conservation
grrlscientist | January 26, 2008tags: coral reef, marine life, endangered species, Image of the Day
Seventeen countries have marked 2008 as the International Year of the Reef, a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the importance of coral reefs and to motivate action to protect them.
Image: S. Zumbrunn, Conservation International. [larger size].
grrlscientist | January 23, 2008tags: Laysan Duck, Anas laysanensis, endangered species, birds, conservation, Image of the Day
The critically endangered Laysan Duck, Anas laysanensis, has had a very successful 2007 breeding season, say US Wildlife Biologists. Population numbers have quadrupled since 42 individuals were moved across the Pacific and released at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the US in 2004.
Image: JH Breedan, Rare Birds Yearbook [larger size].
tetrapodzoology | January 21, 2008
A major global conservation effort, aiming to bring to better attention the chronic plight of the world's amphibian species, was launched at the start of this year. You might have heard of it: the Year of the Frog movement. And, today, a second project aimed at conserving the world's endangered amphibians launches: the EDGE amphibian project, a website designed by the Zoological Society of London to draw attention to amphibian species that are not just globally endangered, but are also evolutionarily distinct...
As you might have guessed, 'EDGE' stands for Evolutionarily Distinct and…
voltagegate | January 7, 2008
I had the chance to cover some winter activities for PA state parks last week, which meant I had the fortune of a couple of visits for photos and interviews. As I browsed around online and in the park offices and exhibits for info, I couldn't escape references to either the Civilian Conservation Corps or the Work Progress Administration, which I've read about before, but never realized just how much work they did in the Appalachian region. The history of these organizations opens a whole box of interesting questions for the future, believe it or not, as this was a pivotal moment in…
zooillogix | December 31, 2007Seafood Watch is a very cool and very practical conservation effort led by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Basically, it is a regularly updated guide to which lake and ocean critters should or should not be devoured each year. At its most convenient, they print a handy business card sized reference guide which you can carry around in your wallet. Impress your animal loving, patchouli wearing date when you take her out to your favorite seafood restaurant and tell her what she is not allowed to order off the menu. In all seriousness though, it is incredibly handy, they will send you one or more for…
tetrapodzoology | December 29, 2007
It's hardly a secret that I've had a bit of a thing going for frogs and toads - anurans - during the latter part of 2007 (the anuran series has so far consisted of part I, part II, part III, part IV, part V, part VI, and part VII). While the whole exercise was a good excuse to learn a lot about one of the most fascinating, charismatic and bizarre tetrapod groups, the main reason for going down this road in the first place is the major conservation effort that's going to get underway next year.. or, tomorrow, if you're reading this on New Year's Eve. 2008 is, you see, the YEAR OF THE FROG: it…
grrlscientist | December 27, 2007tags: Siberian tiger, Amur tiger, Panthera tigris altaica, NewScientist, Image of the Day
Amur (Siberian) tiger, Panthera tigris altaica.
Tigers are most commonly poached for their fur and body parts, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is estimated that in 1991 alone, one-third of the Siberian tiger population was killed to meet the demand for their bones and other parts used in this practice.
Image: Barry Slade, 2007 (NewScientist calendar 2008). [Much larger view]
sheril | December 23, 2007Last month, everyone was up in arms as Japan launched its fleet off Antarctica in the first major hunt of humpbacks since the 1960s. The move wasn't great for public relations, and would you know it... turns out all the hullabaloo has made a difference:
'Giving in to U.S. pressure and worldwide criticism, Japan's government on Friday announced a whaling fleet now in the Southern Ocean for its annual hunt will not kill the threatened species as originally planned. The fleet will, however, kill some 935 minke whales, a smaller, more plentiful species, and 50 fin whales.'
Good news for a…
grrlscientist | December 22, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, giraffe species, Giraffa camelopardalis, speciation, evolution, conservation, molecular phylogeny
West African giraffe, currently Giraffa camelopardalis peralta.
Image: Wikipedia (Creative Commons) [larger view]
How many species of giraffes are there? Well, it may surprise you to learn this, but some people have actually thought about this throughout the decades, and they decided that there is only one species, Giraffa camelopardalis. However, a paper published today in BMC Biology convincingly demonstrates that giraffes are actually comprised of at least six…
sheril | December 7, 2007Student Postby Wayneho Kam and Waynekid Kam
If Santa Claus came out with a "naughty or nice" list based on how well people treated the environment, who will be on the "nice" list? Who will be on the "naughty"? Have you ever wondered?
