Save Pdf (0.24

Briefly

INTERNATIONAL Challenge is a global effort to restore  that IUCN has now recommended removing million ha of degraded and deforested the site from the Danger List. Other sites fa- land by , and  million ha by . cing the possibility of danger-listing in  Are we witnessing the world’s 6th It is estimated that restoring  million include Białowieża Forest in Poland, Plitvice mass extinction? ha of land will generate USD  billion National Park in Croatia, the Sundarbans in A new study based on the range contrac- per year in net benefits and could also se- Bangladesh, the Golden Mountains of Altai tions of , terrestrial vertebrate species quester – billion tonnes of CO equivalent in Russia, Dja Faunal Reserve in Cameroon and a more detailed analysis of population per year. At the first Asia Bonn Challenge and Coiba National Park and its Special extinctions during – in  mam- High-level Roundtable, in Indonesia in Zone of Marine Protection in Panama. mal species has suggested that the Earth May, Bangladesh pledged to restore . Source: IUCN () iucn.org/news/iucn- is experiencing its th major extinction million ha, Mongolia . million ha, Sri whc//iucn-says-ivorian-park- event. Almost half of the mammal species Lanka . million ha, and Pakistan . mil- should-come-world-heritage-%E%% surveyed lost more than % of their lion ha. During its economic transition danger-list%E%%-chimps-make- range during this timeframe and the study’s Mongolia lost almost , ha of forests, comeback authors refer to the event as ‘biological and it hopes that by joining the Bonn annihilation’. Shrinking populations and Challenge it can access international range sizes are exacerbated by continued expertise and increase its forest cover Global study reveals impact of habitat human population growth and overcon- from . to .%, to help tackle extended fragmentation on species’ extinction sumption, although conservationists are droughts. risk warning that such a broad assessment of Source: IUCN () iucn.org/news/ A study has used high-resolution habitat- the loss of species overlooks localized forests//bonn-challenge-crosses-- suitability models to measure the degree gains and losses and their underlying million-hectare-milestone-pledges- of habitat fragmentation threatening , drivers. pakistan-bangladesh-mongolia-and- land-dwelling mammal species across the Source: PNAS () pnas.org/content/ sri-lanka globe. Data confirmed expectations that early//// .full,&The species with more fragmented habitats Guardian () theguardian.com/envir- were at greater risk of extinction, as assessed onment//jul//earths-sixth-mass-ex- Newly discovered plants could help for the IUCN Red List, even when factors tinction-event-already-underway-scien- diversify vital crops including species’ body size and overall tists-warn According to the second annual State of the range size were accounted for. Only .% World’s Plants report from the Royal of the average species’ range was found to Drylands home to 40% more forests Botanic Gardens, Kew, there have been consist of ‘high-suitability habitat’ located .   than previously thought , new plant species discovered in within known protected areas, despite % Dryland biomes cover two-fifths of Earth’s the past year. Among these are five new of global land area being currently set land surface but estimating their forest types of manihot, wild relatives of cassava, aside for conservation. area is difficult, as the resolution of satellite which could help in the development of Source: PNAS () dx.doi.org/./   images is often too low to distinguish trees more drought- and disease-resilient var- pnas. ,&Mongabay ( ) news.   easily. Using high-resolution Google Earth ieties of the third-most important tropical mongabay.com/ / /as-habitat- images in which each pixel represents an food crop. The report notes that some of fragmentation-increases-so-does-extinction- area of ,  m, researchers have analysed the new species are already highly threa- risk-study/   . , plots. The images have resulted tened, and warns that although , species in the identification of an additional  mil- have been recorded to have a medicinal use,  lion ha of forest. Drylands host –% more only % are cited in medicinal regulatory EUROPE forests than expected, increasing total global publications and many species have different forest coverage by . %. Using data from the names, giving rise to confusion.  study, researchers will be able to identify how Source: New Scientist ( ) newscientist. European Union suspends the  best to conserve and restore these forested com/article/ -hundreds-of-newly- re-export of raw ivory areas and calculate a more accurate estima- discovered-plants-may-yield-new-crops- Following a guidance document from the tion of the terrestrial carbon sink. or-drugs/ European Commission, the European Source: Science () sciencemag.org/ Union suspended re-exports of raw ivory   news///earths-forests-grew--new- from July ,eveniftheyqualifyas ‘ ’ satellite-survey,&science.sciencemag.org/ Progress for in danger World Heritage pre-Convention specimens, of which re- content/// site export from the EU for commercial purposes Comoé National Park in Côte d’Ivoire has was previously permitted. The suspension been inscribed on the List of World followsanalysisofCITESTradeData,which Bonn Challenge passes the 150 million Heritage in Danger since , when the revealed EU ivory re-exports rose from an ha milestone Park was threatened by poaching and illegal average of ,  items between  and Restoration pledges from Pakistan, gold mining. Since , when the country’s  to .  items in  and ,raising Bangladesh, Mongolia and Sri Lanka have political situation stabilized, populations of concerns that legal imports were being used increased the Bonn Challenge commit- elephants, chimpanzees and other species as a cover for laundering illegally sourced ments to . million ha. The Bonn within the Park have recovered to the extent ivory into Asia. The latest guidance does not

Oryx, 2017, 51(4), 571–580 © 2017 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605317001302 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.35.93, on 27 Sep 2021 at 00:47:50, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605317001302 572 Briefly

specify a complete suspension of the re- govern . % of the ocean surface and con- and  ringed seals researchers were able export of worked ivory items, although the tribute to one third of global marine protec- to compare their movements before and EU plans to consult further on this topic. tion efforts. Together the EU Overseas after the decline in sea ice. The melt has Source: TRAFFIC () traffic.org/home/ entities have surpassed Aichi Target  and seen polar bears lose their hunting advan- ///european-union-suspends-the- the Sustainable Development Goal  of tage and adopt high-risk energy-intensive re-export-of-raw-ivory.html protecting at least % of coastal and mar- strategies, as seals can now retreat to float- ine areas by , having protected a total ing ice packs, forcing the polar bears to at-  of . million km . The area protected has tack from the water. Results from the Restrictions on unsustainable fishing increased more than six times since  monitoring project show bears travelling practices are needed to protect and has nearly doubled in the past  years. further inland in search of alternative food anthozoan species in the Although six of the  largest protected sources such as bird eggs. Polar bears have ... Mediterranean areas are within the EU Overseas waters, been recorded feeding on geese eggs, and .  An IUCN report warns that %of the majority of the  marine protected previous research has found that bird popu- anthozoan species in the Mediterranean areas in the EU Overseas are smaller and lations targeted by hungry polar bears can Sea are threatened with extinction, and re- located in coastal waters. A qualitative decline by up to %. commends immediate conservation action. assessment conducted as part of an IUCN Source: Journal of Animal Ecology () Anthozoans include hard and soft coral, review has revealed that, when managed dx.doi.org/./-.,&New black coral, sea anemones and gorgonians. well, large marine protected areas that Scientist () newscientist.com/article/ The Mediterranean Sea is home to some cover both coastal and offshore areas are -polar-bears-shift-from-seals-to- black coral colonies that are known to live the most effective. bird-eggs-as-arctic-ice-melts/ .   