Rewilding & Conservation News and Discussions

[caltrek]

Birmingham Embraces Conservation of Endangered Darter Species
by John Brackin
April 15, 2022

https://www.courthousenews.com/birmingh ... r-species/

Introduction:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Courthouse News) — Hundreds of Birmingham revelers joined together at a local brewery last Sunday afternoon in celebration of an unlikely subject: the three federally endangered species of darter found only in central Alabama.

The darter is a small freshwater fish native to eastern North America, and in Jefferson County, Alabama, there are three species currently listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered: the vermilion darter, the rush darter and the watercress darter.

At the aptly named Darter Festival, which was held at Avondale Brewing Company in downtown Birmingham on April 10, organizers made sure that festivalgoers had a good time, while also leaving with a better understanding of the imperiled fish.

“This festival is part of a general education program to take out the politics,” said Roald Hazelhoff, the director of the Southern Environmental Center at Birmingham-Southern College. “To bring it down to the level of saying, you like this little fish? It can only survive in the cleanest of water. You think we should support that?”

This year marked the city’s ninth annual Darter Festival, which is both a festival in the traditional sense and a fundraiser for the Southern Environmental Center, which manages nearby Turkey Creek Nature Preserve, where the three darter species can be found.

[caltrek]

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Have Assumed Full Management of Former National Bison Range
March 22, 2022

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/benton-lake/news

Introduction:

(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) On January 2, 2022, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) assumed full management of the Bison Range, formerly known as the National Bison Range.

The Bison Range land was restored to the CSKT by the Montana Water Rights Protection Act when it was enacted on December 27, 2020. That legislation created a two-year period for transitioning management of the Bison Range from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), to the CSKT.

CSKT Chairman Tom McDonald says that the reunification with the land and resources has been a long time coming.

“Our reunification with this specific buffalo herd means more to us than we can express,” said McDonald. “In addition to our wildlife management, the CSKT wants to ensure the story of our people is told at the Bison Range, which we believe will enhance the public experience and foster a better understanding of Indigenous people.”

“Returning the Bison Range to its people is a momentous occasion, honoring lands, relationships, and conservation successes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes,” said Service Director Martha Williams. “We’ve worked collaboratively with CSKT for many years and look forward to continuing to work together to conserve wildlife. I can’t wait to visit the CSKT’s Bison Range in the future.”

[caltrek]

Animal Crossing: World’s Biggest Wildlife Bridge to be Built Over California Highway
by Katherine Gammon
April 9, 2022

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... SApp_Other

Introduction:

(The Guardian) Imagine cruising down a 10-lane highway and knowing that, high above your head, a mountain lion is quietly going along its way. This remarkable image could soon be reality for drivers on one of California’s busiest roads, as the world’s largest wildlife overpass begins construction this month.

The history-making project will comprise a green bridge built across the 101 highway near Los Angeles, creating a corridor between two parts of the Santa Monica mountains. Stretching 210ft long and 165ft wide, the overpass will allow safe passage for lizards, snakes, toads and mountain lions, with an acre of local plants on either side and vegetated sound walls to dampen light and noise for nocturnal animals as they slip across.

The project, nearly a decade in the making, comes at a crucial time. Highways in this car-heavy landscape crisscross critical habitat for the protected mountain lions and other animals, forcing them to make what can be deadly crossings. At least 25 of the big cats have been killed on Los Angeles freeways since 2002. The latest death was just weeks ago, on 23 March, when a young lion was struck and killed on the Pacific Coast highway.

Beth Pratt, a conservation leader with the National Wildlife Federation, feels as if she is running the last mile of a marathon. Pratt has spent most of the last decade planning the project, persuading transportation officials of its importance, and bringing together stakeholders and donors to fund it. “I’m a little dizzy still, but I feel relieved: we have the chance to give these mountain lions a shot at a future.”

A groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction for the $90m crossing – called the Wallis Annenberg wildlife crossing – will take place on Earth Day, 22 April. Construction will mostly happen at night and the project isn’t expected to be complete until early 2025.

