A group of Tasmanian devils have taken up residence in San Diego Zoo in California as part of a conservation programme to protect the endangered species.
Showing posts with label endagered species. Show all posts
Showing posts with label endagered species. Show all posts
Friday, 11 October 2013
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Rare frog population sent to the South-West
A SMALL captive population of the rare and endangered sunset frog (Spicospina flammocaerulea) has been translocated to the wild.
Thirty-one frogs and 251 tadpoles have been transported from their home in Perth Zoo to a sunset frog friendly habitat in a peat swamp near Walpole.
With a genetic line estimated to be over 30 million years old the sunset frog is now at risk of extinction and now only 30 known populations of the frog populate the South-West.
The sunset frog is known to be extremely susceptible to climate change, has limited distribution and is dependent on a specific habitat and climate of an ancient era.
Department of Environment and Conservation’s (DEC) Threatened Fauna Ark project officer Manda Page says the release site for the frogs and tadpoles provides suitable habitat and extends the known range of the species —a 300km2 area near Walpole and Nornalup.
“If they breed successfully here, this will hopefully provide insurance against the species being wiped out by a devastating local event such as a large-scale intense bushfire that could destroy the frog’s peat swamp habitat,” Dr Page says.
She says changing climate as well as disturbances from feral animals including wild pigs remains their biggest threat.
The frogs have been released on private property in the Mt Frankland area and will be protected.
Staff from the DEC Walpole office will work with the property owners to help monitor the survival and breeding behaviour of the frogs.
“These frogs are extremely sensitive to any movements within their environment and so are very tricky to check on. This makes getting accurate data on the numbers and distribution of the species very challenging,” Dr Page says.
Numerous studies have focused on the sunset frog and its susceptibility to climate, genetic line and distribution in the South-West.
The sunset frog is listed as a threatened species under Western Australia’s Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 and is classified as endangered under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Monday, 7 November 2011
Dugongs facing multiple threats, warns EAD
ABU DHABI - The dugong (also known as Sea Cow) population in the UAE waters, the world’s second largest home for the marine mammal, is facing multiple threats, the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) warned on Thursday.
“The endangered dugong species is currently facing a number of threats due to habitat loss and human-related activities such as increased marine activity, being caught in discarded fishing nets, impact with boats, marine pollution, as well as a decline of its critical natural habitat — underwater sea grass beds,” Thabit Al Abdessalaam, Director of Biodiversity Management Sector at EAD. According to the agency, the world’s second largest population of dugongs is in the UAE waters, and the importance of protecting this unique species is being highlighted in the fifth episode of ‘The Environment Show with Ask Ali’ series. This episode on the dugong is being screened at the Eco-Cinema at the ‘Bu Tinah Experience’ until November 10.
“The endangered dugong species is currently facing a number of threats due to habitat loss and human-related activities such as increased marine activity, being caught in discarded fishing nets, impact with boats, marine pollution, as well as a decline of its critical natural habitat — underwater sea grass beds,” Thabit Al Abdessalaam, Director of Biodiversity Management Sector at EAD. According to the agency, the world’s second largest population of dugongs is in the UAE waters, and the importance of protecting this unique species is being highlighted in the fifth episode of ‘The Environment Show with Ask Ali’ series. This episode on the dugong is being screened at the Eco-Cinema at the ‘Bu Tinah Experience’ until November 10.
There are only 95,000 to 100,000 dugongs left in the world. Australia has 85,000, the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea bordering countries have approximately 7,300, while the remainder are located in the other range states.
“The protection of Bu Tinah Island and other dugong habitats continues to be a priority for Abu Dhabi. As our country continues to grow and develop, we must ensure that all our biodiversity and natural resources are conserved effectively,” said Al Abdessalaam.
In this episode of the documentary, viewers get a closer look at the dugong and learn why it has been classified as being ‘vulnerable to extinction’ under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) 2009 Red List of Threatened Species.
