Following on the recent bat and gibbon discoveries, a new species of lizard (Lygosoma veunsaiensis) has also been described from the Veun Sai-Siem Pang Conservation Area (VSSPCA) in Cambodia’s northeastern forests, adding further conservation value to this site.
The lizard is a new type of skink whose most striking features are its iridescent skin and its long form. Its tail is considerably longer than its body, which together with its very short legs — less than half a centimeter long — amplify its long appearance.
This new species has been named after the region in which it was discovered as a tribute to the area and to underscore the importance of Veun Sai-Siem Pang Conservation Area for the conservation of Cambodia’s threatened biodiversity. This is the third new species in the last two years to be discovered in VSSPCA. Last year a new type of bat was found here, and in 2010 a new gibbon species was described.
These discoveries are the result of biological assessments led by Fauna & Flora International in partnership with CI, which were carried out in 2010-2011 in VSSPCA. This new species was described from one specimen from the hundreds collected at the site. Of the 45 amphibian and reptile species that have now been recorded, this was the only Lygosoma specimen collected — and a very lucky find, as this type of lizard typically spends much of its time underground.
The results of biological survey work keep coming, and with each new discovery, the case for greater protection of this area is strengthened. As a result of this work, VSSPCA is now known to be extremely high in biodiversity. This species abundance, coupled with the resources and cultural values that local communities receive from this beautiful area, lend additional scientific weight to our hope that VSSPCA will be officially designated as a “protected forest” for its biodiversity value and the well-being of current and future generations.
Ben Rawson is the Veun Sai-Siem Pang Conservation Area Scape manager for Cambodia.
-Dr. Ben Rawson
Ancient Elephants Followed the (Female) Leader
When a herd of prehistoric elephants walked through mud in the Arabian Desert about 7 million years ago, its members unwittingly left their footprints—and clues about their social lives—behind. Those prints now reveal how the herd behaved: Just like modern elephants, mature males meandered on their own while the rest of the herd apparently followed a female leader.
-Ann Gibbons, Science AAAS
Fires and deaths from deforestation linked
A new study links smoke from the burning of wood waste from deforestation to deaths from the effects of breathing all that smoke.
Worldwide, smoke from these fires (called landscape fires) contributed to an average of 339,000 deaths per year between 1997 and 2006, according to new research published in Environmental Health Perspectives and released today during the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia were the hardest hit by fire-smoke deaths, with an estimated annual average of 157,000 and 110,000 deaths, respectively, attributable to fire smoke exposure, said researcher Fay Johnston, who represented a global team at the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
-R Greenway, ENN
Pretty Pleistocene Flower
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2.6 million to 12,000 years ago that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciation. Not much has survived from that era except as fossils until now. Fruit seeds stored away by squirrels more than 30,000 years ago and found in Siberian permafrost have been regenerated into full flowering plants by scientists in Russia, a new study has revealed. The seeds of the herbaceous Silene stenophylla are far and away the oldest plant tissue to have been brought back to life, according to lead cryologists Svetlana Yashina and David Gilichinsky of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
-Editor, ENN
The Quiet Clean Mining Revolution
Few industries have got the black eye, literally and metaphorically, of mining. After centuries of environmental effects ranging from toxic emissions to unsightly tailings ponds, acid mine drainage, massive energy consumption and other impacts, mining is slowly cleaning up its act. Why? Mostly because new clean technologies are increasing industrial efficiencies. They're lowering mining companies' power needs. And they're even helping reduce water requirements, and/or remediating the produced water and mines of years past that are now leaching toxins. And that's translating into cost savings for mining companies, which are being held increasingly accountable for their environmental impacts and are looking for ways to minimize the expenses of both the production phase of their operations, and reclamation (i.e. the mandated end-of-life cleanup expenses associated with mining in many jurisdictions, now). In other words, now that it's starting to be less expensive on net for mining companies to be clean, they're starting to move in that direction. Here's a look at some selected companies at the forefront of new, clean processes in mining today.
-Guest Author
Republic of Congo Expands National Park to Protect Great Apes
The Nouabale-Ndoki National Park is a lush rainforest park within the equatorial nation of the Republic of Congo (ROC), not to be confused with the much larger Democratic Republic of Congo to the south and east. The ROC has followed through on its commitments to expand the NNNP by 8 percent, from about 1,500 square miles to about 1,630 square miles. The newly included area holds a unique ecosystem known as the Goualougo Triangle. The Goualougo is a very dense, swampy forest that is home to a nearly pristine and untouched great ape population that was first discovered in 1989 by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) scientists.
I’m briefly back home in Hawaii and am preparing to fly to Central America to begin a National Geographic expedition to explore seamounts off the coast of Costa Rica. With the large amount of travel I’m doing these days I’m very much beginning to feel like Jules Verne’s famous character Phileas Fogg from “Around the World in Eighty Days.”
First, let me backtrack; we’ve been talking about a story on seamounts for many years and have made a number of trips: beginning in the Sea of Cortez, and more recently including a trip in early 2011 to Raja Ampat, Indonesia and later to the Cortes bank off the coast of California. Seamounts are underwater volcanoes — some extinct, some still active — whose size and expanse can rival the Rocky Mountains. They are unique for their biodiversity which rival that of any coral reef system. Many endemic species (species unique to a specific geography) — as well as species new to science — have been found around seamounts, so they provide a significant opportunity for study.
My good friend and world-renowned underwater photographer Brian Skerry will be co-leading this trip with me; together, we hope to paint a compelling picture of these unique systems. Our team will also include Dr. Larry Madin from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Dr. Peter Auster from the University of Connecticut; Alan Dynner from the New England Aquarium; and Mike Velings, a Dutch entrepreneur and founder of the Netherlands-based “A-Spark – Good Ventures,” a company focused on environmentally-friendly business models.
Our destination is Cocos Island, which is found 300 miles [483 kilometers] southwest of Cabo Blanco in Costa Rica. In 1994, Jacques Cousteau called it the “most beautiful island in the world.” In order to get there we will be travelling on the Argo, a 130-foot [40-meter] vessel that includes both deep-diving submersibles and ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicles), which we’ll use to help us explore the surrounding seamounts and to hopefully better understand these systems.
Greg Stone
I’m very excited to reach Costa Rica and to begin this final chapter of our seamounts adventure. The final story will come to fruition later in 2012 in National Geographic Magazine. I look forward to providing another blog update during the expedition to let you know how things are going — stay tuned!
Greg Stone is CI’s chief scientist for oceans. This expedition is supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DRL-1114251. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
-Greg Stone
National Defense and President Obama’s 2013 Clean Energy Budget
As far as clean energy and green jobs go, President Obama's 2013 budget includes a Christmas-in-July package of initiatives that are designed to help pull the U.S. out of recession while transitioning the economy to cleaner, safer, more reliable and less price-spikey forms of energy. Those last two items – price and reliability of supply – are especially important to the Department of Defense, which will see its rate of growth slow dramatically under the new budget.
-Tina Casey
Even Sharks Make Friends
Sharks have a reputation for being ruthless, solitary predators, but evidence is mounting that certain species enjoy complex social lives that include longstanding relationships and teamwork. A new study, published in the latest Animal Behaviour, documents how one population of blacktip reef sharks is actually organized into four communities and two subcommunities. The research shows for the first time that adults of a reef-associated shark species form stable, long-term social bonds.
-Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is the process whereby biological systems convert sunlight into food and the source of all the fossil fuels we burn today. In a way it is the ultimate source of all energy supplies that we use. Glasgow scientists Professor Lee Cronin, Gardiner Chair of Chemistry, and Professor Mike Blatt, Regius Professor of Botany, will lead the UK efforts in two of four transatlantic research teams exploring ways to overcome limitations in photosynthesis which could then lead to ways of significantly increasing the yield of important crops for food production or sustainable bioenergy.
-Andy Soos, ENN
World Meteorological Organization launches new weather data system
An international information system designed to improve and expand the exchange of data on weather, climate and water will help boost food security around the world, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The UN agency, which launched the system last month (31 January), said it would improve access to meteorological observations and products for stakeholders including the research and disaster risk reduction sectors.
-Alecia D. McKenzie
Banks and investors back calls to biggest companies to cut emissions
On behalf of 92 pension funds, asset managers, insurers and banks, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which holds the world’s largest collection of self-reported corporate environmental data, has sent letters to the CEOs of 415 of the world’s largest public companies calling for cost-effective management and reductions of their carbon emissions.
-Click Green Staff
As Bear Population Grows, More States Look At Hunts
Wildlife officials don't usually base hunting policies on how the public feels about an animal. But the black bear seems to be different. The revered king of the forest has bounced back from near-extinction to being a nuisance in some areas. Some states are trying to figure out if residents can live at peace with bears, or if they'd rather have hunters keep numbers in check.
-BLAKE FARMER, NPR Topics: Environment
A Sustainable America’s Cup Race
Although the America's Cup is one of the most globally recognized names in sport, it remains relatively unwatched in its namesake country. That's likely to change in 2013 when the cup roars into San Francisco Bay – the first time in modern history that it will be easily viewable by spectators on shore (in years past, the race has taken place well off shore so anyone without a boat or helicopter was relegated to watching on TV). In fact, no less than five million people are expected to crowd the piers over the course of the final two events in June & September 2013.
With such a turnout, one can imagine both the City of San Francisco and the cup organizers see a huge opportunity for education, outreach, and the promotion of all manner of issues. Sustainability will naturally be at the forefront of visibility.
-Nick Aster
Costa Concordia disaster may get worse as ship appears unstable on the reef
The massive cruise liner is balancing on two rocks and has massive cracks.
The stricken Costa Concordia cruise liner might soon collapse under its own weight.
A video produced by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) has revealed that the rocks on which the ship sits have now started crumbling dramatically.
The ROV video was shot on Feb. 11, nearly a month after the ship ran aground the Tuscan coast of Giglio, Italy, killing 17 people and leaving 15 missing.
The devastating disaster at sea will be analyzed through exclusive footage on Discovery Channel's Cruise Ship Disaster: Inside the Concordia.
-Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News
High Productivity Farms may be Greener than Organic
While organic farms are great, new research finds that farms that aim for high food production using environmentally-friendly practices could be better for the environment than both organic and conventional farms.
A new study, led by Oxford University scientists, compared the environmental impact of different farming systems.