[caltrek]

Jaguars Could Return to the US Southwest – but only if They Have Pathways to Move North
by Ganish Marin and John L. Koprowski

https://theconversation.com/jaguars-cou ... rth-177990

Introduction:

(The Conversation) Jaguars are the only species of big cat found on the American continent. They range as far south as Argentina, and once roamed as far north as the Grand Canyon in the U.S. Today the northernmost breeding population is in the northwest Mexican state of Sonora, just south of the border with Arizona.

In the Americas, the jaguar has long been an icon and symbol of power and connection to the spiritual world in mythology, philosophies, culture and art. Jaguars are apex predators with diverse diets that include more than 85 different prey species. This gives them a specific but prominent role in each ecosystem where they are found.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature classifies jaguars as “near threatened,” with total population estimates ranging between 64,000 and 173,000. But evidence shows that local populations across the continent are decreasing at alarming rates. Jaguars’ total range has shrunk by more than half in the past 70 years, mainly because of hunting and habitat loss.

Could jaguars return to the Southwest U.S.? Some experts think it’s possible. Jaguars from southern populations in Mexico could recolonize their former territories in Arizona and New Mexico, or humans could reintroduce them there.

Conclusion:

In our view, making it possible for jaguars to naturally recolonize suitable habitat in the U.S. is a unique opportunity to foster animal movement in the borderlands. Keeping these landscapes connected will benefit all species in this ecologically unique region that serves as a wildlife source and pathway.

[weatheriscool]

Over 21% of reptile species at risk of extinction
https://phys.org/news/2022-04-reptile-s ... ction.html

At least one in five reptile species are threatened with extinction, including more than half of turtles and crocodiles, according to the first major global assessment of the world's so-called cold-blooded creatures.

Catastrophic declines in biodiversity across the world are increasingly seen as a threat to life on Earth—and as important as the interrelated menace of climate change.

Threats to other creatures have been well documented. More than 40 percent of amphibians, 25 percent of mammals and 13 percent of birds could face extinction.

But until now, researchers did not have a comprehensive picture of the proportion of reptiles at risk.

In a new global assessment, published in the journal Nature, researchers assessed 10,196 reptile species and evaluated them using criteria from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species.

They found that at least 1,829—21 percent—were either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.

[funkervogt]

Iceland used to be covered in forests.

[caltrek]

Shipping Poses Significant Threat to the Endangered Whale Shark
May 9, 2022

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/951806

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) Marine biologists from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and the University of Southampton have led ground-breaking research which indicates that lethal collisions of whale sharks with large ships are vastly underestimated, and could be the reason why populations are falling.

Whale shark numbers have been declining in recent years in many locations, but it is not entirely clear why this is happening.

Because whale sharks spend a large amount of time in surface waters and gather in coastal regions, experts theorised that collisions with ships could be causing substantial whale shark deaths; but there was previously no way of monitoring this threat.

Scientists from 50 international research institutions and universities tracked the movements of both whale sharks and ships across the globe to identify areas of risk and possible collisions. Satellite tracked movement data from nearly 350 whale sharks was submitted into the Global Shark Movement Project, led by researchers from the MBA.

The team mapped shark 'hotspots' which overlapped with global fleets of cargo, tanker, passenger, and fishing vessels – the types of large ships capable of striking and killing a whale shark – to reveal that over 90 per cent of whale shark movements fell under the footprint of shipping activity.

[raklian]

A glimmer of hope.

[weatheriscool]

EPA proposes protections for world's biggest sockeye salmon fishery
Source: Washington Post

The Biden administration announced Wednesday it will protect waters in Alaska home to one of the world’s biggest salmon spawning grounds, the culmination of a long-running dispute that pitted Alaska Natives against mining interests. The proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency is a potentially fatal blow to a plan to mine in the Bristol Bay watershed for gold, copper and other valuable metals.

Bristol Bay, the source of 37.5 million sockeye salmon a year, helps sustain a $2 billion commercial fishing industry as well as a way of life for Alaska Natives, who have vigorously opposed the construction of the Pebble Mine. The EPA’s action, if finalized, may finally put an end to a decade-long legal and political tussle over the fate of this corner of southern Alaska as President Biden strives to protect a greater share of the nation’s wilderness.