for , years, and to the Critically Source: IUCN () iucn.org/news/mar- Endangered bamboo coral Isidella elongata, ine-and-polar//eu-overseas-marine- ...and Arctic beaches are besieged by one of the longest-lived species of gorgonian conservation-champions-already-protect-  plastic in the Mediterranean. An estimated -their-seas-and-coasts anthozoans are native to the Mediterranean A study of six beaches in Svalbard has re- Sea, but of the  species assessed in the corded  pieces of visible litter per  report,  are designated as Data Deficient. Wild bees suffering from insecticide m, far more than is typically found on Anthozoans in the Mediterranean are use European beaches, and on Jan Mayen under pressure from unsustainable fishing Research across  farmland sites in the UK, Island, the most remote in the North techniques, and are further threatened by ris- Germany and Hungary has analysed the Atlantic,  pieces were recorded. The ing sea temperatures, the spread of invasive impact of insecticide-treated oilseed rape study aimed to identify the origins of the species and commercial collection of some fields on honeybees, bumblebees and soli- plastic waste, to concentrate conservation species. tary bees. The study demonstrated that the action, but almost % of the plastic was Source: IUCN () iucn.org/news/m% reproductive success of wild bees decreased too broken to be identified. Plastic bottle C%Aditerran%C%Ae//iucn- as exposure to the insecticide increased, in caps comprised % of the items, and % rings-alarm-bells-corals-mediterranean all three countries. Exposure to insecticides were nets, ropes and buoys from fishing in the UK and Hungary reduced the sur- vessels. Large quantities of strapping band vival of honeybee colonies, as bees in used to secure fish boxes on fishing vessels ...but the Mediterranean’s first these countries obtain –% of their were also found. The Gulf Stream carries artificial reef shows progress... food from oilseed rape fields, compared to plastic northwards, and previous research Researchers have developed  synthetic bees in Germany that obtain just %. The has found that, over the past decades, at reefs designed to mimic the coralline algae wild bees also showed evidence of having least  tonne of plastic has already been fro- Ellisolandia elongata in the hope that the been exposed to neonicotinoids, which zen into the Arctic ice. structures will act as scaffolds for natural were not used in the trial. A second study Source: The Guardian () theguardian. coralline reefs to grow. Each reef contains revealed that neonicotinoid contamination com/environment//jun//plastic-pol-  fronds made from silicone elastomer, a is not confined to crop fields, as neonicoti- luted-arctic-islands-are-dumping-ground- highly elastic material that is non-toxic to noids are water soluble and can be taken up for-gulf-stream the marine environment, anchored in by other plants, with contaminated pollen clear resin near natural coralline algae found in wildflowers that are attractive to Sweden aims to cut net carbon reefs in the Gulf of La Spezia, north-west bees. emissions to zero Italy. In the first month researchers noted Source: Science () dx.doi.org/./ that biofilms produced by bacteria and mi-    Hydropower and nuclear energy already ac- science.aaa & dx.doi.org/ . /sci-  ’ croalgae had begun to form on some of the   count for % of Sweden s electricity and ence.aam ,&The Guardian ( )   artificial reefs, which suggests microorgan-  the country has met its target of % theguardian.com/environment/ /jun/  isms are beginning to colonize the reefs. /pesticides-damage-survival-of-bee-col- renewable energy years ahead of schedule. Source: New Scientist () newscientist. onies-landmark-study-shows In a further step, new legislation commits com/article/-rubber-algae-help-cre- Sweden to becoming carbon neutral by  ate-first-artificial-reef-in-mediterranean/ , making it the first country to signifi- Melting ice in the Arctic affects the cantly upgrade its carbon goals since the future of bears and birds...  Paris accord. To achieve its ambitious ...and EU Overseas Countries and In  the Norwegian archipelago of objective Sweden will focus on reducing Territories exceed marine Svalbard experienced a sudden loss of sea emissions from transport and increasing conservation targets ice, changing the coastline on which local the use of biofuels and electric vehicles. The  EU Overseas Countries and polar bears rely for their survival. Using The country plans to reduce domestic emis- Territories and nine Outermost Regions tracking devices attached to  polar bears sions by at least % and will offset

remaining emissions by investing in pro- The UK’s largest reintroduction of in tropical prawn trawl nets that export to jects abroad and planting trees. water voles begins the European Union. The UK is the EU’s Source: New Scientist () newscientist. Water voles are the fastest declining land largest individual market for tropical com/article/-sweden-commits-to- mammal in the UK, with a . % decline prawns and % of the prawns imported becoming-carbon-neutral-by--within the population. Water voles were into the country are wild-caught, the major- new-law/ predated voraciously by the invasive ity of which are being fished in tropical American mink, and the pollution of water- waters off the coast of India, Bangladesh ways, increased urbanization and loss of and Vietnam. Thousands of turtles, includ- habitat amplified population losses. The ing green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtles, Wild wolves in Finland decline below prevalence of mink has kept water voles at are drowning in the nets deployed by traw- sustainable levels... bay from previous strongholds such as lers. Conservationists are calling for escape According to data from the Finnish Kielder Forest in Northumberland, but as panels to be added to fishing nets, which can National Resources Institute there are otter numbers in Kielder have increased, reduce the capture of marine turtles by up to currently only – wild wolves in mink have been displaced, allowing water % while reducing the prawn catch by only Finland, fewer than the  individuals esti- voles to return. Conservation efforts to pro- %. The USA has banned tropical prawn im- mated in  and far fewer than the esti- tect the growing otter populations have ports where excluder devices such as escape mated  individuals needed to maintain been so successful that surveys since  panels are not used, and conservationists genetic diversity within the population. To have confirmed that mink, which prefer urge the UK to do the same. reduce illegal killing of wolves entering re- not to share hunting grounds with otters, Source: New Scientist () newscientist. mote communities and farmland, earlier are no longer present in Kielder. In light com/article/-uks-hunger-for- this year Finland approved the culling of of this, the biggest reintroduction of water prawns-is-killing-thousands-of-turtles-a-  grey wolves, specifying quotas for each voles in the UK has begun, with the planned year/ region involved. However, conservationists release of a total of  individuals captured warn that, in light of the new population es- in Scotland and the North Pennines. timate, culls could have drastic effects on Snake fungal disease detected in Source: The Guardian () theguardian. wolf populations. Wolf numbers in European snakes for the first time com/environment//jun//ratty-re- Europe have risen to c. , individuals, Analysis of samples collected from wild turns-hundreds-of-water-voles-released- and neighbouring Russia has an estimated snakes in the UK and the Czech Republic in-uks-biggest-reintroduction wolf population of .,, complicating during – has confirmed the pres- the management of wolf populations in ence of snake fungal disease in Europe for Finland. the first time. This disease is caused by the Scotland’s seabird colonies at risk from Source: The Guardian () theguardian. fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, with wind farm developments com/world//jun//finland-has-far- symptoms including skin lesions, scabs Scotland produces . % of Europe’s wind fewer-wild-wolves-than-previously- and crusty scales, and can lead to death in energy but the country is also home to a thought-census-shows some instances. The disease was identified third of the continent’s nesting seabirds, in grass snakes Natrix natrix in the UK some of which could be threatened by the and in a single dice snake Natrix tessellata development of four large-scale wind in the Czech Republic. Before this study ...but return to Denmark after a 200 farms in the waters of the Firth of Forth the only wild populations known to be af- year absence and the Firth of Tay. The proposed project fected by the disease were in the central will consist of  turbines and could