You can count on Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to be up there on the "nice" list this year. As the Nobel Foundation puts it, IPCC and Gore both did a phenomenal job regarding "their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change." Perhaps Bill Clinton will see his name on the "nice" list as well…
sheril | December 7, 2007Student Postby Stephanie Gold
Today, it seems that everywhere we go we hear about companies and retailers trying to do something for the environment. Whether it's Wal-Mart installing solar panels to power everything from the store lighting to the refrigerator section or a small local grocery store installing energy saving light bulbs, it is clear that retailers are beginning to focus on environmental issues across the globe. Some argue that these companies are "going green" because they understand the severity of the global warming problem while others insist that they are motivated by the…
sheril | December 3, 2007Little over a year ago, scientists warned the world's fish and seafood populations may collapse by 2048. But wait one second... If they're serious, what's a seafood lover like me to do 40 years from now?
Okay, while we may be headed for trouble - let's remember fishing can be done responsibly and sustainably. My post at Correlations is now up examining what's going on just beneath the surface with this ominous prediction.
We humans long believed oceans must be so enormous, the abundance of resources in the marine realm had to be limitless. We're funny about holding onto notions like that…
sheril | November 21, 2007
On the bookshelf of bad ideas, this one would be an epic:
Developers Plan Massive Water Park in Arizona Desert
Unfortunately, this seemingly absurd story is moving toward full blown project. My post on our freshwater crisis is now up over at Correlations. Here's an excerpt:
Do we, uh, really need a new water park in Arizona? Because the idea just doesn't sit right with this conservation scientist. Actually, it shouldn't really sit right with anyone who has an interest in the future. Sure, water parks are fun for an afternoon - and lucrative for real estate developers. In fact, the one…
sheril | November 20, 2007A Japanese fleet has instructions to kill 50 humpbacks - and 1,000 whales total - under the shroud of 'scientific whaling'.
Why should we care? Well it's estimated that there are about 10,000 humpbacks coursing about the planet now... low numbers considering we had 240,000 in the North Atlantic pre-whaling.
Ever notice how the actual term 'science' often appears in titles where the group may... say... be engaged in activities requiring public justification?
sheril | November 20, 2007 ...the world is changing. How will we observe these changes if we're flying blind? That's what Loarie et al. are worried about - and with good reason.
Let me explain... Imagine you're a scientist monitoring the planet from space using satellite imagery. You depend on these pictures to understand climate change, asses deforestation, and track the loss of biodiversity. These images allow you to observe many different processes from shrinking tropical forests to melting icecaps and this information is useful in policy and raising public awareness on critical issues.
If you're that…
grrlscientist | November 9, 2007tags: book review, birds, birding, bird watching, ornithology, conservation
When I was leading bird watching excursions on the west coast and we were looking at a species that was declining in the wild or was endangered, I made a point to mention this fact to my students. It was important, I thought, to impress upon them that the birds around them might not always be there to enjoy, that these birds were in need of protection.
"How do you know they're declining in the wild?" my students would invariably ask.
I learned such things after years of reading about birds, and by discussing…
sheril | October 30, 2007
Yesterday, I mentioned iron fertilization and more than one email found my inbox inquiring exactly what that means. So with readers in mind, I've composed a blog post over at CORRELATIONS explaining Iron Fertilization 101.
Phytoplankton take up CO2 in oceans and then go on to die and sink, and drum roll please.... we've got a natural process that helps mitigate lots of the pesky CO2 that's been mucking up planet earth! You see, iron is a limiting factor for phytoplankton growth, so if we were to, say, dump a lot of Fe into the sea - phytoplankton will bloom and carbon would be sequestrated…
sheril | October 18, 2007
'Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.'
- Jane Goodall
On Tuesday, I finally got to listen to one of my heroes, Jane Goodall, speak to all of us about why there is reason for hope. Now I was told by a dear friend beforehand that the audience would be sprinkled with young women who all 'wanted to be like Jane when they were young', so to that I replied I'd be in good company! Indeed, what she discussed was not new... but there is something very special about hearing words that long ago inspired a younger incarnation of myself…
laelaps | October 18, 2007I try to visit the AMNH in New York City as often as I can, but it looks like I'll be making a few extra trips this coming November. While the exhibits alone are worth a visit, the museum often plays host to various scientists and authors as well, and it appears that they'll be running at least three public talks next month focusing on conservation and extinction.
On November 13th, David S. Wilcove from Princeton University will be speaking about his book (just released this week) No Way Home which covers animal migrations and the pressures they're facing from human activities. While I haven'…
sheril | October 15, 2007'Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one and other and to preserve and cherish this pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.'
- Carl…