tagged w/ Habitat Fragmentation
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With less than 2,000 breeding pairs left, the Honduran Emerald Hummingbird is considered the most endangered bird in Central America and one of the most endangered hummingbirds in the world. Time is running out! Please help save this magnificent and rare bird from extinction by supporting its classification as an endangered species.
The Honduran Emerald, (Amazilia luciae) is found solely in the rare dry-thorn forest of Honduras. The Emerald's unique and fragmented habitat encompasses a very small region in the country that is rapidly being destroyed by expanding agriculture and cattle grazing.
This petition brings together EcoLogic Development Fund, The Hummingbird Society and The Hummingbird Conservancy and others who collectively seek to gather enough signatures to begin the process of placing the bird on the Endangered Species List.
Legal recognition of its threatened status will assist efforts to build the support needed to urge the Honduran government to develop conservation measures that ensure its habitat remains viable. It will also require U.S. federal agencies to guarantee that any project carried out or funded by the United States government does not jeopardize the continued existence of this hummingbird species.
Your signature will add strength to efforts that aim to establish the species' habitat as legally protected, giving hope for the survival of this brilliantly colored hummingbird.With less than 2,000 breeding pairs left, the Honduran Emerald Hummingbird is... more
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Dozens of brown bears searching for food have forced two villages in a mountainous region of southern Russia to impose a curfew, after the bears left the forests and began terrorising villagers and killing cattle. Now the inhabitants of Yailyu and Bele would no longer be able to leave their villages without an armed guard during the day and must stay in their homes at night. The bears have left the forest because of a lack of berries and nuts this year.
Dozens of brown bears searching for food have forced two villages in a mountainous... more
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NEW SPECIES OF LIVING MANATEE!
'A New Species, the Dwarf Manatee, Amazon Association for the Preservation of Nature'
Discovered in AAPN Manus-Amazonas, Brazil.
Shallow clear-water adapted dwarf manatee is already on the edge of extinction due to rainforest deforestation, hunting...
THERE ARE NO LAWS TO PROTECT THIS CRITICALLY ENDANGERED DWARF MANATEE.
http://www.care2.com/news/member/785844898/889616
http://www.marcvanroosmalen.org/dwarfmanatee.htm
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED!
NEW SPECIES OF LIVING MANATEE!
'A New Species, the Dwarf Manatee, Amazon... more
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Polar bears and other rare species are in danger of dying out, scientists fear, as latest figures show the Artic sea ice is at record lows.
Scientists from the World Wildlife Fund, who are recording the ice cover over the North Pole, said less ice is predicted in the Arctic this year than in any other.
Experts say this not only means a loss of habitat to species like polar bears and loss of livelihood for indigenous peoples but could speed up global warming as water absorbs heat rather than reflecting the sun's rays back into space.
Dr Martin Sommerkorn, senior climate change advisor at WWF International's Arctic Programme, said: "We are expecting confirmation of 2008 being either the lowest or the second-lowest year in terms of summer ice coverage.
READ FULL ARTICLE:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/09/14/eapolar114.xml
Polar bears and other rare species are in danger of dying out, scientists fear, as... more
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Sydney (AFP) Sept 7, 2008
Australian koalas are dying by the thousands as a result of land clearing in the country's northeast, while millions of birds and reptiles are also perishing, conservation group WWF said Sunday.
The environmental body warned that unless urgent action was taken to stop trees being felled, some species would be pushed to the brink of extinction.
In an annual statement, Queensland state last week revealed that 375,000 hectares of bush were cleared in 2005-06 -- a figure WWF said would have resulted in the deaths of TWO MILLION MAMMALS.
Among those that perished as a result of loss of habitat would have been 9,000 tree-hugging koalas, WWF Australia spokesman Nick Heath said.
"It's a horrifying figure," Heath told AFP. "Two million mammals and that's all sorts of kangaroos, wallabies. We couldn't come to an exact figure on the birds, but I would say it would be OVER FIVE MILLION."
Heath said WWF's figures were based on earlier scientific assessments of animal density in each area of the state combined with the amount of land cleared over the 2005-2006 period.
He said the animals that died in the LARGEST NUMBERS were reptiles, including lizards and TURTLES.
Of particular concern was the impact on the koala, an iconic marsupial found only in Australia and which is most populous in Queensland state.
"People want koalas to exist, they don't want them to be on the endangered list. And if we kill 9,000 a year, even if they are not on the endangered list now, they will be if we don't stop."