This index indicates how such animals face a high risk of extinction in the wild. During the programme, Ali meets with experts from the EAD who explain the threats facing the species, the importance of its existence to the future sustainability of the UAE’s biodiversity and how Bu Tinah has increasingly become a safe haven for this migratory sea mammal.
The EAD’s Dugong Conservation Programme studies the dugongs’ ecology, movement and migration patterns. The data collected over the past 10 years has enabled the EAD to better understand the health of the environment and how it should be managed to ensure long-term sustainability.
It has also helped the EAD to understand dugong behaviour and contribute to the establishment of the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve.
“We are focused on ensuring that Abu Dhabi’s waters are managed in a manner which helps this globally endangered species. These efforts have enabled us to maintain the species’ population by ensuring the integrity of its key habitats and marine ecosystems,” said Abdessalaam.
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
'Watch out before lighting your bonfires,' hedgehog carers warn
Sunday 30 October 2011
THE Help a Hedgehog Hospital in Brimscombe is urging householders to be vigilant before lighting bonfires this month.
Woodpiles make ideal places for hedgehogs to sleep and raise their families in and recently a mother with a litter of autumn juveniles hoglets were found while a bonfire was being dismantled before it was rebuilt elsewhere in the garden.
"Had they not been discovered they would have perished in the fire," said hedgehog carer John Crowther.
"Ideally the entire pile should be re-sited before being lit.
"If this is not possible the base of the pile should be examined carefully using a torch or better still it should be lit the same day it is built before a hedgehog has had chance to move in."
Help a Hedgehog Hospital held an awareness event in Stratford Park on Sunday, October 18 to highlight the plight of hedgehogs. More than £400 was raised to enable the hospital to buy food and medication for many of the sick and injured animals in its care.
In addition, Alicia Dembny took part in the recent horseless event at Badminton and raised £150.
Another awareness day is being held in Bussage Village Hall from 10am until 2pm on Sunday, November 20 - come along and meet the hedgehogs.
For more details call 01453 886424 or go to www.helpahedgehog.org
http://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/archive/2011/10/30/News+%28snj_news%29/9332789._Watch_out_before_lighting_your_bonfires____hedgehog_carers_warn/
THE Help a Hedgehog Hospital in Brimscombe is urging householders to be vigilant before lighting bonfires this month.
Woodpiles make ideal places for hedgehogs to sleep and raise their families in and recently a mother with a litter of autumn juveniles hoglets were found while a bonfire was being dismantled before it was rebuilt elsewhere in the garden.
"Had they not been discovered they would have perished in the fire," said hedgehog carer John Crowther.
"Ideally the entire pile should be re-sited before being lit.
"If this is not possible the base of the pile should be examined carefully using a torch or better still it should be lit the same day it is built before a hedgehog has had chance to move in."
Help a Hedgehog Hospital held an awareness event in Stratford Park on Sunday, October 18 to highlight the plight of hedgehogs. More than £400 was raised to enable the hospital to buy food and medication for many of the sick and injured animals in its care.
In addition, Alicia Dembny took part in the recent horseless event at Badminton and raised £150.
Another awareness day is being held in Bussage Village Hall from 10am until 2pm on Sunday, November 20 - come along and meet the hedgehogs.
For more details call 01453 886424 or go to www.helpahedgehog.org
http://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/archive/2011/10/30/News+%28snj_news%29/9332789._Watch_out_before_lighting_your_bonfires____hedgehog_carers_warn/
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Biologists warn species at risk from new field
ENDANGERED species such as pygmy possums, bats, mice and striped wallabies will become extinct in northern NSW if the state's largest gas field goes ahead as planned, biologists have warned the federal government.
A planned coal seam gas operation near Narrabri would put at least 110 gas wells and 1000 kilometres of pipelines through the Pilliga woodland area, according to a plan being put forward by Eastern Star Gas.
Eastern Star said it was positive that this could be done with minimal impact on plants and animals and said it welcomed the independent wildlife survey.
But the study, commissioned by the Northern Inland Council for the Environment, found 20 endangered species living in the area slated for the gas field, only some of which had been identified by the company's own research.
