Rewilding & Conservation News and Discussions

Post Reply
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Rewilding & Conservation News and Discussions

Post by caltrek »

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Agrees that Florida Manatees Need More Habitat Protections
by Megan butler
June 1, 2022

Introduction:
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Courthouse News) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service committed on Wednesday to revise the critical habitat designation for endangered Florida manatees by September 2024 in a legal agreement with conservation nonprofits.

The Wildlife Advocacy Project, the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and Save the Manatee Club — jointly founded by musician Jimmy Buffett and former U.S. Senator and Florida Governor Bob Graham — filed a petition in December 2008 calling for revisions of the Florida manatee’s critical habitat under the Administrative Procedure Act and Endangered Species Act.

The Florida manatee was one of the first species to be listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, which designated critical manatee habitat for protection in 1976.

After decades of significant changes in coastal development, industrial growth and increased recreational use of the manatees’ nearshore habitats, new understanding of their defined critical habitats is expected to help restore them and improve the species’ recovery.

A record-setting 1,100 Florida manatees died in 2021, mostly due to starvation caused by water pollution in the Indian River Lagoon according to the Center for Biological Diversity. The species continues to face significant threats to its survival throughout Florida, where harmful algae and the loss of seagrass and warm-water refuges, such as springs, continue to shrink its habitat.
Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/feds-ag ... tections/
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
Time_Traveller
Posts: 2103
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 4:49 pm
Location: Clermont, Indiana, USA, October 7th 2019 B.C.E

Re: Rewilding & Conservation News and Discussions

Post by Time_Traveller »

Turtle dove numbers plunge by 98% in UK, study finds
Monday 20 June 2022

Just 2,100 pairs of turtle doves now breed in the UK - a startling fall of 98% in the highly threatened bird's numbers.

The first national survey of the turtle dove - long considered a symbol of love - suggested the alarming decline was due to loss of habitat in UK breeding grounds and unsustainable hunting as it migrates over Europe to and from Africa.

Research last year by volunteers, farmers, study groups, county bird clubs and other organisations, recording turtle doves across their UK range, reveals there are now an estimated 2,100 pairs, down from 125,000 in 1970.

But wildlife charity the RSPB said there was hope for the species, with solutions now in place to tackle the threats it faces.

Those include Operation Turtle Dove - a partnership of conservation organisations driving efforts to restore and create habitat for the birds to breed in the UK, with advisers to help land managers create the scrub and tall hedges they need and provide them with extra seed food.
https://news.sky.com/story/turtle-dove- ... s-12637449
"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."

-H.G Wells.
User avatar
Time_Traveller
Posts: 2103
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 4:49 pm
Location: Clermont, Indiana, USA, October 7th 2019 B.C.E

Re: Rewilding & Conservation News and Discussions

Post by Time_Traveller »

EU plan to halve use of pesticides in ‘milestone’ legislation to restore ecosystems
Wed 22 Jun 2022

For the first time in 30 years, legislation has been put forward to address catastrophic wildlife loss in the EU. Legally binding targets for all member states to restore wildlife on land, rivers and the sea were announced today, alongside a crackdown on chemical pesticides.

In a boost for UN negotiations on halting and reversing biodiversity loss, targets released by the European Commission include reversing the decline of pollinator populations and restoring 20% of land and sea by 2030, with all ecosystems to be under restoration by 2050. The commission also proposed a target to cut the use of chemical pesticides in half by 2030 and eradicate their use near schools, hospitals and playgrounds.

Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president of the commission, said the laws were a step forward in tackling the “looming ecocide” threatening the planet. Around €100bn (£85bn) will be available for spending on biodiversity, including the restoration of ecosystems. The target of 2030 to cut the use of pesticides will give farmers time to find alternatives.

Stella Kyriakides, commissioner for health and food safety, said: “We need to reduce the use of chemical pesticides to protect our soil, air and food, and ultimately the health of our citizens. This is not about banning pesticides. This is about making them a last resort measure.”

The proposals, which campaigners have hailed as a potential milestone for nature, could become law in around a year. The restoration proposal is the first biodiversity legislation since the release of the Habitats Directive in 1992 and is a crucial part of the EU’s biodiversity strategy.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ersity-aoe
"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."

-H.G Wells.
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Rewilding & Conservation News and Discussions

Post by caltrek »

When rewilding may not actually be rewilding, and conservation may not actually be conservation.