gener- Individual male wolves have been evident in and eastern USA but the fungus strains  ate enough power to supply . million Denmark since but the recent arrival of found in European snakes are different homes, but impact reports estimate that a female wolf means that Denmark has its from those identified in North America. ’ . , gannets would be killed by the tur- first wild wolf pack since the country s last Snake fungal disease poses no known threat  bines each week, along with similar num- wolf was killed in . DNA from the to humans or livestock but, as fungal patho- bers of puffins and hundreds of kittiwakes. faeces of the female wolf confirms that she gens are becoming increasingly common,  The turbines will be built under old legisla- came from a pack km south of Berlin further research is required to assess the sig-  tion that permits longer blades to be used, and had therefore travelled km to nificance of the disease to Europe’s snake increasing the risk to seabirds. The Royal Denmark. Wolf packs have been re-estab- populations. Society for the Protection of Birds has lished in France and Germany, with Source: ZSL News () zsl.org/science/ ’ raised concerns that the presence of so Germany s wolf population currently in- news/snake-fungal-disease-identified-in- – many turbines will reduce suitable feeding creasing at % per year and dispersing wild-british-snakes-for-first-time across central Europe. Denmark’s wolf pack sites for puffins, causing colonies to shrink has settled in a farmed area of heathland drastically. with large populations of red and roe deer. Source: The Guardian () theguardian. Mapping the movements of seabirds in In response, the Danish government has com/uk-news//may//scotland-birds- the UK and Ireland implemented a wolf management plan, at-risk-windfarms-gannets-kittiwakes- Data from the satellite-tracking of more which has been designed with input from puffins than , adult seabirds from  colonies game hunters, farmers and conservation- around the UK and Ireland reveal that kitti- ists. The plan provides farmers with com- wakes, shags, razorbills and guillemots use  pensation for livestock losses to wolves UK taste for prawns has fatal an area of at least . million km when and funding to erect wolf-proof fencing. implications for turtles searching for food. According to the data Source: The Guardian () theguardian. A study conducted by the French Guiana from the GPS tags, the sea area used by all com/environment//may//denmark- Fisheries Committee has estimated that up four species is concentrated in the coastal gets-its-first-wild-wolf-pack-in--years to , marine turtles are killed annually waters of Scotland, emphasizing the

importance of conservation measures there. pauca, has caused olive quick decline syn- for several weeks, corals normally experi- The data were also used in computer mod- drome in Italy’s ancient olive trees but sys- ence bleaching, but corals in the northern elling to predict important areas at sea for tematic monitoring of the infection began Red Sea appear to be an anomaly. When colonies where no tracking took place, esti- only in late August , despite early warn- sea levels rose after the last ice age the Red mating where birds travelled from some ings from scientists. National and regional Sea was recolonized by corals from the , breeding sites. Kittiwake numbers authorities have disbursed just over half of south, where water temperatures can rise have declined by %inthepast years the EUR  million budgeted for contain- above  °C, and the corals now growing and shag populations have dropped by %, ment measures and, coupled with delays in in the north of the Red Sea are descendants and both razorbills and guillemots are ‘amber uprooting infected trees and little to no proof these heat-tolerant corals. The coral listed’ and require conservation action. cessing of Xylella samples in ,the Stylophora pistillata is common in the re- Source: New Scientist () newscientist. European Commission is now concerned gion and can thrive at temperatures  °C com/article/-uk-and-irish-sea- that X. fastidiosa pauca could threaten higher than the present maximum in the birds-search-area-size-of-spain-for-food/ Europe’s entire olive industry. Intense mon- area. Researchers subjected the coral to con- itoring at the end of  found almost  ditions forecast for – for  weeks, Xylella-positive plant samples in the new and not only did the coral grow faster than Could light pollution in cities be containment zone in the south of Italy. current rates, the health of the algae living helping rather than hindering Scientists have identified two varieties of within the coral also improved. The coral blackbirds? olive tree in Puglia that show resistance to was also found to be unaffected by ocean Researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for the disease but developing fully resistant acidification at the level expected in the se- Environmental Research in Germany have trees could take a decade or more. cond half of this century. found that European blackbirds Turdus Source: Nature () nature.com/news/ Source: New Scientist () newscientist. merula that preferentially nest near street italy-rebuked-for-failure-to-prevent-olive- com/article/-corals-that-grow-fas- lights in cities laid their eggs almost a week tree-tragedy-. ter-in-warm-water-could-beat-climate- earlier than blackbirds in dark areas such as change/ forests, and were more likely to successfully rear hatchlings. Further research is needed to be certain that light is the key factor. NORTH EURASIA Morocco’s goats disperse argan seeds Source: Journal of Avian Biology () in their spit     Goat herders in Morocco lead their flocks dx.doi.org/ . /jav. , Ibis ( ) Record-breaking number of ruffs flock    through the argan Argania spinosa forests, dx.doi.org/ . /ibi. ,&New Scientist to Belarus   where the animals can climb trees up to  ( ) newscientist.com/article/ -the- Turau Meadow in Belarus, an open flood- m high to feed on fruit and leaves. Popular bright-lights-of-big-cities-help-blackbirds- plain in the middle of Pripyat River, is one accounts suggest that when the goats defe- thrive/ of Europe’s most critical nesting and stop- cate, the nuts of argan fruits are retrieved by over areas for .  species of migratory herders to be used in the making of argan wading birds. The area is the largest stop- Uncertain future for Italy’s unique oil. Herders report that the goats mostly over site for the ruff Calidris pugnax on its fairy shrimp... spit out the argan seeds however, and re- migration from Africa, and this year a re- The fairy shrimp Chirocephalus marchesonii search with Spanish domestic goats con- cord number of , ruffs were sighted is found only in Lake Pilato in the moun- firms these accounts. The goats used in in a single day, the highest since observa- tains of central Italy. Its ancestors are the study were most likely to spit out the tions began in Turau Meadow in . thought to have reached the Appennine largest seeds, whereas smaller seeds more Ruff populations have declined significantly range during the last ice age and the fairy often ended up in faeces. The researchers in Belarus but efforts are being made to re- shrimp’s reproductive cycle has adapted to found that % or more of regurgitated verse this. Belarussian authorities have re- the seasonal hydrological balance of Lake seeds could still grow, meaning that spitting cognized the Turau Meadows area as a Pilato. The basin is experiencing unusually goats and other ruminants could be import- locally significant wildlife sanctuary, and low water levels this year, and from  on- ant for dispersal of seeds. the floodplains are categorized as an wards researchers have recorded an increas- Source: New Scientist () newscientist. Important Bird and Biodiversity Area. The ing number of years with abnormally low com/article/-tree-climbing-goats- ruff is listed on Belarus’s Regional Red List, water levels. The shrimp can survive long spit-out-and-disperse-valuable-argan- which means hunting of the species is not dry spells by burying its eggs under the seeds/ lake bed, where they can remain alive for permitted and the government has a duty more than a year, but researchers are con- to protect its nesting area.  ’ cerned the shrimps already present in the Source: BirdLife International ( ) birdlife. Weevils devastate Tunisia s palm trees org/europe-and-central-asia/news/record- Since the end of  an infestation of red lake may not have enough time to reach sex-  ual maturity before the basin dries out. breaking- -ruffs-counted-belarus palm weevils has spread in Tunisia, deci- Source: New Scientist () newscientist. mating palm trees in the north and gradual- com/article/-italys-drying-lakes-im- ly encroaching on crops in the south of the ’ peril-rare-shrimp-species-found-only-here/ NORTH AFRICA AND country. Tunisia s revenue from the tourist MIDDLE EAST industry has been hit hard by the terror at- tacks of  and the Tunisian dinar is at a ...and Italy fails to react to olive tree record low. Tunisia is the world’s largest ex- devastation Corals in the Red Sea could thrive in porter of dates, with exports generating An incurable pathogen endemic to the warming waters GBP  million annually. There are . Americas was first seen in Europe in Puglia When exposed to water temperatures  °C million palm trees in the country, and al- in . The pathogen, Xylella fastidiosa warmer than the usual summer maximum though not all are date palms they are all

