to 500 metres to document evidence of corals, associated species, and damage from…
Important and cool nature and conservation news.
Posted by Greg Laden on June 19, 2009 You really must give up seafood from the ocean. Or at least, there is an argument that says this, and you can read it here. Wolverines. I once saw a wolverine in a state that was known to not have wolverines anymore. That was a long time ago and I think they are recognized as…
The End of the Line
Posted by Greg Laden on June 12, 2009 I just read this, and it made me want to see this: and I’m asking you to look at this, but also this.
Is it true that “Sustainability will not come without reductions in consumption”?
Posted by Greg Laden on May 14, 2009 Or, putting it another way, “Why does our energy system face security and environmental challenges?” Please visit ScienceBlog’s new blog, The Energy Grid, which is one of those shorter term issue-driven blogs we do at Sb nwo and then. This particular iteration is moderated by Jonas Meckling, from the Belfer Center, and hosted by James…
Long awaited Hudson River dredging starts soon
Posted by Greg Laden on May 10, 2009 Costly Superfund dredging set for Hudson River (AP) — People look funny at David Mathis when he takes a dip off his dock in the Hudson River. Health officials have long warned people not to eat fish caught from this slow-flowing stretch south of the Adirondacks and swimming here is unthinkable to many. I worked…
Right Good News for Whale
Posted by Greg Laden on May 10, 2009 Nice going, mom! Right whales break birth record (AP) — Right whales have plenty to celebrate this Mother’s Day – the sea moms gave birth to a record 39 calves this spring. Considering that there are only a few hundred of these whales left, this is good news. The “right whales” were originally called that…
Earth Day!
Posted by Greg Laden on April 22, 2009 I remember my first Earth Day, which was also The first Earth Day. There was a big lead up to it. Our teachers had us make poster size drawings appropriate for Earth Day. I have no recollection of what I did. But, I do remember putting an air quality measuring device in my back yard…
Over Fishing and the War on Science
Posted by Greg Laden on March 23, 2009 Blogfish has an interesting writeup on what they call “New England’s War on Science” ( might think of it as “Coastal New England’s War on Science”) Fishing interests in New England have convinced politicians to launch a new war on science and common sense. They want to keep catching fish faster than they can reproduce.…
Check Out The Reef Tank
Posted by Greg Laden on March 22, 2009 The Reef Tank is an enterprise that supports and supplies salt water aquarists and supports the use of captive raised organisms and knowledge about ecosystems and conservation issues. From their site: The Reef Tank is a unique bulletin board with a unique philosophy. Our mission is to provide a supportive, flame-free environment for beginning and…
For the Birds
Posted by Greg Laden on March 21, 2009 You’ve heard about the dismal report of the state of birds in the US. Here is a detailed account of the USFW et al report. And here are a few different items regarding migratory birds and what you can do about them. Citizen Science Is for the Birds Open Data: Help Migratory Bird Observations Fly…
Condor Shot, Wounded, In Treatment
Posted by Greg Laden on March 16, 2009 A California Condor was apparently ill (with suspected lead poisoning) so it was brought in for treatment. It was then discovered that it had been shot some time earlier . Unable to eat on its own, the condor was under intensive care at the Los Angeles Zoo and its prognosis was guarded, said Susie Kasielke,…
Balkan Lynx Threatened
Posted by Greg Laden on February 22, 2009 A Balkan lynx. Poaching is one of the biggest threats to the survival of this Balkan subspecies of the European lynx, the largest wild cat found on the continent. From Physorg.com ‘”The lynx has no natural enemy except man,” said Georgi Ivanov, an ecologist working on a project to monitor lynx numbers in western Macedonia’s…
It only gets worse
Posted by Greg Laden on February 2, 2009 “Amazon Deforestation: Earth’s Heart and Lungs Dismembered” Brazil has historically had the distinction of serving as the world’s leader of deforestation. … during the last three decades, an annual average of 6,500 square miles of the Brazilian Amazon — an area that is greater than the size of Connecticut — has been deforested. Satellite data…
Bird News
Posted by Greg Laden on January 2, 2009 Scientists monitoring at Mount Moreland – South Africa’s largest Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica roost – have captured their first overseas ringed bird from a festively snowy location. The young Barn Swallow had flown all the way from Finland – a total of 11,000 km! “This is an amazing Christmas gift”, said Hilary Vickers of the…
Mice Doing Albatross In
Posted by Greg Laden on December 17, 2008 Predatory rodents are eating the chicks of the Critically Endangered Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena to the extent that they have had the worst breeding season recorded so far. The mice are also affecting Gough Island’s other Critically Endangered endemic species, Gough Bunting Rowettia goughensis. A recent survey of the bunting’s population revealed that the population…
Fish or foul?