They found that 'integrated' farms that maximized crop yields while using environmentally-friendly techniques – such as crop rotation, organic fertilisers, over winter cover crops, and minimal use of pesticides – would use less energy and generate lower greenhouse gas emissions per unit of production than both organic and conventional farms.
-Roger Greenway, ENN
Bicycle Benefits Program Rewards Pedal-Powered Customers
My three-year old daughter is one of the newest participants in Bicycle Benefits, a national program that rewards people for biking to participating businesses. Bikers pay $5 for a sticker that adheres to their helmet, which they present at participating businesses for a discount that is determined by each business. My daughter can now save 5 percent on her grocery bill from our coop grocery store or $.50 on a cup of coffee from the cafe down the street (if she wants to skip her nap). It’s a fabulous initiative that encourages the business community to support pedal power, while promoting sustainable transportation and safe practices (wearing a bike helmet).
-Sarah Lozanova
Phytoplankton Research in Arctic May Help Determine Environmental Accident Impacts
Today, the 178th annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science is being held in Vancouver. Marcel Babin, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Remote Sensing of Canada's New Arctic Frontier at the Université Laval, is one of the researchers who will be discussing his findings on the effects of environmental changes in the Arctic.
The focus of Babin's research is on Arctic micro-organisms and the findings are uncovering how melting sea ice due to environmental changes could be leading to an overall increase in algae levels in Arctic waters. Based on the models that Babin and his team developed, predictions ten years in advance about algae production in the arctic will be possible by the end of this year.
-Sara Stefanski, ENN
Setting the Stage for Conservation Agreements in Liberia
I’ve been to Liberia numerous times over the past several years; however, my visit last December promised to be different. I was part of a CI team hosting a workshop on a particular approach to community-level conservation and development that simply would not have been possible until now.
When I started working in Liberia in 2004, the country was focused on recovering from nearly a decade and a half of civil war. Now, the government of Liberia is focused on economic development and jobs for its people, which necessarily involve an emphasis on exploitation of natural resources ranging from mineral ores to land for forestry and commercial plantations. CI is committed to ensuring that the ecosystem value of Liberia’s wealth of biodiversity and forests— almost half of the remaining forest in West Africa’s Upper Guinea Hotspot — is considered in the country’s development planning.
2012 will be a big year for conservation and economic development in Liberia, and CI is poised to play a vital role in shaping the way that these two arenas interact. Our partnerships with the national government, the private sector and civil society allow us to advance cutting-edge thinking on how to maintain healthy ecosystems as the foundation for human well-being.
However, to convince the people of Liberia that this is possible, we will need to turn nature’s value into concrete benefits for families. We need to bridge the gap between abstract mechanisms like forest carbon deals, biodiversity offsets, or spatial planning and people’s everyday lives. CI-Liberia proposes to do so using conservation agreements — an approach developed by CI’s Conservation Stewards Program.
Conservation agreements promote sound management of biodiversity and ecosystem services — freshwater provision, pollination and many more — through negotiated arrangements with resource users.
Under such an agreement, a local community commits to conservation actions such as maintaining forest cover in important habitat areas and monitoring to detect illegal poaching. In return, conservation investors (which can be governments, companies or any source of conservation finance) provide funds to address the community’s self-defined needs and priorities, which typically include things like school fees, educational materials and investments to improve agriculture or other livelihoods. NGOs like CI play an important role as brokers that make these agreements possible by engaging communities, designing monitoring systems and generally taking care of the nuts and bolts of the deal.
Back to my December visit: to set the stage for using conservation agreements in Liberia, CI hosted over 20 people from local NGOs, government agencies and private sector partners in a training workshop.
For three days, participants learned about how CI has used conservation agreements in places like China, South Africa and Guatemala, and discussed details of how it could be used in Liberia. To dive into those details, we worked through a series of exercises to become familiar with key steps like using biodiversity threats to define conservation actions, identifying development investments that would make good community benefits, and thinking through ways to monitor project impacts.
Everyone at the workshop quickly embraced the idea of conservation agreements and began to think about how this tool would work in Liberia. Government staff see the model as a way to include local communities in co-management of nature reserves; private sector partners are keen to use conservation agreements to structure their relationships with communities; and local NGOs are eager to use this tool to achieve conservation and development objectives.
On the final day of the workshop we held a panel discussion to reflect on how the conservation agreement approach can be scaled up to the national level following demonstrations planned in Nimba and Grand Bassa counties. The variety of economic activities throughout the country — timber concessions, mining, offshore oil and gas development and commercial plantations, as well as carbon initiatives and landscape conservation — presents an opportunity for many different potential applications for conservation agreements.
The workshop generated much energy and enthusiasm from the participants and the trainers. One participant said, “It gave me a lot to think about … and I learned a lot I can use in my day-to-day to experience with the community.” Another agreed: “The training provided ideas about how to engage communities in designing a simple and satisfactory conservation agreement.”
For my part, I was thrilled to see that more than 20 people of highly varied backgrounds and perspectives were unanimous in their optimism and confidence regarding prospects for a national program of conservation agreements. We are now eager to move to the next phase, which will be to conduct feasibility assessments for conservation agreements with specific communities around the East Nimba Nature Reserve and the region around the port city of Buchanan.
Eduard Niesten is the senior director of CI’s Conservation Stewards Program. Many thanks to Borwen Sayon and Jessica Donovan-Allen of CI-Liberia both for organizing the workshop and contributing to this blog.
-Eduard Niesten
Mortality Rates Are Underestimated
Despite great medical advances that have lengthened human life spans, your chances of living a very long life may be lower than you'd hoped. That's the conclusion of a study by two longevity experts who reviewed the standard models that predict mortality rates and turned up a major error. Instead of confirming that death rates drop once people reach their 80s or 90s – as experts have assumed for many decades -- results showed that the risk of dying continues to increase each year, no matter how old people are.
-Emily Sohn, Discovery News
Startup Develops Floating Solar Farm
While solar energy companies throughout the world are competing for the relatively few vast land areas required to house solar farms, Israeli startup Solaris Synergy has found a new terrain to use. Instead of a land-based solar system, the company decided to develop a water-based technology. In other words: a floating solar power plant.
-Yinnon Shraga
Science Spending
Science has changed the world. It has created new products and ease of service. What the future will bring is, of course, always uncertain. "It’s not every day you have robots running through your house," Barack Obama quipped last week at the White House science fair, a showcase for student exhibitors that also gave the US president a chance to reiterate a favourite theme. Science and technology, he said, "is what’s going to make a difference in this country, over the long haul".
-Andy Soos, ENN
Fracking impacts reviewed in major study
A controversial method of drilling for natural gas, called fracking, has boomed in recent years—as have concerns over its potential to cause environmental contamination and harm human health. But a major review of the practice uncovered no signs that it is causing trouble below ground. "We found no direct evidence that fracking itself has contaminated groundwater," said Charles Groat of the University of Texas, Austin, who led the study.
The report, released at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (which publishes ScienceNOW), doesn't give this form of natural gas extraction a clean bill of health.
-Erik Stokstad, from Science
Next “GREEN means GO” Hike: March 3
Designed for hikers who are in good physical shape and want to enjoy natural Land Trust trails for exercise. “GREEN means GO” hikers will move at a FAST pace. No small children, please. All dogs must be on leads. Guided hikes are offered as a FREE community service.
Hiking Tips: wear sturdy shoes and layered clothing; bring water, trail snacks, and camera.
IN CASE OF RAIN, HIKES are CANCELLED.
CHECK THIS WEBSITE or ON FACEBOOK FOR CANCELLATION NOTICES.
Facebook: Land Trust North Alabama
~Saturday, March 3 at 9am
Blevins Gap Nature Preserve (moderate)
Directions: From Memorial Parkway go east on Airport Rd.; cross over Whitesburg and continue into Jones Valley. Airport Road becomes Carl T. Jones Drive. At the Four Mile Post/Cecil Ashburn light (Super Target Center is on your right), turn left and go to the top of the mountain towards Hampton Cove. Blevins Gap is at the top (between Huntsville and Green Mountains). Graveled parking area on right is marked by a small Land Trust sign.
-Cathie
Transparent Iron
When one thinks of iron one thinks of a dull grey solid. Transparent iron is an odd thought. The effect of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is a known phenomena from laser physics. With intense laser light of a certain wavelength it is possible to make a non-transparent material transparent for light of another wavelength. This effect is generated by a complex interaction of light with the atomic electron shell. At DESY's X-ray source PETRA III, the Helmholtz research team of Röhlsberger managed to prove for the first time that this transparency effect also exists for X-ray light, when the X-rays are directed towards atomic nuclei of the Mössbauer isotope iron-57 (which makes up 2% of naturally occurring iron). The potential real world benefit for this phenomena may be in the a quantum effects computer which would be extremely fast.
-Editor, ENN
Survival of Fish with Antifreeze in Antarctica
A unique group of fish that has evolved to live in Antarctic waters thanks to anti-freeze proteins in their blood and body fluids is threatened by rising temperatures in the Southern Ocean, according to a new study by Yale. The development of antifreeze glycoproteins by notothenioids, a fish family that adapted to newly formed polar conditions in the Antarctic millions of years ago, is an evolutionary success story. The three species of fish are an example of the diversity this lineage achieved when it expanded into niches left by fish decimated by cold water environment. Now the same fish are endangered by warming of the Antarctic seas.
-Andy Soos, ENN
Coal-Power in China Makes Electric Vehicles More Polluting
China produces electricity for its burgeoning economy with its ample coal reserves. A full 80 percent comes from coal-burning power plants, and new plants are being constructed all the time. The country's reliance on coal power, while causing very dirty pollution, also has an interesting side effect. It takes away the "greenness" of electric vehicles. A new study from a team of University of Tennessee researchers has found that the power generated to fuel electric cars produces much greater emissions of particulate matter (PM) than gasoline-powered cars. Perversely, this also makes driving an electric car in China a greater public health hazard than driving a gasoline car.
-David A Gabel, ENN
CI Photojournal: The Turtle Islands (Part 3 of 3)
Later this year the Ocean Health Index, a new tool to measure all dimensions of ocean health, will officially launch. In preparation for its launch, photographer and videographer Keith Ellenbogen went out on the water to document the state of some of the world’s most important and vulnerable marine ecosystems — and the people who depend on them. This week, we’re bringing you some of his favorite photos from the Philippines’ Turtle Islands. Check out the previous posts in this series.