A report will be forwarded to the federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke, who will be required to assess the gas field's impact on endangered fauna.
The team of 15 biologists and volunteers who completed the study on a pro bono basis said vulnerable animals would be severely affected.
''These animals will become locally extinct … exotic species will proliferate instead - foxes, goats, feral pigs,'' a director of the consultancy Landmark Ecological Services, David Milledge, said.
''This is 4000 square kilometres of forest and woodland. It is very important for these species.''
A spokesman for Eastern Star Gas, which is about to be taken over by Santos, said more than 2800 hours had been spent over the past year gathering information about the area's plants and animals.
''ESG's proposals … are meticulously planned to avoid areas of high ecological value, minimise impacts where possible and undertake to rehabilitate fully, with a significant amount of this rehabilitation occurring immediately after the construction phase,'' the spokesman, Peter Fox, said.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/biologists-warn-species-at-risk-from-new-field-20111023-1meim.html#ixzz1bn08hdqE
A planned coal seam gas operation near Narrabri would put at least 110 gas wells and 1000 kilometres of pipelines through the Pilliga woodland area, according to a plan being put forward by Eastern Star Gas.
Eastern Star said it was positive that this could be done with minimal impact on plants and animals and said it welcomed the independent wildlife survey.
But the study, commissioned by the Northern Inland Council for the Environment, found 20 endangered species living in the area slated for the gas field, only some of which had been identified by the company's own research.
A report will be forwarded to the federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke, who will be required to assess the gas field's impact on endangered fauna.
The team of 15 biologists and volunteers who completed the study on a pro bono basis said vulnerable animals would be severely affected.
''These animals will become locally extinct … exotic species will proliferate instead - foxes, goats, feral pigs,'' a director of the consultancy Landmark Ecological Services, David Milledge, said.
''This is 4000 square kilometres of forest and woodland. It is very important for these species.''
A spokesman for Eastern Star Gas, which is about to be taken over by Santos, said more than 2800 hours had been spent over the past year gathering information about the area's plants and animals.
''ESG's proposals … are meticulously planned to avoid areas of high ecological value, minimise impacts where possible and undertake to rehabilitate fully, with a significant amount of this rehabilitation occurring immediately after the construction phase,'' the spokesman, Peter Fox, said.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/biologists-warn-species-at-risk-from-new-field-20111023-1meim.html#ixzz1bn08hdqE
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Sri Lankan elephant numbers 'healthy', survey suggests
Sri Lanka's first nationwide census of its wild elephant population suggests it is "in good health", officials say.
Sri Lankan officials said 7,379 elephants were found, with 5,879 seen near parks and sanctuaries and another 1,500 estimated to be elsewhere.
The Wildlife Conservation Department said before the count it thought just 5,350 members of the endangered species lived in the island country.
Some environmentalists in Sri Lanka have queried the survey's methodology.
In 'good health'
The three-day survey began on 11 August and classified the animals by age and sex.
Wildlife Conservation Department director HD Ratnayake said 3,500 people had set up 1,533 counting posts near watering holes, irrigation tanks and lakes commonly used by elephants.
"We have an elephant population which is in good health and its population growth is also very good," Mr Ratnayake told reporters in Colombo.
The survey counted 1,107 baby elephants, he added.
Use in festivals
Conservationist Prithviraj Fernando told the BBC elephants could visit a number of different watering holes in one night. Dr Fernando said the radio tracking of about 50 elephants in Sri Lanka had provided a wealth of information that could be used to plan for the animals' future.
A group of around 30 conservation organisations had boycotted the census after Sri Lanka's wildlife minister reportedly said it would be used to identify strong young elephant calves, to be "donated" to temples for use in festivals.
The mainly Buddhist population of Sri Lanka revere elephants as sacred, with captive elephants fulfilling ceremonial roles for priests and kings since ancient times.
Officials later denied the census would lead to elephants being taken captive, saying the data would instead be used to formulate policies to protect the animals. It would also be used to mitigate the conflict between farmers and free-ranging elephants, they said.