“The Bristol Bay watershed is a shining example of how our nation’s waters are essential to healthy communities, vibrant ecosystems, and a thriving economy,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. Mike Heatwole, a spokesman for the mine’s sponsor, said in an email that Pebble Limited Partnership is “waiting to see the final details before offering specific comments.” Using a rarely used authority under the Clean Water Act to protect wetlands from being dumped with waste, agency officials found the proposed mine would destroy 8.5 miles of streams and lead to “unacceptable” injury to the region’s salmon.

The silvery-red fish has been a source of food for southwest Alaska’s Indigenous peoples for generations and today attracts big-spending fishing enthusiasts from around the world. Alannah Hurley, executive director of United Tribes of Bristol Bay, a consortium of more than two dozen tribal governments, called the EPA’s announcement a “monumental step.” “Our tribes have been asking for this for the last 12 years,” added Hurley, who is Yup’ik. But she warned the federal government has come close to protecting these waters in the past only to fall short. “We’ve been here before,” she said.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate- ... ay-salmon/

[wjfox]

Work begins to turn 99,000 hectares in England into ‘nature recovery’ projects

Thu 26 May 2022 06.00 BST

Up to 99,000 hectares of land in England, from city fringes to wetlands, will be focused on supporting wildlife in five major “nature recovery” projects, the government has said.

The five landscape-scale projects in the West Midlands, Cambridgeshire, the Peak District, Norfolk and Somerset aim to help tackle wildlife loss and the climate crisis, and improve public access to nature.

They will share an initial £2.4m pot from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Natural England, for work to create new habitats, manage land for nature and carbon storage and increase footpaths and connect with communities, with further funding expected from other sources and partners.

[...]

The environment minister Rebecca Pow said: “These five projects across England are superb examples of exciting, large-scale restoration that is critically needed to bring about a step-change in the recovery of nature in this country.

“They will significantly contribute to achieving our target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 and our commitment to protect 30% of our land by 2030, enabling us to leave the environment in a better state than we found it.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... y-projects

[caltrek]

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Agrees that Florida Manatees Need More Habitat Protections
by Megan butler
June 1, 2022

Introduction:

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Courthouse News) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service committed on Wednesday to revise the critical habitat designation for endangered Florida manatees by September 2024 in a legal agreement with conservation nonprofits.

The Wildlife Advocacy Project, the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and Save the Manatee Club — jointly founded by musician Jimmy Buffett and former U.S. Senator and Florida Governor Bob Graham — filed a petition in December 2008 calling for revisions of the Florida manatee’s critical habitat under the Administrative Procedure Act and Endangered Species Act.

The Florida manatee was one of the first species to be listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, which designated critical manatee habitat for protection in 1976.

After decades of significant changes in coastal development, industrial growth and increased recreational use of the manatees’ nearshore habitats, new understanding of their defined critical habitats is expected to help restore them and improve the species’ recovery.

A record-setting 1,100 Florida manatees died in 2021, mostly due to starvation caused by water pollution in the Indian River Lagoon according to the Center for Biological Diversity. The species continues to face significant threats to its survival throughout Florida, where harmful algae and the loss of seagrass and warm-water refuges, such as springs, continue to shrink its habitat.

Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/feds-ag ... tections/

[Time_Traveller]

Turtle dove numbers plunge by 98% in UK, study finds

Monday 20 June 2022

Just 2,100 pairs of turtle doves now breed in the UK - a startling fall of 98% in the highly threatened bird's numbers.

The first national survey of the turtle dove - long considered a symbol of love - suggested the alarming decline was due to loss of habitat in UK breeding grounds and unsustainable hunting as it migrates over Europe to and from Africa.

Research last year by volunteers, farmers, study groups, county bird clubs and other organisations, recording turtle doves across their UK range, reveals there are now an estimated 2,100 pairs, down from 125,000 in 1970.

But wildlife charity the RSPB said there was hope for the species, with solutions now in place to tackle the threats it faces.

Those include Operation Turtle Dove - a partnership of conservation organisations driving efforts to restore and create habitat for the birds to breed in the UK, with advisers to help land managers create the scrub and tall hedges they need and provide them with extra seed food.

https://news.sky.com/story/turtle-dove- ... s-12637449

[Time_Traveller]

EU plan to halve use of pesticides in ‘milestone’ legislation to restore ecosystems

Wed 22 Jun 2022

For the first time in 30 years, legislation has been put forward to address catastrophic wildlife loss in the EU. Legally binding targets for all member states to restore wildlife on land, rivers and the sea were announced today, alongside a crackdown on chemical pesticides.