In addition to photographing marine wildlife, one of the most rewarding aspects of my job is being able to meet and visually communicate the culture and traditions of local communities. From the Turtle Islands, I took an hour-long speedboat ride to Taganak Island. Upon arrival at the dock there was a crowd of teenagers eager to say hello.
My welcoming party was made up of participants in an innovative program that engages the youth to think about conservation and raise awareness throughout the island community. The program, called “Friends of Environment Nature and Development Society,” is led by Marion Daclan and Orlando Maliwanag of CI-Philippines. Like many community-based programs, a large part of its success is found in the leadership and relationships that have been developed over a long time.
Between the ages of 13 and 15, the group’s approximately 30 members are involved in a number of environmental projects that range from cleaning up the beach to educational art projects. For example, their youth leader, Joel — who happens to be an excellent artist — drew designs that were then silkscreened on T-shirts. Each design read “Save the Sea Turtle.” I bought one for myself, and one for my niece. Right now these shirts are only sold to local people on the islands, a place with no tourists. However, the group hopes to generate revenue through the sale of these shirts — possibly reaching a larger market like Malaysia or even better the United States.
By far one of the most captivating and profound moments for me was an interaction I had with a 13-year-old girl who is part of this youth program. When I asked her why we should care about sea turtles, I expected she would reply with something about wanting more food or a better life for herself and her family. Instead, her answer was more worldly and selfless: she answered in broken English, “I really want to help the world around me to protect the sea turtles — so that we can live peacefully and save Mother Earth.”
This girl probably has the equivalent of a second grade education. She is poor. She may have never left the small island where she lives, yet she has a holistic view — understanding that when it comes to conserving the oceans, we are all connected and share a common responsibility and destiny.
Europe and US sign trade agreement over organic products
The European Union and the United States has announced that organic products certified in Europe or in the United States may be sold as organic in either region. This partnership between the two largest organic-producers in the world will establish a strong foundation from which to promote organic agriculture, benefiting the growing organic industry and supporting jobs and businesses on a global scale.
-ClickGreen staff
Research Reveals the True Cost of a Burger
The UK could considerably reduce its carbon footprint if more of us switched to a vegetarian diet, according to new research by Lancaster University. The report 'Relative greenhouse gas impacts of realistic dietary choices' published in the journal Energy Policy says that if everyone in the UK swapped their current eating habits for a vegetarian or vegan diet, our greenhouse gas emissions savings would be the equivalent of a 50 per cent reduction in exhaust pipe emissions from the entire UK passenger car fleet or 40m tonnes.
-Editor, Science Daily
Organic Brown Rice and Arsenic
A new study by Professor Brian Jackson, director of the Trace Element Analysis Core Facility at Dartmouth has found alarming levels of Arsenic in Organic Brown Rice and Brown Rice Syrup. This is particularly alarming since Brown Rice Syrup is being sought by health conscious consumers as a "healthy" alternative to sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
Dartmouth researchers and others have previously called attention to the potential for consuming harmful levels of arsenic via rice, and organic brown rice syrup may be the latest culprit on the scene.
With the introduction of organic brown rice syrup into food processing, even the health conscious consumer may unknowingly be ingesting arsenic. Recognizing the potential danger, Brian Jackson and other Dartmouth researchers conducted a study to determine the concentrations of arsenic in commercial food products containing organic brown rice syrup including infant formula, cereal/energy bars, and high-energy foods used by endurance athletes.
-Roger Greenway, ENN
CI Photojournal: The Turtle Islands (Part 2 of 3)
Later this year the Ocean Health Index, a new tool to measure all dimensions of ocean health, will officially launch. In preparation for its launch, photographer and videographer Keith Ellenbogen went out on the water to document the state of some of the world’s most important and vulnerable marine ecosystems — and the people who depend on them. This week, we’re bringing you some of his beautiful photos and personal stories from the Philippines’ Turtle Islands. Check out other posts in this series.
One of my most awe-inspiring moments on the Turtle Islands was when I observed and photographed baby sea turtles breaking through the sand and racing to the water’s edge. At that moment before being swept up by the sea they appeared to pause and watch the wave breaking — like a surfer running with a board into the sea.
For the hatchlings, this is truly a life-or-death drama. Most don’t make it past the hungry gauntlet of the seabirds and fish within the coral reef; it’s estimated that less than 1 percent survive. There is still much we don’t know about the ocean and the animals living in it, but it’s clear that those that survive to adulthood are the lucky ones.
One evening on the sandy beach I asked Romeo Trono, the executive country director of Conservation International Philippines, to describe what it was like before he and others established this conservation area. He humbly told me that it never dawned on him that he would see the hatchlings they released in the eighties return to the same beaches 20-30 years later. In 2011, both the Malaysian and Philippine park rangers reported a record number of nesting sea turtles on their beaches — most likely a direct result of the conservation work over the past two to three decades.
The Turtle Islands are a success story and a testament to the long-term triumphs of conservation efforts. They remind us that, like the sea turtle hatchling racing for the water, we too can beat the odds.
Studies Indicate Increasing Frequency of Intense Storms, Storm Surges
A new MIT-Princeton University study examining the prospective impacts of extreme storms and storm surges based on a range of climate change scenarios indicates that what were once 100-year and 500-year events would become 3 to 20 and 25 to 240-year events. The study can help coastal planners, who typically design coastal seawalls, buildings and other structures with a 60 to 120-year usable lifespan, according to an MIT News report.
-Andrew Burger
The World’s Most Beautiful Mosque in Malaysia is Vulnerable to Rising Seas
Malaysia is one of the few countries that share Dubai’s obsession with manmade islands and grandeur. We have often cast a critical eye on the Emirate’s core developers for building artificial islands that have wrecked havoc on the Gulf’s marine environment, but the danger doesn’t end there.
-Tafline Laylin, Green Prophet
The World’s Most Beautiful Mosque in Malaysia is Vulnerable to Rising Seas
Malaysia is one of the few countries that share Dubai’s obsession with manmade islands and grandeur. We have often cast a critical eye on the Emirate’s core developers for building artificial islands that have wrecked havoc on the Gulf’s marine environment, but the danger doesn’t end there.
-Tafline Laylin, Green Prophet
Budget Woes and Ozone
Budgets are being cut all over. So something has to be hurting. U.S. scientists are raising the alarm about Environment Canada saying cuts in the department could go far beyond ozone monitoring. Programs tracking pollution wafting into Canada from Asia, Europe and the U.S. are also being hit, they say. And it’s an open question if Canada will be able to fulfil its obligations under several international agreements if more cuts go ahead, five leading atmospheric scientists write in the newsletter of the American Geophysical Union, which has 61,000 members in 148 countries.
-Editor, ENN
Geo-engineering: now Bill Gates is supporting it
With the help of a group of very wealthy and well known individuals, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Chairman of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson, a group of leading climate scientists are advocating for the use of controversial geoengineering as a way to prevent catastrophic climate change. The scientists are lobbying national governments and international organizations to fund experiments that would involve manipulating the atmosphere on a large scale to counteract high concentrations of greenhouse gases. These might include methods like fertilizing the oceans to create a huge carbon sink or spraying reflective particles or other chemicals into the air to reflect sunlight and prevent it from warming the atmosphere.
-Kara Scharwath
Mariana Trench Clam Fields
Clam can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs. The word can also be used in a more limited sense, to mean bivalves that burrow in sediment, as opposed to ones that attach themselves to the substrate (for example oysters and mussels), or ones that can swim and are migratory, like scallops. Scientists have long marveled at the unusual life forms thriving at high temperature hydrothermal vents of the deep ocean. Now the discovery of clam communities near the lower temperature vents in the Mariana Trench is providing information about both the biogeography of the clams and the extent of the serpentinite vents that sustain them. A team of scientists from the United States and Japan discovered the vesicomyid clams while conducting deep sea dives from the Japanese R/V Yokosuka to study the geology of the southern Mariana.
-Andy Soos, ENN
Chang Shan
Many new medicines have been found by analyzing old folklore and herbal remedies. For roughly 2,000 years, Chinese herbalists have treated malaria using a root extract, commonly known as chang shan, from a type of blue evergreen hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, a compound derived from this extract’s bioactive ingredient, could be used to treat many other autoimmune disorders as well. Now, researchers from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine have discovered the molecular secrets behind this herbal extract’s power.
-Editor, ENN
Strengthening Food Security in Africa
From a growing food crisis in South Sudan to extensive drought in West Africa, it’s clear that Africa — and the world — needs a new strategy to combat global hunger. In South Africa’s semi-arid Namaqualand region, CI is strengthening the case for agricultural systems that are based on healthy ecosystems and promote sustainable livelihoods. Learn more in John Buchanan’s post below. (A version of this blog was cross-posted on the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Initiative blog.)
Modern food systems have been very successful at producing vast amounts of food to feed our growing world. However, this has come at a high cost. Many waterways have become depleted or greatly polluted. An expansive amount of natural habitat has been lost or fragmented due to conversion to agriculture. And this loss and degradation has resulted in a huge decline in the world’s species — a decline which must be curbed if we wish to maintain — let alone expand — global food production.
Healthy natural ecosystems are the backbone of a productive, resilient planet; they’re also essential to food security. They provide a bountiful supply of wild foods that nourish billions of people. Fish in particular represent an important source of nutrients. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, more than one billion people depend on seafood as their primary source of protein.
Ecosystems also support our ability to continuously cultivate food by providing critical services such as fresh water; nutrient cycling and soil formation; pollination; regulation of climate, pests and diseases; and the genetic diversity that may hold the key to more productive, more nutritious, or more resilient crop or livestock varieties in the future.
About 7,000 species of plants and several hundred species of animals have been used for human food at one time or another. As the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment points out, some indigenous and traditional communities depend heavily on biodiversity, using more than 200 species for food. Wild sources of food are particularly important for the poor and landless. This is especially the case during times of famine, insecurity or conflict, but even in normal times many wild foods are important complements to staple foods to provide a balanced diet.
Conservation International’s (CI) approach to food security recognizes that human well-being, sustainable food production systems and healthy natural ecosystems are all interdependent. Working at the landscape and seascape scale, we aim to demonstrate how the conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity, implemented together with appropriate production and harvest practices, can make food production more resilient and sustainable.
