Between 2015 and 2019 30 tonnes of ivory and 167 tonnes of pangolin scales were seized. This equates to roughly 4400 elephants dead, and 167,000 pangolins. As in other places, the illegal wildlife trade tends to bring in crime, with the same gangs handling humans drugs minerals and weapons..
Continue reading “Nigeria is becoming the clearing house for poached animals from throughout west Africa: they must stop it”The Colorado population has voted to reintroduce wolves, and how does this square with Trumps delisting of wolves in the USA
At the end of last year, the people of Colorado have voted to reintroduce wolves to the state by 2023. It should be noted that a wolf has been collared in the state in the last few months. It came from a neighbouring state, and therefore clearly wolves would return on their own eventually.
The proposal squeaked across the line with 50.4% of the vote. Now, this decision is complicated by Trumps foolish move to delist wolves throughout the USA, despite their current position. Estimates of the number of wolves in the USA when settlers arrived, range from 250,000 up to 2 million. Even if we assume the low end of the range, the current wolf population of the lower 48 states in the USA is just 6000, a number that we can safely say is at the most, roughly 2% of historical numbers.
Continue reading “The Colorado population has voted to reintroduce wolves, and how does this square with Trumps delisting of wolves in the USA”Liberia has huge areas of intact rainforest: some of the last in west africa. Now its under threat
After the civil war, the Liberian government made a sensible decision in giving communities control to conserve the rainforests around their villages.
Despite this exploration companies have started turning up with permits to explore. These are often dubious, but it is quite common that by the time a permit has been proved false, it is too late.
Continue reading “Liberia has huge areas of intact rainforest: some of the last in west africa. Now its under threat”Previously unknown group of blue whales found
Given how large they are, you would have thought that we would know about all populations of the blue whale, but it would appear not.
A new population has been found living in the Indian ocean. It was discovered, when a researcher off the coast of Madagascar, recorded their song, and it did not match any of the known songs.
Should we be going teetotal to save the planet?
Most forms of alcohol are created from incredibly thirsty crops.
One 500ml bottle of beer will have needed almost 150 litres of water (300 times its own volume) to create. Wine is even more thirsty, with a glass taking 110 litres – meaning that the bottle that you might drink with friends will have needed more than half a metric ton of water.
Why does this not seem to be of concern. We are constantly warned about the carbon footprint and other environmental impacts of our food and our clothes, how has the drink industry avoided the same.
Continue reading “Should we be going teetotal to save the planet?”Lion population expected to half in the wild during the next 15-20 years
While increasing amounts of land is given to wildlife in southern Africa and the lion population grows, unfortunately in east and central Africa the opposite is happening.
Unfortunately in west and central Africa, the lions (many of these lions are orphaned relict populations of the Asiatic lion, and therefore highly important) tend to live in fragmented and small groups cut off from others of their kind. If humans can reconnect these populations then the dramatic decline that is expected in this region, could be halted.
Continue reading “Lion population expected to half in the wild during the next 15-20 years”Synthetic palm oil brewed like beer? Bill Gates investing in the possibility
Palm oil is a wonder material. Being used in a vast range of different products, it is almost impossible to avoid it in the west. Why should we try? because it has been the cause of much of the rainforest destruction on Sumatra, Borneo and lately even in the last great rainforests of west Africa.
Use of tools: amongst insects
Asian honey bees are known to stick small pellets of animal poo to their hives, because it puts of hornets from attacking.
Given the incredible cleanliness of bee hives, this behaviour seems foreign, though given the incredible success of the scheme, perhaps it is a sacrifice that they have had to make.
Continue reading “Use of tools: amongst insects”It seems that the mara river is threatened as well as the ecosystem
There are many threats to the Serengeti mara ecosystem, from roads crossing to global warming and more. Unfortunately fish in the river are now being driven to extinction as well – putting the livelihoods of millions of people in jeopardy.
From farming deforestation mining illegal fishing and invasive species, there are many different factors damaging this population.
Continue reading “It seems that the mara river is threatened as well as the ecosystem”The palm oil giant Wilmar is making clear its deforestation commitments mean nothing
An area of around 1500 football pitches has been cleared on an oil palm plantation during last year. The concession is managed by PT Medcopapua Hijau Selaras a supplier to Wilmar. Wilmar is the worlds largest palm oil trader, and includes amongst their customers huge companies such as Kelloggs nestle and unilever.
Rather than denying the deforestation occurred, Wilmar has claimed that less land was cleared than is claimed (this is a foolish claim to make as we have satellite pictures from before and after), and then claims that they are not responsible anyway and that the clearing was done by smallholder farmers.
Continue reading “The palm oil giant Wilmar is making clear its deforestation commitments mean nothing”