at risk from the weevil, and authorities fear plants from tourist lodges, tackling light in- Surviving-Civil-War-but-Poaching-and- that the Tunisian date industry is not pre- festations already in the wild and investigat- Trafficking-Threats-Increase.aspx pared to tackle an invasion on this scale. ing whether beetles that attack the plant The ministry of agriculture, along with the could help control invasions. U.S. embassy in Tunisia, held a -day con- Source: New Scientist () newscientist. Black rhinoceroses return to Rwanda ference in May to design an action plan to com/article/-devil-weeds-threaten- Akagera National Park in eastern Rwanda .  control the weevil’s spread from urban to wildebeest-migrations-in-serengeti/ was once home to black rhinos but agricultural areas. widescale poaching decimated numbers Source: The Guardian () theguardian. and the last confirmed sighting was in  ,   com/global-development//may// Development plans altered to protect . Today there are , black rhinos   panic-over-the-red-devils-threatening-to- rare gorillas in West Africa in the wild, and only c. , Critically strip-tunisia-of-its-grand-palm-trees The Critically Endangered Cross River gor- Endangered eastern black rhinos. Since  preparation has been underway at illa Gorilla gorilla diehli is considered to be  the most threatened of the African apes, Akagera to prepare for eastern black rhinos from South Africa to move into the First photographic evidence of with only c.  individuals remaining in Park, where the subspecies once thrived. smooth-coated and Eurasian otters in the wild. Poaching and habitat loss are the African Parks has established a canine Iraq since the 1950s main threats to the survival of this subspe- anti-poaching unit, and deployed an expert The first photographic record of the cies, as human encroachment continues to rhino tracking and protection team and a smooth-coated otter Lutrogale perspicillata fragment forests, reduce connectivity be- helicopter to improve security in the Park. in the wild in Iraq was obtained recently tween areas and isolate the species. The This follows the successful reintroduction from Al Edheam Marsh at the northern Cross River gorilla is found only in the of lions to the park in July ,  years edge of Hawizeh Marsh in southern Iraq, Guinean Forests of West Africa Hotspot, after they had last been sighted. and first photographic records of the in the Nigeria–Cameroon border region. Source: The Guardian () theguardian. Eurasian otter Lutra lutra were obtained The Cross River region is also home to en- com/world//may//black-rhinos-re- in the Al Hammar Marsh and at the demic species including Preuss’s gibbons, turn-to-rwanda--years-after- Mosul Dam, in southern and northern Nigeria–Cameroon chimpanzees, forest disappearance Iraq, respectively. Both species are facing a elephants and  endemic species of birds. significant decline as a result of illegal hunt- In response to pressure from conservation ing and trapping, habitat loss and fragmen- groups, Nigerian officials have altered the Gabon announces vast network of  tation, and thus strong conservation efforts path of a km superhighway that was marine protected areas are required to protect their populations. to pass through this unique rainforest. The Gabon’s President Bongo Ondimba has an- ’ Iraq s endemic subspecies L. perspicillata new route will be to the west, away from the nounced the creation of Africa’s largest maxwelli is a flagship species in the country centre of the Cross River National Park.  marine protected area network in an effort and so this photographic record of the en- Source: BirdLife International ( ) bird- to protect Gabon’s waters, which are home demic smooth-coated otter is good news for life.org/africa/news/ray-hope-endangered- to the largest breeding populations of lea- the Mesopotamian Marshlands UNESCO cross-river-gorilla-west-africa-forest therback and olive ridley marine turtles as World Heritage Site. well as  species of whales and dolphins. Source: OTTER, The Journal of the The announcement follows  years of   International Otter Survival Fund ( ), , Aerial survey assesses impact of civil knowledge gathering and consultations – ’ . war on South Sudan s wildlife with private fishing and oil companies, – During an aerial survey was con- NGOs, universities and government bodies. ducted over the areas of Boma, Badingilo, The proposed network of nine new marine Nimule, Southern and Shambe National parks and  aquatic reserves will expand SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA  Parks, and the proposed Loelle protected Gabon’s protected waters by , km , area in South Sudan. South Sudan is home and the largest protected area in the net- ’ Invasive weeds threaten vital to the world s second-largest land mammal work will extend to the  nautical mile grasslands in the Serengeti migration and provides habitat for ele- limit of Gabon’s Exclusive Economic Invasive plants, including devil weed phants, giraffes, lions and hippopotamuses. Zone, protecting marine life from the Chromolaena odorata and famine weed Data from the aerial survey revealed that shore to depths of  km. Smaller marine Parthenium hysterophorus, were originally significant wildlife populations have sur- parks will protect vital points such as river planted for decoration at tourist lodges in vived the ongoing civil war, but levels of mouths. ’ Kenya s Masai-Mara National Reserve but poaching, commercial wildlife trafficking, Source: WCS () newsroom.wcs.org/ are now displacing native vegetation illegal mining, timber harvesting and char- News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/ – throughout the Serengeti Mara ecosystem coal production are all increasing. The sur- articleId//Gabon-Announces-Vast-  on which migrating animals depend for vey recorded a minimum of elephants Marine-Protected-Area-Network-at-UN-  food. A survey of six invasive plant species in the surveyed areas, but c. % of previ- Ocean-Conference.aspx that pose the greatest threat to migrating ously documented important wildlife areas wildlife has found that devil weed has al- were inaccessible because of the conflict. ready reduced the chance of survival of low- Earlier surveys estimated a pre-civil-war Poisoned elephant carcass kills land gorillas in Cameroon, and famine elephant population of , in South Critically Endangered vultures in weed, now present in  African countries, Sudan. Zimbabwe has decimated native grasses in South Source: WCS () newsroom.wcs.org/ A poisoned elephant carcass in Gonarezhou, Africa’s Kruger National Park. Researchers News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/ Zimbabwe, has caused the deaths of  recommend immediate removal of invasive articleId//South-Sudan-Wildlife- Critically Endangered white-backed vultures