Case in point: South Africa’s semi-arid, biodiversity-rich Namaqualand region, where the majority of the population’s livelihoods depend on livestock production, yet overgrazing and degradation of freshwater resources are making it even more difficult for people to make a living. Forty percent of residents currently live below the poverty line.
The Biodiversity and Red Meat Initiative (BRI) — created by Conservation South Africa and local partners — is working with local farmers to strengthen pastoral livelihoods by reducing herd size, protecting key wetland areas and encouraging wildlife-friendly predator management (i.e. using guard dogs instead of hunting or trapping the animals). In exchange for membership, participants receive technical support and training in improved production practices, monitoring and help with infrastructure. As a further incentive, the initiative is working to create more secure markets by linking herders to a national meat processor.
By combining improved grazing practices with protection of sensitive riparian areas within a larger watershed, this project illustrates the importance of taking a broader approach to sustainable food production that not only looks at specific production practices, but also considers the role of nature in the larger production landscape.
To this end, CI is proud to join a strong set of partners in the creation of the Landscape for People, Food and Nature (LPFN) Initiative. Through this collaboration, we hope to ensure long-term food security and ecosystem health by promoting “multi-output” food production systems that are able to provide services beyond food provisioning. For example, farming systems can provide watershed services in the form of rainwater infiltration and water quality regulation. Agricultural systems also have potential to serve as carbon sinks, provide wildlife habitat, and create connectivity between natural areas in the landscape.
There is no “one size fits all” for agriculture, but these integrated approaches to sustainable food production — developed with local stakeholders and tailored to local conditions — are essential to conserving biodiversity in agricultural landscapes while meeting the needs for food production.
John Buchanan is CI’s senior director of food security.
-John Buchanan
Strengthening Food Security in Africa
From a growing food crisis in South Sudan to extensive drought in West Africa, it’s clear that Africa — and the world — needs a new strategy to combat global hunger. In South Africa’s semi-arid Namaqualand region, CI is strengthening the case for agricultural systems that are based on healthy ecosystems and promote sustainable livelihoods. Learn more in John Buchanan’s post below. (A version of this blog was cross-posted on the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Initiative blog.)
Modern food systems have been very successful at producing vast amounts of food to feed our growing world. However, this has come at a high cost. Many waterways have become depleted or greatly polluted. An expansive amount of natural habitat has been lost or fragmented due to conversion to agriculture. And this loss and degradation has resulted in a huge decline in the world’s species — a decline which must be curbed if we wish to maintain — let alone expand — global food production.
Healthy natural ecosystems are the backbone of a productive, resilient planet; they’re also essential to food security. They provide a bountiful supply of wild foods that nourish billions of people. Fish in particular represent an important source of nutrients. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, more than one billion people depend on seafood as their primary source of protein.
Ecosystems also support our ability to continuously cultivate food by providing critical services such as fresh water; nutrient cycling and soil formation; pollination; regulation of climate, pests and diseases; and the genetic diversity that may hold the key to more productive, more nutritious, or more resilient crop or livestock varieties in the future.
About 7,000 species of plants and several hundred species of animals have been used for human food at one time or another. As the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment points out, some indigenous and traditional communities depend heavily on biodiversity, using more than 200 species for food. Wild sources of food are particularly important for the poor and landless. This is especially the case during times of famine, insecurity or conflict, but even in normal times many wild foods are important complements to staple foods to provide a balanced diet.
Conservation International’s (CI) approach to food security recognizes that human well-being, sustainable food production systems and healthy natural ecosystems are all interdependent. Working at the landscape and seascape scale, we aim to demonstrate how the conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity, implemented together with appropriate production and harvest practices, can make food production more resilient and sustainable.
Case in point: South Africa’s semi-arid, biodiversity-rich Namaqualand region, where the majority of the population’s livelihoods depend on livestock production, yet overgrazing and degradation of freshwater resources are making it even more difficult for people to make a living. Forty percent of residents currently live below the poverty line.
The Biodiversity and Red Meat Initiative (BRI) — created by Conservation South Africa and local partners — is working with local farmers to strengthen pastoral livelihoods by reducing herd size, protecting key wetland areas and encouraging wildlife-friendly predator management (i.e. using guard dogs instead of hunting or trapping the animals). In exchange for membership, participants receive technical support and training in improved production practices, monitoring and help with infrastructure. As a further incentive, the initiative is working to create more secure markets by linking herders to a national meat processor.
By combining improved grazing practices with protection of sensitive riparian areas within a larger watershed, this project illustrates the importance of taking a broader approach to sustainable food production that not only looks at specific production practices, but also considers the role of nature in the larger production landscape.
To this end, CI is proud to join a strong set of partners in the creation of the Landscape for People, Food and Nature (LPFN) Initiative. Through this collaboration, we hope to ensure long-term food security and ecosystem health by promoting “multi-output” food production systems that are able to provide services beyond food provisioning. For example, farming systems can provide watershed services in the form of rainwater infiltration and water quality regulation. Agricultural systems also have potential to serve as carbon sinks, provide wildlife habitat, and create connectivity between natural areas in the landscape.
There is no “one size fits all” for agriculture, but these integrated approaches to sustainable food production — developed with local stakeholders and tailored to local conditions — are essential to conserving biodiversity in agricultural landscapes while meeting the needs for food production.
John Buchanan is CI’s senior director of food security.
-John Buchanan
Coal Tar Sealant Health Hazards
Coal tar is a brown or black liquid of extremely high viscosity, which smells of naphthalene and aromatic hydrocarbons. Coal tar is incorporated into some parking-lot sealcoat products, which are marketed as a means of protecting and beautifying underlying pavement. Sealcoat products that are coal-tar based typically contain 20 to 35 percent coal-tar pitch. Coal-tar-based sealants are emitting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into the air at rates that may be greater than annual emissions from vehicles in the United States, according to new reports by the U.S. Geological Survey, published in the scientific journals Chemosphere and Atmospheric Environment. Children living near coal-tar-sealed pavement are exposed to twice as many PAHs from ingestion of contaminated house dust than from food, according to a separate new study by Baylor University and the USGS, published in the journal Environmental Pollution. Several PAHs are probable human carcinogens and many are toxic to fish and other aquatic life.
-Andy Soos, ENN
Ice Caps and Glaciers Contend for Biggest Loser Award
There are few things on Earth that have undergone a more dramatic weight loss than the world's ice caps and glaciers. According to a recent study, they have lost about 150 billion tons per year from 2003 to 2010. Such a large quantity of ice has translated to a 0.4 millimeter rise in sea levels each year. At this rate, it will take 2,500 years for sea levels to rise one meter. However, indications point towards accelerated ice loss in the future. Plus, if including ice lost from the major land-based ice sheets, sea level rise is much worse.
-David A Gabel, ENN
Valentine’s Day Research: Hormones Tell If Your Love Will Last
There's nothing like the bliss of a new romance. And yet, many experiencing such rapture find it disrupted by a nagging question: How do we know our love will last? Newly published research suggests a possible answer: Get your oxytocin levels checked.
-Miller-McCune
Valentine’s Day Research: Hormones Tell If Your Love Will Last
There's nothing like the bliss of a new romance. And yet, many experiencing such rapture find it disrupted by a nagging question: How do we know our love will last? Newly published research suggests a possible answer: Get your oxytocin levels checked.
-Miller-McCune
New Jersey Threatened with Mandatory Water Fluoridation
Despite objections from environmentalists and utility officials, New Jersey is under threat of mandatory fluoridation, which is the addition of fluoride chemicals into the public drinking water ostensibly to reduce tooth decay. Despite admission by the Federal Government that American children are fluoride over-exposed and that fluoride's benefits are primarily topical, New Jersey legislators are crafting a law that will force fluoridation on the entire state, reports the Fluoride Action Network (FAN).
Last year the Arctic, which is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth due to global climate change, experienced its warmest twelve months yet. According to recent data by NASA, average Arctic temperatures in 2011 were 2.28 degrees Celsius (4.1 degrees Fahrenheit) above those recorded from 1951-1980. As the Arctic warms, imperiling its biodiversity and indigenous people, researchers are increasingly concerned that the region will hit climatic tipping points that could severely impact the rest of the world. A recent commentary in Nature Climate Change highlighted a number of tipping points that keep scientists awake at night.
-Jeremy Hance
Magma Phase Changes within Planets
There is a weirdness deep inside planets. There are intense pressures and temperatures during their formation. Just as graphite can transform into Just as graphite can transform into diamond under high pressure, liquid magmas may similarly undergo major transformations at the pressures and temperatures that exist deep inside Earth-like planets. Using high-powered lasers, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and collaborators discovered that molten magnesium silicate undergoes a phase change in the liquid state, abruptly transforming to a more dense liquid with increasing pressure. The research provides insight into planet formation.
-Andy Soos, ENN
Tetrachloroethylene Toxicity EPA Risk Assessment
Tetrachloroethylene, also known under its systematic name tetrachloroethene and many other names, is a chlorocarbon. It is a colorless liquid widely used for dry cleaning of fabrics and is sometimes called "dry-cleaning fluid". It has a sweet odor detectable by most people at a concentration of 1 part per million (1 ppm). It is also used in the cleaning of metal machinery and to manufacture some consumer products and other chemicals. Confirming longstanding scientific understanding and research, the final EPA risk assessment characterizes this material as a likely human carcinogen. The assessment provides estimates for both cancer and non-cancer effects associated with exposure to it over a lifetime.
-Editor, ENN
CI Photojournal: The Turtle Islands (Part 1 of 3)
Later this year the Ocean Health Index, a new tool to measure all dimensions of ocean health, will officially launch. In preparation for its launch, photographer and videographer Keith Ellenbogen went out on the water to document the state of some of the world’s most important and vulnerable marine ecosystems — and the people who depend on them. This week, we’re bringing you some of his favorite photos from the Philippines’ Turtle Islands.
The Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIPA) consists of a group of nine islands: three in Malaysia and six in the Philippines. They are appropriately called the Turtle Islands and represent a transboundary conservation agreement focused on protecting the endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). These nine islands are some of the most important nesting beaches in Southeast Asia.