Officials say nearly 200 elephants are killed annually when they stray into agricultural areas, while marauding elephants are said to kill some 50 people each year.
It is the first survey of elephant numbers since Sri Lanka's military crushed a decades-long uprising by Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009.
The civil war had prevented researchers counting elephants in the north and south of the country during a similar survey in 1993 that found 1,967 elephants. In 1900 the elephant population was estimated to stand at 10,000 to 15,000.
Sri Lanka survey results:
- 7,379 elephants in total
- 1,107 baby elephants
- 122 tuskers
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Georgia hunter fined for shooting endangered Florida panther (via Chad Arment)
A Georgia man was fined $2,000 and sentenced to two years probation today for the 2008 shooting of what turned out to be an endangered Florida panther that had wandered into Georgia.
David Adams, 60, formerly of Newnan, killed the big cat Nov. 16, 2008, with a muzzleloading rifle while hunting from a tree stand on public Corps of Engineers land near West Point Lake in Troup County.
The healthy, 140-pound cat was first thought to be an escaped pet. Eight months later, however, tests performed by the National Cancer Institute's Laboratory of Genomic Diversity in Maryland confirmed it was a Florida panther - and a federally protected endangered species.
The sentencing, held in U.S. District Court in north Georgia, includes a stipulation that Adams may not hunt or obtain a hunting license anywhere in the U.S. during his probation.
Authorities say Adams knew he was shooting at a cougar, a species for which there is no open season in Georgia.
The Florida panther has been listed as an endangered species since March 11, 1967, giving it protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. Maximum penalties for violating the act include prison terms and fines up to $100,000.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission have worked for years to bring the Florida panther back from near extinction. The population has been growing since its low point of less than 30 panthers in the wild in the late 1980s, to more than 100 to 160 adults today.
The panther's appearance in Georgia was unusual. The place where it was shot and killed is almost 600 miles from its known habitat. The cat was so healthy biologists speculated it was someone's pet.
Georgia's Wildlife Resources Division gets dozens of reported panther sightings each year, but rarely has evidence to back them up. Authorities say anyone seeing a panther should not shoot it, but can try to get photos or document its presence through physical evidence, such as tracks, droppings or kills.
One of Georgia's best-known panther visits occurred in 1995, when 10 western cats were fitted with tracking collars and released in northern Florida as part of an experiment to determine if that region could be repopulated.
One of the male cats ended up in Burke County, Ga., before traveling along Brier Creek into McDuffie County. Eventually, it made its way to the Clarks Hill Wildlife Management Area near Thurmond Lake, where biologists recaptured it in February of that year and returned it to Florida.
During its travels through Georgia, the wandering panther never generated a single reported sighting.
http://chronicle.augusta.com/latest-news/2011-08-24/georgia-hunter-fined-shooting-endangered-florida-panther
Rob Pavey
Staff Writer
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2011
David Adams, 60, formerly of Newnan, killed the big cat Nov. 16, 2008, with a muzzleloading rifle while hunting from a tree stand on public Corps of Engineers land near West Point Lake in Troup County.
The healthy, 140-pound cat was first thought to be an escaped pet. Eight months later, however, tests performed by the National Cancer Institute's Laboratory of Genomic Diversity in Maryland confirmed it was a Florida panther - and a federally protected endangered species.
The sentencing, held in U.S. District Court in north Georgia, includes a stipulation that Adams may not hunt or obtain a hunting license anywhere in the U.S. during his probation.
Authorities say Adams knew he was shooting at a cougar, a species for which there is no open season in Georgia.
The Florida panther has been listed as an endangered species since March 11, 1967, giving it protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. Maximum penalties for violating the act include prison terms and fines up to $100,000.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission have worked for years to bring the Florida panther back from near extinction. The population has been growing since its low point of less than 30 panthers in the wild in the late 1980s, to more than 100 to 160 adults today.
The panther's appearance in Georgia was unusual. The place where it was shot and killed is almost 600 miles from its known habitat. The cat was so healthy biologists speculated it was someone's pet.