that fed on the carcass. The carcass was and is home to over  Bengal tigers as serum samples from c.  domestic dogs found in an area along the country’s border well as Asian elephants, leopards, sloth in Chitwan’s buffer zones to screen for ca- with Mozambique that has become a hub for bears and spotted deer. A  report esti- nine distemper. illegal wildlife trade. It is suspected that the mated that the reserve had the highest dens- Source: Mongabay () news.mongabay. elephant was killed by a watermelon laced ity of tigers in the world and some of the com///with-poaching-curtailed-a- with Temik, a carbamate pesticide, and as most productive tiger habitat. However, new-menace-to-nepals-wildlife/ the elephant’stuskswereremoveditis the planned transformation of a small, par- thought that it was the target of ivory poa- tially paved road into a national highway chers. Previous research has shown that a would bisect this reserve and tiger territor- Spoon-billed sandpiper winter habitat  single poisoned elephant carcass can cause ies, which can span up to , km . A pro- becomes Myanmar’s fourth Ramsar the death of up to  vultures, but poachers posed solution is to raise sections of the site also target vultures directly in an attempt highway to facilitate the passage of wildlife Up to – spoon-billed sandpipers to prevent them circling above carcasses beneath, and discussions are ongoing as the Calidris pygmaea arrive in the Gulf of and thus drawing attention to poaching ac- Supreme Court has requested an alternative Mottama every winter, accounting for al- tivity. In response to the incident, BirdLife alignment of the highway. most % of the entire global population Zimbabwe plans to build on its ongoing Source: Mongabay () news.mongabay. of this Critically Endangered wader. The anti-poisoning work to prevent the decline com///a-dangerous-path-new-high- Gulf of Mottama is also a vital wintering of vultures in Africa. way-could-jeopardize-tigers-in-india/ habitat for other migratory waders, includ- Source: BirdLife International () bird- ing the great knot Calidris tenuirostris and life.org/africa/news/poisoned-elephant- the spotted greenshank Tringa guttifer, but Pakistan declares its first Marine carcass-kills--critically-endangered-vul- until now it has had no formal protection Protected Area tures-zimbabwe status. Overfishing and bird hunting threat- Pakistan has designated Astola Island as the en the estuary as both a habitat and resource. country’s first marine protected area. The  Over the past decade fish catches declined by . km island is Pakistan’s largest offshore –%, forcing fishers to seek alternative li- SOUTH AND SOUTH-EAST island and its beaches provide nesting velihoods elsewhere. Following a decade of ASIA grounds for the Endangered green turtle pressure from NGOs, , ha of the Gulf and the Critically Endangered hawksbill have now been granted Ramsar protection. turtle. The treeless island is also home to Mapping migrations for conservation According to the Convention on Biological the endemic Astola saw-scaled viper and a The increasing number of railways, roads, Diversity, %of, wetlands sampled diverse assemblage of migratory birds, and pipelines and border fences being con- were lost during –,sothisdesigna- the surrounding marine environment boasts structed across Central Asia are threatening tion comes as a welcome step in global a variety of corals, which provide crucial migratory species, including the Saiga ante- wetland conservation. breeding grounds for many marine species. lope, Mongolian gazelle, wild camel, Argali Source: BirdLife International () bird- The declaration by the Government of sheep and Asiatic wild ass. Infrastructure life.org/asia/news/safe-last-spoonies-win- Balochistan is a milestone in the country’s developments can fragment habitats and ter-wonderland-becomes-ramsar-site,& efforts to meet target  of the Aichi impede movements that are critical for IUCN () iucn.org/news/myanmar/ Biodiversity Targets, which stipulates that breeding, feeding and the avoidance of /conserving-wetlands-myanmar- at least % of a country’s coastal and mar- drought or winter weather. In  over gulf-mottama-myanmar%E%%s- ine areas must be designated as marine pro- , Mongolian gazelles died because fourth-ramsar-site tected areas. they were unable to cross the fenced tracks Source: IUCN () iucn.org/news/paki- of the Trans-Mongolian Railway to escape stan//astola-island-%E%%- the harsh winter weather. Experts have Endangered softshell turtles released pakistan%E%%s-first-ever-marine- now mapped the distribution and move- in Cambodia protected-area-declared ment corridors of  migratory mammals The Endangered Asian giant softshell turtle in  countries across the Central Asian re- Pelochelys cantorii was thought to be extinct gion. This migratory atlas also includes the Nepal’s wildlife at risk from spreading in the Cambodian portion of the Mekong threats posed by planned and constructed diseases River until its rediscovery in  in a stretch linear infrastructure, such as roads and rail- Although poaching of rhinoceroses, tigers of the river between Kratie and Stung ways. It is hoped that presenting the data in and elephants has been drastically reduced Treng Provinces. A community-based pro- a single database will aid understanding of in Nepal since , wildlife is still being tection programme run by the Wildlife the impacts of barriers on migratory steppe threatened by the spread of disease, in Conservation Society in collaboration with and mountain ungulates. part from domestic animals and livestock. Cambodia’s Fisheries Administration and Source: WCS () newsroom.wcs.org/ A survey of  domestic dogs in the buffer the Turtle Survival Alliance now hires for- News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/ zones of Chitwan National Park found  mer nest collectors from these provinces to articleId//First-Central-Asian- individuals with canine distemper, a disease search for and protect nests. With commu- Migration-Atlas-Created-to-Reduce-Harm- that killed at least four Bengal tigers nity participation,  nests have been pro- to-Wildlife-from-Infrastructure.aspx Panthera tigris tigris in neighbouring India tected and , hatchlings have been in . Screening of captive elephants released since . The most recent release throughout Nepal has also found that % saw  hatchlings returned to their natural Planned highway threatens India’s carry tuberculosis antibodies, and in  habitat along the Mekong River in an effort flagship tiger reserve a rhinoceros in Chitwan died of the disease. to boost the wild population of the species. Corbett Tiger Reserve at the foot of the Staff from Nepal’s National Trust for Source: WCS () newsroom.wcs.org/ Himalayas is India’s oldest national park Nature Conservation are aiming to collect News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/

articleId//Over--Asian-Giant- of raw ivory in Asia has dropped. Vietnam pangolin scales (.%), leopard bones Softshell-Turtles-Return-to-the-Wild.aspx has one of the largest ivory markets but re- (.%) and whale products (.%). cent data suggest that in Hanoi the average TRAFFIC has worked with tech companies price for raw ivory dropped from USD , to remove thousands of illegal postings, as Updated map of seizures used to per kg in  to USD  per kg in dealers post on e-commerce websites and conserve the helmeted hornbill February . China’s ivory factories were other public platforms to steer potential TRAFFIC and the Environmental Investi- officially shut down by  March  and buyers towards social media, which remains gation Agency have published an updated all retail outlets are to be closed by the the main channel for wildlife trafficking. trade hotspot map that confirms China   ’ end of . Although the market for raw Source: TRAFFIC ( ) traffic.org/home/ and Indonesia as the world s most import- ivory in China has slowed, poaching has ///new-study-documents-persist- ant countries involved in the illegal trade in not declined in parallel. Experts believe tra- ent-wildlife-trafficking-on-e-com.html helmeted hornbill Rhinoplax vigil parts ders are either stockpiling ivory or moving and products. The helmeted hornbill was into the illegal trade. Africa’s elephants, the Giant pandas struggling to cope as recategorized from Near Threatened to main source of tusks brought into Vietnam, Critically Endangered in just  years as a re- their habitat warms ’ remain under threat as traders can now sult of an increase in trade of the species obtain ivory at a lower price. Data collected across six mountains along solid keratin casque. During – at  the Chinese edge of the Tibetan plateau   Source: The Guardian ( ) theguardian. least , helmeted hornbill casques, skulls com/environment//jun//chinas- have confirmed that giant pandas are strug- and products were seized in at least  gling to adapt to their warming habitat. ivory-ban-sparks-dramatic-drop-in-prices-  known confiscations. Indonesian Borneo across-asia Over the past years the area within experiences high levels of poaching, and panda habitat exposed to a potential stress  Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in of up to  °C had increased from  km  Jakarta is Indonesia’s major international ...and Hong Kong moves to ban to , km . Previous research has indi- exit point for trafficked wildlife. Hong domestic ivory trade... cated that  °C is the threshold for giant Kong and Shenzhen are the most important Hong Kong has more ivory items for sale pandas to suffer heat stress, and a consist- ports connecting shipments of hornbill than anywhere else, and TRAFFIC has ently warm environment can affect their