Heath said that turning native bush into grazing paddocks meant that many of the animals killed DIED IN FIRES SET BY FARMERS to clear debris after bulldozers cut down the trees.
"So these animals die horrific deaths," he said. "They are either dead from being RUN OVER or FALLING FROMA TREE, or if they survive that, they are BURNT ALIVE."
The Queensland government has set up a task force to help conserve koala populations amid greater urban development in the state's southeast.
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Thousands_of_Australias_koalas_felled_by_land-clearing_WWF_999.html
Sydney (AFP) Sept 7, 2008
Australian koalas are dying by the thousands as a result of... more
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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=atTPk3ULEWeQ&refer=home
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Implementers of an international project to help endangered elephants in Mali want to prove that by doing so, they can also help local communities adapt to climate change in the Sahel.
The Malian government lists elephants in Gourma in the country's far desert north as highly endangered. A drought in the 1970’s killed most of the country's elephants leading the population to dwindle from several thousand down to 350.
Often seen near Lake Banzena, about 400 kilometres south of Gao, these elephants have the largest migration route of any known elephant group according to the World Bank-funded Gourma Biodiversity Conservation Project (PCVBGE), with an estimated home range of 30,000 square kilometres.
But conservationists say that climate change is leading to increased tensions as elephants and the local population vie for access to water.
Friend or foe?
"The drought in the Sahel in the 1970's created a shortage of watering holes," says Namory Traore, a director at Mali’s National Centre for Nature Conservation.
As climate change affects more people in this desert country, Lake Banzena has become one of the last remaining water sources for both animals and people. The nearby Lake Gossi, about 150 kilometres south of Gao, has begun to dry out, and there are fears that the region can no longer support even this smaller elephant population.
Many inhabitants of Gourma have turned to agriculture as desertification is making pastoral life increasingly difficult. Now, thirsty elephants are beginning to raid their newly-cultivated fields.
"Sometimes the elephants even break into our reserves and chase people to get the fruits, because they don't have enough water," says Alou Tambura, a herder in Haire, about 150 kilometres from Lake Banzena.
The World Bank-funded biodiversity project is designed to protect both animals and humans in drought-prone regions. Its main focus is to facilitate elephants' passage through inhabited areas.
For more on this stroy: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=80079Implementers of an international project to help endangered elephants in Mali want to... more
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Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) will sue the Interior Department over its decision to list the polar bear as a threatened species."We believe that the listing was unwarranted and that it's unprecedented to list a currently healthy population based on uncertain climate models," says Alaska Assistant Attorney General Steven Daugherty.
To green groups, that argument is, shall we say, unimpressive. "Even the Bush administration can't deny the reality of global warming," says Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity. "The governor is aligning herself and the state of Alaska with the most discredited, fringe, extreme viewpoints by denying this." Palin's litigation comes mainly out of fear for Alaska's fossil-fuel-reliant economy, even though the wording of the Interior Department decision went to great lengths to ward off any new restrictions on oil and gas drilling.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) will sue the Interior Department over its decision to list... more
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Help Us Obtain Greater Enforcement
Of Boat Speed Zones
The Issue:
Cuts in state and federal funding have resulted in fewer on-water law enforcement officers in critical areas of Florida. The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, created to safeguard manatees, is one such area. In July, a mother manatee was horribly injured in the bay by a speeding boat and subsequently died. Very recently, another manatee was also horribly injured by a speeding boat and died. Unfortunately, this scenario will continue to be repeated many times in areas heavily used by both boats and manatees unless law enforcement efforts are increased dramatically.
Although we don’t believe in gratuitously displaying manatee photos depicting disfiguring injuries, we have decided - after much soul-searching - to post some online photos of the poor manatee mother because a picture is worth a thousand words.
Warning: These photos are very graphic.
Click here to view photos: http://www.savethemanatee.org/cr_photos.htm
Our immediate goal is to get more officers on the water during times of peak use, even if it means Save the Manatee Club pays for them. We are also increasing boater awareness with a new poster featuring the message, “Navigate With Care, Manatees Are There.” And we will advocate to eliminate dangerous high speed areas.
What You Can Do:
Take action now by sending the following letter to Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, and to Florida’s Governor Charlie Crist, asking them to immediately increase their on-water law enforcement presence throughout manatee habitat. And please send this alert to your friends and family and ask them to take action, too.
Take Action! Sign this petition PLEASE!
http://www.savethemanatee.org/actionalert.cfm?id=12
Help Us Obtain Greater Enforcement
Of Boat Speed Zones
The Issue:
Cuts in... more
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PLEASE sign, forward & X-POST this petition.
