JFF sets up mobile ticket outlet
Match time is 7 p.m. and gates open at 4 p.m. Tickets will not be on sale at the National Stadium today. The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) will have a mobile ticket outlet located in front of its offices, 20 St Lucia Crescent, New Kingston today ahead of this evening’s CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying match against Costa Rica. The outlet will be in operation from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. According to a release from the JFF, the mobile outlet will be set up in light of the fact that the World Cup Qualifier will take place on a holiday and three of the regular outlets will be closed. Tickets will also be available today at the following outlets: York Pharmacy, Jamaica Pegasus, Petcom Portmore, Captain’s Bakery outlets (except Cross Roads and downtown), Total Service Stations (Stanton Terrace, Liguanea and Dunrobin), Richie B’s Liquor Centre at Mary Brown’s Corner and World of Sport, Negril.
DOHA, Qatar (AP): Caster Semenya made herself the early Olympic frontrunner by easily winning the women’s 800 metres in the Doha Diamond League meet yesterday. Semenya decimated the field in a season’s best 1:58.26 seconds, almost nine-tenths of a second better than second-place Habitam Alemu of Ethiopia, 1:59.14. It was her second standout result to start the Olympic year, after announcing her ambition last month with an unprecedented hat-trick of 400m, 800m, and 1,500m titles at the South African championships. They were all the more remarkable because she’s hardly featured since her 2012 Olympic silver medal. She still hasn’t come close to the 1:55.56 she set in winning the 2009 Worlds’, when news leaked that she would be subject to gender testing. Semenya improved on her 800m time in Stellenbosch at Doha and was delighted. “I feel very good this year. I am focused on what I am doing,” she said. “My preparation has gone really well, but I can’t say there have been many changes in my training or my attitude.” Not so happy were Dafne Schippers, the World 200 champion, who was pipped in the 100m by American Tori Bowie, and the home favourite in the men’s high jump, Mutaz Essa Barshim. Barshim, who has jumped as high as 2.43 metres in setting the Asian record, could not do any better than 2.26, and was seventh in a competition won by American Erik Kynard at 2.33. “It’s all part of the plan. This being an Olympic year, I’m taking things slow,” Barshim insisted. “Last year, I peaked early, and by July, I was practically dead. I’m not going to repeat that mistake.” Bowie, the 100 bronze-medal winner at the Worlds last year in Beijing, said: “I gave the race my everything, and the win was mine. This being an Olympic year, I’m eagerly looking ahead at the outdoor season. I feel I’m a much better runner now than I was last season.” The women’s 3,000m featured two World champions in a fascinating duel. World champion Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia prevailed against World 10,000 champion Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya. Ayana was pushed to clock a season’s best 8:23.11. Cheruiyot was fourth. The men’s 200m was won by American Emir Webb in a meet record of 19.85s. He was the only person to break 20 seconds. Kenyans swept the 1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase. Asbel Kiprop led Elijah Motonei Manangoi and Silas Kiplagat to the podium in the 1,500m in 3:32.15, and Conseslus Kipruto won the steeplechase. DISAPPOINTED WITH LOSS
The Angolan government has announced a $60 million commitment to clear landmines in Luengue-Luiana and Mavinga national parks in the country’s southeast.The region is part of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area — home to incredible natural biodiversity, but also one of the most heavily mined regions of Angola.International funding for landmine clearance has fallen by 80 percent over the last 10 years, and without new funding Angola will miss its target of clearing all landmines by 2025.The HALO Trust, a demining NGO, and the Angolan government hope that clearance of landmines will stimulate conservation in southeastern Angola and provide alternative livelihoods such as ecotourism to alleviate poverty and diversify the country’s economy away from oil. The Angolan government has pledged $60 million to clear landmines in two national parks that form part of southern Africa’s highly biodiverse Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.The country’s environment minister, Paula Coelho, made the announcement June 17 at a conference in London. The government has contracted the U.K.- and U.S.-based HALO Trust to clear 153 minefields in Luengue-Luiana and Mavinga national parks in the country’s southeastern province of Cuando Cubango.“We are enthusiastic to be part of the initiative of the protection of the elephant and to develop long-term plans for protected areas,” Coelho told the conference.Paula Coelho, Angolan Minister for the Environment, announces a $60 million commitment by the Angolan government to mine clearance at a conference at Chatham House in London. Image courtesy of the HALO TrustAngola’s wildlife was decimated during 41 years of conflict — a 14-year struggle for independence followed by 27 years of civil war — that finally ended in 2002. In southeastern Angola, displaced civilians hunted wildlife to survive, while the UNITA faction, a belligerent in both conflicts, slaughtered elephants and sold the ivory, with the backing of the apartheid government in South Africa, to buy arms.From 2004 to 2005, following the end of the civil war, aerial surveys by Michael Chase, a conservation researcher and founder of the South Africa-based group Elephants Without Borders, found signs that the elephant population in Luiana was increasing; at the same time, tracking of elephants tagged with collars in neighboring Botswana and Namibia showed they were returning to their former range in this part of Angola.The Angolan government didn’t allow any further studies until 2015, when Chase returned as part of the Great Elephant Census. The Angolan portion of the census counted 3,400 elephants and an alarming carcass ratio of 30 percent, indicating threatening levels of poaching.The civil war that followed Angolan independence was one of the many proxy battles of the Cold War, with UNITA backed by U.S. allies, and its main rival, the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), supported by the Soviets. As financial and military aid poured into the country, large amounts of ivory and rhinoceros horn were flowing out, according to a 1996 South African government inquiry. Vast numbers of landmines were laid: a 1997 report by Human Rights Watch found that 51 different types of mines, manufactured in 18 different countries, had been found in Angolan soil. Southeastern Angola saw the heaviest fighting during the civil war: in Cuando Cubango province alone there are 22 square kilometers (8.5 square miles) of confirmed minefields.Seventeen years after the end of the war, landmines continue to restrict access to farmland across this part of the country, making it difficult for the government to extend development here, and deterring would-be ecotourists while at the same time creating ideal conditions for poachers, for whom the rewards offered by wildlife trafficking syndicates make the risk worthwhile.“The land mine issue is something that is very important to remove because we [need] our economic development,” said Rui Mangueira, the Angolan ambassador to the U.K. “Angola could be one of the most beautiful destinations.”Conservation, development and landmines: Interconnected issuesThe southeastern corner of Angola is a vital piece of the 520,000-square-kilometer (201,000-square-mile) Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), which includes both formal wildlife refuges and communally held land with rapidly growing populations. KAZA was set up in 2011 to manage this vast cross-border area with conservation as the primary form of land use, developing it as a sustainable tourism destination to benefit its resident communities while allowing wildlife, including megafauna such as the African elephant, to roam freely across historical ranges regardless of national borders.Clearing mines from the Angolan section of the KAZA transfrontier area is crucial to allowing wildlife like this elephant to roam freely across borders. Photo: YoungRobV/Flickr CC NC by 2.0In 2015, scientists returned to the region to explore the headwaters of the Okavango Delta, the largest freshwater wetland in southern Africa, as part of the National Geographic Society’s Okavango Wilderness Project. Navigating between the minefields with support from the HALO Trust, the team found a wealth of biodiversity, including more than 80 species new to science; to date, only 11 of them have been formally described.Also speaking at the London conference, Kai Collins, director of the Okavango Wilderness Project, described the difficulty of operating in the region: “We couldn’t even get the teams in to start the expedition … without the assistance of HALO guiding us through the most heavily mined areas.”“There is also a poverty that rises directly from the presence of these hundreds of minefields,” said James Cowan, CEO of the HALO Trust. “The communities that live in these areas cannot develop economically and become reliant on poaching and bush meat.”Clearing landmines: A mammoth taskAngola has set a target of clearing all landmines from its territory by 2025. The national mine action agency, Comissão Nacional Intersectorial de Desminagem e Assistência Humanitária (CNIDAH), has cleared 56 percent of Angola’s known minefields to date. CNIDAH’s clearance work has been supported by international groups including the Mines Advisory Group, Norwegian People’s Aid and the HALO Trust, and has been heavily reliant on foreign donors.But international funding for mine clearance in Angola has fallen drastically in recent years, from $48.1 million in 2005 to just $3.1 million in 2017. This fall was in part caused by a brief period when Angola reached middle-income status due to a rise in the price of oil, its main export. The loss of international funding has been compounded by a downturn in Angola’s economy; at current rates, Angola won’t achieve its mine-free vision until 2046.The Angolan government hopes that ecotourism in areas like Cuando Cubango can help diversify its economy, as it has in neighbouring countries like Botswana. “The Angolan government knows it needs to diversify beyond oil,” Coelho said at the conference. “Angola knows it needs outside expertise and investment to help preserve its environment.”Collins said he hopes the demining work can bring about change in southeastern Angola. “The opportunity is there of wildlife populations that just need to recover and be protected from poaching,” he said.The Okavango Wilderness Project is looking at ways to create a “conservation economy” in the hope that as local people gain access to sustainable farming practices and alternative livelihoods through ecotourism, poaching and hunting for bushmeat will decrease.The Angolan section of KAZA is also crucially important to the wider vision of an area where wildlife can roam freely across borders. In neighboring countries, instances of human-wildlife conflict are increasing as animal populations recover. KAZA’s supporters hope that a landmine-free Angola could offer important additional space for wildlife to disperse.“Elephants, they do not recognize borders, they do not have passports but move freely,” Coelho said. “I would like to … open the corridors so that the pressure in the [southern African] region can be less and elephants can return home.”Banner image: HALO Trust operatives clearing land mines in Angola. Image courtesy of the HALO TrustFEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page. Popular in the CommunitySponsoredSponsoredOrangutan found tortured and decapitated prompts Indonesia probeEMGIES17 Jan, 2018We will never know the full extent of what this poor Orangutan went through before he died, the same must be done to this evil perpetrator(s) they don’t deserve the air that they breathe this has truly upset me and I wonder for the future for these wonderful creatures. So called ‘Mankind’ has a lot to answer for we are the only ones ruining this world I prefer animals to humans any day of the week.What makes community ecotourism succeed? In Madagascar, location, location, locationScissors1dOther countries should also learn and try to incorporateWhy you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions (commentary)Processor1 DecAfter all, there is no infinite anything in the whole galaxy!Infinite stupidity, right here on earth.The wildlife trade threatens people and animals alike (commentary)Anchor3dUnfortunately I feel The Chinese have no compassion for any living animal. They are a cruel country that as we knowneatbeverything that moves and do not humanily kill these poor animals and insects. They have no health and safety on their markets and they then contract these diseases. Maybe its karma maybe they should look at the way they live and stop using animals for all there so called remedies. DisgustingConservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade banThobolo27 JanChina has consistently been the worlds worst, “ Face of Evil “ in regards our planets flora and fauna survival. In some ways, this is nature trying to fight back. This ban is great, but the rest of the world just cannot allow it to be temporary, because history has demonstrated that once this coronavirus passes, they will in all likelihood, simply revert to been the planets worst Ecco Terrorists. Let’s simply not allow this to happen! How and why they have been able to degrade this planets iconic species, rape the planets rivers, oceans and forests, with apparent impunity, is just mind boggling! Please no more.Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?Carrot3dOne day I feel like animals will be more scarce, and I agree with one of my friends, they said that poaching will take over the world, but I also hope notUpset about Amazon fires last year? Focus on deforestation this year (commentary)Bullhorn4dLies and more leisSponsoredSponsoredCoke is again the biggest culprit behind plastic waste in the PhilippinesGrapes7 NovOnce again the article blames companies for the actions of individuals. It is individuals that buy these products, it is individuals that dispose of them improperly. If we want to change it, we have to change, not just create bad guys to blame.Brazilian response to Bolsonaro policies and Amazon fires growsCar4 SepThank you for this excellent report. I feel overwhelmed by the ecocidal intent of the Bolsonaro government in the name of ‘developing’ their ‘God-given’ resources.U.S. allocates first of $30M in grants for forest conservation in SumatraPlanet4dcarrot hella thick ;)Melting Arctic sea ice may be altering winds, weather at equator: studyleftylarry30 JanThe Arctic sea ice seems to be recovering this winter as per the last 10-12 years, good news.Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest mapBone27 Sep, 2018Who you’re trying to fool with selective data revelation?You can’t hide the truth if you show historical deforestation for all countries, especially in Europe from 1800s to this day. WorldBank has a good wholesome data on this.Mass tree planting along India’s Cauvery River has scientists worriedSurendra Nekkanti23 JanHi Mongabay. Good effort trying to be objective in this article. I would like to give a constructive feedback which could help in clearing things up.1. It is mentioned that planting trees in village common lands will have negative affects socially and ecologically. There is no need to even have to agree or disagree with it, because, you also mentioned the fact that Cauvery Calling aims to plant trees only in the private lands of the farmers. So, plantation in the common lands doesn’t come into the picture.2.I don’t see that the ecologists are totally against this project, but just they they have some concerns, mainly in terms of what species of trees will be planted. And because there was no direct communication between the ecologists and Isha Foundation, it was not possible for them to address the concerns. As you seem to have spoken with an Isha spokesperson, if you could connect the concerned parties, it would be great, because I see that the ecologists are genuinely interested in making sure things are done the right way.May we all come together and make things happen.Rare Amazon bush dogs caught on camera in BoliviaCarrot1 Feba very good iniciative to be fallowed by the ranchers all overSponsored Article published by terna gyuse
Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Elephants, Endangered Species, Environment, Ivory, Ivory Trade, Mammals, Migration, Monitoring, Poachers, Poaching, Research, surveys, Tagging, Wildlife 
Logging road networks have expanded widely in the Congo Basin since 2003, according to a new study.The authors calculated that the length of logging roads doubled within concessions and rose by 40 percent outside of concessions in that time period, growing by 87,000 kilometers (54,000 miles).Combined with rising deforestation in the region since 2000, the increase in roads is concerning because road building is often followed by a pulse of settlement leading to deforestation, hunting and mining in forest ecosystems. The length of roads in Congo Basin logging concessions has doubled since 2003, according to new research, raising concerns about the impacts of these incursions into the world’s second-largest bank of tropical forest.The authors of the study, published June 24 in the journal Nature Sustainability, note that roads allow people to enter new frontiers, often leading to a contagion of deforestation for agriculture and increased hunting of the animals found there.“That obviously bodes alarmingly for everything from forest elephants to gorillas and chimpanzees and lots of other wildlife that are subject to hunting,” William Laurance, a tropical ecologist and professor at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, said in an interview.William Laurance, one of the study’s authors, examines the skull of a forest elephant illegally killed for its tusks inside a national park in the Republic of Congo. Image by Mahmoud Mahmoud.Deforestation rates around the oldest roads in the Congo Basin are about four times what they were at the beginning of the 21st century, and numbers of key species have dropped off considerably. There are only about a third as many forest elephants alive today compared to 10 years ago, for example.Following a journey across several Congo Basin countries several years ago, Laurance and Fritz Kleinschroth, the paper’s lead author, decided to use existing satellite data to understand how the region’s road network has evolved since 2003. The team also calculated the deforestation in the immediate area around logging roads, and they compared the persistence of roads inside and outside designated logging concessions.They found that the length of roads increased by 87,000 kilometers (54,000 miles) to 231,000 kilometers (143,500 miles) in the Congo Basin between 2003 and 2018. The rate of expansion outside concessions was somewhat less than inside, at around 40 percent. But the rate of forest loss was higher along roads beyond concession boundaries.The construction of a logging road in Cameroon. Image by Fritz Kleinschroth.The analysis also showed that roads inside these logging areas are about four times as likely to be abandoned. Shuttering access to roads not only allows forest to regenerate along the road’s path, but it also potentially reduces the deforestation that often follows the human settlement of an area.The logging companies with licenses to harvest trees abandoned 44 percent of logging roads over the period examined in the study. In contrast, only 12 percent of roads were abandoned beyond the borders of these concessions.“It can make a big difference,” Laurance said. “That’s where [selectively logged] timber concessions start to look like a more sustainable alternative rather than facilitating deforestation, which clearly they do in some cases.”A bushmeat hunter with monkeys killed in the forest. Image by William Laurance.In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where fewer logging concessions exist due to a sporadically enforced moratorium on new licenses in place since 2002, deforestation typically occurs at higher rates around roads than in neighboring countries. Previous research shows that up to about 90 percent of logging takes place informally, and often illegally, in DRC.Roads also facilitate the establishment of small-scale agriculture, which studies in recent years have shown is the most significant driver of deforestation in the country. The authors also note that even more deforestation could occur at the hands of loggers as DRC’s leaders issued concession permits covering 6,500 square kilometers (2,500 square miles) to Chinese companies in 2018.Shutting roads off to further use once companies have cut the allowed amount of timber in a given area could minimize the hunting, mining and deforestation that occurs in the wake of road construction, Laurance said, particularly with measures that have proved effective, such as the destruction of bridges. But, he added, it should happen more often.A logging truck plies a road in the Republic of Congo. Image by William Laurance.“It’s not like 80 percent of the roads are being closed,” Laurance said.Kleinschroth, a tropical ecologist at ETH Zurich, agreed.“Companies could do more in actively closing and actively making sure who is using which roads,” he said.Still, Kleinschroth said he understands the desire to build out road networks in these countries, which are among the poorest in the world. Roads are often seen as a first step toward economic development. Though future road maintenance costs, particularly in the rain-soaked tropics, are often woefully underestimated, officials sometimes strike deals with logging companies to keep roads open or even pave them as a way of encouraging commerce within the country and throughout the Congo Basin.A gold mine in the middle of a forest in the Republic of Congo. Image by Fritz Kleinschroth.“In this region, there are some countries that do not have permanent road connections with neighboring countries,” Kleinschroth said. “That’s extremely rare that two neighboring countries are not even reachable by road, so I understand their reasoning from a perspective of economic development.“We shouldn’t be too quick to criticize building a road,” he added.Banner image of road paving in the Republic of Congo by Fritz Kleinschroth.John Cannon is a Mongabay staff writer based in the Middle East. Find him on Twitter: @johnccannonEditor’s note: William Laurance is a member of Mongabay’s advisory board.CitationKleinschroth, F., Laporte, N., Laurance, W. F., Goetz, S. J., & Ghazoul, J. (2019). Road expansion and persistence in forests of the Congo Basin. Nature Sustainability. doi:10.1038/s41893-019-0310-6FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page. Article published by John Cannon Agriculture, Animals, Apes, Avoided Deforestation, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Crisis, Biodiversity Hotspots, Bushmeat, Climate Change, Climate Change And Forests, Conservation, Deforestation, Ecology, Ecosystems, Elephants, Endangered Species, Environment, Extinction, Forestry, Forests, Fragmentation, Global Warming Mitigation, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hunting, Illegal Logging, Infrastructure, Iucn, Logging, logging roads, Mammals, Mining, Natural Capital, Parks, Poaching, Primary Forests, Primates, Protected Areas, Rainforest Agriculture, Rainforest Animals, Rainforest Biodiversity, Rainforest Conservation, Rainforest Destruction, Rainforest Ecological Services, Rainforest Logging, Rainforest Mining, Rainforest People, Rainforests, Remote Sensing, Research, Roads, Satellite Imagery, Saving Rainforests, Saving Species From Extinction, Threats To Rainforests, Timber, Trees, Tropical Forests, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Trade 
Popular in the CommunitySponsoredSponsoredOrangutan found tortured and decapitated prompts Indonesia probeEMGIES17 Jan, 2018We will never know the full extent of what this poor Orangutan went through before he died, the same must be done to this evil perpetrator(s) they don’t deserve the air that they breathe this has truly upset me and I wonder for the future for these wonderful creatures. So called ‘Mankind’ has a lot to answer for we are the only ones ruining this world I prefer animals to humans any day of the week.What makes community ecotourism succeed? In Madagascar, location, location, locationScissors1dOther countries should also learn and try to incorporateWhy you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions (commentary)Processor1 DecAfter all, there is no infinite anything in the whole galaxy!Infinite stupidity, right here on earth.The wildlife trade threatens people and animals alike (commentary)Anchor3dUnfortunately I feel The Chinese have no compassion for any living animal. They are a cruel country that as we knowneatbeverything that moves and do not humanily kill these poor animals and insects. They have no health and safety on their markets and they then contract these diseases. Maybe its karma maybe they should look at the way they live and stop using animals for all there so called remedies. DisgustingConservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade banThobolo27 JanChina has consistently been the worlds worst, “ Face of Evil “ in regards our planets flora and fauna survival. In some ways, this is nature trying to fight back. This ban is great, but the rest of the world just cannot allow it to be temporary, because history has demonstrated that once this coronavirus passes, they will in all likelihood, simply revert to been the planets worst Ecco Terrorists. Let’s simply not allow this to happen! How and why they have been able to degrade this planets iconic species, rape the planets rivers, oceans and forests, with apparent impunity, is just mind boggling! Please no more.Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?Carrot3dOne day I feel like animals will be more scarce, and I agree with one of my friends, they said that poaching will take over the world, but I also hope notUpset about Amazon fires last year? Focus on deforestation this year (commentary)Bullhorn4dLies and more leisSponsoredSponsoredCoke is again the biggest culprit behind plastic waste in the PhilippinesGrapes7 NovOnce again the article blames companies for the actions of individuals. It is individuals that buy these products, it is individuals that dispose of them improperly. If we want to change it, we have to change, not just create bad guys to blame.Brazilian response to Bolsonaro policies and Amazon fires growsCar4 SepThank you for this excellent report. I feel overwhelmed by the ecocidal intent of the Bolsonaro government in the name of ‘developing’ their ‘God-given’ resources.U.S. allocates first of $30M in grants for forest conservation in SumatraPlanet4dcarrot hella thick ;)Melting Arctic sea ice may be altering winds, weather at equator: studyleftylarry30 JanThe Arctic sea ice seems to be recovering this winter as per the last 10-12 years, good news.Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest mapBone27 Sep, 2018Who you’re trying to fool with selective data revelation?You can’t hide the truth if you show historical deforestation for all countries, especially in Europe from 1800s to this day. WorldBank has a good wholesome data on this.Mass tree planting along India’s Cauvery River has scientists worriedSurendra Nekkanti23 JanHi Mongabay. Good effort trying to be objective in this article. I would like to give a constructive feedback which could help in clearing things up.1. It is mentioned that planting trees in village common lands will have negative affects socially and ecologically. There is no need to even have to agree or disagree with it, because, you also mentioned the fact that Cauvery Calling aims to plant trees only in the private lands of the farmers. So, plantation in the common lands doesn’t come into the picture.2.I don’t see that the ecologists are totally against this project, but just they they have some concerns, mainly in terms of what species of trees will be planted. And because there was no direct communication between the ecologists and Isha Foundation, it was not possible for them to address the concerns. As you seem to have spoken with an Isha spokesperson, if you could connect the concerned parties, it would be great, because I see that the ecologists are genuinely interested in making sure things are done the right way.May we all come together and make things happen.Rare Amazon bush dogs caught on camera in BoliviaCarrot1 Feba very good iniciative to be fallowed by the ranchers all overSponsored
Banner image: Deforestation by illegal loggers in Jamanxim National Forest in Pará state, Brazil. Image courtesy of IBAMA.Editor’s note: This story was powered by Places to Watch, a Global Forest Watch (GFW) initiative designed to quickly identify concerning forest loss around the world and catalyze further investigation of these areas. Places to Watch draws on a combination of near-real-time satellite data, automated algorithms and field intelligence to identify new areas on a monthly basis. In partnership with Mongabay, GFW is supporting data-driven journalism by providing data and maps generated by Places to Watch. Mongabay maintains complete editorial independence over the stories reported using this data.Feedback: Use this form to send a message to the editor of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page. Agriculture, Cattle, Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Politics, Forests, Green, Illegal Logging, Land Grabbing, Politics, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Soy, Tropical Forests Popular in the CommunitySponsoredSponsoredOrangutan found tortured and decapitated prompts Indonesia probeEMGIES17 Jan, 2018We will never know the full extent of what this poor Orangutan went through before he died, the same must be done to this evil perpetrator(s) they don’t deserve the air that they breathe this has truly upset me and I wonder for the future for these wonderful creatures. So called ‘Mankind’ has a lot to answer for we are the only ones ruining this world I prefer animals to humans any day of the week.What makes community ecotourism succeed? In Madagascar, location, location, locationScissors1dOther countries should also learn and try to incorporateWhy you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions (commentary)Processor1 DecAfter all, there is no infinite anything in the whole galaxy!Infinite stupidity, right here on earth.The wildlife trade threatens people and animals alike (commentary)Anchor3dUnfortunately I feel The Chinese have no compassion for any living animal. They are a cruel country that as we knowneatbeverything that moves and do not humanily kill these poor animals and insects. They have no health and safety on their markets and they then contract these diseases. Maybe its karma maybe they should look at the way they live and stop using animals for all there so called remedies. DisgustingConservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade banThobolo27 JanChina has consistently been the worlds worst, “ Face of Evil “ in regards our planets flora and fauna survival. In some ways, this is nature trying to fight back. This ban is great, but the rest of the world just cannot allow it to be temporary, because history has demonstrated that once this coronavirus passes, they will in all likelihood, simply revert to been the planets worst Ecco Terrorists. Let’s simply not allow this to happen! How and why they have been able to degrade this planets iconic species, rape the planets rivers, oceans and forests, with apparent impunity, is just mind boggling! Please no more.Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?Carrot3dOne day I feel like animals will be more scarce, and I agree with one of my friends, they said that poaching will take over the world, but I also hope notUpset about Amazon fires last year? Focus on deforestation this year (commentary)Bullhorn4dLies and more leisSponsoredSponsoredCoke is again the biggest culprit behind plastic waste in the PhilippinesGrapes7 NovOnce again the article blames companies for the actions of individuals. It is individuals that buy these products, it is individuals that dispose of them improperly. If we want to change it, we have to change, not just create bad guys to blame.Brazilian response to Bolsonaro policies and Amazon fires growsCar4 SepThank you for this excellent report. I feel overwhelmed by the ecocidal intent of the Bolsonaro government in the name of ‘developing’ their ‘God-given’ resources.U.S. allocates first of $30M in grants for forest conservation in SumatraPlanet4dcarrot hella thick ;)Melting Arctic sea ice may be altering winds, weather at equator: studyleftylarry30 JanThe Arctic sea ice seems to be recovering this winter as per the last 10-12 years, good news.Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest mapBone27 Sep, 2018Who you’re trying to fool with selective data revelation?You can’t hide the truth if you show historical deforestation for all countries, especially in Europe from 1800s to this day. WorldBank has a good wholesome data on this.Mass tree planting along India’s Cauvery River has scientists worriedSurendra Nekkanti23 JanHi Mongabay. Good effort trying to be objective in this article. I would like to give a constructive feedback which could help in clearing things up.1. It is mentioned that planting trees in village common lands will have negative affects socially and ecologically. There is no need to even have to agree or disagree with it, because, you also mentioned the fact that Cauvery Calling aims to plant trees only in the private lands of the farmers. So, plantation in the common lands doesn’t come into the picture.2.I don’t see that the ecologists are totally against this project, but just they they have some concerns, mainly in terms of what species of trees will be planted. And because there was no direct communication between the ecologists and Isha Foundation, it was not possible for them to address the concerns. As you seem to have spoken with an Isha spokesperson, if you could connect the concerned parties, it would be great, because I see that the ecologists are genuinely interested in making sure things are done the right way.May we all come together and make things happen.Rare Amazon bush dogs caught on camera in BoliviaCarrot1 Feba very good iniciative to be fallowed by the ranchers all overSponsored Article published by Morgan Erickson-Davis Deforestation appears to be rising dramatically in Brazil, with satellite data showing the country’s Amazonian region lost more forest in May than during any other month in the past decade.Jamanxim National Forest, in the state of Pará, has been particularly hard hit, losing more than 3 percent of its forest cover in May. Another surge was detected during the last week of June.Residents say the pressure facing Jamanxim comes from outsiders who are looking to make a profit by logging trees and then selling the newly cleared land to ranchers.Many of those living in protected areas believe that the political climate under President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration is encouraging the invasions by loggers into Brazil’s protected areas. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has started to increase very rapidly, with 73,900 hectares (182,600 acres) of forest felled in the single month of May this year. May is always a month when deforestation rises, because it marks the end of the rainy season for much of Amazônia, but this year’s figure is a 34 percent increase over May 2018, when 55,000 hectares (135,900 acres) were felled. According to DETER (System of Detection of Deforestation in Real Time), which compiled the data, it’s the highest single-month figure in more than a decade.The DETER figure for accumulated deforestation from end of August 2018 to end of May 2019, compared with the same period in 2017/2018, shows a much more modest rise, from 348,700 hectares (836,946 acres) to 365,470 hectares (903,096 acres), an increase of 4.8 percent. The May 2019 figure supports anecdotal evidence that land thieves have become much more aggressive this year.“If this upward curve continues, we could have a bad year for the Amazon forest,” Claudio Almeida, the head of satellite monitoring at INPE, the Brazilian aerospace institute, which runs DETER, told Reuters. “It will depend on how much policing there is in the next two critical months,” he added. However, with the current state of paralysis within the country’s main environmental agencies, it seems unlikely that the authorities will be cracking down heavily on illegal deforesters in the coming months.The Jamanxim River hems the eastern side of Jamanxim National Forest, one of the most threatened protected areas in Brazil. Image by IBAMA via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).DETER recommends caution in the use of its data, because its satellite-imaging technology can’t penetrate thick cloud and so can be inaccurate. The official annual figures on how much forest has been felled in Amazônia are calculated with the use of different methodology, known as PRODES, and are published at the end of July, also by INPE.However, DETER’s data are widely regarded as a reliable indicator of trends, and the system is currently detecting high levels of deforestation in protected areas — national forests, national parks and indigenous areas. Even though under Brazilian law, these are clearly signposted as no-go areas for deforesters, land thieves and loggers have increasingly moved into them: according to figures from Imazon, the Institute for the Man and Environment in Amazonia, a nonprofit that promotes sustainability in the Amazon, deforestation in protected areas rose from 7 percent of total deforestation in 2008 to 13 percent in 2017.Many of those living in protected areas believe that the political climate under the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro is encouraging the invasions by loggers into protected areas.