The story of the sea turtle and its life cycle is an inspiration to me — a motivational message about overcoming the odds. Each day and night I walked along the beach in search of nesting sea turtles. Most often in the early morning light, I would see the tracks, but occasionally I would encounter a nesting turtle that pushed its massive body across the beach from the sea to lay its eggs on land, starting a new generation. I can only imagine the transition from mobility to immobility, from agile swimmer to awkward walker, from weightlessness to the immense weight of gravity outside the suspension of water. A testament to perseverance. While graceful at sea, like a quirky cross between a “Star Wars” spaceship and ballerina, on land the adult turtles make slow, laborious, deliberate movements. The entire nesting process looks like a struggle.
What is difficult to communicate is the length of time that this process takes. Photographs and video give the illusion of compressed time, but the real-time process to crawl up a beach, dig a hole (typically multiple holes before settling on a location), lay eggs, cover the nest and return to sea takes a whopping four to six hours and appears to be a struggle for every bit of it, until they return to the familiar comforts of the sea.
A new study from researchers at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has uncovered secrets of the mysterious pygmy Nile crocodile. Once thought to be a unique population of the more well-known Nile crocodile, the pygmy Niles are in fact a very distinct crocodile species of West Africa. A couple years ago, their existence was confirmed within the nation of Uganda. The recent WCS study found that their habitat extends into more areas, shedding insight upon this beautiful rare creature.
-David A Gabel, ENN
Toyota Announces Return of "100 Cars for Good" Program in 2012
At the Chicago Auto Show today, Toyota announced the return of its "100 Cars for Good" program. For the second straight year, Toyota will award 100 vehicles over the course of 100 days to 100 U.S. nonprofits, with winners selected through public voting on the Toyota Facebook page. Applications for the program will open on March 12, 2012 at http://www.facebook.com/toyota. The announcement was made by Michael Rouse, vice president of philanthropy and community affairs for Toyota Motor Sales,U.S.A., who was accompanied by some of the nonprofits that received vehicles in last year's 100 Cars for Good program. "At Toyota, we appreciate what a big difference a new car can make for organizations working to improve lives and strengthen communities across the country, and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to lend a hand," said Rouse.
-Editor
Price of Solar Energy Decreasing in India
Solar energy may have a reputation to be more expensive in most parts of the world, but not in India. In the world’s second most populous nation, electricity stemming from solar energy is now cheaper than oil-based energy. The Indian government also has an objective to inaugurate 20,000 megawatts of solar panels by 2022. India’s solar success may have positive implications for other developing countries to show a new and inexpensive alternative energy source for use in not only for basic heating, but to also use for new and innovative technology.
-Scott Sincoff, ENN
Innovative Wastewater Treatment Technology
Israel’s Aqwise is proving to be a success story of international proportions in the arena of biological wastewater treatment. The Company began as a small start-up offering innovative biological treatment of urban wastewater, and today offers a variety of solutions for municipal and industrial customers, due to intensive R&D and expansion into new arenas of activity.
According to Israel NewTech, Aqwise is one of the first companies which singled out the potential of the cleantech market for Israeli hi-tech based entrepreneurs. The Company began as a small start-up, which developed innovative technology for the biological treatment of wastewater. Now, 12 years later, the Company is profitable, has 150 installations around the world, and representation and partnerships in over 20 countries.
-CleanTechies Guest Author
Charles Darwin’s Birthday Feb 12th
Sunday 12th February 2012 marks what would have been Darwin’s 203rd birthday, so we have decided to take a look back at the life of the father of evolutionary biology, Charles Robert Darwin.
Quite possibly the most famous biologist in history, Darwin was born on February 12th 1809 in Shrewsbury. His father was a doctor and Charles looked to be following in his footsteps when he enrolled at the University of Edinburgh to study medicine in 1825. However neither medicine nor theology, which he later studied at Cambridge, was able to captivate the young Darwin as much as his passion for natural history – which can only be seen as a good thing for the advancement of science!
-Laura Sutherland
Wolves return, will they be hunted in National Parks?
Gray wolves were taken off the endangered species list in Idaho and Montana last year and put under state control. But they're still on the list in neighboring Wyoming. That's because Wyoming has been the most aggressive about wanting to kill wolves.
-Elizabeth Shogren, NPR
Wild Lions Live in Constant Fear
Some lions in the wild now live within a "landscape of fear" as a result of threats posed by humans. Lions have drastically changed the way they behave and perceive their environment because of new, numerous and deadly clashes with humans, according to a new study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.
-Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News
Coffee Farmers Become Citizen Scientists in Southern Mexico
Through our Team Earth story, “Chiapas: Coffee, Climate and Conservation in Mexico,” we’ve been exploring many of the connections between communities, ecosystems and the beverage that hundreds of millions of us drink every day. In this guest blog from a scientist funded by the Conservation Leadership Programme, we bring you another part of the story — farmers-turned-birdwatchers whose newfound knowledge is causing bird-friendly shifts in coffee cultivation.
As we enjoy awakening to our favorite coffee blend, sip by sip, how often do we think about where it comes from? Do we stop to contemplate the origin of our coffee beans, the livelihoods of the people who grow them, or the ecological impacts of our consumer choices? Isn’t it time to connect our coffee to its roots in conservation?
Most coffee is produced in high altitude forest. Coffee is the main export crop in Nuevo Paraiso, a small one-restaurant town in Chiapas, Mexico where one of the two coffee cooperatives in the area, known as Comon Yaj Noptic is located. The other coffee cooperative, Ramal Santa Cruz, is a pick-up truck or horse ride up the road. Both cooperatives are made up of organic, shade-grown coffee farmers that farm on communally owned and managed lands, called ejido.
Each farmer has a small plot of coffee bushes that grow in the pine-oak forests in the buffer zone surrounding the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve. This biological hotspot is part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor and is home to many migratory, endemic and rare birds such as the horned guan (Oreophasis derbianus), azure rumped tanager (Tangara cabanisi), golden-cheeked warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia) — arguably a Texan — and the resplendent quetzal(Pharomachrus mocinno). Many of these species spend summers up north in the U.S. and Canada — you may have even seen some of them in your own backyard.
Pronatura Sur, one of the largest non-governmental organizations in southern Mexico, had an innovative idea to train these local farmers, known as campesinos, in bird identification to gather data on bird populations. With the help of scientists, these campesinos are becoming more knowledgeable about birds and the ecosystem services birds provide for coffee, such as pest control.
Citizen science isn’t new — you may be familiar with the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count, which is one of the oldest citizen-science projects still in operation.
These types of projects bring about many additional benefits besides scientific information. In my case, I was evaluating the bird monitors’ technical capacities — such as bird identification and data collection skills — as well as their perceptions of nature. To my surprise, these bird monitors hadn’t always liked birds; some campesinos used to kill birds for pleasure. It wasn’t until they became involved with this program that their attitudes on birds and conservation started changing. As one monitor put it, “We now run outside with our binoculars, instead of a slingshot.”
Now there are community signs that read, “No Hunting,” “Conserve Nature,” and “Do Not Harm the Trees.” Monitors incorporate their bird observations into the management of their coffee farms, leaving more trees standing than in the past.
Having witnessed firsthand the connection between coffee and conservation, I hope I’ve convinced you of the value of buying organic, shade-grown coffee. It tastes better, keeps habitat protected for our birds, and empowers coffee farmers like those in Chiapas to earn a living with binoculars in hand!
Jennifer Lowry is part of a team of scientists currently conducting a research project entitled “Bird Species Richness within Shade-Grown Coffee Farms in Chiapas, Mexico.” This project is funded through the Conservation Leadership Programme, a partnership of Conservation International, BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International and the Wildlife Conservation Society. Learn more about Jennifer’s work, or check out our Team Earth Chiapas story.
Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tennessee facility has achieved the world's first LEED-Platinum green building certification for an automotive manufacturing plant. The $1 billion production facility makes the 2012 Passat.
-Editor, Sustainablebusiness.com
Call for new indicators of sustainable development
The world must develop different indicators on sustainable development that are not biased against developing countries, a major conference has heard. Bharrat Jagdeo, former president of Guyana, said current assessments and rankings use indicators such as access to potable water and sanitation, or malaria levels, which automatically rank developed countries higher.
-T.V. Padma
The Decline of Wild Salmon
The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific (Oncorhynchus) salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon. Chinook are an anadromous fish native to the north Pacific Ocean and the river systems of western North America ranging from California to Alaska. Scientists have found that only about ten percent of the fall-run Chinook salmon spawning in California's Mokelumne River are naturally produced wild salmon. A massive influx of hatchery-raised fish that return to spawn in the wild is masking the fact that too few wild fish are returning to sustain a natural population in the river. The study, published in the online journal PLoS ONE, highlights the danger of relying on ordinary census techniques to evaluate the health of wild salmon populations and their habitats. Most hatchery fish in California are unmarked and therefore undetectable in population surveys. For this study, the researchers were able to identify hatchery fish by using a novel technique to detect traces of a hatchery diet preserved in the ear bones of adult fish.
-Andy Soos, ENN
World’s biggest offshore wind farm officially connected to the Grid
The world's biggest offshore wind farm was officially opened today after record-fast construction in the middle of the Irish Sea. The 102 turbines of the two connected Walney wind farms cover an area of 73 square-kilometres and were formally connected to the National Grid in a ceremony today. With a capacity of 367.2MW, the huge project can provide low-carbon, green electricity to 320,000 homes. The generating capacity of each turbine, supplied by Siemens Wind Power, is 3.6MW, and the rotor diameter of the turbines is 107m for Walney 1 and 120m for Walney 2, with a maximum height of 150m from sea level to blade tip.
-Click Green Staff
Himalayan Ice melt less than thought
Estimates from satellite monitoring suggest the melt rate from the Himalayas and other high-altitude Asian mountains in recent years was much less than what scientists on the ground had estimated, but those monitoring the satellite data warn not to jump to the skeptical conclusion.
The region's ice melt from 2003-2010 was estimated at 4 billion tons a year, far less than earlier estimates of around 50 billion tons, according to the study published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.
-Miguel Llanos, msnbc.com
Marguerite Bay Glaciation
Marguerite Bay or Margaret Bay is an extensive bay on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula, which is bounded on the north by Adelaide Island and on the south by Wordie Ice Shelf, George VI Sound and Alexander Island. A new paper reports glacial geological data that provide evidence for the timing of ice-sheet retreat and thinning at the end of the last glaciation (~10,000 years ago) in Marguerite Bay. The length of time that rock outcrops have been exposed was dated which allow dating of the thinning of the ice sheet, and the record from seabed sediments. This then allows the determination of how the ice sheet retreated across the continental shelf. The dating shows a surprising pattern. About 9,600 years ago, the ice in Marguerite Bay appears to have thinned very quickly indeed, an observation that turns out to be consistent with several other datasets from the same area (ice-shelf collapse histories, raised beaches and lake sediment cores).
