Posts tagged animals.
Progress from one of my favorite conservation charities, the Turtle Survival Alliance. They help save rare turtles through working with governments and property owners. Very well designed system with many successes.
Great news from Burma! It is the first captive hatching of the Arakan Forest Turtle at the Rakhine Turtle Center in Gwa. Built with funding support from the TSA, and managed in cooperation with the Myanmar Forest Department and Wildlife Conservation Society, this represents the first captive breeding for this critically endangered turtle in Myanmar. The species has been reproduced previously in the US and Europe.
Fla. deputy removes Doritos bag from deer’s head
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BIG PINE KEY, Fla. — A deer in the Florida Keys is breathing more easily after a deputy removed a Doritos bag from its head.
More: MiamiHerald
(via brooklynmutt)
Obama administration plans to end gray wolf protections across most of Lower 48 ›
The Obama administration on Friday will propose lifting most of the remaining federal protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states, a move that would end four decades of recovery efforts but has been criticized by some scientists as premature.
Under the administration’s plan, federal protections would remain only for a fledgling population of Mexican gray wolves in the desert Southwest. The proposal will be subject to a public comment period and a final decision made within a year.
Note this is in addition to previous efforts by Obama that allowed hunting of wolves for the first time in decades. Over 1,600 have been killed. See my wolf tag for additional background.
“Roosevelt—listed in the manifest not with any ex-presidential status, but instead simply as bwana, Swahili for master—would chronicle the experience in African Game Trails (“the African wanderings of an American Hunter-Naturalist”).
The $100,000 trip, financed by the Smithsonian, Andrew Carnegie, and Roosevelt himself, would have cost about $2.34 million today, but the size of the quarry was so vast it was nearly priceless.”
An account of Teddy Roosevelt’s hunting trip. Also worth clicking is PBS’s profile of Roosevelt’s contribution to land and animal conservation in America.
exlegelibertas asked: I read another article this morning about hive disruption syndrome and about bee-dieoffs in general. The article framed the issue in a wider context of a 'sixth extinction.' As a layman I'm generally sold on these theories, despite their grim outlook. Assuming (as I do) that they're probably the result of anthropogenic climate change, what do you think the proper adaptation methods will be, considering the necessity of honeybees in pollinating most crops around the world?
Hi exlegelibertas,
Great question and I did a little research for you (learned a lot, so thanks!).
The so-called “sixth extinction” theory has been around for a while. I’d avoid reading about it, since it’s all doom. Still, adaptation strategies for bees and other pollinators are only now being taken seriously.
Keep in mind that environmentalism is ‘stewardship’ - it requires long-term thinking, far beyond your life-time. Solutions take time and decades of research and testing. So, managing impacts are part of a long transition…
Most adaptation strategies and responses are part of bigger plans that deal with ecosystems and agriculture, so they’re more likely to be a chapter in larger documents. Here a few resources:
- Fish and Wildlife and NOAA are working together on “Wildlife Adaptation Strategy” project. Really fun project and lots of people are involved. For bees/pollinators, see page 69, Section 630.
- This background paper “POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON CROP POLLINATION” by FAO is possibly the best out there on the topic. Note solutions are immature as it’s a new field. But, it’s a must read on adaptation and pollinators.
- If you can get past Elsevier, do check out this article that describes ag alternatives to bees: “Farming with alternative pollinators —An overlooked win-win-strategy for climate change adaptation.
- Find this.
- NASA (yes, NASA) has HoneyBeeNet, a project on climate change impacts on honeybees and ag. Excellent overview of the issue, but short on strategies. Well worth a skim (and fun to see the connection between NASA science, climate, and bees!).
Hope that helps!
m
Mangrove conservation pays off for Kenya's coastal communities ›
Mangrove conservation is important in the fight against climate change, and not just because mangroves can slow storm surges, prevent erosion and lower disaster risk for coastal communities.
Russians find mammoth carcass with liquid blood ›
MOSCOW (AP) — A perfectly preserved woolly mammoth carcass with liquid blood has been found on a remote Arctic island, fueling hopes of cloning the Ice Age animal, Russian scientists said Thursday.
The carcass was in such good shape because its lower part was stuck in pure ice, said Semyon Grigoryev, the head of the Mammoth Museum, who led the expedition into the Lyakhovsky Islands off the Siberian coast.
“The blood is very dark, it was found in ice cavities bellow the belly and when we broke these cavities with a poll pick, the blood came running out,” he said in a statement released by the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, which sent the team.
Wooly mammoths are thought to have died out around 10,000 years ago, although scientists think small groups of them lived longer in Alaska and on islands off Siberia.Scientists have deciphered much of the woolly mammoth’s genetic code from their hair, and some believe it’s possible to clone them if living cells are found Grigoryev said the find could provide the necessary material. The blood of mammoths appeared not to freeze in extreme temperatures, likely keeping mammoths warm, he said.The temperature at the time of excavation was -7 to - 10 degrees Celsius (14 to 19 degrees Fahrenheit.)
The researchers collected the samples of the animal’s blood in tubes with a special preservative agent. They were sent to Yakutsk for bacterial examination in order to spot potentially dangerous infections.The carcass’ muscle tissue was also in perfect condition.
“The fragments of muscle tissues, which we’ve found out of the body, have a natural red color of fresh meat,” Grigoryev said.Up to 4 meters (13 feet) in height and 10 tons in weight, mammoths roamed across huge areas between Great Britain and North America and were driven to extinction by humans and the changing climate.
The Majestic Grolar Bear
“Watch the trailer for an exciting series of videos documenting the comprehensive restoration and conservation process in the Hall of North American Mammals that took place from the spring of 2011 to the Fall of 2012.
The 16-part series was recognized as an Official Honoree for the 2013 Webby Awards in the Documentary: Series category”
Fantastic.
Free documentary: Salmon Confidential.
I think we all need a break right now, so here’s the world’s smallest monkey eating a noodle.
A disabled killer whale that is missing two fins is able to survive in the wild with the help of its family, who hunt food its food.
The young killer whale has no dorsal fin or right-side pectoral fin, leaving it unable to hunt for itself.
But rather than be left to fend for itself or die, the whale appears to be cared for by members of its pod, which share their food with the youngster.
Source: X
Climate Adaptation
by Michael Cotē
I want to punch climate change in the face.
A blog about the interactions between the built environment, people, and nature.
I'm a Washington, DC-based climate adaptation specialist. I help governments and stakeholders around the world increase their capacity to deal with climate impacts.
In addition to traveling and hiking, I research, publish, and lecture on how cities can adapt to climate change.
"Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt." - John Updike
Professional inquiries, please
email.
about.me
FAQs
Follow!
Ask!
Donations (supports my book - thank you!)
-----------
My Book Recommendations (New!)
Book Store
NASA's Climate Indicators
------------
G+
LinkedIn
@climatecote
RSS
Archive
