By Renee Schoof, McClatchy Newspapers28 February 2011 WASHINGTON — Global warming took a toll on coral reefs in 2010, endangering one of the world’s key ecosystems that benefit people in countless ways. Coral reefs are habitat for almost 100,000 known marine species, including about 40 percent of all fish species. They feed millions of people, […]
Sanur, Indonesia (AFP) March 1, 2011 – An insatiable appetite for reef fish like snapper in Hong Kong and other markets is fuelling over-fishing in the Coral Triangle, a key area for marine biodiversity, experts said Tuesday. The trade is encouraging fishermen to use cyanide and explosives that destroy reefs and fish hatcheries essential for […]
Contact: Mark McCollough, 207-866-3344March 2, 2011 Although the eastern cougar has been on the endangered species list since 1973, its existence has long been questioned. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) conducted a formal review of the available information and, in a report issued today, concludes the eastern cougar is extinct and recommends the […]
March 2, 2011 (NPR) – In 1960, there were 400,000 lions living in the wild. Today, there are just 20,000. “That represents a 90 to 95 percent decline,” says National Geographic explorer-in-residence Dereck Joubert. “Unless we start talking about this, these lions will be extinct within the next 10 or 15 years.” Joubert and his […]
By Matthew McDermott, New York, NY 28 February 2011 Turtles and tortoises may not get the same sort of attention as the cuddlier and fuzzier animals of the world, but a new report from the Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group of the IUCN shows that these reptiles are in fact the most endangered group […]
ScienceDaily (Feb. 28, 2011) — Lodgepole pine, a hardy tree species that can thrive in cold temperatures and plays a key role in many western ecosystems, is already shrinking in range as a result of climate change — and may almost disappear from most of the Pacific Northwest by 2080, a new study concludes. Including […]
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 Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune February 21, 2011 BP has reneged on promises made in November to negotiate early payments to Louisiana to help rebuild oyster beds, repair damaged wetlands and build a fish hatchery to allow the state to respond immediately to the collapse of commercial fisheries in the wake of the BP Gulf […]
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 […]
Temporal disaggregation of the moderate spatial resolution forest cover loss map for Riau province, Sumatra. Landsat band 5 is displayed in grayscale with dark tones representing forest cover. Colors mark the year of MODIS-detected forest cover loss. Image and caption courtesy of Broich 2011 Kalimantan and Sumatra lost 5.4 million hectares, or 9.2 percent, of […]
