DOCSLIB.ORG

TRAFFIC BULLETIN 22(3) March 2010 (PDF, 2.5

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

TRAFFIC 3 BULLETIN TRADE IN WILD MEAT IN CENTRAL AFRICA WEST AFRICA’S MARKET FOR FROG MEAT IVORY IN ETHIOPIA MARCH 2010 VOL. 22 NO. 3 22 NO. VOL. MARCH 2010 The journal of the TRAFFIC network disseminates information on the trade in wild animal and plant resources The TRAFFIC Bulletin is a publication of TRAFFIC, the wild life TRAFFIC trade monitoring net work, which works to ensure that trade in B U L L E T I N wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conser- vation of nature. TRAFFIC is a joint programme of WWF and IUCN. VOL. 22 NO. 3 MARCH 2010 The TRAFFIC Bulletin publishes information and original papers on the subject of trade in wild animals and plants, and strives to be a source of accurate and objective information. The TRAFFIC Bulletin is available free of charge. CONTENTS Quotation of information appearing in the news sections is welcomed without permission, but citation news editorial • technology to age ivory • must be given. Reprod uction of all other material new UK legislation • Saving Plants appearing in the TRAFFIC Bulletin requires written that Save Lives and Livelihoods permission from the publisher. • Alerce • biodiversity indicators • 93 • bushmeat monitoring system • MANAGING EDITOR Steven Broad lemurs hunted for bushmeat • • trade in Clouded Monitors EDITOR AND COMPILER Kim Lochen SUBSCRIPTIONS Susan Vivian (E-mail: [email protected]) feature Application of food balance The designations of geographical entities in this sheets to assess the scale of publication, and the presentation of the material, do the bushmeat trade not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever in Central Africa on the part of TRAFFIC or its supporting 105 organizations con cern ing the legal status of any S. Ziegler country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Any opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of TRAFFIC, WWF or IUCN. feature Dried or fried: amphibians in local and regional food markets Published by TRAFFIC International, in West Africa 219a Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, Cambs., CB3 0DL, UK. M. Mohneke, A.B. Onadeko, M. Hirschfeld 117 and M.-O. Rödel © TRAFFIC International 2010 ISSN 0267-4297 UK Registered Charity No. 1076722 Cover illustration: African Tiger Frogs Hoplobatrachus occipitalis being dried for subsequent sale, southern Burkina Faso, January 2008. seizures and A round-up of recent seizures and (© Meike Mohneke) prosecutions prosecutions that have taken place around the world This page, from top: Sumatran Tiger (© David Lawson / WWF-UK) Boy selling bushmeat, Cameroon 129 (© Sandra Mbanefo Obiago / WWF-Canon) Frog market, Lolo, Nigeria (© Abiodun Onadeko) Agarwood seizure, China (© Liu Congxin) Ivory bangles, Addis Ababa (© Lucy Vigne) short The status of the retail ivory communication trade in Addis Ababa in 2009 141 E. Martin and L. Vigne Funding for the printing and distribution of this issue of the TRAFFIC Bulletin is generously provided by The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation. Printed on recycled paper by Portland Print, Kettering, Northants NN16 8UN. E D I T O R I A L t is ironic that as we enter another Year of the Tiger, Other new partnerships are taking place, particularly Tiger populations in the wild have plummeted from in the area of law enforcement co-operation. Today’s I as many as 100 000 to a mere 3200 over the past 100 illegal trade in Tigers could be markedly reduced, if years. Despite our best efforts, we continue to lose wild concerted efforts were made by everyone in the law Tigers to poaching for the illegal trade, habitat loss, enforcement community. For this reason, CITES is increased conflict between Tigers and people, and intense forging stronger linkages with other enforcement organi- over-hunting of their prey species. zations such as INTERPOL, the World Customs Organi- zation and United Office on Drugs and Crime. Bilateral efforts, such as the India-China protocol on Tiger conservation, and regional enforcement E D I T O R I A L initiatives such as ASEAN-WEN and the South Asia wildlife enforcement network are taking the fight against poachers and illegal traders across Over the years, there has been a huge amount of borders and national boundaries. conservation effort and millions of dollars in resources These efforts are indeed encouraging but they will invested in saving wild Tigers. But forests that Tigers amount to nothing unless they are translated into effective inhabit are still full of snares; criminals kill and smuggle enforcement efforts on the ground. Given the challenges Tiger parts at will; and Tiger parts are still openly displayed already being faced by the enforcement front line today, for sale all over Asia. Why has this been allowed to the rapidly rising rate of poaching and the downward continue? Why are we not boasting healthy, thriving spiral of Tiger numbers in the wild, ground-level populations throughout Asia? Why are the efforts of enforcement action must be the highest