Conservation

Conservation

 [|Conservation biology - Wikipedia]

[|Conservation movement - Wikipedia]

[|Habitat conservation - Wikipedia]

[|Water conservation - Wikipedia]

Summaries

 [|Koalas in Australia dying from AIDS, habitat loss]

December 14, 2009 Anna Coren CNN

The Koala is said to be a national symbol of Australia, but it is now on the verge of extinction. Massive habitat destruction and fragmentation leave these small tree-huggers without much of a place to call home. This leads them to the streets where they are prone to "hit and runs" and dog attacks, leaving them immobilized and on the brink of death.

Another epidemic detrimental to the species is AIDS, or KIDS, the koala version. KIDS (Koala Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is just like its human counterpart, except it acts faster. There is no vaccine, and many believe there never will be. :(

"Instead of worrying on the vaccine, however, we should worry about managing the population and protecting what we've got," is the message many are trying to send. By destroying less precious koala habitat the safer and healthier they are.

In fact, some believe the koala may play a bigger role in reducing emissions than one might expect "through the preservation of their forest."

"Without these trees, there will be no koalas. So once again, the beloved koala has the answer to Australia's future," said a smart Australian conservationist.

 [|Costing the Earth: Investing in protecting the planet]

Unknown CNN

Coral reefs are gorgeous and attract millions of tourists every year. Due to tourism, reefs were priced at $30 billion a year. This was a terrible underestimate, seeing as one hectare could possible be worth $I million a year. Pavan Sukhdev revealed these numbers at a conference in S. Africa, claiming that we need to revalue, not only coral reefs, but other at risk ecosystems (forests, mangroves, grasslands). He believes that by //"halving the rate of deforestation worldwide would have an estimated net value of $3.7 trillion for the global economy, and allow the continued absorbtion of 4.8 gigatonnes of carbon per year." // He also thinks that we cannot know until we see for ourselves what is working across the globe.

With this heavy interest in investing in nature, though, comes a drawback. Once you put a value on something, it becomes a good that can be exchanged. However, Sukhdev believes that with proper monitoring his plan may work and that much of the world's precious ecosystems could go with extra time.

 [|Leaders vow to protect Coral Triangle and its people]

Unknown World Wildlife Fund

The Coral Triangle is a coral reef rich region in the South Pacific. It is currently in danger of disappearing due to Global Warming. This is why leaders of the six main Coral Triangle nations vowed to take action. These announcements were a response to the WWF's claim that if nothing is done soon, the reefs will be gone by the end of the century.

The leaders of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste founded a very intricate plan that detailed the conservation of this coral rich area. Upon their announcement, the WWF encouraged other world leaders to show their support at the Copenhagen meeting.

It was also dire that the leaders take action now, because although the Coral Triangle accounts for only 2% of the ocean, it is home to over 75% of all known coral species and over 100 million people depend on this area as a source of food or income. It is also home to some of the largest tuna fisheries, a very lucrative industry, and this ecosystem acts as a buffer, weakening storm severity. They must save this area now before it is too late and it is gone from our planet forever.

 [|Tiger Farms: A conservation idea red in tooth and claw?]

February 23, 2010 Dean Irvine CNN

The tiger is now one of the most endangered species on the planet, with some extinct subspecies. In recent years, Asian governments have set up sanctuaries to help keep these tigers safe from poaching, but to no avail. The illegal trade continues today, but that is where the idea of tiger farms comes in.

In China various parts of the tigers' bodies are sold for various "medical" and "food" reasons as if it were a cow that has been factory farmed. Oh wait, yes...farmed. These tigers are raised and brought up for what they have to offer, and when the time comes these attributes are sold "legally." This received an outcry from animal rights' activists but a somewhat warm welcome for Chinese locals who believe this will help end the illegal poaching business. Others, however, believe that it may already be too late for the tiger, and that tiger farms don't help.

 [|Turtles in Peril]

April 5, 2010 Molly Bergen Conservation International

Costa Rica used to be home to many leatherback turtles, but thanks to bycatch the species is slowly beginning to disappear. Six out of seven species of sea turtle are listed as endangered.

A recent study by Duke and San Diego Universities titled "Global Patterns of Marine Turtle Bycatch," expresses that bycatch may be the largest threat against sea turtles today. Bycatch is the "unintentional capture of non-target species in fishing gear." These sea turtles get tangled in nets or hooked during fishing operations and either escape with few injuries or drown and die. What makes it worse is that the turtle has such a long life span and low reproductive success. It may be impossible for the 100 million year old dweller to ever repopulate.

The report, published this week, spans a time of almost 18 years in which the participants researched and garnered information about turtle bycatch reports from 1990 - 2008. It covers the three most common fishing gear: gillnets, longlines, and trawls. All are doom for the sea turtles. This report also reveals that in the past two decades over 85000 sea turtles were reported as bycatch, but many believe that this figure should be in the millions.

Saving the sea turtle will be a complicated task, because cooperation from multiple entities will be needed (it is a migratory animal and does not stay in one area for long). Also, turtle exclusion devices should be included in all trawls, and fish bait should replace the commonly used squid bait.

 [|Rescuing Optimism]

June 5, 2008 Carol Lane Conservation International

The Giant Panda is not only a symbol of China, but also a symbol for conservation efforts worldwide. With less than 1600 individuals in the wild, this gentle giant is one of the most threatened species on our planet. It has been threatened by heavy habitat fragmentation and it is slow to reproduce (a female ovulates once per year and usually has one cub). It's current endangered status could be upgraded to critically endangered in coming years because of China's industrialization. One of the best ways to save this creature is to preserve as much of its natural habitat, and save it from the danger of carbon-emitting deforestation. This has been fairly effective in China, which passed a ban on logging in 1998 and has set up several sanctuaries for these beloved "teddy bears."

Dr. Lu Zhi, director of Shanshui Center for Nature & Society described the importance of the panda and how vital it was to save it. "If we can't protect the panda, then what chance do all the other threatened species have?"

The plan, as proposed by Conservation International, would help stop the declining population, protect the panda's precious habitat, educate local communities and garner support, and encourage the Chinese government to do more with regulations and incentives. The plan consists of 4 main points:


 * 1) The Giant Panda Survival Plan - includes protecting 100% of panda's habitat, creating population monitoring plan
 * 2) The Panda Alliance - an alliance amongst conservation groups, government agencies, private corporations, and local communities set up in order to establish a panda guardian program
 * 3) Key Policy Promotion - via Peking University, CI will share data with local government and business leaders
 * 4) Inspiring panda-lovers worldwide to take action - informing the public of the panda's situation

 [|Why Species Matter]

January 21, 2010 Molly Bergen Conservation International

The Baiji is said to have come from an ancient Chinese legend in which a princess is drowned by her parents in the Yangtze River. Whether or not this is true has no relevance to this beautiful species' functional extinction. This is what many today believe of the creature's existence, or lack there of.

This year, the International Year of Biodiversity, the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) plans to "draw attention to the escalating plight of the world's species." In October, the CBD will address this issue in detail in Nagoya, Japan. This is in response to recent biodiversity decline. At this meeting the CBD plans to bring together "governments, businesses, and organization" to discuss the protection of biodiversity and its global prevalence. Another topic for discussion will be the IUCN's (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species. Some species will be updated, downgraded, removed, or added.

In conclusion, CI (Conservation International) promotes quick action to ensure that what happened to the Baiji does not happen to the 17000 Red List species threatened with extinction.