re- parts from Indonesia to China. found that over a third of licensed ivory productive abilities and cause dehydration Source: TRAFFIC () traffic.org/home/ dealers advise buyers on ways to smuggle and metabolic problems. Researchers sug- ///mapping-seizures-to-aid-conser- ivory out of the city. There are  legally gest that artificial microhabitats such as vation-of-imperilled-helmeted.html registered ivory traders in Hong Kong cool retreats and maternity dens could pro- with licenses to sell ivory obtained before vide short-term shelter for pandas. Planting the  international ban. Following in trees and more bamboo could also increase Numbers of owls being traded in the wake of China, Hong Kong has now available canopy cover but multiple con- Indonesia on the rise  proposed a bill to ban the import and ex- structions would be needed to allow pandas A survey of bird markets on the islands port of both raw and worked ivory by to extend their range, and to connect their of Bali and Java has confirmed that the . The bill would also ban the possession fragmented habitat. number of owls being sold rose from an and sale of all ivory obtained before  Source: New Scientist () newscientist. estimated few hundred per year before and traders would have  years to destroy com/article/-cool-retreats-are-  to , by . Recent data reveal  their ivory and close their businesses. The needed-to-save-giant-panda-from-warm- that whereas in owls accounted for  deadline remains a source of concern er-weather/ , .% of birds being sold in markets, in    as an open market in Hong Kong could they accounted for c. . % in some mar- fuel the illegal ivory trade in China and A population crash could be on the kets. Researchers suggest that the increasing undermine China’s recent efforts. horizon for Japanese badgers sales of owls are linked to the popularity of Source: The Guardian () theguardian. Harry Potter books, the first of which was   The endemic Japanese badger Meles anaku-  com/environment/ /jun/ /hong-kong- translated into Indonesian in . Owls launches-bill-ban-domestic-ivory-trade ma is regarded as a pest by farmers on do not have an official catch quota so their Kyushu Island, who regularly trap the bad- trade is illegal in Indonesia but the author- gers. In Kyushu’s Kagoshima prefecture ities are yet to prevent the sale of the popular ...but report documents declining but killings rose from a few hundred to , scops owl and other species, and the coun- persistent online wildlife trafficking in last year and ecologists fear that the rate of try’s owl population remains unmonitored. China this cull could lead to a population crash. Source: Nature () nature.com/news/ Ongoing monitoring has revealed that the Government officials confirm that the has-harry-potter-mania-cursed-indonesia- number of advertisements illegally offering number of badgers culled in the  months s-owls-. wildlife products on e-commerce websites to March  was % up on the preceding and social media in China had dropped year and local governments are increasingly from more than , per month in  promoting the killing of pests in efforts to EAST ASIA to fewer than , by December . mitigate crop damage. The legality of the Researchers used  keywords,  just for cull is unclear but researchers are con- ivory, used by dealers to search and identify cerned that it is excessive, and data are lack- Prices of raw ivory in Vietnam have the online products. Ivory products had the ing as the Kagoshima prefecture does not fallen dramatically... highest share (.%) of new monthly ad- monitor its badger population. Badger The demand for carved ivory comes pre- vertisements, followed by rhino horn meat is also becoming more popular in dominantly from mainland China but products (.%), hawksbill turtle shells Japanese restaurants but it is unclear since the government announced plans to (.%), helmeted hornbill casques (.%), whether this demand is driving the culls ban its domestic legal ivory trade the price tiger bones (%), saiga horns (.%), or responding to the ready supply.

Source: Nature () nature.com/news/ Alberta-gem-that-needs-to-be-safe- the coast of Washington, Oregon and ecologists-warn-of-japanese-badger-cull- guarded.aspx California, the highest number ever re- crisis-. corded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Yellowstone bears no longer to be and nine more reported cases than in NORTH AMERICA listed as endangered? . Of these reported entanglements,  Grizzly bears have been protected under the were humpback whales Megaptera no- Endangered Species Act in all continental vaeangliae, and four blue whales  Greenland’s narwhals to help measure U.S. states except Alaska since but Balaenoptera musculus, three grey whales underwater ice melt now the bears that roam both inside and Eschrichtius robustus, one killer whale Greenland’s ice sheet is , km long, outside Yellowstone National Park could Orcinus orca and nine unidentified cases covers % of the island and holds %of be removed from the list of endangered were also recorded. Algal blooms in   the world’s fresh water. Warming climates and threatened species. In the shortened the fishing season and put pres- are melting the surface of this sheet and in Yellowstone population of grizzly bears sure on fisheries to increase yields in a  turn speeding up the melt below the surface. was just , as numbers had been deci- shorter time span, so best practice guide- Researchers estimate that sea levels would mated by hunting and trapping. Although lines, such as minimizing the length of the  rise by  m if the entire ice sheet melted grizzly bears now occupy only % of their line between buoys to keep lines taut, were but it is hard to gauge how quickly the ice original territory, numbers of bears in and not implemented. from glaciers flowing off Greenland is melt- around Yellowstone have risen to an esti- Source: Mongabay () news.mongabay.  ing underwater. Recent research reveals that mated individuals, leading the U.S. com///whale-entanglements-sky- narwhals are spending large amounts of Fish and Wildlife Service to conclude that rocket-off-the-u-s-west-coast/ time in and around melting ice, so much the population has recovered. If the final ’ so that it appears to be the species’ preferred ruling removes Yellowstone s grizzly bears habitat. Narwhals have previously been from the list, states will be permitted to ’ CENTRAL AMERICA AND tagged with temperature sensors in Baffin plan limited bear hunts outside the Park s Bay, Canada, and a team hope to do the boundaries as long as a viable population CARIBBEAN  same with Greenland’s narwhals in . of more than bears is maintained.  The data will be transmitted to National Source: The Guardian ( ) theguardian.   Fish species suffering in the Caribbean Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration com/world/ /jun/ /yellowstone-grizzly- and Pacific islands satellites as part of NASA’s Oceans bears-endagered-species-protections-lifted According to two regional Red List reports Melting Greenland project. published by IUCN, overfishing and deg- Source: New Scientist () newscientist. Human noise levels in U.S. parks far radation of coral reefs across the com/article/-narwhals-could-help- higher than expected... Caribbean and Pacific islands are putting us-measure-melting-glaciers-underwater/ Researchers have analysed over . million multiple fish species at risk of extinction.   hours of recordings from  protected An assessment of , marine species  sites across the USA to determine how across the island states and territories  Conservationists call for park much noise in these areas is generated by of Oceania has revealed that % of assessed ’ protection for Canada s hidden gem people. By comparing a background noise marine species in the region are threatened A study conducted by Wildlife Conservation model that eliminated all potential sounds with extinction. A similar assessment of    Society Canada has stressed the importance created by people, such as engine noises, , marine bony shorefishes across of an area known as the Bighorn with estimates of wild soundscape levels Caribbean countries and territories found  Backcountry, just east of Banff National the researchers assessed the extent to that % are threatened by overfishing, preda- ’ Park, in Alberta s Eastern Slopes region. which man-made sounds contributed to tion by invasive lionfish, and the degradation The area includes vital spawning habitat noise levels in the sampled protected of coral reefs and estuaries. In the Caribbean ’ for the bull trout, Alberta s provincial fish, areas. Noise levels in % of the protected the Vulnerable red snapper Lutjanus campe- secluded areas for female grizzly bears, areas were twice as loud as they should be, chanus and the Endangered Atlantic bluefin which can be displaced from prime feeding and in % of sampled areas were  times tuna Thunnus thynnus are targeted by fish- sites near secondary roads, and denning louder than background levels. The data ers, and in Oceania four Vulnerable species habitat for wolverines, which may increas- also revealed that the areas with the highest of groupers, which are an important local ingly need to move to higher altitudes in levels of protection were the quietest, and food source, are threatened by the degrad- search of deep snow. The study revealed overall, protected areas were quieter than ation of mangrove, seagrass and reef that a Wildland Provincial Park covering the unprotected spaces directly surround- habitats.   