priority. national governments and the international community At the same time, a new complication is arising that failing? could undermine these actions. Commercial farms for Certainly, part of the problem is that resources put into Tigers are being proposed by some parties as a potential on-the-ground Tiger conservation are either inadequate, conservation solution. However, commercial farming of or are not being channelled where they are needed the other wildlife in Asia, such as Asiatic Black Bears in most. Those on the frontline of law enforcement regularly China, crocodiles in Thailand, or Yellow-crested deal with age-old inadequacies, ranging from a lack of Cockatoos in Indonesia, has done little, if anything, to equipment to insufficient capacity. Enforcement officers protect the species in the wild. Unless Tigers are in key trade hubs use taxis or buses to carry out their effectively protected in their habitat and illegal markets investigations and raids, often unarmed, while the are shut down, illegal killing and trade of Tigers will poaching syndicates they hope to eliminate move freely continue. Commercial Tiger farms may simply make the in powerful four-wheel drive off-road vehicles, using the situation worse, stimulating demand for Tiger parts and latest satellite navigation technology and packing high- confusing enforcement efforts. With poaching of wild powered automatic weapons. Tigers a much cheaper option than rearing animals in At the very root of these practical problems is captivity, and good evidence of a market preference for insufficient political will to provide the capacity to wild-sourced Tiger products, this would undoubtedly lead implement and enforce adequately the relevant national to an escalation of poaching in the wild, spelling disaster laws and international measures governing illegal Tiger for wild Tigers. trade, such as the Convention on International Trade in Will there be Tigers in twelve years from now, when Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). we enter the next year of the Tiger, or will the Tiger have Those authorities whose commitment and action matters become a creature of myth, like the lunar calendar’s most are frequently disengaged from and even in denial Dragon? It is not too late—Tiger populations can rebound about the plight of the Tiger—mainly because their if the pressures are removed. Adequate habitat still exists political masters are indifferent as well. and prey populations can recover quickly if given the Fortunately, recent developments have shown that chance. But serious protection and enforcement is there could be light at the end of the tunnel. A new inter- essential, and resources are needed more than ever to be national initiative, the Global Tiger Initiative, led by the spent accountably and efficiently, with an urgent need for World Bank, has injected fresh impetus, momentum and better support for enforcement personnel. And most new opportunities to foster increased international co- importantly, support from those with the power to effect operation and co-ordinated action. The initiative hopes real change, and to save Tigers from extinction in the to sound the alarm to the highest level of decision-makers, wild, is imperative, now more than ever. culminating in an International Tiger Summit of Heads of State at Vladivostock, Russia, later this year. The Global Tiger Forum (GTF)—the world’s only inter-governmental organization dedicated solely to Tiger conservation—is in the process of being revitalized and has added a new sense of urgency to its work, plotting a Chris R. Shepherd, Senior Programme Officer, fresh course for Tiger conservation efforts range-wide. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia TRAFFIC Bulletin Vol. 22 No. 3 (2010) 93 N E W S VICKI CROOK has been appointed as Programme Officer with TRAFFIC Europe, based in Cambridge, effective August 2009. Vicki joined TRAFFIC from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where she ANITA SANCHO worked on the Millennium Seed Bank Project and the Sample Red List Index. Our colleague and dear friend Anita Sancho JILL HEPP left her position as Program Officer at TRAFFIC North passed away after a America in October 2009 after a period of four years to join the Pew tragic accident on 7 Environment Group where she will work on Pew’s Global Shark TRAFFIC Conservation Campaign. From March 2010, the post has been filled by October 2009. Her VALERIE CRAIG, who worked previously for SeaWeb on the Seafood loss is deeply felt by all who knew her, though Choices Alliance since 2006. we have taken strength from remembering her as she was: a committed conservationist and biologist, a wonderful mother and wife, and a happy, enthusiastic and warm friend. b u l l e t i n b o a r d Anita was Research Officer at TRAFFIC South America from 1998–2004, where she was in charge of marine wildlife trade issues: trade in sea cucumbers, Patagonian Toothfish LISA KELLEY, Communications Officer with TRAFFIC Southeast Asia’s Greater Mekong Programme, left in August 2009.
Recommended publications
  • News and Notes