-Editor, ENN
Sturgeon Thunder
A giant among Wisconsin's inland freshwater fishes, the bottom dwelling lake sturgeon is a living fossil - a relic from the Middle Ages of fish evolution. This ancient species made its first appearance about 100 million years ago in the Upper Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era, just about the time that the dinosaurs made their abrupt exit from Earth's ever-changing stage. Today the lake sturgeon retains many primitive characteristics that have been lost or modified in other modern-day fishes. Research into the mysterious sounds that lake sturgeon produce resumes in April, or whenever the water warms to a temperature conducive for fish spawning, which is the best time to experience sturgeon thunder. In spring, Ron Bruch, a biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Chris Bocast, an acoustic ecologist with the UW Sea Grant Institute, will conduct additional biological examinations and collect detailed field recordings of the infrasonic sounds of this ancient fish.
-AndySoos, ENN
CI at 25: Securing Community Well-Being Through Conservation
Throughout 2012, as we celebrate CI’s 25 years of impact, Editorial Director Todd Christopher will recount the ways CI has been changing the face of conservation. Today he focuses on community engagement.
Several years ago, CI revealed a new mission — one that emphasized human well-being as the ultimate goal of its conservation efforts. But our abiding concern for people has been readily apparent throughout 25 years of work — and perhaps no more visible than in our ongoing engagement with local communities.
From the beginning, CI has recognized the vital connections between the health of a community and the health of its environment, especially in remote, biodiversity-rich frontiers.
Through an early program in Guatemala, CI worked with local midwives and trained them to deliver conservation messages along with community health counsel — demonstrating a new and effective way to partner. The integration of health and social development needs into CI’s work with local communities was formalized with the creation of the Healthy Communities Initiative in 1997, with support from the Mulago Foundation. And in 2002, when groundbreaking congressional earmarks made USAID funding available to projects in Madagascar, Guatemala and the Philippines, CI began implementing the Healthy Families, Healthy Forests project — improving family planning, hygiene and nutrition for local communities in areas of high biodiversity.
On the heels of those successes, CI’s relationship with the Mulago Foundation expanded to focus on incorporating community needs and priorities into conservation strategy. The resulting Conservation Stewards Program (CSP), launched in 2005, broke new ground by negotiating conservation agreements with local communities. The model is clear and compelling: In return for commitments to conservation — from halting deforestation to patrolling protected areas — CI offers direct economic incentives that seek to improve community well-being, enabling those communities most dependent upon nature to take an active part in its conservation.
Todd Christopher
Through a wide portfolio of projects that protect biodiversity while improving quality of life for local people, CSP has engaged nearly 100 communities in 17 countries. CSP currently maintains 51 agreements that impact the lives of 35,000 people around the world while conserving nearly 1.5 million hectares (3.7 million acres) of natural habitat.
Todd Christopher is CI’s editorial director.
-Todd Christopher
Zebra Stripes as Bug Repellant
On the plains of Africa, the zebra are not the only creature roaming in herds. There are a great number of other species, not least of all, the dreaded horsefly. Zebras, like all horse species, have large bodies which they cannot always reach with their mouths, hooves, or tails, making them an inviting prey for blood-sucking, flying insects. More than the lion, the horsefly is the bane of zebra's existence. This, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, is why zebras evolved to having stripes. The black and white stripes effectively deter the horseflies by making the zebras less attractive.
-David A Gabel, ENN
Cambridge University reveals breakthrough for super-efficient solar cells
New solar cells could increase the maximum efficiency of solar panels by over 25%, according to scientists from the University of Cambridge. Scientists from the Cavendish Laboratory, the University's Department of Physics, have developed a novel type of solar cell which could harvest energy from the sun much more efficiently than traditional designs. The research, published today, could dramatically improve the amount of useful energy created by solar panels.
-ClickGreen staff
German-Saudi Partnership to Build Polysilicon Plant in Red Sea City
Germany's Centrotherm Photovoltaics, the world's second-largest manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) equipment, has signed an agreement with IDEA Polysilicon to construct a polysilicon solar PV manufacturing facility in the Saudi Arabian Red Coast city of Yanbu, according to a Reuters News report. The agreement aims to provide IDEA the technology and know-how it needs to become a market force in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region, a market that's attracting more and more interest from industry players globally.
-Andrew Burger, Cleantechnica
Hertz First To Trial Wireless EV Recharging
The Hertz Corporation and Hertz Global EV are implementing the first wireless charging system for electric vehicles (EVs) in the car rental industry. Hertz has the most diverse fleet of EVs for both rental and carshare.
"Hertz is committed to its Global EV program, introducing electric vehicles into our rental fleet on three continents – North America, Asia and Europe," commented Mark P. Frissora, Hertz Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We're excited to participate in Plugless Power’s pilot program so that we can be on the ground floor of this new technology; learning key findings about EV wireless charging. As we move forward our goal is to have a variety of charging options for EV customer use, aligned with the charging equipment installed by EV manufacturers."
-Editor
Scotland releases blueprint for offshore renewable energy roll-out
A blueprint to streamline the scoping, planning and consenting of offshore renewables developments has been published by the Scottish Government today. The report, prepared by a task force comprising Marine Scotland, environmental regulators, renewable developers and The Crown Estate, was welcomed by Alex Salmond as he co-chaired the first 2012 meeting of the Scottish Energy Advisory Board (SEAB).
-Click Green Staff
Tree Rings and Volcanic Eruptions
Counting the number of tree rings and observing the relative growth for each ting can give an age for when something happened. However, it may not be that simple. Some climate cooling caused by past volcanic eruptions may not be evident in tree-ring reconstructions of temperature change, because large enough temperature drops lead to greatly shortened or even absent growing seasons, according to climate researchers who compared tree-ring temperature reconstructions with model simulations of past temperature changes.
-Andy Soos, ENN
Housecats Susceptible to Wild Feline Disease
There are really two types of cats out there: the cute and cuddly house cat and the vicious predator wildcats. However, for bacteria and viruses, there is no difference. The domestic cats are equally vulnerable to the same diseases that afflict wild bobcats, cougars, and others. A new study led by Colorado State University found that all cats living in the same area share the same diseases. In fact, domestic cats can act as a bridge to spread feline diseases to human households.
-David A Gabel, ENN
New $9.8 Million Commitment to Conservation in East Africa, Arabia
How many environmentalists does it take to develop a regional conservation strategy? Quite a lot! Recently more than 200 of them worked together to design a plan for protecting essential ecosystems in an area known as the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot.
The hotspot covers more than 9,650 kilometers (6,000 miles) from the mountains of Arabia to the Chimanimani Massif on the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, to the Ethiopian highlands and the lakes of the Albertine Rift. To develop an ecosystem profile — a strategic plan to guide conservation investment in the region — the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) engaged conservationists, researchers, government officials and local stakeholders from across the 17-country region.
This diverse group’s 14-month effort to obtain and analyze mountains of data has paid off. Their more than 300-page report (PDF) filled with information on the species, ecosystems, socioeconomics, policies and current environmental investments has resulted in CEPF committing $9.8 million to help protect the Eastern Afromontane’s most critical natural areas.
Its widely scattered mountains contain incredibly diverse and unique natural worlds that are the lifeline to the 475 million people living there. Local species include (but are certainly not limited to):
An estimated 2,350 plant species found nowhere else;
500 mammal species, including the iconic mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), Grauer’s gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) and the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis);
Approximately 620 freshwater fish species that are unique to the region; and
The profile highlights both the incredible biological richness of the hotspot and its importance to the well-being and development of countries that depend upon its natural resources, particularly fresh water and ecosystem support to agriculture and food security. It also details the terrible threats to the remaining natural areas in the region, which is experiencing an unprecedented population boom coupled with enduring poverty.
The profiling team, led by BirdLife International and supported by CEPF and Conservation International scientists, worked with colleagues via five national workshops, two regional workshops, and countless exchanges of letters.
This was not an easy endeavor. The team had to work around geopolitical turmoil such as the Arab Spring, which led to cancellation of the workshop in Yemen, and the appearance of a new country on our maps: South Sudan, which became independent in July 2011. But, with great skill, they compiled and distilled a vast amount of data and ideas, culminating in a comprehensive conservation strategy for the region, and a specific strategy that CEPF will pursue in up to 36 priority sites over the next five years.
CEPF’s funds will go to local nongovernmental organizations and others working in the hotspot to support these valuable ecosystems for the benefit of people and nature — in short, initiatives that recognize and act on the links between the need for sustainable development and the imperative to preserve the natural wealth of these countries. The profile also provides a roadmap for others interested in joining strategic conservation efforts in the region.
With the profile completed, and the investment strategy set, CEPF has begun searching for the regional implementation team that will support us in reaching out to local civil society groups and shepherding this promising strategy. We expect to begin grant-making before the end of 2012.
Patricia Zurita is the executive director of CEPF, which is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility, the government of Japan, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. Learn more about CEPF.
Slash-and-burn agricultural practices, banned by governments because of the risk of uncontrolled fires, provide better growing conditions for valuable new trees than more modern methods of forest clearance, a study suggests.
-Aleida Rueda
Rare Moroccan Argan Oil – Now Made In Israel
Argan oil, rich in vitamin E and fatty acids, has become the sensation of the decade, sought after by chemists, dieticians, hair salons, chefs and cosmeticians. Until recently, it was a rare product grown only in the Atlas Mountains and traditionally made by Moroccan tribes, as the Argan tree could not grow outside of Morocco. Now, Israeli company Sivan is developing "Argan 100" – a super strain of Argan that is tolerant of the Mediterranean climate and can produce ten times more nuts than the average tree in Morocco, they say.
-NoCamels Team
Bahamas’ Blue Holes harbor strange lifeforms
Clues to how life evolved, not only on this planet but also possibly on alien worlds, might be found in underwater caves in the Bahamas, researchers say.
The caves in question are called "blue holes," so-named because from the air, their entrances appear circular in shape, with different shades of blue water in and around them. There are estimated to be more than 1,000 such caves in the Bahamas, the greatest concentration of blue holes in the world.