Posted by Greg Laden on December 16, 2008 It is too bad that we let Industry poison the part of our food supply that we really need to eat more of… FDA reconsiders consumer advice on fish from PhysOrg.com (AP) — For years, the federal government has recommended that pregnant women and young children limit their consumption of fish to avoid exposure to…
Slender-billed curlew. Extinct?
Posted by Greg Laden on December 5, 2008 The RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) and other partners have launched a last push to find one of the world’s rarest birds. They have issued a call to search for and find any remaining populations of Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris. This announcement was made at the Ninth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to…
Bush’s Latest Pardons
Posted by Greg Laden on November 25, 2008 The new round of White House pardons are Bush’s first since March and come less than two months before he will end his presidency. The crimes committed by those on the list also include offenses involving hazardous waste, food stamps, and the theft of government property. The whole list is here.
Lame Duck Bush Administration Plans To Gut Endangered Species
Posted by Greg Laden on November 20, 2008 In an act of utter cynicism, continuing with the right wing mandate that has propped up the Bush Regime for the last eight years, the Winged Monkeys of the Bush Inferior Department of the Interior plans to eliminate restrictions on federal agencies carrying out projects that negatively impact endangered species. Animals and plants in danger…
“We need to stop trying to ‘save the planet’ and start worshiping the God that created it”
Posted by Greg Laden on November 17, 2008 Or, so says Drew Sandlin, in a letter to Oklahoma Christian University’s student newspaper, ironically named Talon. When I was a kid, I had an uncle who was a Franciscan Priest. I come from a long line of priests and nuns, mostly Franciscan. That’s why I’m good with animals. Anyway, I liked this Uncle because…
Protecting mountain gorillas
Posted by Greg Laden on November 13, 2008 In July 2007, armed men entered the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park and killed five critically endangered mountain gorillas at point-blank range, leaving the bodies where they fell. Since September 2007, rebel forces have controlled the area, threatening to kill any conservationists or gorilla rangers who attempted to enter the area. Recently, the…
The Evolutionary Dynamics of the Lion Panthera leo Revealed by Host and Viral Population Genomics
Posted by Greg Laden on November 10, 2008 Cute baby lions. When they grow up, they will want to eat you. I’ll never forget the first wild lion I ever saw. It was a pitch black night, on the savanna in the Western Rift Valley. I had climbed on top of the hood of the Land Rover, engine off, but headlights on. My…
Starbucks Awash in Accusations by Water Watchers
Posted by Greg Laden on October 6, 2008 But is it fair? Normally, I enjoy seeing Starbucks get slammed by pretty much anybody, for the usual reasons. But this time I’m wondering if we have a case of environmentalists being narrow minded, near sighted, and dumb.
25% of mammals facing extinction threat
Posted by Greg Laden on October 6, 2008 At least 25% of the world’s mammal species are at risk of extinction, according to the first assessment of their status for a decade. The Red List of Threatened Species says populations of more than half of mammalian species are falling, with Asian primates particularly at risk. The biggest threat to mammals is loss of…
Empty Oceans
Posted by Greg Laden on September 30, 2008 See also this short article on film director Randy Olson.
Meet The Blog Monkey
Posted by Greg Laden on September 24, 2008 I have received this message from the InterTubes: I am contacting you on behalf of the Blog Monkey Initiative. The Blog Monkey Initiative is an attempt to get to get a monkey species named after the blogosphere and at the same time help renowned biologist and … [so called] “Hero of the Planet” Marc van…
, which is now available for the 