    News and Notes

    SPECIALNEWS AND FEATURES NOTES 15 India moves to protect traditional medicines from foreign patents “Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFPs) In the first step by a developing country to consist of goods of biological origin stop multinational companies from patenting other than wood, derived from forests, traditional remedies from local plants and other wooded land and trees outside animals, the Indian Government has forests.” effectively licensed 200 000 local treatments «Les produits forestiers non ligneux as "public property", free for anyone to use sont des biens d’origine biologique but no one to sell as a "brand". autres que le bois, dérivés des forêts, The move comes after scientists in Delhi des autres terres boisées, et des arbres noticed an alarming trend – the hors forêts.» making its own gum using only chicle gum "bioprospecting" of natural remedies by «Productos forestales no madereros base and natural flavourings and companies abroad. After trawling through son los bienes de origen biológico sweeteners. (Source: CNN [United the records of the global trademark offices, distintos de la madera derivados de los Kingdom], 3 April 2009.) officials found 5 000 patents had been bosques, de otras tierras boscosas y de issued – at a cost of at least US$150 million – los árboles fuera de los bosques.» for "medical plants and traditional (FAO’s working definition) BIOPROSPECTING/ systems". %BENEFIT-SHARING "More than 2 000 of these belong to the OR BIOPIRACY? Indian systems of medicine … We began to ask why multinational companies were Bioprospecting: “The Green Gold Rush” spending millions of dollars to patent %BIODEGRADABLE The Green Gold Rush is the name of a video treatments that so many lobbies in Europe CHEWING GUM documentary about bioprospecting and deny work at all," said Dr Vinod Kumar indigenous peoples that was produced in Gupta, who heads the Traditional United Kingdom authorities and October–November 2008 in Geneva, Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), which environmental groups were welcoming the Switzerland.
  • Goliath Frogs Build Nests for Spawning – the Reason for Their Gigantism? Marvin Schäfera, Sedrick Junior Tsekanéb, F

    Goliath Frogs Build Nests for Spawning – the Reason for Their Gigantism? Marvin Schäfera, Sedrick Junior Tsekanéb, F

    JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY 2019, VOL. 53, NOS. 21–22, 1263–1276 https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2019.1642528 Goliath frogs build nests for spawning – the reason for their gigantism? Marvin Schäfera, Sedrick Junior Tsekanéb, F. Arnaud M. Tchassemb, Sanja Drakulića,b,c, Marina Kamenib, Nono L. Gonwouob and Mark-Oliver Rödel a,b,c aMuseum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany; bFaculty of Science, Laboratory of Zoology, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon; cFrogs & Friends, Berlin, Germany ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY In contrast to its popularity, astonishingly few facts have become Received 16 April 2019 known about the biology of the Goliath Frog, Conraua goliath.We Accepted 7 July 2019 herein report the so far unknown construction of nests as spawning KEYWORDS sites by this species. On the Mpoula River, Littoral District, West Amphibia; Anura; Cameroon; Cameroon we identified 19 nests along a 400 m section. Nests Conraua goliath; Conrauidae; could be classified into three types. Type 1 constitutes rock pools parental care that were cleared by the frogs from detritus and leaf-litter; type 2 constitutes existing washouts at the riverbanks that were cleared from leaf-litter and/or expanded, and type 3 were depressions dug by the frogs into gravel riverbanks. The cleaning and digging activ- ities of the frogs included removal of small to larger items, ranging from sand and leaves to larger stones. In all nest types eggs and tadpoles of C. goliath were detected. All nest types were used for egg deposition several times, and could comprise up to three distinct cohorts of tadpoles.
  • Biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa and Its Islands Conservation, Management and Sustainable Use

    Biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa and Its Islands Conservation, Management and Sustainable Use

    Biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa and its Islands Conservation, Management and Sustainable Use Occasional Papers of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 6 IUCN - The World Conservation Union IUCN Species Survival Commission Role of the SSC The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is IUCN's primary source of the 4. To provide advice, information, and expertise to the Secretariat of the scientific and technical information required for the maintenance of biologi- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna cal diversity through the conservation of endangered and vulnerable species and Flora (CITES) and other international agreements affecting conser- of fauna and flora, whilst recommending and promoting measures for their vation of species or biological diversity. conservation, and for the management of other species of conservation con- cern. Its objective is to mobilize action to prevent the extinction of species, 5. To carry out specific tasks on behalf of the Union, including: sub-species and discrete populations of fauna and flora, thereby not only maintaining biological diversity but improving the status of endangered and • coordination of a programme of activities for the conservation of bio- vulnerable species. logical diversity within the framework of the IUCN Conservation Programme. Objectives of the SSC • promotion of the maintenance of biological diversity by monitoring 1. To participate in the further development, promotion and implementation the status of species and populations of conservation concern. of the World Conservation Strategy; to advise on the development of IUCN's Conservation Programme; to support the implementation of the • development and review of conservation action plans and priorities Programme' and to assist in the development, screening, and monitoring for species and their populations.
  • On the Discovery of Hasora Mixta Limata Ssp. Nov

    On the Discovery of Hasora Mixta Limata Ssp. Nov

    Zoological Studies 47(2): 222-231 (2008) On the Discovery of Hasora mixta limata ssp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Coeliadinae) from Lanyu, Taiwan, with Observations of Its Unusual Immature Biology Yu-Feng Hsu1,* and Hang-Chi Huang2 1Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 116, Taiwan 2Butterfly Conservation Society of Taiwan, N. 19, Lane 103, Wancyuan St., Datong District, Taipei 103, Taiwan. Tel: 886-2-28263321. E-mail:[email protected] (Accepted September 12, 2007) Yu-Feng Hsu and Hang-Chi Huang (2008) On the discovery of Hasora mixta limata ssp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Coeliadinae) from Lanyu, Taiwan, with observations of its unusual immature biology. Zoological Studies 47(2): 222-231. A fairly large skipper, Hasora mixta, was discovered on Lanyu (Orchid I.), off the southeastern coast of Taiwan. Samples of this species from Lanyu were compared with those from other regions, revealing that the wing pattern and male genitalia consistently differ from those of other subspecies, and this is herein described as H. mixta limata, ssp. nov. This skipper is crepuscular or on the wing under cloudy conditions. An investigation of the immature biology of H. mixta limata revealed that it demonstrates an oviposition behavior unusual in skippers, in that it conceals its ova between leaflets of its larval host with spumaline. The papillae anales of the female genitalia are modified so that they can insert ova into tightly attached leaflets of young buds. The specific larval host of H. mixta limata is a legume that requires taxonomic clarification. http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/47.2/222.pdf Key words: New subspecies, Immature biology, Ovum concealment, Philippines.
  • DNA Barcoding of Commercialized Plants; an Examination of Amomum (Zingiberaceae) in South-East Asia