In a boost for UN negotiations on halting and reversing biodiversity loss, targets released by the European Commission include reversing the decline of pollinator populations and restoring 20% of land and sea by 2030, with all ecosystems to be under restoration by 2050. The commission also proposed a target to cut the use of chemical pesticides in half by 2030 and eradicate their use near schools, hospitals and playgrounds.

Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president of the commission, said the laws were a step forward in tackling the “looming ecocide” threatening the planet. Around €100bn (£85bn) will be available for spending on biodiversity, including the restoration of ecosystems. The target of 2030 to cut the use of pesticides will give farmers time to find alternatives.

Stella Kyriakides, commissioner for health and food safety, said: “We need to reduce the use of chemical pesticides to protect our soil, air and food, and ultimately the health of our citizens. This is not about banning pesticides. This is about making them a last resort measure.”

The proposals, which campaigners have hailed as a potential milestone for nature, could become law in around a year. The restoration proposal is the first biodiversity legislation since the release of the Habitats Directive in 1992 and is a crucial part of the EU’s biodiversity strategy.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ersity-aoe

[caltrek]

When rewilding may not actually be rewilding, and conservation may not actually be conservation.

Conservationists Warn the 'Save Our Sequoias Act' Would Do the Opposite
by Kenny Stancil
June 22, 2022

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) A coalition of more than 80 environmental organizations representing millions of Americans has sent a letter urging members of Congress to vote against the so-called "Save Our Sequoias Act"—legislation the groups warn would do the very opposite of what its name suggests.

The groups acknowledge in their letter that "[p]rotecting the iconic Giant Sequoias is an important goal," but argue that the proposed legislation, co-authored by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), would "weaken existing environmental law to expedite potentially harmful logging projects that undermine the ecological integrity of sequoia groves."

"Some provisions in the bill," the letter states, "could actually exacerbate the threat to the Giant Sequoias and our forests."

According to the coalition, "bedrock environmental laws"—including the Endangered Species Act (ESA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)—would be "severely undercut" if the proposal were enacted.

Although it is locally focused on California's fire-ravaged sequoia groves, Earthjustice senior legislative representative Blaine Miller-McFeeley warned Wednesday in a statement that "the bill would set a precedent for further weakening of environmental laws that could have far-reaching repercussions nationwide."

"It's nothing more than a trojan horse," said Miller-McFeeley, "to diminish important environmental reviews and cut science and communities out of the decision-making process."

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022 ... -opposite

caltrek's comment: To be fair, self-styled conservationists don't always get it right. Opposition to controlled burns is an example. Sure, there are air quality concerns and obvious short-term loss of vegetation, but come a big fire and suddenly a whole lot of folk wish there had been more controlled burns. Selective logging is another example. It can be a good way to build fire breaks in advance while also supplying a nice resource. Still, the level of trust is such that opposition can be pretty much automatic. Trust problems that were first created by unenlightened forestry practices, such as clear cutting overly large tracks of land.

[Time_Traveller]

Appetite for frogs’ legs in France and Belgium ‘driving species to extinction’

Thu 23 Jun 2022

[img][https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/60ec486c ... 98aefc/img]

A voracious appetite for frogs’ legs among the French and Belgians is driving species in Indonesia, Turkey and Albania to the brink of extinction, according to a report.

Europe imports as many as 200 million mostly wild frogs every year, contributing to a serious depletion of native species abroad.

Scientists estimate that the Anatolian water frog could be extinct in Turkey by 2032, because of over-exploitation while other species such as the Albanian water frog are now threatened.

Export quotas for Indonesia’s Javan frog have also been withdrawn in a move that conservationists suspect may be as a result of population depletion.

Dr Sandra Altherr, the co-founder of the conservation charity Pro Wildlife, which co-authored the report said: “In Indonesia, as now also in Turkey and Albania, large frog species are dwindling in the wild, one after the other, causing a fatal domino effect for species conservation.”

“If the plundering for the European market continues, it’s highly likely that we will see more serious declines of wild frog populations and, potentially, extinctions in the next decade.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... extinction

[Time_Traveller]

Extinct 'fantastic giant tortoise' found alive on the Galápagos Islands

21/06/2022

Believed to be extinct for more than a century, a rare species of giant tortoise is in fact still alive.