“All this hostile talk about the indigenous people from the new government is encouraging invasions,” Awapu Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, a leader of the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau people, told the NGO Socioenvironmental Institute (ISA). The critical period for this people, who live in Rondônia in the west of the Brazilian Amazon, begins in April when the end of the rainy season provides a dry window for invaders, and continues until October when the rains begin to fall again. According to the Kanindé Association, a nonprofit that monitors deforestation in the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau Indigenous Territory, about 180 outsiders illegally invaded the reserve in April. Ivaneide Bandeira, Kanindé’s coordinator, says that Bolsonaro’s announcement that he would be redrawing the boundaries of some indigenous reserves encouraged the illegal invasions.DETER’s data show that the protected areas under greatest pressure are in Pará state in the east of the Amazon Basin, where the economic frontier is advancing rapidly and land prices are rocketing. Of the 10 protected areas in the Amazon with the highest levels of deforestation, eight are located in Pará. The area being most heavily despoiled is Jamanxim National Forest, where 44,800 hectares (110,700 acres) of forest were illegally felled in May alone.In other words, Jamanxim lost more than 3 percent of its tree cover in just one month. Considerably less damage occurred in the next most threatened protected area — the Tapajós Area of Environmental Protection — which, proportionally, experienced less than a quarter of Jamanxim’s deforestation rate in May.While forest loss slowed somewhat in Jamanxim in June, satellite data collated by the University of Maryland recorded around 22,000 deforestation alerts. Most of these occurred in the last week of the month, indicating another hike in clearance may be in store for July.Data from the University of Maryland visualized on Global Forest Watch show the majority of June deforestation in Jamanxim National Forest was recorded at the very end of the month. This forest loss is edging into an intact forest landscape (IFL), one of the few undegraded IFLs remaining in the national forest.Area cleared within Jamanxim National Forest. Photo courtesy of OEco.Jamanxim National Forest is a dramatic example of what can happen to a protected area when it is deprived of effective policing, which is the situation that INPE’s Claudio Almeida was describing. Jamanxim National Forest was created in February 2006 as part of a package of measures to prevent deforestation along the BR-163, a 1,765-kilometer (1,097-mile) highway that links Cuiabá, the capital of Mato Grosso state, with the port of Santarém on the Amazon River. Soy farmers from Mato Grosso, which had just become Brazil’s main soy-producing state, were pressing for the road to be asphalted so that they could export the soy along the Amazon River instead of having to send it to ports in the south of the country, which incurred heavy transport costs.The government agreed to the farmers’ demand and, to placate environmentalists who were concerned that the road would lead to high levels of deforestation, launched with considerable fanfare the Sustainable BR-163 Plan, which, it claimed, would demonstrate once and for all that the paving of roads and forest protection were compatible.But this plan was soon eclipsed by the Program for the Acceleration of Growth (PAC), announced in 2007, which, with even more publicity and far greater resources, promoted investment in infrastructure, with scant mention of environmental protection.Juan Doblas, who at the time was monitoring regional deforestation for ISA, said: “Ten years [after the Sustainable BR-163 was announced] the levels of deforestation were as bad as in our worst projections … The loss of forest was so out of control that for every year between 2004 and 2013 — except 2005 — while deforestation in Amazonia as a whole fell, it increased in the region around the BR-163.”One of the most heavily invaded areas was Jamanxim National Forest, which covers 1.3 million hectares (3.2 million acres). On paper, it enjoys rigorous protection; only small-scale deforestation, carried out by traditional communities and researchers, is permitted. Although officials from the environmental agency, IBAMA, tried to apprehend invaders, they didn’t have the resources to do the job properly. Land thieves continued to enter, at times threatening IBAMA officials, and they began to put pressure on federal deputies to put a bill through Congress that would remove the protected status from a large section of the national forest and reclassify it so that their occupation could become legal. In 2009 they called for 305,000 hectares (735,700 acres) of the national forest to be turned into an area of environmental protection (APA), a much less restrictive form of conservation unit where faming and mining are permitted.A white-nosed saki (Chiropotes albinasus), one of the species that lives in Jamanxim National Forest. Photo by Valdir Hobus via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).One of the main lobbyists for the reclassification was Ubiraci da Silva, known as Macarrão, the mayor of Novo Progresso, a frontier town on the BR-163 in Pará state. Founded in 1991, the town sprang up around a clandestine land strip built to promote a rapid way in and out for those engaged in illegal logging and gold mining.During the soy harvest, truck after truck trundles through the town, leaving clouds of hot dust. Macarrão says that the town needs to exploit Jamanxim’s resources in order to survive.“We are becoming nothing more than a transport corridor,” he complained to the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper. “We are hemmed in on one side by an indigenous reserve and it’s only on the other side, near Jamanxim National Forest, that we can produce. If the government doesn’t give in to our demand [to reduce the size of the national forest], our town will die.”Some of the main businessmen and politicians in Novo Progresso would benefit personally from the creation of the APA. Imazon investigated and found that 71,000 hectares (175,400 acres) of the 305,00 hectares (735,700 acres) had been illegally occupied, most of it after the area had been turned into a national forest. IBAMA had issued 334 fines for illegal deforestation. Both Macarrão and Ezequiel Antonio Castanha, the owner of a large supermarket in Novo Progresso and considered by the Federal Prosecution Service (MPF) as one of the biggest land thieves in the Amazon, were fined, though it seems that the fines were never paid. In 2014, IBAMA, the Federal Police and the MPF launched Operation Castanheira (named after Castanha), an ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to break up the land-stealing gang. Castanha was arrested but later released.The land thieves are not grabbing land to farm it themselves, but have realized that, by deforesting it and selling it on, they can make a vast amount of money. One resident, who preferred to speak off the record, explained to Mongabay how it works:“Land theft is part of the process of occupying the region around Novo Progresso. What is land theft? It’s an easy way of making money. The land grabber takes over an area of forest, generally forest that is worth very little, and deforests it. He doesn’t want to farm it himself but to sell it on. He deforests it very cheaply, using poorly paid labor, plants pasture and then sells it to a rancher who really wants to use the land. This process has been going for a decade or more. And the land increases in value by an absurd amount. Standing forest is almost worthless. Once it is cleared of vegetation, it increases in value 100 or 200 times.”At the end of 2016, after heavy lobbying, the administration of then President Michel Temer gave way to the demands of the land thieves. Temer sent a bill, MP 756, to Congress to reduce the size of Jamanxim National Forest. Environmentalists protested vociferously and the government withdrew the project. But Heron Martins, a researcher at Imazon, says he believes the bickering has only encouraged further illegal invasions.“Every time the government puts forward a bill or emits a sign that it is in favor of a reduction [in the size of the forest], expectations increase and the number of illegal occupations grows, [even if eventually the initiative is abandoned],” Martins said.In April 2108 the Supreme Federal Court, Brazil’s court of last resort, ruled in a unanimous vote that it was unconstitutional to reduce the size of protected areas by means of a kind of presidential decree called a provisional measure. But the decision has had little impact on the ground, with land thieves confident that eventually their exploitation of the forest will be legalized. The invasions are accelerating, as indicated by the recent figures.What is happening in Jamanxim National Forest may be particularly shocking, but it is not an isolated case. On June 5, World Environment Day, the Amazonian Network of Georeferenced Socioenvironmental Information RAISG), which brings together researchers from six Amazonian countries, published a series of maps showing that at least 69 percent of the region’s protected areas, including indigenous reserves, are under some kind of pressure. Its maps encompass the eight countries of Panamazônia, and can be found in a multimedia platform titled Amazônia at a Crossroads. Their conclusion: that the Amazon region is under pressure as never before.
Researchers use underwater visual surveys to assess the sizes of fish in marine communities and their associated habitats, but diver-based data collection is time-consuming and requires expertise, and results may vary among different data collectors.A multinational research team recently published the first guide to help researchers using diver-operated stereo-video methods (stereo-DOVs) to standardize surveys of fish assemblages (species and their abundances) and their associated habitat.The video provides a permanent, shareable record of each survey transect, including the species and numbers of fish seen, while the stereo option allows researchers to measure fish using overlapping images.The guide provides information on appropriate equipment; designing a stereo‐DOV if needed; operating it during underwater studies; processing the video data after collection; and analyzing fish behavior, population features and habitat in the resulting video. Marine biologists survey fish assemblages and their associated habitat to understand the ecosystem of a place, compare fish communities over time or in response to changes in management, and examine fish behavior.These researchers typically survey fish communities through underwater visual censuses, in which a diver identifies and counts fishes within an area, usually determined by a predefined route, or transect. The method is a straightforward, non-destructive way to survey fish.Yellow wrasse in the Florida Keys. While not fearful of divers, smaller fish can remain hidden behind sponges and corals during a survey. Image by Sue Palminteri/Mongabay.However, studies have shown variability among different underwater data collectors and inaccuracies in estimating the length and numbers of fish in the sample area. Swimming a predefined route while simultaneously identifying, counting and estimating the size of fish is difficult and requires extensive training and experience. Moreover, researchers in different places conduct data collection transects in different ways.All this variation among surveys has made it difficult to either synthesize or compare findings from various sites and time periods.A multinational research team has recently examined how some of these limitations can be overcome or reduced by updating underwater surveys through the incorporation of diver‐operated stereo‐video, or stereo‐DOV. Their new scientific publication explains this method and provides a guide for researchers wanting to add the technology to their fish community transect surveys.Surveying with video instead of pencilThe authors, from Australia, the U.S. and New Caledonia, explain that the size and cost of video cameras have decreased in recent years, allowing researchers to put together a rig that a single diver can maneuver as they follow a predetermined underwater route, or transect.A scuba diver conducting a stereo-DOV survey at Mo’orea, French Polynesia. Image courtesy of Lauric Thiault.Swimming along a transect with the stereo-video rig is the most common application of the technology, but as video quality has also improved over this period, researchers can better detect, measure and identify fish, as well as record and better determine fish behavior.The authors include in their guide information on appropriate equipment; designing a stereo‐DOV if needed; operating it during underwater studies (keep that camera pointing forward!); processing the video data after collection; and analyzing fish behavior, population features and habitat in the resulting video.No clear guidelines currently exist for surveying with stereo-video, so the authors’ aim in providing a standardized set of procedures for stereo-DOV surveys is to encourage survey and behavioral data collectors to follow the same process. Reducing variation among locations and data collectors allows researchers to more easily compare findings and synthesize data from different locations and time periods to help answer broad‐scale ecological questions.The method works through stereophotogrammetry, which estimates the three-dimensional coordinates of points on an object (e.g. a fish) using measurements made in two or more images taken from different positions. The system uses two cameras attached to a bar, set 800 millimeters (31 inches) apart and turned inward just slightly so their visual fields overlap. Like our own visual system, this slight spatial difference allows stereo “vision.” The authors describe several software applications designed to help researchers identify common points on the object in each image, overlap the images based on these points, and measure the size of the fish or other object.The authors recommend using a video camera with a full high-definition resolution of at least 1920 by 1080 pixels that can record at speeds of at least 60 frames per second. The camera must also have the option to disable auto focus and video stabilization, which can invalidate stereo-video measurements. While the authors state that most divers can easily learn to use a stereo-DOV, they must prepare and calibrate the system before each dive.Filmed surveys allow repeat viewsRecording an underwater survey with high-definition video enables divers to complete a transect more quickly than when they have to detect each individual or school of fish and take notes on the species, and their estimates of the numbers and size of the many