Rising ocean acidity worst for Caribbean and Pacific
The current trend of increasing ocean acidification, which threatens fisheries around the world, is driven mainly by man-made changes and is higher even than that seen at the end of the last ice age, some 11,000 year ago, a study has said. Much of the carbon released by human activity ends up in the oceans, increasing their acidity and reducing the growth of corals and molluscs, which in turn may affect fisheries and aquaculture.
-Lisbeth Fog
Heat is Power Association Launches
In his recent State of the Union address, President Obama called upon an America built to last, "an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values." Today, the Heat is Power Association is ready to answer this call in this country and beyond.
A coalition focused on the wide-scale development of a robust Waste Heat to Power (WH2P) market re-launched today as the Heat is Power Association to bring together everyone with a stake in clean energy and industry to capture an opportunity we're wasting every day—waste heat.
And we're not alone. From the White House to the campaign trail to state houses across the country, almost everyone can agree on two things: that the way to spur the global economy is through manufacturing, and we must shore up clean energy supplies to power and protect cities and towns everywhere. Alongside President Obama's call for a renewed manufacturing sector, he touted the thousands of jobs that have been created at the hands of clean energy investments. By expanding our focus on the output of energy resources – emission-free electricity – we can grow those numbers exponentially.
-Environmental News Network
Dune Flows
Sand dunes flow over the land subject to the winds like ocean waves or rivers. What makes them move? What makes them start or stop? In a study at the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, University of Pennsylvania researchers have uncovered a unifying mechanism to explain the beautiful dune patterns that occur. The findings may also hold implications for identifying when dune landscapes like those in Nebraska's Sand Hills may reach a tipping point under climate change, going from valuable grazing land to barren desert.
-Andy Soos, ENN
20 Years of Conservation in Colombia
As Conservation International (CI) celebrates our 25th anniversary, we’re excited to share stories of our success from across the globe. Today, CI-Colombia co-founder José Vicente Rodriguez looks back on 20 years of conservation work in his home country.
On a December day in 1975, my wife Blanca Nelly and I decided to get married and start our own family. Exactly 16 years later, on December 17th 1991, Rod Mast and I officially created CI-Colombia — with me as its first local director — and I began to build my second family at CI. It’s hard to believe that that day was now more than 20 years ago.
Rod came to CI in July of 1989 with a clear understanding of the biological importance of Colombia, a love for Colombian culture — and even a Colombian wife, Angela. He and I had become brothers-in-arms years earlier, having worked together on sea turtle and cotton-top tamarin conservation.
With strong support from CI’s CEO Peter Seligmann and President Russ Mittermeier, we commenced a cascade of ideas that have accumulated over time to bring us to where CI-Colombia is today. At the time, this decision sparked the greatest challenge of my life. My house was our first office, and my family members — Blanca Nelly and my children, particularly Juan Carlos and later Alejandro — were our first employees. Taking on a program with various financial constraints, what we faced in those early days was no easy feat, but thanks to the passion and the support of our growing staff, we overcame those challenging moments and positioned ourselves for a solid future.
Thanks to the generosity of our first donors — The Mario Santo Domingo Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and others — we began our work within the regions of Chocó and Amazon. In Chocó, we helped to develop sustainable markets for non-timber products, such as tagua, wax and fibers, and created the Chocó-Manabí Conservation Corridor, which is located within Colombia and Ecuador. We also developed a biodiversity program within the Amazon region, and today we have two biological stations, Centro Ambiental en La Pedrera and Mosiro Itajura-Caparú.
We have since expanded our efforts across the country — and beyond. Together with Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama, we are supporting marine conservation and sustainable use of resources in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape, an ocean territory larger than Mexico. We have also established Colombia’s REDD+ board, and we are currently executing REDD+ forest carbon activities in La Guajira and Amazonas.
Educating the Public
My reflections on generating changes on public attitude have always been that ignorance is the worst enemy of conservation, because if you don’t value what you have, you don’t take care of it. To combat this ignorance, we have created many publications over the years, now numbering more than 80 titles printed and over 1 million copies distributed.
One of our most significant publication series has been the “Tropical Field Guides,” which has come to fill an empty niche in the American tropics. Titles such as “Turtles and Crocodilians of the Tropical Andes” and “The Primates, the Parrots and the Amazonian Fish of Colombia” have played a vital role in sharing scientific knowledge in the region.
We have also created a series of small books about groups of endangered species, and published huge quantities of field guides for children. Never before in Colombia has there been such a wide dissemination of free books dedicated to spreading knowledge about biodiversity: 80,000 copies of each. These were followed by other series of manuals that were oriented towards stimulating the application of proper monitoring methodologies between amateur and professional naturalists.
Scientific Collaboration
In order to proceed with true sustainable development, every country needs strong scientific knowledge that takes into account the value of its ecosystems and biodiversity. To this end, we have built programs to repatriate accumulated biological information from museums and private collections and make it accessible to decision-makers and the general public. These actions have demonstrated the importance of managing conservation information that is updated, geo-referenced and analyzed by interagency alliances.
An example of these successful initiatives is ARA, a database that collects biodiversity information from across Colombia. With support from countless organizations in the country and around the world — including museums, universities and NGOs — this decision-making tool has been adopted by principal government agencies, including the Ministry of Environment.
Milestones in Freshwater Conservation
In addition, the first World Congress of Páramos in 2009 and the creation of the Chingaza-Sumapaz-Guerrero Conservation Corridor in 2011 have been important events that have highlighted and provided strategies for the conservation of our most essential ecosystem service: fresh water.
The corridor ensures a safe drinking-water supply for the city of Bogotá and its surroundings, which impacts more than 10 million people. As a result, the corridor enhances farming systems, protects the environment and secures freshwater deposits. In addition, the conservation corridor has mitigated the effects of climate change through reforestation projects, conservation agreements and other strategies. (Learn more in the video below.)
As a result, we could say that over these first 20 years we have narrowed our focus on modern challenges without forgetting our roots. Our efforts have been reinforced by fortunate arrival of my friend Fabio Arjona as executive director of CI-Colombia. Due to his refined knowledge of environmental services, his visionary outlook on the issues posed by climate change and his tremendous capacity for dialogue with political and financial figures, we are confident in our ability to have an enormous impact within public politics and make successful steps toward a better tomorrow.
Finally, I want to express my profound gratitude to all of my friends, to those individuals who have directly or indirectly been part of CI-Colombia, and especially to the members of our current staff and those who are no longer with us. Thanks to their contributions, we achieved the many successes that we can share with you today.
The future still holds many challenges, but the continued support and commitment of both staff and supporters will help us confront it.
José Vicente Rodriguez is the co-founder and scientific director of CI-Colombia.
-Jose Vicente Rodriguez
The Future of Trucking is Electric
Trucking has become the most common mode for transporting goods across the land. However, all those trucks on the road burning diesel fuel can create a great deal of air pollution. Plus, higher gas prices cause increases in the prices of goods. Now is the time to consider the next era of trucking, the electric truck. At the moment, they cost about three times more than the internal combustion engine truck. However, a new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shows that a fleet of electric trucks can actually be more cost effective than the standard diesel fleet.
-David A Gabel, ENN
Tel Aviv Water Wells Polluted from Contamination
A recent study discovered that many Tel Aviv wells are polluted beyond suitability as drinking water sources. Data collected by the Health Ministry and Water Authority showed that 96 of a total 166 wells in the Tel Aviv area were closed due to contamination. Nearly two-thirds of the wells have been shuttered since 1980, when all 166 were in full operation.
-Joshua Basofin, Green Prophet
Price of gorilla permit increases to $750/day
Rwanda has raised the price of a permit to see mountain gorillas to $750 per day starting June 1, 2012, up from $500. While the price is steep, the program each year raises millions of dollars in revenue for gorilla conservation, including $8 million in Rwanada alone in 2008, according to a 2011 study published in PLoS ONE.
-Rhett Butler
Jellyfish explosion may be natural cycle
Evidence that jellyfish are taking over the oceans is currently lacking, according to a new study published in Bioscience. Complied by a number of marine experts, the study found that while jellyfish have been on the rise in some regions it is likely due to a natural cycle of jellyfish populations and not a global boom. Researchers, including a number of marine biologists, have warned for years that jellyfish numbers may be exploding due to human activities, such as overfishing, warmer oceans due to global climate change, and the rise of oxygen-depleted, so-called "dead zones."
-Jeremy Hance
A Shining Star of Bipartisan Cleantech Support
Amid all the negative publicity that Solyndra's failure has brought to the Administration's cleantech efforts, one cleantech program has received broad bipartisan support: DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-e). In 2012, ARPA-e will receive $275 million, a 53% increase from the prior year with both the House and the Senate supporting significant funding for the agency's third year of operations. ARPA-e is modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which for over 50 years has funded early-stage research projects that show the potential to develop technologies that could yield disruptive advances for the military. DARPA's projects have resulted in major leaps including, but definitely not limited to, the Internet, stealth technology and the Global Positioning System. Both agencies operate by soliciting proposals from companies, universities, and labs within broad thematic areas and select the most promising proposals for grant awards. Readers of my blog know that I am not a big fan of some of the Administration's cleantech efforts. ARPA-e is at least one exception. Authorized in the last year of the Bush Administration and initially funded through the Obama Administration's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the ARPA-e program may be one government program that can help seed the disruptive advances needed in our energy economy.
-David Gold
Once, men abused slaves. Now we abuse fossil fuels
Pointing out the similarities (and differences) between slavery and the use of fossil fuels can help us engage with climate change in a new way, says Jean-François Mouhot, visiting researcher at Georgetown University, USA. In 2005, while teaching history at a French university, I was struck by the general disbelief among students that rational and sensitive human beings could ever hold others in bondage. Slavery was so obviously evil that slave-holders could only have been barbarians. My students could not entertain the idea that some slave-owners could have been genuinely blind to the harm they were doing. At the same time, I was reading a book on climate change which noted how today's machinery – almost exclusively powered by fossil fuels like coal and oil – does the same work that used to be done by slaves and servants. "Energy slaves" now do our laundry, cook our food, transport us, entertain us, and do most of the hard work needed for our survival.
-Andy Gryce, Population Matters
Want waterfalls and wildflowers? Take a HIKE!