Georgia's Wildlife Resources Division gets dozens of reported panther sightings each year, but rarely has evidence to back them up. Authorities say anyone seeing a panther should not shoot it, but can try to get photos or document its presence through physical evidence, such as tracks, droppings or kills.
One of Georgia's best-known panther visits occurred in 1995, when 10 western cats were fitted with tracking collars and released in northern Florida as part of an experiment to determine if that region could be repopulated.
One of the male cats ended up in Burke County, Ga., before traveling along Brier Creek into McDuffie County. Eventually, it made its way to the Clarks Hill Wildlife Management Area near Thurmond Lake, where biologists recaptured it in February of that year and returned it to Florida.
During its travels through Georgia, the wandering panther never generated a single reported sighting.
http://chronicle.augusta.com/latest-news/2011-08-24/georgia-hunter-fined-shooting-endangered-florida-panther
Rob Pavey
Staff Writer
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2011
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
House Votes Down 'Extinction Rider' That Would Have Halted Spending to Protect New Species (Via Herp Digest)
House Votes Down 'Extinction Rider' That Would Have Halted Spending to Protect New Species Under the Endangered Species Act (Editor-Last count 38 more riders from Republican Party that sound like written by coal and gas industry to go.)
WASHINGTON 7/27/11- In a victory for imperiled species, the U.S. House of Representatives today voted not to include the "extinction rider" in an appropriations bill that would have stopped the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from spending any money to protect new species under the Endangered Species Act or to designate "critical habitat" for their survival. The House voted 224-202 in favor of an amendment from Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) to strip the "extinction rider" from the Interior department's appropriation bill with at least 37 Republicans voting for the measure.
"The extinction rider would have been a disaster for hundreds of animals and plants across the country that desperately need the help of the Endangered Species Act to survive," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species program director for the Center for Biological Diversity. "Today's vote is a promising sign for wolverines, walruses and species in all 50 states that, without help, face the very real prospect of extinction."
The vote comes as plants and animals across the country are at heightened risk of extinction due to habitat destruction, global climate change, extreme weather events and other factors. Earlier this month the Center and the Fish and Wildlife Service reached a landmark agreement to speed protection for 757 imperiled U.S. species, including the wolverine, Pacific walrus, Rio Grand cutthroat trout and Mexican gray wolf. The passage of today's bill would have delayed protection for those species and made their recovery more difficult.
"While the vote on the extinction rider shows that the Endangered Species Act still enjoys support from both sides of the aisle, the House is still threatening wide-spread environmental damage with other amendments to this spending bill," Greenwald said. "We can't allow these measures to move ahead that will pollute our air and water, threaten public health and destroy pristine landscapes."
Among the measures still under consideration in the House are those that would:
* Stop more than 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon from being protected from new uranium mines;
* Force the Environmental Protection Agency to stop all work limiting carbon dioxide pollution from power plants, refineries and other large pollution sources; * Halt efforts under the Clean Water Act from protecting human health and endangered species from pesticides; * Interfere with the Environmental Protect Agency's work to protect the public from toxic coal ash; * Hinder the EPA's and U.S. Corps of Engineers' work to protect wetlands and other waters of the United States; * Expedite air-pollution permits for offshore drilling in the Arctic
The full appropriations bill for the Interior department is expected to be voted on by the House in the coming days. If it passes, it moves to the Senate. Last week, the White House signaled plans to veto the spending bill because of amendments that threaten wildlife, the environment, and clean air and water.
Noah Greenwald M.S.
Endangered Species Program Director
Center for Biological Diversity
PO Box 11374
Portland, OR 97211
503-484-7495
WASHINGTON 7/27/11- In a victory for imperiled species, the U.S. House of Representatives today voted not to include the "extinction rider" in an appropriations bill that would have stopped the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from spending any money to protect new species under the Endangered Species Act or to designate "critical habitat" for their survival. The House voted 224-202 in favor of an amendment from Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) to strip the "extinction rider" from the Interior department's appropriation bill with at least 37 Republicans voting for the measure.