    DNA Barcoding of Commercialized Plants; an Examination of Amomum (Zingiberaceae) in South-East Asia

    DNA barcoding of commercialized plants; an examination of Amomum (Zingiberaceae) in South-East Asia Matilda Segersäll Arbetsgruppen för Tropisk Ekologi Minor Field Study 163 Committee of Tropical Ecology ISSN 1653-5634 Uppsala University, Sweden November 2011 Uppsala DNA barcoding of commercialized plants; an examination of Amomum (Zingiberaceae) in South-East Asia Matilda Segersäll Supervisors: MSc. Hugo de Boer, Department of Organismal Biology, Systematic Biology, Uppsala University, Sweden. Dr. Hien Le Thu, Institute of Biotechnology (IBT), Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), Hanoi, Vietnam. Abstract Trade and commercialization of non‐timber forest products, like cycas palms, rattans, and orchids form a serious threat to biodiversity in South‐East Asia. The intensity at which these resources are collected, as well as the techniques used, are unsustainable. To distinguish between common and endangered species is complicated, especially of related species within the same family or genus. Molecular barcoding applied to plants uses DNA‐sequences to contribute to identification and distinction between species. In this paper we investigate the possibility of finding suitable barcodes for Amomum Roxb., a genus of well‐known medicinal plants in South‐East Asia, by comparing three genetic markers matK, ITS and trnL. Keywords. Amomum, barcoding, medicinal plants Table of Contents 1 Amomum ........................................................................................................................................................................
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic Peace Independence Democracy

    Lao People's Democratic Republic Peace Independence Democracy

    Lao People’s Democratic Republic Peace Independence Democracy Unity Prosperity 5 year management plan of Laving‐Lavern Provincial Protected Area, Savannakhet October 2010 1 Table of Contents Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 5 Part 1 ‐ Background, physical and socio‐economic status of Laving Lavern PPA ....................... 6 1.1. Background ................................................................................................................................ 6 1.2. Physical status .......................................................................................................................... 6 1.2.1. Location and topography ............................................................................................................................. 6 1.2.2. Climate ......................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.3. Natural resources .............................................................................................................. 8 1.3.1. Forestry .................................................................................................................................. 8 1.3.2. Aquatic and Wildlife ....................................................................................................................................
  • Plasticity of Lung Development in the Amphibian, Xenopus Laevis

    Plasticity of Lung Development in the Amphibian, Xenopus Laevis

    1324 Research Article Plasticity of lung development in the amphibian, Xenopus laevis Christopher S. Rose* and Brandon James James Madison University, Department of Biology, Biosciences 2028, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA *Author for correspondence ([email protected]) Biology Open 2, 1324–1335 doi: 10.1242/bio.20133772 Received 26th November 2012 Accepted 26th September 2013 Summary Contrary to previous studies, we found that Xenopus laevis role of mechanical forces in lung development. Lung tadpoles raised in normoxic water without access to air can recovery in AR frogs was unpredictable and did not routinely complete metamorphosis with lungs that are either correlate with behavioral changes. Its low frequency of severely stunted and uninflated or absent altogether. This is occurrence could be attributed to developmental, physical the first demonstration that lung development in a tetrapod and behavioral changes, the effects of which increase with can be inhibited by environmental factors and that a tetrapod size and age. Plasticity of lung inflation at tadpole stages and that relies significantly on lung respiration under unstressed loss of plasticity at postmetamorphic stages offer new insights conditions can be raised to forego this function without into the role of developmental plasticity in amphibian lung adverse effects. This study compared lung development in loss and life history evolution. untreated, air-deprived (AD) and air-restored (AR) tadpoles and frogs using whole mounts, histology, BrdU labeling of ß 2013. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd. This cell division and antibody staining of smooth muscle actin. is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of We also examined the relationship of swimming and the Creative Commons Attribution License (http:// breathing behaviors to lung recovery in AR animals.
  • 3Systematics and Diversity of Extant Amphibians