Protect Gorillas From Deforestation - The Petition Site:
Target: Congo's Ministry of Environment
Sponsored by: Care2.com
Great news for one of the world's most endangered animals: researchers have discovered some 125,000 western lowland gorillas that were previously uncounted in the Congo Basin. Until now, scientists believed there were only about 50,000 of these endangered gorillas left.
But this exciting new population estimate does not mean gorilla numbers in the wild are now safe. The western lowland gorilla continues to come under threat as timber companies move into the Congo Basin, home to more than a quarter of the world's tropical forest. Without careful management of the forest resources, western lowland gorillas and other gorilla subspecies will remain severely endangered.
Now more than ever authorities need to stem rampant deforestation, to preserve the habitats of the great apes and to support long-term sustainability of the region's natural resources.
Please urge Congo's Ministry of Environment to deny all deals that were signed illegally under the country's moratorium on new logging contracts.
ACTUAL PETITION:
"We are happy about recent news that researchers have discovered some 125,000 western lowland gorillas that were previously uncounted in the Congo basin. Until now, scientists believed there were only about 50,000 of these endangered gorillas left.
But this exciting new population estimate does not mean gorilla numbers in the wild are now safe. The western lowland gorilla continues to come under threat as timber companies move into the region. Logging and land clearance for farming are eating away the Congo Basin, home to more than a quarter of the world's tropical forest. Without careful management of the forest resources and strict enforcement of protected areas, the western lowland gorillas and other subspecies of gorillas will remain severely endangered.
Now more than ever it is essential to preserve the habitats of the great apes and support reforestation.
In 2002, with the Democratic Republic of Congo partially under the control of rebels, the country issued a five-year moratorium on new logging contracts to try and stem rampant deforestation. But the measure went largely unheeded and companies continued to sign new deals.
We ask that officials review the government-sponsored working group's recommendation on August 6, 2008 to cancel more than three quarters of its logging deals for not meeting necessary standards. But we are concerned that these recommendations did not go far enough. Sixteen of the 29 titles received a favorable opinion from the working group, despite being obtained in clear violation of the five-year moratorium on new logging contracts.
We urge you to comply with the five-year moratorium, and deny all logging contracts that were signed under moratorium.
Thank you for protecting the future of endangered gorillas and the biological diversity of the Congo basin."
http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/844698
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/269086042PLEASE sign, forward & X-POST this petition.
Protect Gorillas From... more
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Great news for one of the world's most endangered animals: researchers have discovered some 125,000 western lowland gorillas that were previously uncounted in the Congo Basin. Until now, scientists believed there were only about 50,000 of these endangered gorillas left.
But this exciting new population estimate does not mean gorilla numbers in the wild are now safe. The western lowland gorilla continues to come under threat as timber companies move into the Congo Basin, home to more than a quarter of the world's tropical forest. Without careful management of the forest resources, western lowland gorillas and other gorilla subspecies will remain severely endangered.
Now more than ever authorities need to stem rampant deforestation, to preserve the habitats of the great apes and to support long-term sustainability of the region's natural resources.
Please urge Congo's Ministry of Environment to deny all deals that were signed illegally under the country's moratorium on new logging contracts.
Please Note:
It is bittersweet that this Great Ape population was found ...because now, they can be found by the poachers as well. Deforestation allows for easier access to the gorillas for poachers.
PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION ASKING FOR PROTECTION OF THE GORILLAS HABITAT!http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/269086042
Great news for one of the world's most endangered animals: researchers have... more
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In July 2007, armed men entered the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park and killed five critically endangered mountain gorillas at point-blank range, leaving the bodies where they fell.
Since September, rebel forces have controlled the area, threatening to kill any conservationists or gorilla rangers who attempted to enter the area.
Diddy and Innocent are long-serving rangers who have spent their working lives protecting the remaining gorillas in the war-torn region.
In this weekly diary, they describe life on conservation's frontline and the frustration of how recent events are hampering their efforts.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7110093.stmIn July 2007, armed men entered the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga... more
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A new study warns that 48% of the world's primates species face extinction.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species says the main threats are habitat loss, primarily through the burning and clearing of tropical forests, hunting of primates for food and illegal wildlife trade.
The survey showed that out of 634 recognised species and subspecies, 11% were Critically Endangered, 22% were Endangered, while a further 15% were listed as Vulnerable.