"The extinction rider would have been a disaster for hundreds of animals and plants across the country that desperately need the help of the Endangered Species Act to survive," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species program director for the Center for Biological Diversity. "Today's vote is a promising sign for wolverines, walruses and species in all 50 states that, without help, face the very real prospect of extinction."
The vote comes as plants and animals across the country are at heightened risk of extinction due to habitat destruction, global climate change, extreme weather events and other factors. Earlier this month the Center and the Fish and Wildlife Service reached a landmark agreement to speed protection for 757 imperiled U.S. species, including the wolverine, Pacific walrus, Rio Grand cutthroat trout and Mexican gray wolf. The passage of today's bill would have delayed protection for those species and made their recovery more difficult.
"While the vote on the extinction rider shows that the Endangered Species Act still enjoys support from both sides of the aisle, the House is still threatening wide-spread environmental damage with other amendments to this spending bill," Greenwald said. "We can't allow these measures to move ahead that will pollute our air and water, threaten public health and destroy pristine landscapes."
Among the measures still under consideration in the House are those that would:
* Stop more than 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon from being protected from new uranium mines;
* Force the Environmental Protection Agency to stop all work limiting carbon dioxide pollution from power plants, refineries and other large pollution sources; * Halt efforts under the Clean Water Act from protecting human health and endangered species from pesticides; * Interfere with the Environmental Protect Agency's work to protect the public from toxic coal ash; * Hinder the EPA's and U.S. Corps of Engineers' work to protect wetlands and other waters of the United States; * Expedite air-pollution permits for offshore drilling in the Arctic
The full appropriations bill for the Interior department is expected to be voted on by the House in the coming days. If it passes, it moves to the Senate. Last week, the White House signaled plans to veto the spending bill because of amendments that threaten wildlife, the environment, and clean air and water.
Noah Greenwald M.S.
Endangered Species Program Director
Center for Biological Diversity
PO Box 11374
Portland, OR 97211
503-484-7495
Sunday, 17 April 2011
1,800 monitor lizards seized by Thailand customs (Via HerpDigest)
1,800 monitor lizards seized by Thailand customs
4/8/11, BBC News
Customs officials in Thailand have seized 1,800 protected lizards said to be destined to be sold as food. The Bengal monitor lizards, stuffed into blue mesh bags and hidden behind fruit, were found in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border.
Lizard meat is valuable and seen as a delicacy in parts of Asia.
Global trade in the monitor lizards is banned and they are protected by law in Thailand and Malaysia. The Bengal monitors are related to other members of the monitor family, including the world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, which can grow to 3m (10ft) long.
One Thai customs official said this batch of monitor lizards was a record haul and suggested they were destined for Chinese kitchens. "They are from Malaysia and transported through southern Thailand and north-eastern Laos to China for eating," Seree Thaijongrak told the AFP news agency. "We knew there was a monitor lizard racket... this time it's the largest seizure ever," he said.
Trade in the lizards is banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
For photo demonstrating how large the shipment was go to original website http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13010751
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Llamas move fish to cooler waters in Lake District
12 April 2011
A rare species of fish has been moved to higher ground to try to protect it from rising water temperatures.
Llamas were used to transport the endangered vendace 500m up mountain paths to a tarn in the Lake District.
Vendace, the UK's rarest freshwater fish, normally live in a lake environment.
But the Environment Agency said the species needed to be protected from the warming effects of climate change and its impact on rivers and lakes.
This project aims to establish a vendace "refuge".
Derwentwater, Cumbria, is now thought to be the only site in England and Wales where the fish exist.
The Environment Agency said the 25,000 fish were transported by llamas because the mountain paths were inaccessible by car, and it helped reduce the carbon footprint.
The llamas, from local charity Llama Karma Kafe, transported the newly hatched fish to Sprinkling Tarn, near Seathwaite Fell.
Fisheries officers on foot then helped transfer the fish to the cool waters of the tarn.
Andy Gowans, Fisheries Technical Specialist for the Environment Agency, said: "By introducing these vendace into Sprinkling Tarn, where water temperatures will be lower, it will provide an additional element of safeguarding for this endangered species.