fish they may spot.While you focus on counting the jacks above, don’t overlook the shark below. Image courtesy of Mr. Cha, South Korea.Recorded video shows species, abundance, diversity and size of fish along both sides of a transect, even with the lens pointed straight ahead. The stereo-video further permits measurement of fish and other objects. Comparing numbers and size of fish over time can indicate impact of management activities, such as a marine protected area or quota on the harvesting of algae-eating species.The ever higher-definition video improves analysis of fish behavior, which can advance research, as well as show any fear fish have of humans in the water. Fish are usually relaxed, and fear suggests that spearfishing or other destructive practices are occurring in the area.The footage provides a permanent searchable, shareable record of the site, including not only the fish species and habitat features but also the context, such as coral condition and water clarity. The video can be checked again at any time and allows multiple researchers to view and comment on the findings.Filmed surveys require time and precise equipmentThe stereo-DOV system must be stable enough to conduct stereo photogrammetry underwater. The authors recommend purchasing a commercial system from a recognized provider, though they offer detailed instructions on building one’s own system.Stereo-DOV surveys require some basic equipment, including the stereo-DOV system (a) with a stabilizing arm (b), two video cameras, memory cards and reader (c, e), a cotton thread distance counter (d), marking tags (f), batteries and charger (h,i), a dive float (j), and spares of everything. Image © Goetze et al., 2019.Adding stereo-DOV to surveys still requires one or more divers going to each site and spending time in the water, which can be relatively costly and time-consuming, depending on the location and availability of trained divers.The diver’s immediate presence may frighten certain shy fish, but that’s true for visual censuses as well. Similarly, both standard and video-based surveys have trouble detecting fish that are cryptic or hide under corals during the day.Environmental DNA (eDNA) has become increasingly useful for determining the presence and community composition of aquatic species, including corals. Although collecting species DNA from a water sample is quick, cheaper and easier than from a diver-based survey, even one collecting video data, it cannot measure everything. Fish in a given area don’t necessarily poop or shed scales or mucus at the same rate, for instance, and few studies have shown reliable links between fish abundance or biomass and presence of eDNA.Could you count all these barracuda while sticking to the transect route? Recorded video of the school would enable repeat views and the chance to estimate numbers and sizes of the fish. Image courtesy of Mr. Cha, South Korea.In their paper, the authors encourage divers surveying fish assemblages using stereo‐DOVs to adopt the guidelines, given the various advantages they describe. “An increased uptake of this methodology, following the standard procedures described herein,” they write, “will reduce variation in methodology, assist in the synthesis of data on continental and global scales and provide accurate information to improve fisheries management and conservation.Citation:Goetze, J. S., Bond, T., Mclean, D. L., Saunders, B. J., Langlois, T. J., Lindfield, S., . . . Harvey, E. S. (2019). A field and video analysis guide for diver operated stereo‐video. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. doi:10.1111/2041-210x.13189FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the editor of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page. Article published by Sue Palminteri Popular in the CommunitySponsoredSponsoredOrangutan found tortured and decapitated prompts Indonesia probeEMGIES17 Jan, 2018We will never know the full extent of what this poor Orangutan went through before he died, the same must be done to this evil perpetrator(s) they don’t deserve the air that they breathe this has truly upset me and I wonder for the future for these wonderful creatures. So called ‘Mankind’ has a lot to answer for we are the only ones ruining this world I prefer animals to humans any day of the week.What makes community ecotourism succeed? In Madagascar, location, location, locationScissors1dOther countries should also learn and try to incorporateWhy you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions (commentary)Processor1 DecAfter all, there is no infinite anything in the whole galaxy!Infinite stupidity, right here on earth.The wildlife trade threatens people and animals alike (commentary)Anchor3dUnfortunately I feel The Chinese have no compassion for any living animal. They are a cruel country that as we knowneatbeverything that moves and do not humanily kill these poor animals and insects. They have no health and safety on their markets and they then contract these diseases. Maybe its karma maybe they should look at the way they live and stop using animals for all there so called remedies. DisgustingConservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade banThobolo27 JanChina has consistently been the worlds worst, “ Face of Evil “ in regards our planets flora and fauna survival. In some ways, this is nature trying to fight back. This ban is great, but the rest of the world just cannot allow it to be temporary, because history has demonstrated that once this coronavirus passes, they will in all likelihood, simply revert to been the planets worst Ecco Terrorists. Let’s simply not allow this to happen! How and why they have been able to degrade this planets iconic species, rape the planets rivers, oceans and forests, with apparent impunity, is just mind boggling! Please no more.Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?Carrot3dOne day I feel like animals will be more scarce, and I agree with one of my friends, they said that poaching will take over the world, but I also hope notUpset about Amazon fires last year? Focus on deforestation this year (commentary)Bullhorn4dLies and more leisSponsoredSponsoredCoke is again the biggest culprit behind plastic waste in the PhilippinesGrapes7 NovOnce again the article blames companies for the actions of individuals. It is individuals that buy these products, it is individuals that dispose of them improperly. If we want to change it, we have to change, not just create bad guys to blame.Brazilian response to Bolsonaro policies and Amazon fires growsCar4 SepThank you for this excellent report. I feel overwhelmed by the ecocidal intent of the Bolsonaro government in the name of ‘developing’ their ‘God-given’ resources.U.S. allocates first of $30M in grants for forest conservation in SumatraPlanet4dcarrot hella thick ;)Melting Arctic sea ice may be altering winds, weather at equator: studyleftylarry30 JanThe Arctic sea ice seems to be recovering this winter as per the last 10-12 years, good news.Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest mapBone27 Sep, 2018Who you’re trying to fool with selective data revelation?You can’t hide the truth if you show historical deforestation for all countries, especially in Europe from 1800s to this day. WorldBank has a good wholesome data on this.Mass tree planting along India’s Cauvery River has scientists worriedSurendra Nekkanti23 JanHi Mongabay. Good effort trying to be objective in this article. I would like to give a constructive feedback which could help in clearing things up.1. It is mentioned that planting trees in village common lands will have negative affects socially and ecologically. There is no need to even have to agree or disagree with it, because, you also mentioned the fact that Cauvery Calling aims to plant trees only in the private lands of the farmers. So, plantation in the common lands doesn’t come into the picture.2.I don’t see that the ecologists are totally against this project, but just they they have some concerns, mainly in terms of what species of trees will be planted. And because there was no direct communication between the ecologists and Isha Foundation, it was not possible for them to address the concerns. As you seem to have spoken with an Isha spokesperson, if you could connect the concerned parties, it would be great, because I see that the ecologists are genuinely interested in making sure things are done the right way.May we all come together and make things happen.Rare Amazon bush dogs caught on camera in BoliviaCarrot1 Feba very good iniciative to be fallowed by the ranchers all overSponsored
Animals, cameras, Conservation Solutions, data collection, Fish, Marine Animals, Monitoring, Oceans, Research, Saltwater Fish, Software, Surveying, surveys, Technology, Wildtech 
Banner image of Lankanectes pera, named after Sri Lanka’s oldest university, courtesy of Pradeep Samarawickrama. The recent discovery of a new frog species in a niche habitat in Sri Lanka’s cloud forest has highlighted the need for conserving the Indian Ocean island’s dwindling montane habitats.The frog, Lankanectes pera, is named after the University of Peradeniya, the country’s oldest, and dwells only in pristine streams flowing through canopy-covered montane forests in the highest reaches of the Knuckles Mountain Range.Researchers are calling for extensive studies to inform conservation actions for the species, which they’ve recommended be classified as critically endangered, given its small range and population. A four-year study of streams in the cloud forests of Sri Lanka’s picturesque Knuckles Mountain Range has turned up an unexpected discovery: a new frog species found nowhere else on Earth.Lankanectes pera, a glistening, chocolate-hued frog, is only the second known species in the genus; the other, L. corrugatus, is also endemic to Sri Lanka. The researchers named it in honor of their alma mater and the oldest university in the country, the University of Peradeniya, affectionately referred to as Pera.In their paper published in the journal Zootaxa, the researchers identify the new species as being highly restricted to a habitat of about 360 square kilometers (139 square miles) — an area nearly 40 times smaller than the range inhabited by the more widely distributed L. corrugatus.While there are some subtle physical differences between the two species, it’s in their habitat selection where they differ the most.L.corrugatus mostly occurs in muddy substrates, including marshes and rice paddies, where they can easily burrow into soft mud and leaf litter. L. pera, however, needs pristine conditions and significant canopy cover.It dwells in streams flowing through the montane forests in the highest peaks of the Knuckles Mountain Range, at elevations of more than 1,100 meters (3,600 feet) above sea level. It’s found only in the Dothalugala, Bambarella and Riverston regions of Sri Lanka’s central highlands.And the frog doesn’t simply opt for pristine streams flowing through closed-canopy montane forests, but more specifically slow-flowing, clear and shallow streams, with enough rocks and sandy depths to offer hiding spots.The males, generally found under rocks and crevices, give a hint of their presence when they make halting calls during the day, or chorus at night, especially after soft rain that tends to perk them up. Figure shows two clearly defined clades including L. corrugatus and L. pera, with the latter being different by more than 16 mutational steps from the populations of the former. There is a clear separation between the males with a slight overlap of the females, indicated in filled circles in red (L. corrugatus) and blue (L. pera). Image © Senevirathne et al., 2018. Popular in the CommunitySponsoredSponsoredOrangutan found tortured and decapitated prompts Indonesia probeEMGIES17 Jan, 2018We will never know the full extent of what this poor Orangutan went through before he died, the same must be done to this evil perpetrator(s) they don’t deserve the air that they breathe this has truly upset me and I wonder for the future for these wonderful creatures. So called ‘Mankind’ has a lot to answer for we are the only ones ruining this world I prefer animals to humans any day of the week.What makes community ecotourism succeed? In Madagascar, location, location, locationScissors1dOther countries should also learn and try to incorporateWhy you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions (commentary)Processor1 DecAfter all, there is no infinite anything in the whole galaxy!Infinite stupidity, right here on earth.The wildlife trade threatens people and animals alike (commentary)Anchor3dUnfortunately I feel The Chinese have no compassion for any living animal. They are a cruel country that as we knowneatbeverything that moves and do not humanily kill these poor animals and insects. They have no health and safety on their markets and they then contract these diseases. Maybe its karma maybe they should look at the way they live and stop using animals for all there so called remedies. DisgustingConservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade banThobolo27 JanChina has consistently been the worlds worst, “ Face of Evil “ in regards our planets flora and fauna survival. In some ways, this is nature trying to fight back. This ban is great, but the rest of the world just cannot allow it to be temporary, because history has demonstrated that once this coronavirus passes, they will in all likelihood, simply revert to been the planets worst Ecco Terrorists. Let’s simply not allow this to happen! How and why they have been able to degrade this planets iconic species, rape the planets rivers, oceans and forests, with apparent impunity, is just mind boggling! Please no more.Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?Carrot3dOne day I feel like animals will be more scarce, and I agree with one of my friends, they said that poaching will take over the world, but I also hope notUpset about Amazon fires last year? Focus on deforestation this year (commentary)Bullhorn4dLies and more leisSponsoredSponsoredCoke is again the biggest culprit behind plastic waste in the PhilippinesGrapes7 NovOnce again the article blames companies for the actions of individuals. It is individuals that buy these products, it is individuals that dispose of them improperly. If we want to change it, we have to change, not just create bad guys to blame.Brazilian response to Bolsonaro policies and Amazon fires growsCar4 SepThank you for this excellent report. I feel overwhelmed by the ecocidal intent of the Bolsonaro government in the name of ‘developing’ their ‘God-given’ resources.U.S. allocates first of $30M in grants for forest conservation in SumatraPlanet4dcarrot hella thick ;)Melting Arctic sea ice may be altering winds, weather at equator: studyleftylarry30 JanThe Arctic sea ice seems to be recovering this winter as per the last 10-12 years, good news.Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest mapBone27 Sep, 2018Who you’re trying to fool with selective data revelation?You can’t hide the truth if you show historical deforestation for all countries, especially in Europe from 1800s to this day. WorldBank has a good wholesome data on this.Mass tree planting along India’s Cauvery River has scientists worriedSurendra Nekkanti23 JanHi Mongabay. Good effort trying to be objective in this article. I would like to give a constructive feedback which could help in clearing things up.1. It is mentioned that planting trees in village common lands will have negative affects socially and ecologically. There is no need to even have to agree or disagree with it, because, you also mentioned the fact that Cauvery Calling aims to plant trees only in the private lands of the farmers. So, plantation in the common lands doesn’t come into the picture.2.I don’t see that the ecologists are totally against this project, but just they they have some concerns, mainly in terms of what species of trees will be planted. And because there was no direct communication between the ecologists and Isha Foundation, it was not possible for them to address the concerns. As you seem to have spoken with an Isha spokesperson, if you could connect the concerned parties, it would be great, because I see that the ecologists are genuinely interested in making sure things are done the right way.May we all come together and make things happen.Rare Amazon bush dogs caught on camera in BoliviaCarrot1 Feba very good iniciative to be fallowed by the ranchers all overSponsored Citation: Senevirathne, G., Samarawickrama, V., Wijayathilaka, N., Manamendra-Arachchi, K., Bowatte, G., Samarawickrama, D., & Meegaskumbura, M. (2018). A new frog species from rapidly dwindling cloud forest streams of Sri Lanka—Lankanectes pera (Anura, Nyctibatrachidae). Zootaxa, 4461(4), 519-538. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4461.4.4
Shrinking forestsBased on L. pera’s small area of occupancy, extent of occurrence, and the small population observed during the study, the scientists have suggested a conservation status of critically endangered. In contrast, L. corrugatus occupies a much larger area and has a much bigger population size, making it a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List.The researchers warn that rapid deterioration of this niche habitat can pose a significant threat to L. pera’s survival.“Montane forests are shrinking in the face of factors that we cannot directly control, such as global warming, and factors we can control, like encroachment and habitat degradation,” co-author and evolutionary biologist Madhava Meegaskumbura told Mongabay. “The answers need to be local. We need to prioritize this species in conservation efforts by evaluating its status by applying the IUCN red-listing standards.”“Cloud forest cover is critical for the survival of the species,” said Gayani Senevirathne, the paper’s lead author and a graduate student at the University of Chicago. “Diminishing forest cover will definitely make the habitat unsuitable for this highly specialized forest-stream species.”enevirathne said the Knuckles range is already renowned as an important refuge for as many as eight micro-endemic species that are largely considered to be critically endangered or endangered.The paper says the habitat requirements of L. pera are different from those of the highly threatened micro-endemics highlighted so far, and that a future conservation strategy for the amphibians of the Knuckles Mountain Range should consider this new knowledge.L. pera lives in clear water streams under rock-strewn montane forest canopy cover in the Knuckles Mountain Range. Image courtesy of Pradeep Samarawickrama.Further researchMeegaskumbura said the new species needs “urgent conservation efforts,” as well as further studies into its biology and behavior.“Beyond the conservation efforts, it will prove interesting to delve into the life history of Lankanectes pera, including its breeding seasons, mating behavior, ability to produce more offspring, development and species ecology,” he said. “This would help in planning its conservation.”That’s also where the naming of L. pera comes in, aside from being a sentimental tribute to the university, said Senevirathne.“We also wanted to place this knowledge before the university which has some of the best minds in the fields of sciences and humanities,” he said. “Peradeniya University is best equipped to lead the conservation efforts of the new species. It is also closely located to the Knuckles region, the frog’s habitat.”Meegaskumbura seconded the notion, adding he hoped that “the university after which the frog has been named would treat the conservation needs of this frog as a priority and play the lead role.”And the story of Lankanectes might still have a few more surprises in store, Meegaskumbura hinted.“The habitat of [L. pera] is surrounded by L. corrugatus, the common lowland species,” he said. “This creates a clear genetic barrier for the spread of the species to the other mountain ranges.“There however could be relict populations that are genetically close to L. pera, especially on the adjacent Central Highlands,” he added. “I would still expect those populations to be somewhat genetically distinct from L. pera.” Amphibians, Biodiversity, Cloud Forests, Conservation, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests Article published by dilrukshi
Article published by Shreya Dasgupta Popular in the CommunitySponsoredSponsoredOrangutan found tortured and decapitated prompts Indonesia probeEMGIES17 Jan, 2018We will never know the full extent of what this poor Orangutan went through before he died, the same must be done to this evil perpetrator(s) they don’t deserve the air that they breathe this has truly upset me and I wonder for the future for these wonderful creatures. So called ‘Mankind’ has a lot to answer for we are the only ones ruining this world I prefer animals to humans any day of the week.What makes community ecotourism succeed? In Madagascar, location, location, locationScissors1dOther countries should also learn and try to incorporateWhy you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions (commentary)Processor1 DecAfter all, there is no infinite anything in the whole galaxy!Infinite stupidity, right here on earth.The wildlife trade threatens people and animals alike (commentary)Anchor3dUnfortunately I feel The Chinese have no compassion for any living animal. They are a cruel country that as we knowneatbeverything that moves and do not humanily kill these poor animals and insects. They have no health and safety on their markets and they then contract these diseases. Maybe its karma maybe they should look at the way they live and stop using animals for all there so called remedies. DisgustingConservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade banThobolo27 JanChina has consistently been the worlds worst, “ Face of Evil “ in regards our planets flora and fauna survival. In some ways, this is nature trying to fight back. This ban is great, but the rest of the world just cannot allow it to be temporary, because history has demonstrated that once this coronavirus passes, they will in all likelihood, simply revert to been the planets worst Ecco Terrorists. Let’s simply not allow this to happen! How and why they have been able to degrade this planets iconic species, rape the planets rivers, oceans and forests, with apparent impunity, is just mind boggling! Please no more.Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?Carrot3dOne day I feel like animals will be more scarce, and I agree with one of my friends, they said that poaching will take over the world, but I also hope notUpset about Amazon fires last year? Focus on deforestation this year (commentary)Bullhorn4dLies and more leisSponsoredSponsoredCoke is again the biggest culprit behind plastic waste in the PhilippinesGrapes7 NovOnce again the article blames companies for the actions of individuals. It is individuals that buy these products, it is individuals that dispose of them improperly. If we want to change it, we have to change, not just create bad guys to blame.Brazilian response to Bolsonaro policies and Amazon fires growsCar4 SepThank you for this excellent report. I feel overwhelmed by the ecocidal intent of the Bolsonaro government in the name of ‘developing’ their ‘God-given’ resources.U.S. allocates first of $30M in grants for forest conservation in SumatraPlanet4dcarrot hella thick ;)Melting Arctic sea ice may be altering winds, weather at equator: studyleftylarry30 JanThe Arctic sea ice seems to be recovering this winter as per the last 10-12 years, good news.Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest mapBone27 Sep, 2018Who you’re trying to fool with selective data revelation?You can’t hide the truth if you show historical deforestation for all countries, especially in Europe from 1800s to this day. WorldBank has a good wholesome data on this.Mass tree planting along India’s Cauvery River has scientists worriedSurendra Nekkanti23 JanHi Mongabay. Good effort trying to be objective in this article. I would like to give a constructive feedback which could help in clearing things up.1. It is mentioned that planting trees in village common lands will have negative affects socially and ecologically. There is no need to even have to agree or disagree with it, because, you also mentioned the fact that Cauvery Calling aims to plant trees only in the private lands of the farmers. So, plantation in the common lands doesn’t come into the picture.2.I don’t see that the ecologists are totally against this project, but just they they have some concerns, mainly in terms of what species of trees will be planted. And because there was no direct communication between the ecologists and Isha Foundation, it was not possible for them to address the concerns. As you seem to have spoken with an Isha spokesperson, if you could connect the concerned parties, it would be great, because I see that the ecologists are genuinely interested in making sure things are done the right way.May we all come together and make things happen.Rare Amazon bush dogs caught on camera in BoliviaCarrot1 Feba very good iniciative to be fallowed by the ranchers all overSponsored Animals, Environment, Forests, Fossils, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Monkeys, New Species, Paleontology, Primates, Rainforests, Research, Species Discovery 