    3Systematics and Diversity of Extant Amphibians

    Systematics and Diversity of 3 Extant Amphibians he three extant lissamphibian lineages (hereafter amples of classic systematics papers. We present widely referred to by the more common term amphibians) used common names of groups in addition to scientifi c Tare descendants of a common ancestor that lived names, noting also that herpetologists colloquially refer during (or soon after) the Late Carboniferous. Since the to most clades by their scientifi c name (e.g., ranids, am- three lineages diverged, each has evolved unique fea- bystomatids, typhlonectids). tures that defi ne the group; however, salamanders, frogs, A total of 7,303 species of amphibians are recognized and caecelians also share many traits that are evidence and new species—primarily tropical frogs and salaman- of their common ancestry. Two of the most defi nitive of ders—continue to be described. Frogs are far more di- these traits are: verse than salamanders and caecelians combined; more than 6,400 (~88%) of extant amphibian species are frogs, 1. Nearly all amphibians have complex life histories. almost 25% of which have been described in the past Most species undergo metamorphosis from an 15 years. Salamanders comprise more than 660 species, aquatic larva to a terrestrial adult, and even spe- and there are 200 species of caecilians. Amphibian diver- cies that lay terrestrial eggs require moist nest sity is not evenly distributed within families. For example, sites to prevent desiccation. Thus, regardless of more than 65% of extant salamanders are in the family the habitat of the adult, all species of amphibians Plethodontidae, and more than 50% of all frogs are in just are fundamentally tied to water.
  • Breeding Butterflies to Save Butterflies

    Breeding Butterflies to Save Butterflies

    Breeding Butterflies to Save Butterflies Tropical nuts? Eco-tourism? Sorry. Raising or collecting insects to sell is the only incentive some indigenous peoples have to save their tropical forests. Will you support them? Larry Orsak Director, Christensen Research Institute P.O. Box 305, Madang, PAPUA NEW GUINEA You probably know that virgin tropical forests are declining at an alarming rate -- over half have been cleared in the last 40 years. And you may be aware that up to 2/3rds of all living species are tropical -- an immense wildlife storehouse that contains untold medicines and other products for our future. The case for saving tropical forests is clear. Many support this by buying "products of the rainforest," or helping conservation organisations working in tropical nations. In the face of all this, collecting or buying tropical butterflies seems nothing less than a way to speed up their extinction. Right? Wrong! Those who equate killing butterflies with destroying butterflies don't know much about butterflies, the tropics, or what strategies have gotten people in developing countries to save their forests. The fact is, buying tropical insects for your collection may be the best investment you ever made in tropical forest protection. This fact sheet tells you why. Papua New Guinea (PNG): World Leader in Conserving Tropical Butterflies... by Utilising Them! Papua New Guinea (PNG), a small nation located north of Australia, in another 20 years will likely be one of the last 4 places on earth to still have large tracts of virgin tropical forest (1). And it has some pretty fantastic insects, including the world's largest (Queen Alexandra's Birdwing) and second largest (Goliath Birdwing) butterflies, the world's longest walking stick, largest katydid, hammer-headed flies, and a weevil that grows a garden of lichens and mosses on its back.
  • A Method to Distinguish Intensively Farmed from Wild Frogs