"The fish will be closely monitored, in the hope that a self-sustaining population will be established."
Environment Agency Chairman, Lord Chris Smith, said: "Climate change is the biggest environmental challenge facing the world today.
"In addition to the anticipated warming of lakes and rivers, we may also see an increase in the occurrence of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves.
"All of these could have an impact on much of the native wildlife in England, especially aquatic species such as the rare and specialised vendace, so we are taking action now to conserve the existing populations."
The Environment Agency said it was also keeping a close eye on species such as salmon and trout, which were particularly vulnerable to increasing temperatures.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-13042511
(Via Dawn Holloway)
A rare species of fish has been moved to higher ground to try to protect it from rising water temperatures.
Llamas were used to transport the endangered vendace 500m up mountain paths to a tarn in the Lake District.
Vendace, the UK's rarest freshwater fish, normally live in a lake environment.
But the Environment Agency said the species needed to be protected from the warming effects of climate change and its impact on rivers and lakes.
This project aims to establish a vendace "refuge".
Derwentwater, Cumbria, is now thought to be the only site in England and Wales where the fish exist.
The Environment Agency said the 25,000 fish were transported by llamas because the mountain paths were inaccessible by car, and it helped reduce the carbon footprint.
The llamas, from local charity Llama Karma Kafe, transported the newly hatched fish to Sprinkling Tarn, near Seathwaite Fell.
Fisheries officers on foot then helped transfer the fish to the cool waters of the tarn.
Andy Gowans, Fisheries Technical Specialist for the Environment Agency, said: "By introducing these vendace into Sprinkling Tarn, where water temperatures will be lower, it will provide an additional element of safeguarding for this endangered species.
"The fish will be closely monitored, in the hope that a self-sustaining population will be established."
Environment Agency Chairman, Lord Chris Smith, said: "Climate change is the biggest environmental challenge facing the world today.
"In addition to the anticipated warming of lakes and rivers, we may also see an increase in the occurrence of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves.
"All of these could have an impact on much of the native wildlife in England, especially aquatic species such as the rare and specialised vendace, so we are taking action now to conserve the existing populations."
The Environment Agency said it was also keeping a close eye on species such as salmon and trout, which were particularly vulnerable to increasing temperatures.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-13042511
(Via Dawn Holloway)
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Feds may protect rare sunfish found only in Limestone County's Beaverdam Creek
http://blog.al.com/breaking/2011/04/feds_may_protect_rare_sunfish.html
HUNTSVILLE, Ala
bama -- A fish the size of your pinkie finger could prove to be a giant obstacle to development near Limestone County's Beaverdam Creek.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala
bama -- A fish the size of your pinkie finger could prove to be a giant obstacle to development near Limestone County's Beaverdam Creek. The City of Huntsville has perhaps the most at stake as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service decides whether to declare the spring pygmy sunfish an endangered species.
On Thursday, wildlife officials announced that the sunfish "may warrant federal protection." The agency said it will launch a comprehensive status review to determine if the rare fish should fall under the Endangered Species Act.
University of Alabama graduate student Michael Sandel, who is studying the sunfish as part of his doctoral research in evolutionary biology, said a five-mile stretch of Beaverdam Creek is the "last stand" for a fish once found in spring-fed streams across the region.
"This is the worst state they've been in since they were rediscovered in 1973," Sandel said in a phone interview Monday.
Although he estimates their population to be in the thousands, Sandel said spring pygmy sunfish are hyper-sensitive to pollution washed into the creek from farm fields. "We can wipe them out by the thousands without even knowing it."
In November 2009, Sandel and the Center for Biological Diversity in Oregon petitioned the federal government to step in and protect the sunfish from possible extinction.
Dr. Bruce Stallsmith, a University of Alabama in Huntsville biology professor, and the North American Native Fishes Association submitted letters supporting an endangered species listing.
Through annexations, part of Beaverdam Creek is now within the Huntsville city limits. And that means change is coming.