Depending upon the terrain, hiking makes for an excellent lower body workout. The stronger your legs become, the more trails you’ll easily be able to explore. The physicality of hiking helps dilate arteries which reduces and takes some stress off the heart. Even at a casual pace of two miles per hour, a 150-pound person will burn 240 calories in an hour. Hiking at a rapid pace allows for an aerobic workout that will help tone the heart.
For women, regular hiking may help prevent osteoporosis. Working against the force of gravity helps increase bone density and slows calcium loss, thus strengthening bones and making them less susceptible to breaking. Also, trails are gentler on the joints than pavement.
The change in elevation and varying terrain helps build balance and coordination. The mental health benefits of hiking are just as bountiful as the physical. Exposure to natural bright light, which you certainly can’t get in a gym, increases levels of serotonin (a mood-lifting chemical) in the brain. Because exercise also boosts serotonin production, the benefit is twofold.
Words of caution: If you haven’t exercised on a regular basis, you should speak with your doctor before starting on an exercise program – especially if you have a history of heart disease or major illness, or have been having symptoms such as chest pain or pressure, lightheadedness, dizziness, back or joint pain, etc.
Minimal hiking equipment includes a good pair of hiking shoes with tread, bottled water, and layered clothing. One way to ramp up a walking routine is to add poles and vary your stride. The extra challenge to the body could actually double your effort and calorie burn without adding any strain to the joints. In fact, the poles can help minimize the impact on your hips, knees and ankles.
Layers of clothing made of wicking fabrics (not cotton) will keep the warmth in and sweat away from your body. Adding and removing layers when you need to can help regulate your body temperature throughout a long hike that has varying elevations.
Give yourself a successful start to your hiking adventures. Break in your new hiking shoes and take a short “training hike” along the Wildflower Trail in Blossomwood at the foot of Monte Sano Mountain. This trail is part of the Land Trust’s Monte Sano Nature Preserve and it’s a lovely, easy walk along Fagan Creek. Be sure to stretch before and after no matter how easy or difficult the hike might be. Watch for tree roots and stay on the trail. Memorial benches offer places to enjoy a carb snack (fruit, energy bars, whole grain crackers with peanut butter or hummus, or trail mix) beside the pleasant stream.
Additional tips: Store your supplies in a handy day or waist pack. A small first-aid kit can be a simple as some Neosporin and Band Aids in a plastic bag. Wear insect repellant and poison ivy block in the summer. Check online for an updated weather forecast. Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. Take your cell phone and camera.
Most of all, make time to enjoy the beautiful North Alabama greenspace you’ll see from Land Trust trails. From spring wildflowers to the sun dappling through summer leaves to trees showing their fiery autumn finery, the changing seasons will offer your mind and soul a healing, rich tapestry to admire. And, take your family with you. Building memories and fostering appreciation of nature and the need to preserve the places we love is vital to raising the next generation of land preservation advocates.
Getting some vigorous exercise doesn’t have to be expensive or boring. With the beautiful scenery and fresh air to inspire you, you’ll never tire of Land Trust trails. Whether you hike alone or with a friend, you’ll enjoy the sights and sounds of nature while walking away those pounds. Hiking can help you lose weight, improve your physical well-being, reduce tension and enhance your mental health.
-Cathie
Deadly Malaria on the Decline
A new research study has found that malaria is killing twice as many people that previously believed. However, as efforts to combat the deadly steam have picked up, the total number of deaths is declining. In 2010, 1.2 million people died of malaria, twice as much as the last survey suggested. Researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington believe that the discrepancy is due to the previous studies assuming that malaria only kills children under age five. In actuality, 42 percent of malaria deaths are people aged five and older.
-David A Gabel, ENN
London falls behind on targets to become electric car capital of Europe
London faces an uphill battle if it is to deliver on the target of 100,000 electric vehicles on the streets of the capital, a new report from the London Assembly warns today. Charging Ahead?, by the Assembly's Environment Committee, says progress has been made since 2009, when the Mayor committed to making London the electric car capital of Europe, but he faces a formidable challenge ahead to achieve his targets.
-ClickGreen staff
Are Nuisance Jellyfish Really Taking Over the World’s Oceans?
In recent years, media reports of jellyfish blooms and some scientific publications have fueled the idea that jellyfish and other gelatinous floating creatures are becoming more common and may dominate the seas in coming decades. The growing impacts of humans on the oceans, including overfishing and climate change, have been suggested as possible causes of this apparently alarming trend.
-Editor, Science Daily
Ancient Lake Vostok
After 20 years of drilling, a team of Russian researchers is close to breaching the prehistoric Lake Vostok, which has been trapped deep beneath thick ice layers (2 miles thick) in Antarctica for the last 14 million years. Lake Vostok is actually the third largest lake in the world, measured by the amount of water it holds. In the early 1990s, the Russians re-created a history of the Earth's atmosphere throughout the past 400,000 years — a record of our planet's air during the past four ice ages. The lakes are rich in oxygen (making them oligotrophic), with levels of the element some 50 times higher than what would be found in your typical freshwater lake. The high gas concentration is thought to be because of the enormous weight and pressure of the continental ice cap.
-Editor, ENN
Donna Resevoir and Canal
During the week of February 6-12, 2012, representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) will be in the area of South Alamo, Texas, to speak with residents about the contamination in the Donna Reservoir and Canal. This effort is being made to provide local residents with information about the health risks of consuming fish taken from the Donna Reservoir and Canal. The possession of contaminated fish taken from the reservoir is prohibited by the TDSHS and has been since 1993.
-Andy Soos, ENN
Penguins From Texas happy in Dubai
10 King and 10 Gentoo Penguins imported from Texas are now living at Ski Dubai – an indoor ski slope in the desert!
It's bizarre enough that Dubai has an indoor ski slope despite outdoor summer temperatures averaging at over 40 degrees Celsius, but now a colony of penguins has taken up residence at this popular tourist attraction. Ten King Penguins listed as "least threatened" on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species, and ten Gentoo Penguins which are "near threatened" were relocated from Seaworld in Texas, where a penguin breeding program has been underway for several years. Ski Dubai insists the animals are treated like royalty and are there to raise awareness, but animals rights activists are already criticizing at the move.
-Tafline Laylin, Green Prophet
Nuclear Power – environmental advantages
Renewable energy and nuclear power increasingly factor into the evolving American energy equation to replace polluting coal. Even some environmentalists acknowledge that nuclear is a viable emissions-free option to dirty coal while renewable-energy technologies continue to advance.
Nuclear fission reactors generate electrical power by splitting the atomic nuclei of uranium. This process creates a massive amount of heat — thermal energy — and radiation. The resultant heat is in turn utilized to make steam from water that then moves turbine blades to drive generators to produce electricity.
-CHARLES CHAVES/ecoRI News contributor
A Turtle Success Story in the Philipines
In 2011, green sea turtles laid a staggering 1.44 million eggs on just one island in the Philippines thanks to conservation efforts, breaking all previous records.
The graceful and enigmatic green turtle faces a variety of threats globally, and as a result is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Yet there is some good news for this marine reptile, as Conservation International (CI) announces that the species has laid a record number of eggs on a small island in the Philippines.
-Kathryn Pintus, Species Text Author
A Turtle Success Story in the Philipines
In 2011, green sea turtles laid a staggering 1.44 million eggs on just one island in the Philippines thanks to conservation efforts, breaking all previous records.
The graceful and enigmatic green turtle faces a variety of threats globally, and as a result is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Yet there is some good news for this marine reptile, as Conservation International (CI) announces that the species has laid a record number of eggs on a small island in the Philippines.
-Kathryn Pintus, Species Text Author
Chicago-Based Eco-Friendly Dentist Doubles Down on Green
Almost exactly five years ago, I took at look at Transcendentist, a Berkeley based green dentistry office that combined environmental responsibility with a very different approach to patient care. Rather than the typical clinical approach, the founders of Transcendentist created a spa-like atmosphere complete with foot massages. Even then, the idea was taking off: nothing like a little calm to take the edge off of that fear of the dentist thing.
-Jeff McIntire-Strasburg
Arrested for Excessive Sweetness
Put your hands up and step away from the sugar! No, not really. But one day, sugar may be a regulated substance, on par with alcohol and tobacco. The notion seems draconian at first, but once you look at the reasoning behind it, it begins to make a lot of sense. Researchers from the University of California (UC) San Francisco stipulate that excessive consumption of sugar is behind the global obesity pandemic. Sugar contributes to over 35 million deaths per year from diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. Their desire is to see a healthier world with fewer health-related costs through the restriction and regulation of sugar.
-David A Gabel, ENN
Victory for Sharks: Shangri-La Hotels Will Phase Out Shark Fin Soup
This announcement followed similar commitments by Hong Kong-based Peninsula Hotels in December and Capella Singapore in January — as well as recent bans on shark fin possession by the U.S. states of Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and California. Conservation International (CI) applauds these landmark decisions, which represent a shift in behavior that could save these magnificent ocean predators from extinction.
As you may know based on increasing media attention to this important issue, shark fin soup is a symbol of status in some Asian countries — primarily China — and is a popular dish at weddings and other important events. However, shark finning is an unsustainable practice that is responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of sharks every year — and if it is not curbed, it may wipe out many species completely. Many shark species are apex predators residing at the top of the food chain; their disappearance would have serious consequences for other marine species.
In early 2010, CI began discussions with major international hotel chains (Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton and Starwood) about creating sustainable seafood programs, with a particular focus on the complicated issue of shark finning. After CI convened the hotels and formed a loose affiliation called the Sustainable Seafood Coalition of the Hospitality Industry, the group decided to focus their initial efforts on the removal of shark fin dishes from their menus. Additionally, I and staff from CI’s Center for Environmental Leadership in Business and Global Marine Division team have met with several of the executives of Asian-based hotel chains, including Shangri-La, New World and Capella Singapore to continue one-on-one discussions with them about creating a sustainable seafood policy.
While we continue to work on market-based ways to reduce overexploitation of sharks, CI is also working in seascapes around the world to develop and implement policies that ensure responsible management of shark populations and fisheries as a whole.
Peter Seligmann
We have begun to turn the tide for shark conservation, but we need your help. By making sustainable seafood choices— and refraining from consuming shark products altogether — you can reduce the global demand for these products. Together, our choices — and our voices — can continue to build momentum for the conservation not only of these fascinating creatures, but also of the oceans on which we all rely.
Peter Seligmann is the chairman and CEO of Conservation International.