Conservationists Warn the 'Save Our Sequoias Act' Would Do the Opposite
by Kenny Stancil
June 22, 2022

Introduction:
(Common Dreams) A coalition of more than 80 environmental organizations representing millions of Americans has sent a letter urging members of Congress to vote against the so-called "Save Our Sequoias Act"—legislation the groups warn would do the very opposite of what its name suggests.

The groups acknowledge in their letter that "[p]rotecting the iconic Giant Sequoias is an important goal," but argue that the proposed legislation, co-authored by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), would "weaken existing environmental law to expedite potentially harmful logging projects that undermine the ecological integrity of sequoia groves."

"Some provisions in the bill," the letter states, "could actually exacerbate the threat to the Giant Sequoias and our forests."

According to the coalition, "bedrock environmental laws"—including the Endangered Species Act (ESA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)—would be "severely undercut" if the proposal were enacted.

Although it is locally focused on California's fire-ravaged sequoia groves, Earthjustice senior legislative representative Blaine Miller-McFeeley warned Wednesday in a statement that "the bill would set a precedent for further weakening of environmental laws that could have far-reaching repercussions nationwide."

"It's nothing more than a trojan horse," said Miller-McFeeley, "to diminish important environmental reviews and cut science and communities out of the decision-making process."
Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022 ... -opposite

caltrek's comment: To be fair, self-styled conservationists don't always get it right. Opposition to controlled burns is an example. Sure, there are air quality concerns and obvious short-term loss of vegetation, but come a big fire and suddenly a whole lot of folk wish there had been more controlled burns. Selective logging is another example. It can be a good way to build fire breaks in advance while also supplying a nice resource. Still, the level of trust is such that opposition can be pretty much automatic. Trust problems that were first created by unenlightened forestry practices, such as clear cutting overly large tracks of land.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
Time_Traveller
Posts: 2103
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 4:49 pm
Location: Clermont, Indiana, USA, October 7th 2019 B.C.E

Re: Rewilding & Conservation News and Discussions

Post by Time_Traveller »

Appetite for frogs’ legs in France and Belgium ‘driving species to extinction’
Thu 23 Jun 2022

[img][https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/60ec486c ... 98aefc/img]

A voracious appetite for frogs’ legs among the French and Belgians is driving species in Indonesia, Turkey and Albania to the brink of extinction, according to a report.

Europe imports as many as 200 million mostly wild frogs every year, contributing to a serious depletion of native species abroad.

Scientists estimate that the Anatolian water frog could be extinct in Turkey by 2032, because of over-exploitation while other species such as the Albanian water frog are now threatened.

Export quotas for Indonesia’s Javan frog have also been withdrawn in a move that conservationists suspect may be as a result of population depletion.

Dr Sandra Altherr, the co-founder of the conservation charity Pro Wildlife, which co-authored the report said: “In Indonesia, as now also in Turkey and Albania, large frog species are dwindling in the wild, one after the other, causing a fatal domino effect for species conservation.”

“If the plundering for the European market continues, it’s highly likely that we will see more serious declines of wild frog populations and, potentially, extinctions in the next decade.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... extinction
"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."

-H.G Wells.
User avatar
Time_Traveller
Posts: 2103
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 4:49 pm
Location: Clermont, Indiana, USA, October 7th 2019 B.C.E

Re: Rewilding & Conservation News and Discussions

Post by Time_Traveller »

Extinct 'fantastic giant tortoise' found alive on the Galápagos Islands
21/06/2022

Believed to be extinct for more than a century, a rare species of giant tortoise is in fact still alive.

Scientists assumed that the chelonoidis phantasticus had died out more than a century ago. The species is better known as the ‘fantastic giant tortoise’ and is native to the Galápagos Fernandina island.

The only known specimen was discovered in 1906.

But in 2019, Princeton researchers discovered a lone female tortoise on the island that hinted that the species might live on.

Last week, they finally proved that the two specimens are related.
https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/06/ ... os-islands
"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."

-H.G Wells.
weatheriscool
Posts: 12967
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Rewilding & Conservation News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Rare wild ancestors of feral pigeons found living on British and Irish islands
https://phys.org/news/2022-07-rare-wild ... geons.html
by University of Oxford

Researchers led by members of Oxford University's Department of Biology have found rare colonies of the wild ancestors of common domestic and feral pigeons.

Already extinct in England and Wales, the wild Rock Dove (Columba livia) has been found on secluded Scottish and Irish islands, providing insights into how the domestic pigeon came to be.