The city hopes to create a new industrial park on a 1,500-acre farm near Greenbrier Road and Old Highway 20 where Volkswagen strongly considered building its first U.S. automotive plant in 2008. That property, called the Sewell tract, touches the creek.
Even if Huntsville is unable to come up with the $30 million needed to buy the land, it is marching forward with a major sewer line alongside the creek that will make the area easier to develop.
Economic Development Director Joe Vallely said the city is "committed to working with the Fish & Wildlife Service to ensure that any expansion in that area is done in an environmentally responsible way."
Vallely noted that Alabama cities are accustomed to working within the confines of the Endangered Species Act because the state has more federally protected animals -- 88 -- than any place but California.
"We're well aware of how to plan for growth and take the needs of threatened species into account," he said Monday.
Ray Mahaffey, who is building a 771-lot subdivision a few miles away on Limestone Creek, said growth along Beaverdam Creek won't stop if the spring pygmy sunfish becomes a protected species.
However, developers would have to "take extra precautions" to keep the creek pristine, he said Monday. "You don't want a big, muddy, eroded bank that clouds the water."
Mahaffey said businesses and homes would have to stay well back from the water, perhaps with a wide, grassy buffer called a "bioswale" in between. "Some would argue that it (adds to the cost of a project), but I don't think it's significant.
"I just think it's doing the right thing for the environment."
Saturday, 18 December 2010
Penguin chicks released after rescue in South Africa
Rescued youngsters released back on to Bird Island
December 2010: Forty-nine endangered African penguin juveniles have been given a new lease of life after being successfully released on to Bird Island following a rehabilitation process.
The juveniles were removed as chicks from Bird Island, which forms part of Addo Elephant National Park, in mid October when extreme cold, wet and windy weather threatened their survival. The harsh weather followed similarly brutal conditions in June which caused the death of 1,000 African penguins on the island.
When the second set of extreme weather hit in October, South African National Parks (SANParks) lifted the ailing penguin chicks off the island by helicopter to two rehabilitation centres for specialised care. SANParks has also taken extra precautions in the meantime by providing artificial shelters for penguins and using material to drain nest sites to aid penguin chick survival.
The birds have already joined the rest of the colony
Now, after a three-hour boat journey, the three-month-old chicks were released onto the slipway at Bird Island and soon joined the rest of the African penguin colony. The youngsters are expected to do well as they are now able to forage for themselves. They have all been tagged and their progress will be closely monitored.
Meanwhile, care of the remaining penguin chicks at the rehabilitation centres continues with the aim of releasing them back into the wild in the future.
There are about 1,300 breeding pairs of African penguins on Bird Island and about 2,500 breeding pairs on St Croix Island, home to the largest African Penguin breeding colony in the world.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/penguins-bird-island.html
December 2010: Forty-nine endangered African penguin juveniles have been given a new lease of life after being successfully released on to Bird Island following a rehabilitation process.
The juveniles were removed as chicks from Bird Island, which forms part of Addo Elephant National Park, in mid October when extreme cold, wet and windy weather threatened their survival. The harsh weather followed similarly brutal conditions in June which caused the death of 1,000 African penguins on the island.
When the second set of extreme weather hit in October, South African National Parks (SANParks) lifted the ailing penguin chicks off the island by helicopter to two rehabilitation centres for specialised care. SANParks has also taken extra precautions in the meantime by providing artificial shelters for penguins and using material to drain nest sites to aid penguin chick survival.
The birds have already joined the rest of the colony
Now, after a three-hour boat journey, the three-month-old chicks were released onto the slipway at Bird Island and soon joined the rest of the African penguin colony. The youngsters are expected to do well as they are now able to forage for themselves. They have all been tagged and their progress will be closely monitored.
Meanwhile, care of the remaining penguin chicks at the rehabilitation centres continues with the aim of releasing them back into the wild in the future.
There are about 1,300 breeding pairs of African penguins on Bird Island and about 2,500 breeding pairs on St Croix Island, home to the largest African Penguin breeding colony in the world.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/penguins-bird-island.html
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