With 71% considered at risk of extinction, Asia had the greatest proportion of threatened primates. The five nations with the highest percentage of endangered species were all within Asia.A new study warns that 48% of the world's primates species face extinction.... more
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WSPA Animal Rescue
Please watch video: https://www.wspa.org.au/campaigns/orangutan_bos/index.asp?ID=A0808E01
There is a place of refuge for these beautiful creatures, but now it too needs saving.
There is something so tragic about a baby orangutan sitting alone on the rainforest floor. Too scared to even move. Her mother nowhere in sight. The tragedy lies in this baby's chance of survival if left without help.
For every orphaned orangutan that lives through such an ordeal, there are on average three mothers and two infants who have perished. It is vital those fortunate enough to survive are given the care they need to one day return to a remote part of the forest where they belong. Safe. Protected. Home.
Run by Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS), the Nyaru Menteng Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre is the largest primate sanctuary in the world - and a lifeline for the many hundreds of orphaned, injured and abused orangutans who call it home.
With ninety per cent of their natural habitat gone, the threats orangutans face now, and in the future, are terrifying.
https://www.wspa.org.au/campaigns/orangutan_bos/index.asp?ID=A0808E01
Machete attacks on orangutans are common and often fatal for the adults, leaving orphaned infants alive and traumatised. Sadly, some are captured and sold into the pet trade experiencing poor care, disease, injury and psychological trauma which all take their toll on these poor creatures. Many can expect a life of beatings, solitude, confinement and malnutrition.
Amidst this suffering there is hope. Last year, you helped save the Nyaru Menteng Sanctuary from imminent closure. We now need your help to keep it open and running so it can continue its life saving work for orphaned and injured orangutans, and teach them the independence they need to one day return to the wild where they rightfully belong.
Without additional funding, the sanctuary still risks closure. Orangutans could be handed over to the local government for a life of confinement with no prospect of release. Caged and uncared for, we could lose an entire orangutan generation.
WSPA Animal Rescue
Please watch video:... more
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SERIOUS alarm has been raised over official plans to shoot three of Namibia's rare desert-adapted elephant bulls in the Kunene Region as trophies for big-game hunters, which conservationists fear could cause a collapse in their dwindling numbers.
The permits for shooting what could be three of only five breeding-age elephant bulls left were issued in spite of warnings that this was unsustainable in a population that already showed alarming signs of high natural mortality and genetic problems due to in-breeding.
Documentation seen by The Namibian shows that the Ministry of Environment and Tourism had issued three hunting permits to six conservancies in the Kunene Region for shooting three elephant bulls in the current hunting season.
These conservancies, controlled by the local communities, typically sell their rights on to professional hunting companies, earning on average about N$60 000 per elephant.
The professional hunting firms however sell these on to wealthy hunters willing to pay up to US$60 000 for the privilege of bagging such a rare trophy.
The desert elephant, so called because of their smaller stature and physical adaptation to their arid environment, range in the dry riverbeds of southern Kunene where they feed primarily on Ana tree pods.
Regarded as a keystone species in the local eco-system, they are also a key attraction in Namibia's estimated N$6,2 billion tourism industry.
While the elephant largely keep to unpopulated areas, increasing encroachment from pastoral farmers have over the past years has brought them into conflict with local communities.
A man was killed in the Bergsig area late last year by a bull which a local NGO said had become aggressive after he had been previously shot at.
The Ministry has not, as far as could be established, conducted any recent census of the elephant population but apparently based its decisions on complaints from local communities about "problem animals."
According to research by Australian researcher Dr Keith Leggett, there are fewer than 240 of these elephant left in the southern Kunene Region, ranging from the Ugab to the Bergsig area further north.
Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA), a NGO that constantly monitors these elephants and manage conflict between the elephants and local populations by constructing elephant-proof water points, however says there are fewer than 60 adult cows, and as of 2006, only five bulls of breeding age.
EHRA's Johannes Haasbroek believes their and Leggett's data overlap, as the elephant range up 70 kilometres in a single day, with the herds of about six to 10 animals moving between rivers in search of food and water.
Even more alarmingly, EHRA reported on their website that they have only spotted three breeding-age bulls over the past few months -the same number as the trophies now up for sale.
The three permits appear to have been issued by Director of Wildlife Management Ben Beytell, in spite of several recommendations by the Ministry's own staff to the contrary.
SERIOUS alarm has been raised over official plans to shoot three of Namibia's... more
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--Please note the 'concern' the "conservation officers" & the Department of Natural Resources' area wildlife supervisor ...
"You don't want IT knocking over a kid or getting hit by a car ...