From the riverbed of the Río Alto Madre de Dios in southeastern Peru, researchers have found an extremely small tooth that belonged to a species of tiny monkey that lived some 18 million years ago.Researchers have named the new species of extinct monkey Parvimico materdei, with parvimico meaning tiny monkey and the species name referring to the river where the fossil tooth was found.From the tooth, the researchers have deduced that the monkey was exceptionally small, in the size range of marmosets and tamarins, and likely ate a mix of insects and fruits.Given how the monkey fossil record for the period between 13 million and 31 million years ago from South America is extremely scarce, creating a gap in the understanding of the evolution of New World monkeys, the discovery of P. materdei is incredibly exciting, researchers say. In 2016, researchers digging along the Río Alto Madre de Dios in the Peruvian Amazon uncovered hundreds of fossils of rodents, bats and other animals. Among the fossils was an extremely small tooth, “double the size of the head of a pin,” said Richard Kay, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University. This upper molar, Kay and his colleagues write in a new study, belonged to a species of tiny monkey no heavier than a hamster that lived in the region some 18 million years ago.When the researchers first saw the tooth among the fossil collection, they immediately knew they were looking at something special.“Monkey teeth are very diagnostic,” Kay, the lead author of the study, told Mongabay. “The team was very excited because these specimens are extremely rare.”Kay and his colleagues have named the new species of extinct monkey Parvimico materdei, with parvimico meaning tiny monkey and the species name referring to the Río Alto Madre de Dios, on the banks of which the team discovered the fossil. The fossil tooth has now been stored in the collections of the Institute of Paleontology at Peru’s National University of Piura.A 3D scan of the fossilized tooth found in Peru’s Amazon jungle. Image by Duke SMIF.A single, small tooth can’t reveal a whole lot. But to paleontologists, the size and shape of the tooth, how worn it is, and where it was found, can say a few things about what the animal may have been like.“The tooth’s crown is very well preserved and from the wear in life we can infer that it was a young individual,” Kay said in an email.The researchers have also concluded that P. materdei “was an exceptionally small monkey, in the size range of marmosets and tamarins.” The monkey also likely ate a mix of insects and fruits, the researchers say, based on the tooth’s structure.“Very small living Amazon monkeys (especially the marmosets) feed mostly on a mix of fruit and tree exudates (gum),” Kay said. “Parvimico lacks the gum component in its diet.“We can say nothing more reliably about its social habits or mode of locomotion, although tree living is probable because all known South American monkeys are arboreal,” he added.A tiny tooth may not seem like much. But fossil records of primates from South America are rare, which means that even a fossil tooth is a big deal. In fact, P. materdei is the first named Early Miocene primate from the Amazon Basin, the researchers write in the paper.The rarity of primate fossils in South America is “because the overall biomass of South American monkeys is very low compared with that of small rodents (of which we have many specimens) and marsupials,” Kay said. “Also, monkeys have long life spans and slow reproductive rates compared with rodents of similar size, so the rate of turnover is slower.”Given how scarce primate fossils from the region are, P. materdei fills a gap in understanding the evolution of New World monkeys.Researchers posit that monkeys reached South America from Africa some 40 million years ago. In South America, they diversified into the more than 150 species of New World monkeys known today, most of them living in the Amazon rainforest. However, the monkey fossil record for the period between 13 million and 31 million years ago from the region is extremely scant, and includes just a few fragments of teeth and jaws.P. materdei dates back 17 million to 19 million years, placing it “smack dab in the time and place when we would have expected diversification to have occurred in the New World monkeys,” Kay said in a statement.In fact, sediments on the banks of the Río Alto Madre de Dios are rich in fossils and are helping Kay’s team reconstruct what life was like in the Amazon 18 million years ago. The location is especially important to retrace the evolution of primates.“The proximity to the Andes is the key,” Kay said. “As the Andes rose through the Cenozoic, the adjacent originally flat-lying sediments in the piedmont region were folded, then eroded flat. Rivers crosscut the ancient sediments bringing the rock units to the surface. By contrast in the central Amazon basin, the older sediments are still deeply buried. The few other geologically old primate specimens recovered, of which there are only 4 or 5 teeth, share the same proximity to the Andes.”Sediments along the Río Alto Madre de Dios in southern Peru are rich in fossils. Image by Wout Salenbien/Duke University.Citation:Kay, R. F., Gonzales, L. A., Salenbien, W., Martinez, J. N., Cooke, S. B., Valdivia, L. A., … & Baker, P. A. (2019). Parvimico materdei gen. et sp. nov.: A new platyrrhine from the Early Miocene of the Amazon Basin, Peru. Journal of Human Evolution, 134, 102628. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.05.016
Popular in the CommunitySponsoredSponsoredOrangutan found tortured and decapitated prompts Indonesia probeEMGIES17 Jan, 2018We will never know the full extent of what this poor Orangutan went through before he died, the same must be done to this evil perpetrator(s) they don’t deserve the air that they breathe this has truly upset me and I wonder for the future for these wonderful creatures. So called ‘Mankind’ has a lot to answer for we are the only ones ruining this world I prefer animals to humans any day of the week.What makes community ecotourism succeed? In Madagascar, location, location, locationScissors1dOther countries should also learn and try to incorporateWhy you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions (commentary)Processor1 DecAfter all, there is no infinite anything in the whole galaxy!Infinite stupidity, right here on earth.The wildlife trade threatens people and animals alike (commentary)Anchor3dUnfortunately I feel The Chinese have no compassion for any living animal. They are a cruel country that as we knowneatbeverything that moves and do not humanily kill these poor animals and insects. They have no health and safety on their markets and they then contract these diseases. Maybe its karma maybe they should look at the way they live and stop using animals for all there so called remedies. DisgustingConservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade banThobolo27 JanChina has consistently been the worlds worst, “ Face of Evil “ in regards our planets flora and fauna survival. In some ways, this is nature trying to fight back. This ban is great, but the rest of the world just cannot allow it to be temporary, because history has demonstrated that once this coronavirus passes, they will in all likelihood, simply revert to been the planets worst Ecco Terrorists. Let’s simply not allow this to happen! How and why they have been able to degrade this planets iconic species, rape the planets rivers, oceans and forests, with apparent impunity, is just mind boggling! Please no more.Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?Carrot3dOne day I feel like animals will be more scarce, and I agree with one of my friends, they said that poaching will take over the world, but I also hope notUpset about Amazon fires last year? Focus on deforestation this year (commentary)Bullhorn4dLies and more leisSponsoredSponsoredCoke is again the biggest culprit behind plastic waste in the PhilippinesGrapes7 NovOnce again the article blames companies for the actions of individuals. It is individuals that buy these products, it is individuals that dispose of them improperly. If we want to change it, we have to change, not just create bad guys to blame.Brazilian response to Bolsonaro policies and Amazon fires growsCar4 SepThank you for this excellent report. I feel overwhelmed by the ecocidal intent of the Bolsonaro government in the name of ‘developing’ their ‘God-given’ resources.U.S. allocates first of $30M in grants for forest conservation in SumatraPlanet4dcarrot hella thick ;)Melting Arctic sea ice may be altering winds, weather at equator: studyleftylarry30 JanThe Arctic sea ice seems to be recovering this winter as per the last 10-12 years, good news.Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest mapBone27 Sep, 2018Who you’re trying to fool with selective data revelation?You can’t hide the truth if you show historical deforestation for all countries, especially in Europe from 1800s to this day. WorldBank has a good wholesome data on this.Mass tree planting along India’s Cauvery River has scientists worriedSurendra Nekkanti23 JanHi Mongabay. Good effort trying to be objective in this article. I would like to give a constructive feedback which could help in clearing things up.1. It is mentioned that planting trees in village common lands will have negative affects socially and ecologically. There is no need to even have to agree or disagree with it, because, you also mentioned the fact that Cauvery Calling aims to plant trees only in the private lands of the farmers. So, plantation in the common lands doesn’t come into the picture.2.I don’t see that the ecologists are totally against this project, but just they they have some concerns, mainly in terms of what species of trees will be planted. And because there was no direct communication between the ecologists and Isha Foundation, it was not possible for them to address the concerns. As you seem to have spoken with an Isha spokesperson, if you could connect the concerned parties, it would be great, because I see that the ecologists are genuinely interested in making sure things are done the right way.May we all come together and make things happen.Rare Amazon bush dogs caught on camera in BoliviaCarrot1 Feba very good iniciative to be fallowed by the ranchers all overSponsored Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Conservation, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Environment, Extinction, Fires, Forest Fires, Forest People, Forestry, Forests, Green, Illegal Logging, Logging, Mammals, Primates, Rainforest Animals, Rainforests, Saving Rainforests, Threats To Rainforests, Timber, Tropical Forests, wildfires, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation Article published by John Cannon
Bornean southern gibbons have the largest territories of any species in their genus, a new study has found.These large home ranges, combined with the species’ intense territoriality, puts it at particular risk of habitat loss as a result of deforestation and fire.The findings of this research demonstrate that this endangered species needs large areas of unbroken forest. Gibbons living in southern Borneo have the largest territories of any of their close relatives, according to a new study. From a conservation perspective, those large ranges are a liability, putting them at higher risk when their habitat is wiped out by fire or deforestation.The research, published July 31 in the journal PLOS ONE, draws on nearly nine years of data on four groups of Bornean southern gibbons (Hylobates albibarbis) living in the peatlands of the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan. Combining the GPS locations of the groups with exhaustive observations of the apes’ behaviors, the team found that this species defends a “core range” of 21 to 52 hectares (52 to 128 acres) where they sleep and communicate with each other and other groups through hooting “duets” or “codas.”A Borneo southern gibbon at a safari park in the Netherlands. The species is also known as the white-bearded gibbon. Image by Tim Strater via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).They also ply more expansive “home ranges” of almost 150 hectares (371 acres) in search of food. Unlike the core areas, which rarely overlap with those of other groups, gibbons are more apt to share parts of their home ranges.Still, gibbons tend to stick to the ranges they’ve secured in the forest for years at a time, Susan Cheyne, a biologist with the Borneo Nature Foundation and the paper’s lead author, said in a statement. That stalwart commitment to such large territories could be a recipe for conflict with other gibbon groups if they lose parts of their forest range and are forced into a rival group’s territory. During the study, one of the groups had to shift its range to the west when fires swept through parts of Borneo in 2015.The concern is that forest loss as a result of fire, at the hands of loggers or to make way for agriculture could push this IUCN-listed endangered species into splinters of forest too small to support it.A young gibbon in Central Kalimantan. Image by Wibowo Djatmiko via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).“Gibbons need large areas to survive and linking forests,” the authors write, “and reducing fragmentation is the key to their conservation.”Cheyne and her colleagues argue that insights into the behavior of gibbons can help conservationists and land managers come up with strategies to help these animals survive.“Understanding how Gibbons use the forest is critical to their conservation,” Cheyne said in the statement. “These data can feed into creating protected areas of suitable size and habitat quality to maintain viable populations of the singing, swinging small apes.”A white-bearded gibbon, pictured here in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Image by Wibowo Djatmiko via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).Banner image of a young male gibbon courtesy of the Borneo Nature Foundation. Citation:Cheyne, S. M., Capilla, B. R., K., A., Supiansyah, Adul, Cahyaningrum, E., & Smith, D. E. (2019). Home range variation and site fidelity of Bornean southern gibbons [Hylobates albibarbis] from 2010-2018. PLOS ONE, 14(7), e0217784. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0217784Nijman, V., Richardson, M. & Geissmann, T. (2008). Hylobates albibarbis (errata version published in 2018). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T39879A128972094. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T39879A10279127.en. Downloaded on 29 July 2019.FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page.