    A Method to Distinguish Intensively Farmed from Wild Frogs

    Received: 23 March 2016 | Revised: 30 January 2017 | Accepted: 6 February 2017 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2878 ORIGINAL RESEARCH Stable isotope analyses—A method to distinguish intensively farmed from wild frogs Carolin Dittrich | Ulrich Struck | Mark-Oliver Rödel Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Abstract Germany Consumption of frog legs is increasing worldwide, with potentially dramatic effects for Correspondence ecosystems. More and more functioning frog farms are reported to exist. However, Mark-Oliver Rödel, Museum für Naturkunde, due to the lack of reliable methods to distinguish farmed from wild- caught individuals, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany. the origin of frogs in the international trade is often uncertain. Here, we present a new Email: [email protected] methodological approach to this problem. We investigated the isotopic composition of Funding information legally traded frog legs from suppliers in Vietnam and Indonesia. Muscle and bone tis- 15 13 18 Museum für Naturkunde Berlin; MfN sue samples were examined for δ N, δ C, and δ O stable isotope compositions, to Innovation fund; Leibniz Association′s Open Access Publishing Fund elucidate the conditions under which the frogs grew up. We used DNA barcoding (16S rRNA) to verify species identities. We identified three traded species (Hoplobatrachus rugulosus, Fejervarya cancrivora and Limnonectes macrodon); species identities were 15 18 partly deviating from package labeling. Isotopic values of δ N and δ O showed sig- 15 nificant differences between species and country of origin. Based on low δ N compo- sition and generally little variation in stable isotope values, our results imply that frogs from Vietnam were indeed farmed.
  • Lao Flora a Checklist of Plants Found in Lao PDR with Scientific and Vernacular Names

    Lao Flora a Checklist of Plants Found in Lao PDR with Scientific and Vernacular Names

    Lao Flora A checklist of plants found in Lao PDR with scientific and vernacular names 2 L. Inthakoun and C. O. Delang Lao Flora A checklist of plants found in Lao PDR with scientific and vernacular names Lamphay Inthakoun Claudio O. Delang Lulu Press First published 2008 by Lulu Enterprises, Inc. 860 Aviation Parkway, Suite 300 Morrisville, NC 27560 The book can be purchased or downloaded from http://lulu.com/lao_flora. Contents Introduction 1 Lao Flora Listed by Lao Script 13-121 Lao Flora Listed by Genus and Species 123-238 Introduction This introduction1 provides a brief synopsis of the forest habitats and ecoregions found in Lao PDR, as well as an overview of the related research on plant taxonomy. This is followed by a description of the structure and contents of the present volume and a citation of sources used to compile the present checklist. 1. Forest habitats and ecoregions in Lao PDR 1.1. Forest habitats Forest classifications can be vegetation-related (which implies that the factors used to distinguish forests are the physiognomic or floristic characteristics of the vegetation), biophysically- and climate-related (where broad environmental or geographic characteristics become the distinguishing factors), or management- related (which involves utilizing combinations of vegetation and non-vegetation criteria). These modes of classification are scale-specific: while global-scale classifications are largely based on climatic criteria such as rainfall and temperature, classification systems used at country- or smaller regional-level scales emphasise floristic and physiognomic characteristics as well as physical site factors (Wong, Delang, Schmidt-Vogt, 2007). These latter variables were taken into account by the National Office of Forest Inventory and Planning (NOFIP) when it classified the forests of Lao PDR (Manivong and Sandewall, 1992).
  • Review of Birdwing Butterfly Ranching in Range States

    Review of Birdwing Butterfly Ranching in Range States

    REVIEW OF TRADE IN RANCHED BIRDWING BUTTERFLIES (Version edited for public release) Prepared for the European Commission Directorate General E - Environment ENV.E.2. – Development and Environment by the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre November, 2007 Prepared and produced by: UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK ABOUT UNEP WORLD CONSERVATION MONITORING CENTRE www.unep-wcmc.org The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre is the biodiversity assessment and policy implementation arm of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the world‟s foremost intergovernmental environmental organisation. UNEP-WCMC aims to help decision-makers recognize the value of biodiversity to people everywhere, and to apply this knowledge to all that they do. The Centre‟s challenge is to transform complex data into policy-relevant information, to build tools and systems for analysis and integration, and to support the needs of nations and the international community as they engage in joint programmes of action. UNEP-WCMC provides objective, scientifically rigorous products and services that include ecosystem assessments, support for implementation of environmental agreements, regional and global biodiversity information, research on threats and impacts, and development of future scenarios for the living world. The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNEP or contributory organisations. The designations employed and the presentations do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP, the European Commission or contributory organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authority, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.