c. % of provincial lands in the Bighorn ing them. Previous research has demon- Source: IUCN ( ) iucn.org/news/secre-   Backcountry would conserve %ofthe strated that noise pollution can affect how tariat/ /overfishing-reef-decline- most important habitats for grizzly bear, animals search for food. threaten-greater-caribbean-and-pacific-is-    bull trout, bighorn sheep and wolverine. Source: Nature () nature.com/news/ land-fisheries-%E % % -iucn-reports The area lies in the headwaters of the human-noise-in-us-parks-threatens-wild- North Saskatchewan River, which could life-. play an increasingly important role in the Five Pacific islands declared free of movement of fish and wildlife in response invasive predators to climate change. ...and whale entanglements off the A collaboration between NGOs, including Source: WCS () newsroom.wcs.org/ west coast of the USA are on the rise BirdLife International, Island Conservation News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/ During the  fishing season,  whales and SOP Manu, supported by landowners, articleId//Bighorn-Backcountry-an- were entangled in fishing equipment off volunteers and local government, has

successfully rid five Pacific islands of inva- thought to be extinct until the s, of degradation are often underestimated. sive mammals. The project targeted six is- when it was rediscovered in the Atlantic During the – El Niño, fires affected  lands (Vahanga, Tenarunga, Temoe, Forest. Fewer than  adult birds are , km of the Brazilian Amazon, more Kamaka, Makaroa and Manui) in French estimated to remain but there is hope for than five times the area classified as defor- Polynesia’s Acteon Gambier island group, one of the last strongholds of the species, ested. The disturbance map also includes and just  years later , ha has been de- as , ha in the Brazilian state of biodiversity information and reveals that clared predator-free. The project has more Espírito Santo have now been designated recent devastating wildfires occurred in than doubled the secure habitat for the as the Águia Branca Private Reserve. The the habitat of the Critically Endangered Critically Endangered Polynesian ground- area is home to .  bird species, in- black-winged trumpeter Psophia obscura. dove Alopecoenas erythropterus.Fewer cluding the cherry-throated tanager. The Source: The Guardian () theguardian. than  of the birds remain globally and private reserve will also provide refuge for com/environment//jun//brazil-ama- the Acteon Gambier island group is now the Endangered buffy-headed marmoset zon-forest-degradation-map home to the only viable population. Since Callithrix flaviceps and the brown-throated the eradication of rats, local livelihoods in sloth Bradypus variegatus. these remote islands have benefited, as Source: BirdLife International () bird- First ringed storm-petrel nests land managers reported a doubling of their life.org/worldwide/news/ravaged-deforest- discovered in Chile coconut kernel production in . Plans ation-new-refuge-brings-hope-cherry- A team of scientists and volunteers from the are now underway to reintroduce the throated-tanager Chilean Network of Ornithologists have lo- Polynesian ground-dove and the Tuamotu cated nesting grounds of the ringed storm- sandpiper Prosobonia parvirostris to ...but rising deforestation in Brazil petrel Oceanodroma hornbyi in the Temoe island. jeopardizes financial support from Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The Source: BirdLife International () bird- Norway... Humboldt Current flows along the west life.org/paradise-saved-worlds-rarest- Although the rate of deforestation in the coast of South America and supports nu- birds-rebound-pacific-islands-cleared- – merous species of storm-petrels. The birds invasive Amazon decreased steadily during ,in annual deforestation in the come inland only to breed and nest but Brazilian Amazon increased by %to until now the breeding grounds of the  , km , prompting Norway to recon- ringed-storm petrel were unknown. The Governance diversity key for sider its financial aid. Since  Norway birds use natural holes and crevices in protected areas in Belize   ’ the rocky landscape to make their nests, has provided USD . billion to Brazil s ‘ ’ Belize is home to the second largest coral Amazon fund, tied to reductions in the and by following the distinctive old sock reef in the world and has  varied ecosys- smell of the birds the researchers identified rate of deforestation. The Amazon fund  tems, and it is now one of only a few supports a diversity of projects that work active nests. Based on the discovery re- countries that have met Aichi Biodiversity on deforestation issues, land regulation searchers will be able to begin estimating Target : to conserve % of terrestrial the population size of the ringed storm-pet-  and the environmental management of in- areas and % of marine areas. Belize cur- digenous lands. Increased deforestation, rel and determine whether mining activity rently manages .% of its terrestrial area and proposed wind farm projects in the   coupled with budget cuts to the environ- in protected areas and . % of its marine ment ministry and controversial moves to Atacama Desert will threaten this elusive area through a National Protected Areas remove protection from large areas of the species. System that relies on co-management part- Source: Mongabay () news.mongabay. Amazon, have caused Norway to announce   nerships, privately protected areas and that further deforestation will result in a com/ / /elusive-seabird-breeding- Indigenous and Community Conserved withdrawal of funding. Under the rules grounds-discovered-in-chilean-desert/ Areas, in that order. The diversity of actors Brazil set itself for the Amazon fund, a  involved in protected area management in- rise in deforestation to , km would cludes government agencies, NGOs, com- see the end of Norway’s payments. PACIFIC munity groups and logging concession Source: The Guardian () theguardian. holders, and could offer a model for coun- com/environment//jun//norway-is- Plastic waste covers an island tries with expanding protected area systems. sues-bn-threat-brazil-rising-amazon-  thousands of kilometres away from Source: IUCN ( ) iucn.org/news/pro- destruction tected-areas//governance-diversity- human habitation belize An expedition to the  km wide Henderson ...and a new disturbance map shows Island in the South Pacific has found  mil- the extent of forest degradation in lion items of rubbish weighing a total of  SOUTH AMERICA Brazilian Amazon tonnes spread across its beaches. Halfway The Silent Forest project assesses the extent between Australia and South America, and impact of forest degradation in the Henderson Island is , km from New reserve declared in Brazil’s Brazilian Amazon, using a disturbance human occupation but has the highest Atlantic Forest... map to highlight the black spots of forest density of washed-up plastic rubbish in % of the Atlantic Forest, which once degradation and draw attention to areas af- the world. The island is located on the stretched across the east coast of Brazil, fected by roads, logging and forest fires. edge of the South Pacific Gyre, a circular has been replaced with plantations and Degradation, including the thinning of current that traps debris, and its beaches quarries, but although the remaining forest tree density and the culling of biodiversity have an average of  items of rubbish  is highly fragmented, it supports a vast below the canopy, is difficult for satellites per m , .% of which are plastic. The array of plants and animals. The cherry- to monitor as canopies can appear to be in- waste includes items decades old, such as throated tanager Nemosia rourei was tact from the air, and as a result the impacts toy soldiers that were popular in the s.