Agriculture, Amazon Conservation, Cattle, Cattle Pasture, Cattle Ranching, Controversial, Deforestation, Drivers Of Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Crime, Environmental Politics, Forests, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Industrial Agriculture, Land Rights, Land Use Change, Tropical Deforestation, Zero Deforestation Commitments Article published by Karla Mendes Popular in the CommunitySponsoredSponsoredOrangutan found tortured and decapitated prompts Indonesia probeEMGIES17 Jan, 2018We will never know the full extent of what this poor Orangutan went through before he died, the same must be done to this evil perpetrator(s) they don’t deserve the air that they breathe this has truly upset me and I wonder for the future for these wonderful creatures. So called ‘Mankind’ has a lot to answer for we are the only ones ruining this world I prefer animals to humans any day of the week.What makes community ecotourism succeed? In Madagascar, location, location, locationScissors1dOther countries should also learn and try to incorporateWhy you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions (commentary)Processor1 DecAfter all, there is no infinite anything in the whole galaxy!Infinite stupidity, right here on earth.The wildlife trade threatens people and animals alike (commentary)Anchor3dUnfortunately I feel The Chinese have no compassion for any living animal. They are a cruel country that as we knowneatbeverything that moves and do not humanily kill these poor animals and insects. They have no health and safety on their markets and they then contract these diseases. Maybe its karma maybe they should look at the way they live and stop using animals for all there so called remedies. DisgustingConservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade banThobolo27 JanChina has consistently been the worlds worst, “ Face of Evil “ in regards our planets flora and fauna survival. In some ways, this is nature trying to fight back. This ban is great, but the rest of the world just cannot allow it to be temporary, because history has demonstrated that once this coronavirus passes, they will in all likelihood, simply revert to been the planets worst Ecco Terrorists. Let’s simply not allow this to happen! How and why they have been able to degrade this planets iconic species, rape the planets rivers, oceans and forests, with apparent impunity, is just mind boggling! Please no more.Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?Carrot3dOne day I feel like animals will be more scarce, and I agree with one of my friends, they said that poaching will take over the world, but I also hope notUpset about Amazon fires last year? Focus on deforestation this year (commentary)Bullhorn4dLies and more leisSponsoredSponsoredCoke is again the biggest culprit behind plastic waste in the PhilippinesGrapes7 NovOnce again the article blames companies for the actions of individuals. It is individuals that buy these products, it is individuals that dispose of them improperly. If we want to change it, we have to change, not just create bad guys to blame.Brazilian response to Bolsonaro policies and Amazon fires growsCar4 SepThank you for this excellent report. I feel overwhelmed by the ecocidal intent of the Bolsonaro government in the name of ‘developing’ their ‘God-given’ resources.U.S. allocates first of $30M in grants for forest conservation in SumatraPlanet4dcarrot hella thick ;)Melting Arctic sea ice may be altering winds, weather at equator: studyleftylarry30 JanThe Arctic sea ice seems to be recovering this winter as per the last 10-12 years, good news.Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest mapBone27 Sep, 2018Who you’re trying to fool with selective data revelation?You can’t hide the truth if you show historical deforestation for all countries, especially in Europe from 1800s to this day. WorldBank has a good wholesome data on this.Mass tree planting along India’s Cauvery River has scientists worriedSurendra Nekkanti23 JanHi Mongabay. Good effort trying to be objective in this article. I would like to give a constructive feedback which could help in clearing things up.1. It is mentioned that planting trees in village common lands will have negative affects socially and ecologically. There is no need to even have to agree or disagree with it, because, you also mentioned the fact that Cauvery Calling aims to plant trees only in the private lands of the farmers. So, plantation in the common lands doesn’t come into the picture.2.I don’t see that the ecologists are totally against this project, but just they they have some concerns, mainly in terms of what species of trees will be planted. And because there was no direct communication between the ecologists and Isha Foundation, it was not possible for them to address the concerns. As you seem to have spoken with an Isha spokesperson, if you could connect the concerned parties, it would be great, because I see that the ecologists are genuinely interested in making sure things are done the right way.May we all come together and make things happen.Rare Amazon bush dogs caught on camera in BoliviaCarrot1 Feba very good iniciative to be fallowed by the ranchers all overSponsored
A joint report from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and NGO Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica based on satellite imaging shows an annual reduction of 9.3 percent in deforested areas in the Mata Atlântica, the country’s most endangered biome.The cleared area in 17 Atlantic Forest states between October 2017 and April 2018 totaled 11,399 hectares (28,167 acres), which is 1,163 hectares (2,874 acres) less than over the same period a year earlier.However, intense pressure from agribusiness and the real estate market continues placing the Mata Atlântica’s ecosystems under threat, risks that include ongoing deforestation, losses in biodiversity, and potential extinction of species, experts warn. Deforested areas in Brazil’s most imperiled biome, the Mata Atlântica, were reduced by 9.3 percent from October 2017 to April 2018, compared year-to-year, according to a joint report from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica, an NGO.While this is good news, intense pressure from agribusiness and the real estate market continues to place Mata Atlântica ecosystems under increasing threat, with ongoing risks that include deforestation, biodiversity losses, and possible extinction of species, experts said.No large tropical forest ecosystem has suffered as much loss as the Mata Atlântica, also known as the Atlantic Forest. Encompassing a variety of tropical forest habitats — ranging from dry forests to moist forests to coastal mangroves — the Mata Atlântica once stretched up-and-down Brazil’s coastline, and covered parts of Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. Today, it survives largely in small degraded patches and protected areas.In the 2017-2018 period, an area of the biome totaling 11,399 hectares (28,167 acres) was cleared in 17 Brazilian states, which is 1,163 hectares (2,874 acres) less than the 12,562 hectares (31,041 acres) of deforestation recorded a year earlier, the report said.The data is based on the analysis of 87 percent of the approximately 131.03 million hectare (32.38 million acre) total area of the Mata Atlântica biome. The report explained that 10 percent was only partially evaluated due to cloud cover, while 3 percent could not be assessed due to unavailability of images.Forest losses weren’t evenly distributed throughout the biome, with just four Brazilian states accounting for more than 80 percent of cleared areas in the Mata Atlântica. The Southeastern state of Minas Gerais accounted for the biggest deforested area: 3,379 hectares (8,350 acres), followed by the Northeastern state of Piauí with 2,100 hectares (5,189 acres), the Southern state of Paraná with 2,049 hectares (5,063 acres), and the Northeastern state of Bahia with 1,985 hectares (4,905 acres).This Envisat satellite image shows a portion of three Brazilian states along the Atlantic coast: Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and southern Bahia. To the south, clouds cover the country’s second largest city, Rio de Janeiro. Much of the area pictured was covered by the Atlantic Forest, or Mata Atlântica, a region containing a diverse and unique mix of vegetation and forest types. It is one of the most threatened biomes on Earth. Image courtesy of European Space Agency CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.Atlantic Forest under pressureWhile logging and conversion of native vegetation for croplands and cattle pastures have been the primary drivers of Mata Atlântica deforestation for centuries, the real estate market and “authorized” deforestation are now also reducing the number of trees in urban areas, mostly in the Southeastern region, said Mario Mantovani, director of public policies at Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica, an NGO.“There is a lot of pressure on Mata Atlântica’s remaining areas in big cities and metropolitan regions.… In the past people had moved to the city to escape the woods; today a lot of people are moving to live closer to nature,” Mantovani said.Deforestation in the Mata Atlântica. Image by Themium CC BY 1.0In rural areas, charcoal production has also become a key deforestation driver, especially in the northern areas of Minas Gerais and Bahia, he noted.For André de Almeida Cunha, a professor at the Department of Ecology at the University of Brasília (UnB), one of the major environmental challenges is to balance Mata Atlântica preservation against agribusiness expansion, particularly in the states of Bahia and Piauí, where the accelerated advance of grain production is fast consuming habitat.“Minas Gerais, Bahia and Piauí are strategic states for the conservation of what remains of Mata Atlântica, along with Paraná and Santa Catarina [states]. On one hand they still hold a considerable part of the Mata Atlântica forest, but on the other they face the highest cover losses,” Cunha said.“Just as important as analyzing the loss of Mata Atlântica in the last [most recent] period is to look at the historical series, and think about prospects going forward,” he added.Fog settles over a portion of the Mata Atlântica in Paraná state. Image by Angeloleithold CC BY-SA 3.0.“More worrying” than the AmazonAlthough most national and international environmental outcry has focused on Amazon deforestation, it’s also important to shed light on, and show concern for, other biomes where forest loss is “even more worrying,” said Pedro Brancalion, a researcher at the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (Esalq) at the University of São Paulo (USP).“Mata Atlântica is still the most threatened biome. The [deforestation] process we see in the Amazon began 500 years ago in Mata Atlântica… There is still deforestation [underway] in Mata Atlântica [today] where biodiversity losses have not been offset by reforestation initiatives,” Brancalion explained.“If we lose 100 hectares of mature forest and gain 500 hectares of new forest, we cannot say that everything you lose in mature forests will regenerate in new forests… Sometimes biodiversity losses in this process are even unknown,” he noted, calling for more Atlantic Forest conservation programs instead of just relying on reforestation projects.Close up view of the Atlantic Forest, state of Paraná, Brazil. Image by Angeloleithold CC BY-SA 3.0.jpgIt’s important to note that the term “reforestation” has many definitions depending on who is using the word, and can include plantation forests, such as large-scale plantings in Brazil of Eucalyptus trees, utilized by the international paper industry. Eucalyptus monocultures have been characterized by environmental activists as “biodiversity deserts.” Such industrial plantations, which are common within the Atlantic Forest biome, are not counted in the annual deforestation/reforestation analyses done by INPE and Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica.Unlike the Brazilian Amazon, the Atlantic Forest biome until recently lacked a real time system of deforestation alerts. Then in June of this year the region was included in MapBiomas Alerta, a system that validates and refines native vegetation loss alerts in all Brazilian biomes with high-resolution images, and which is considered by experts to be a cutting-edge system for tracking spatial deforestation and for providing timely alerts. The initiative was launched by open-access platform MapBiomas — a network of NGOs, universities and technology companies in collaboration with Google.“[Before Mapbiomas alerta]… there were monitoring systems just to provide information after the problem happened in Mata Atlântica… Today the alerts system is a great tool that helps monitor deforestation when it happens,” Brancalion said. He added, however, that political will is needed to transform that data into action to curb ongoing deforestation.“Today’s Mata Atlantica could be tomorrow’s Amazon, depending on adopted public policies,” Brancalion said. But strong forest protection measures seem unlikely to be forthcoming from the agribusiness-friendly Bolsonaro administration.INPE and Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica have monitored Mata Atlântica deforestation since 1986. The biome is protected under federal law through a measure which has been endorsed by all 17 states in the region, Mantovani said.“Even though the government hasn’t invested much in science, INPE has become an island of excellence,” he said of the agency’s monitoring operation, considered by many experts to be the finest deforestation measuring and warning system in the tropics.INPE’s cutting-edge satellite-imaging technology used to track deforestation has recently been endorsed and defended by experts contacted by Mongabay. Those analysts dismissed Bolsonaro administration accusations of data manipulation. The government has offered no evidence to back up its recent charges of the inaccuracy of INPE data, which has shown that Amazon forest losses may be on the rise since Bolsonaro took power.Banner image caption: Golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia). Image by Mab Shoot CC BY 2.0.FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post. 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