By Victoria GillScience and nature reporter, BBC News The effective population of the critically endangered Amur tiger is now fewer than 14 animals, say scientists. Approximately 500 Amur tigers actually survive in the wild, but the effective population is a measure of the genetic diversity of the world’s largest cat. Very low diversity means any […]
By John PlattFeb 25, 2011 Asian appetites are rapidly driving the world’s tortoises and freshwater turtles toward extinction, and some species might only be savable through costly and labor-intensive conservation efforts, according to both a new report and speakers at a workshop about conserving Asian turtles. “It’s going to take some intense management, both to […]
Eradication programme aims to save millions of seabirds from invasive rats on South Georgia By Lewis Smith, guardian.co.uk24 February 2011 14.57 GMT Testing for the biggest rat eradication programme in history is beginning on a remote UK island in the south Atlantic. Scientists are preparing to drop poison in a limited area of South Georgia […]
By David Derbyshire18th February 2011 The world’s oceans are increasingly over-crowded with sardines, researchers say. In the last 100 years, the number of small fish – such as pilchards, herrings, anchovies, sprats and sardines – has more than doubled, according to a study. The rise is caused by a major decline in big ‘predator fish’ […]
Contact: Brian Lin, UBC Public Affairs, brian.lin@ubc.caFeb. 18, 2011 Predatory fish such as cod, tuna, and groupers have declined by two-thirds over the past 100 years, while small forage fish such as sardine, anchovy and capelin have more than doubled over the same period, according to University of British Columbia researchers. Led by Prof. Villy […]
KINGSFOLD, West Sussex, England, February 15, 2011 (ENS) – Rising demand for powdered rhino horn in Vietnam and China has driven the price as high as US$50,000 per kilogram, roughly equal to the street price for cocaine in the UK, says a international wildlife conservation organization headquartered in the hamlet of Kingsfold, West Sussex. Mark […]
Tsavo National Park, Kenya (AFP) Feb 13, 2011 – A slowdown in the increase of Kenya’s elephant numbers is raising fears among conservationists that hard-fought gains in saving the animals may be reversed amid growing demand for ivory. An aerial census conducted in the east African country’s largest elephant sanctuary last week showed a drop […]
By Staff WritersDakar (AFP) Feb 11, 2011 Conservation organisation Greenpeace on Friday urged west African countries to combat illegal fishing and over-fishing in their waters, in a statement released at the World Social Forum in Senegal. “We must tirelessly engage with authorities to ensure that the problems of illegal fishing and over-fishing in west Africa […]
By Peter Michael, The Courier-MailFebruary 08, 2011 12:01AM WORLD Heritage rainforest and surviving populations of endangered southern cassowaries and dugong were hit hard by Cyclone Yasi, scientists warn. Some of Queensland’s top tropical experts met for the first time yesterday to assess the ecological impact of the Category 5 cyclone described as “far worse and […]
By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.com January 27, 2011 An interview with Ian Craigie. The big mammals for which Africa is so famous are vanishing in staggering numbers. According to a study published last year: Africa’s large mammal populations have dropped by 59% in just 40 years. But what is even more alarming was that the study […]
