First comprehensive Gulf oil spill study reveals extensive damage in shoreline, deepwater habitats

By  Mark Schleifstein6 December 2013 (The Times-Picayune) – The extensive damage caused by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the ensuing cleanup efforts to natural resources along the shoreline and in deepwater habitats of the Gulf of Mexico were outlined for the first time Friday (Dec. 6) in a comprehensive environmental assessment. The assessment, […]

Crocodiles disappearing in Jamaica as poachers slaughter them for bush meat

By David McFadden   6 October 2013 CASCADE, Jamaica (AP) – Crocodiles were once so abundant along the salty rim of southern Jamaica that images of their toothy jaws and spiny armour crown the tropical island’s coat of arms and are stenciled on the bumpers of military vehicles. Now, the big reptiles are increasingly difficult to […]

Details emerge on murder of turtle conservationist Jairo Mora in Costa Rica

By Lindsay Fendt 3 September 2013 (Tico Times) – Hours before his murder, sea turtle conservationist Jairo Mora came upon poachers digging up turtle eggs at the notoriously dangerous Moín Beach, near Limón on Costa Rica’s northern Caribbean coast. Mora reasoned with the poachers, perhaps explaining that leatherbacks – enormous, prehistoric-looking turtles – are endangered. […]

Slain turtle conservationist honored at 50th anniversary of Costa Rica National Park System – Activists call for truth commission to investigate other violent incidents

By Zach Dyer 26 August 2013 CABO BLANCO, Puntarenas (The Tico Times) – With the Pacific Ocean crashing against the beach at Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve, the Costa Rican National System of Conservation Areas and the Ministry of the Environment and Energy (MINAE) posthumously honored Jairo Mora for his dedication to marine conservation during […]

Costa Rica police arrest several suspects in murder of turtle conservationist – ‘Here is where the story begins and we will see if justice works’

By Lindsay Fendt and Zachary Dyer 31 July 2013 Two months after the 26-year-old turtle conservationist was murdered on a Caribbean beach, police conduct several raids on the Caribbean coast and have at least 6 suspects in custody. More arrests are expected, police say. MOÍN, Limón (Tico Times) – Shortly after 5 a.m. on Wednesday, […]

Murder of turtle conservationist highlights perils of protecting Costa Rica’s environmental wealth – ‘The same people who want to sell drugs are the same people who come to the beach and kill turtles’

By Lindsay Fendt 9 July 2013 (Tico Times) – The murder of 26-year-old Jairo Mora in late May exposed cracks in the country’s international environmental image, and proved that protecting nature sometimes has a terrible cost. Costa Rican park rangers switched out their muck boots for loafers and converged on San José two weeks ago […]

Mobile marine reserves may reduce slaughter of endangered sea life

By Steve Connor, Vancouver 18 February 2012 The indiscriminate slaughter of vast numbers of turtles, sharks, albatrosses, and other endangered marine animals that get unintentionally caught by fishermen as “by-catch” could be prevented by a radical proposal of mobile marine reserves, scientists said yesterday. Protected areas of the ocean where commercial fishing is banned would […]

Bird numbers plummet around stricken Fukushima plant

By David McNeill 3 February 2012 TOKYO – Researchers working around Japan’s disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant say bird populations there have begun to dwindle, in what may be a chilling harbinger of the impact of radioactive fallout on local life. In the first major study of the impact of the world’s worst nuclear crisis […]

All hazardous containers removed from Rena’s deck – Environmental effects of chemicals unknown

24 January 2012 (Radio New Zealand) – Salvage work on the Rena reached a milestone on Tuesday with all containers holding hazardous material now removed from the upper decks of the vessel. Thirty-two containers of dangerous goods, including flammable and toxic chemicals, were on board the Rena when it ran aground on Astrolabe Reef on […]

One in six ‘Finding Nemo’ species faces extinction

By Brian Williams, The Courier-Mail12 December 2011 ONE in every six species related to characters in the smash hit kids’ movie Finding Nemo is threatened with extinction. Scientists analysed risks faced by Nemo, the charismatic clownfish, and more than 1500 other species related to characters in the 2003 animation. International Union for Conservation of Nature […]

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