There was NO EVIDENCE the bear was baited by hunters" The LEGAL baiting season doesn't open until Aug. 15. The bear season opens Sept. 1.
FRAZEE, Minn. -- A bear with a plastic jar over its head led police on a six-day chase through the forests of Hubbard and Becker counties before it was shot and killed, state wildlife officials said.
Officials had hoped to capture the wild black bear -- whose head got stuck inside a 2 1/2-gallon plastic jar -- but decided to shoot the animal after it wandered into the city of Frazee during the town's busy Turkey Days celebration.
"When it got into town, our main concern was public safety," said Rob Naplin, the Department of Natural Resources' area wildlife supervisor in Park Rapids.
The bear was foraging for food, perhaps at a Dumpster, when its head got head stuck in the clear, plastic container. Naplin said he wasn't sure of the container's original contents but said it looked like a jar for bulk candy or popcorn.
While the bear could breathe, it couldn't eat or drink and was likely suffering from dehydration and hunger. "I'm sure there was high anxiety and frustration with its predicament," Naplin said. "It is (a sad story)."
There was no evidence the bear was baited by hunters, Naplin said. The legal baiting season doesn't open until Aug. 15. The bear season opens Sept. 1.
The bear, with the jar on its head, was first reported near the town of Lake George on July 21.
The next day it showed up at Itasca State Park near some Dumpsters and DNR officials deployed a trap made of a steel barrel to try to catch it and remove the jar. The bear wouldn't enter the trap, however, and was last seen Wednesday night on the park's east side, the jar wedged on its head over one ear.
"We attempted to locate a dart gun to tranquilize it, but it left the park," said Naplin, who estimated the bear was about 2-years-old. "It was on the move."
The next day, the bear was spotted at a Boy Scout camp on Many Point Lake about 15 miles southwest of the park. By then, the DNR had two wildlife and four enforcement officers looking for the animal.
The bear showed up next in Frazee, where conservation officers decided it needed to be killed to avoid conflicts with humans.
By then, the jar had slipped down over both of the bear's ears.
"You don't want it knocking over a kid or getting hit by a car," Naplin said. "Showing up in Frazee escalated the urgency of dispatching it."
--Please note the 'concern' the "conservation officers" & the... more
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Help Protect Mountain Gorillas
In a 40-50 year lifetime, a female mountain gorilla might have only 2-6 surviving offspring. This slow reproduction makes this species even more threatened.
Less than 700 of the endangered great ape remain, and in 2007, 10 mountain gorilla killings threatened to reverse decades of conservation progress.
Reason to Hope:
The Virunga Heartland features the last remaining habitat of one of the world’s rarest primates, the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei). This charismatic animal is the flagship species for the conservation of the entire array of wildlife and habitat that make up this unique part of the planet.
AWF has been working to protect mountain gorillas for several decades, funding important research and working to ensure the survival of the mountain gorilla since the late 1970s. This important work has continued in spite of extraordinary circumstances. The human suffering during the Rwandan civil war of the 1990s was incalculable, but without the intervention and continued support of AWF and its partners, the victims of war might also have included the mountain gorilla. Thanks to the bravery and dedication of park rangers - some 70 of whom lost their lives - the Virunga mountain gorillas survived the war and the more recent conflicts in the DRC.
Continuing Threats:
Despite reasons for optimism, death and extinction are constant threats for the mountain gorilla. Historically, mountain gorillas have been threatened by poaching, loss of habitat from population pressures, civil unrest and spread of disease. And as human populations get closer to gorilla habitats, the gorillas are at greater risk of contracting human diseases, from flu-like problems and pneumonia to ebola.
Fortunately, conservation efforts initiated by the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP), a coalition of the African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna and Flora International and World Wide Fund for Nature, have helped to ensure that the gorilla population will endure. Through a variety of methods, including transboundary collaboration, ranger-based monitoring, community development, anti-poaching activities and habitat conservation, IGCP and its conservation partners are helping the mountain gorillas to make a comeback.
Ways to Save Mountain Gorillas:AWF: Mountain Gorilla Conservation
Watch a short video overview of AWF and the International Gorilla Conservation Program's (IGCP) work to save endangered mountain gorillas.
http://www.awf.org/content/solution/detail/3589
* FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE MOUNTAIN GORILLA & MANY OTHER ANIMALS, PLEASE VISIT:
http://julesrs007saveanimals.blogspot.com/
&
http://my.care2.com/julesrs007
Help Protect Mountain Gorillas
In a 40-50 year lifetime, a female mountain gorilla... more
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