A large portion of the rubbish originates exposed land is being colonized by mosses, which will be spent on improving water from South America, where the South which are growing four or five times faster quality, but warned that progress on redu- Pacific Gyre sweeps up the west coast of than pre  rates and are providing new cing the number of agricultural pollutants the continent. habitats for invasive species. Researchers flowing into the reef has been slow and Source: New Scientist () newscientist. warn that current biosecurity measures in water quality targets crucial to the resilience com/article/-remote-pacific-island- Antarctica are inadequate and need imme- of the reef are unlikely to be met at current found-buried-under-tonnes-of-plastic- diate attention. In addition to the threat of rates. The latest data show a sharp decline waste/ global warming, personal items of those vis- in coral cover in the north of the Great iting Antarctica can carry bugs or seeds, and Barrier Reef in May , and back-to-back with , tourists expected to visit the coral bleaching events have affected approxi- Fiji commits to sustainably managing continent in the – season the mately two-thirds of the reef. one of its most diverse and productive scale of potential contamination is vast. Source: The Guardian () theguardian. marine areas Source: The Guardian () theguardian. com/environment//jun//great-bar- Fiji’s Ministry of Fisheries has announced com/world//jun//antarctica-insect- rier-reef-australia-must-act-urgently-on- the country’s commitment to scaling up plant-invasion-house-flies-mosses-warm- water-quality-says-unesco its marine conservation efforts, with the er-climate designation of the Bligh Waters and Central Viti marine managed areas.  Spanning , km , both areas lie within ... and Emperor penguins Airguns used in oil exploration surveys Fiji’s Vatu-i-Ra Seascape, an ecologically Emperor penguins are currently being kill krill unique breeding and calving ground for considered for listing under the U.S. Researchers have shown for the first time humpback whales migrating from Endangered Species Act and a recent Antarctica. The rich biodiversity of the that the seismic sound blasts emitted by air- model predicts that many colonies will guns used to search for new oil reserves Seascape, including sharks, rays, corals, tur- have vanished by . Previous research tles, seabirds and .  fish species, pro- under the ocean floor kill zooplankton. has suggested that melting sea ice as a result Zooplankton, which includes worms, and vides USD . million annually from of climate change could cause numbers of crustaceans such as krill, is crucial for main- tourism alone. The fisheries benefiting the largest penguin to drop by %by   taining healthy populations of species high- from the Seascape are valued at USD .  but this new model takes into account million, but overfishing, a growing human er up the food chain. Researchers surveyed additional factors, including how individual zooplankton populations before and  hour population and increased market access penguins adapt to climate change by mi- ’ after setting off an airgun near the south- are threatening the area s sustainability. grating to places with optimal sea ice cover- The designation of the Bligh Waters and east coast of Tasmania and found that the age. The latest model used data collected sound burst created a  km wide hole in Central Viti marine managed areas will from Pointe Géologie in Antarctica along contribute further to Fiji’s commitments the zooplankton population. In this area with satellite images of penguin colonies the number of dead zooplankton more under the Convention on Biological to analyse travelling and foraging behav- than doubled and zooplankton abundance Diversity. iour. The model projects that although po- Source: WCS News () newsroom.wcs. dropped by two-thirds. Airguns are used pulations will remain stable, or may even on , km of marine survey trips per org/News-Releases/articleType/ increase, for the next  decades, after  ArticleView/articleId//Fijis- year in Australia, and previous research climate change will have rendered their ha- has revealed that they also cause behaviour- Commitment-to-Marine-Managed-Areas. bitats inhospitable and global populations al changes and hearing loss in whales, dol- aspx will plummet. phins and giant squid, reducing their ability  Source: Science ( ) sciencemag.org/ to hunt and communicate.   news/ / /emperor-penguins-may-dis- Source: New Scientist () newscientist. AUSTRALIA/ANTARCTICA/ appear-end-century,&Biological com/article/-oil-exploration-air-    NEW ZEALAND Conservation ( ) dx.doi.org/ . /j. guns-punch--kilometre-wide-holes-in-    biocon. . . plankton/ A warmer climate spells bad news for All internet addresses were up to date at Antarctica’s native plants and UNESCO urges Australia to act on time of writing. Note that in the online ver- insects... water quality targets for Great Barrier sion of this document (at cambridge.org/ Since collection of meteorological data Reef core/journals/oryx) all links are live and began in Antarctica in the s the region A draft decision issued by UNESCO has sug- can thus be used to navigate directly to the has warmed by approximately . °C every gested the Great Barrier Reef remains off the cited sources. The Briefly section in this decade. This warming climate has resulted list of World Heritage sites in danger but issue was written and compiled by Jessica in an influx of invasive plants, including warns that Australia will not meet the targets Haskell, Cella Carr and Martin Fisher, with non-native meadow grasses and sunflower of the Reef  report without rapidly ad- an additional contribution from Grace species, and insects such as the common dressing issues of water quality. The report Yoxon. Contributions from authoritative house fly, which carries foreign pathogens. noted the Australian and Queensland gov- published sources (including web sites) are Plant life occurs on only .% of the contin- ernments have established an AUD . bil- always welcome. Please send contributions ent, but as glaciers have retreated the newly lion investment strategy, the majority of by e-mail to [email protected]