"Feral" pigeons originate from escaped domestic birds and can be seen in towns and cities all over the world. These domestic pigeons are descended from wild Rock Doves, who nest in sea caves and mountainous areas.

Despite the success of feral pigeons, the Rock Dove has been declining throughout its global range—which once encompassed vast areas of Africa, Asia and Europe. University of Oxford DPhil student and lead author Will Smith says that "studying the decline of the Rock Dove has been challenging for researchers because of such extensive interbreeding and replacement with feral pigeons."
User avatar
wjfox
Site Admin
Posts: 8732
Joined: Sat May 15, 2021 6:09 pm
Location: London, UK
Contact:

Re: Rewilding & Conservation News and Discussions

Post by wjfox »

A rare orchid thought to be extinct in Vermont was rediscovered after 120 years

Updated 1756 GMT (0156 HKT) July 2, 2022

The small whorled pogonia, a federally threatened species of orchid, has been rediscovered in Vermont -- 120 years after the plant was last spotted in the state.

The plant was last documented in Vermont in 1902, Aaron Marcus, an assistant botanist at Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, told CNN. Naturalists had searched extensively for the small whorled pogonia in Vermont but come up empty-handed.

The small whorled pogonia is "one of the rarest orchid species east of the Mississippi," said Marcus. The rarity of the species may have to do with its dependence on fungi in the environment, a relationship that is still little understood by scientists.

"One thing that's really cool about our orchid species is that most of them are really, really dependent on fungal species, species we can't see underground, connected to our root system, which makes it so hard for us to understand orchids and what they need," Marcus said.

The last known documentation of a small whorled pogonia in Vermont was a photograph of a plant that had been dug up and placed in a flower pot, Marcus said.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/02/us/e ... index.html


Image
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Rewilding & Conservation News and Discussions

Post by caltrek »

First Comprehensive Review of National Jaguar Protection Laws in the Americas
July 6, 2022

Introduction:
(EurekAlert) NEW YORK (July 6, 2022) – Conservationists have conducted the first comprehensive review of national laws across the range of the jaguar (Panthera onca) to show opportunities for strengthening legal protections of the largest cat species found in the Americas.

The review, published in the International Journal of Wildlife Law and Policy was conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Cornell University, Universidad del Pacífico in Lima, and Zamorano University in Honduras. The authors say it presents a simplified way to compare protection approaches by jaguar range states that, together, could constitute a robust conservation framework.

The review comes at a time when concerns about escalating, illegal trade in jaguar parts – especially their skins, teeth and claws – has increased the need to understand the strengths and shortcomings of the legal frameworks that protect the species. The authors note that no range country permits trade in dead jaguars and all countries in the review have passed some administrative and criminal sanctions for illegal hunting and trading of their parts; however, the penalties range widely and there is a need for more effective implementation of legal consequences.

The authors list the following opportunities for improvements in the legal structure:
• Adopting national legal-level laws that specifically call for jaguar protection
• Establishing clear administrative and criminal penalties for the hunting and trafficking of jaguars and refusal to comply with best practices for coexistence
• Ensuring that the penalties enacted for offenses provide sufficient deterrents for national and foreign actors
• Recognizing non-binding conservation strategies, such as wildlife management plans, within the legal system. This should include systems that prevent and manage human-wildlife conflicts, and recognition of traditional customary management practices that provide incentives for the sustainable use of natural resources across vast geographic areas.
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/958066
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
weatheriscool
Posts: 12967
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Rewilding & Conservation News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Fin whale populations rebound in Antarctic feeding grounds
https://phys.org/news/2022-07-fin-whale ... rctic.html
by Springer
Southern fin whales have been documented feeding in large numbers in ancestral feeding grounds in Antarctica for the first time since hunting was restricted in 1976. The paper, published in Scientific Reports, includes the first video documentation of large groups of fin whales feeding near Elephant Island, Antarctica. The authors suggest that the recovery of fin whale populations could restore marine ecosystem nutrients and support the recovery of other marine organisms.

Southern fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus quoyi) are a subspecies of fin whale—the second largest whale species after the blue whale—that inhabits the Southern Hemisphere. They were extensively hunted during the nineteenth century, particularly around specific feeding grounds in Antarctica. By the time fin whale hunting was banned in 1976, it is estimated that more than 700,000 individuals had been killed and they were rarely seen in their traditional feeding regions.
Post Reply