Scientists assumed that the chelonoidis phantasticus had died out more than a century ago. The species is better known as the ‘fantastic giant tortoise’ and is native to the Galápagos Fernandina island.

The only known specimen was discovered in 1906.

But in 2019, Princeton researchers discovered a lone female tortoise on the island that hinted that the species might live on.

Last week, they finally proved that the two specimens are related.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/06/ ... os-islands

[weatheriscool]

Rare wild ancestors of feral pigeons found living on British and Irish islands
https://phys.org/news/2022-07-rare-wild ... geons.html
by University of Oxford

Researchers led by members of Oxford University's Department of Biology have found rare colonies of the wild ancestors of common domestic and feral pigeons.

Already extinct in England and Wales, the wild Rock Dove (Columba livia) has been found on secluded Scottish and Irish islands, providing insights into how the domestic pigeon came to be.

"Feral" pigeons originate from escaped domestic birds and can be seen in towns and cities all over the world. These domestic pigeons are descended from wild Rock Doves, who nest in sea caves and mountainous areas.

Despite the success of feral pigeons, the Rock Dove has been declining throughout its global range—which once encompassed vast areas of Africa, Asia and Europe. University of Oxford DPhil student and lead author Will Smith says that "studying the decline of the Rock Dove has been challenging for researchers because of such extensive interbreeding and replacement with feral pigeons."

[wjfox]

A rare orchid thought to be extinct in Vermont was rediscovered after 120 years

Updated 1756 GMT (0156 HKT) July 2, 2022

The small whorled pogonia, a federally threatened species of orchid, has been rediscovered in Vermont -- 120 years after the plant was last spotted in the state.

The plant was last documented in Vermont in 1902, Aaron Marcus, an assistant botanist at Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, told CNN. Naturalists had searched extensively for the small whorled pogonia in Vermont but come up empty-handed.

The small whorled pogonia is "one of the rarest orchid species east of the Mississippi," said Marcus. The rarity of the species may have to do with its dependence on fungi in the environment, a relationship that is still little understood by scientists.

"One thing that's really cool about our orchid species is that most of them are really, really dependent on fungal species, species we can't see underground, connected to our root system, which makes it so hard for us to understand orchids and what they need," Marcus said.

The last known documentation of a small whorled pogonia in Vermont was a photograph of a plant that had been dug up and placed in a flower pot, Marcus said.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/02/us/e ... index.html

[caltrek]

First Comprehensive Review of National Jaguar Protection Laws in the Americas
July 6, 2022

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) NEW YORK (July 6, 2022) – Conservationists have conducted the first comprehensive review of national laws across the range of the jaguar (Panthera onca) to show opportunities for strengthening legal protections of the largest cat species found in the Americas.

The review, published in the International Journal of Wildlife Law and Policy was conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Cornell University, Universidad del Pacífico in Lima, and Zamorano University in Honduras. The authors say it presents a simplified way to compare protection approaches by jaguar range states that, together, could constitute a robust conservation framework.

The review comes at a time when concerns about escalating, illegal trade in jaguar parts – especially their skins, teeth and claws – has increased the need to understand the strengths and shortcomings of the legal frameworks that protect the species. The authors note that no range country permits trade in dead jaguars and all countries in the review have passed some administrative and criminal sanctions for illegal hunting and trading of their parts; however, the penalties range widely and there is a need for more effective implementation of legal consequences.

The authors list the following opportunities for improvements in the legal structure:
• Adopting national legal-level laws that specifically call for jaguar protection
• Establishing clear administrative and criminal penalties for the hunting and trafficking of jaguars and refusal to comply with best practices for coexistence
• Ensuring that the penalties enacted for offenses provide sufficient deterrents for national and foreign actors
• Recognizing non-binding conservation strategies, such as wildlife management plans, within the legal system. This should include systems that prevent and manage human-wildlife conflicts, and recognition of traditional customary management practices that provide incentives for the sustainable use of natural resources across vast geographic areas.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/958066

[weatheriscool]

Fin whale populations rebound in Antarctic feeding grounds
https://phys.org/news/2022-07-fin-whale ... rctic.html
by Springer

Southern fin whales have been documented feeding in large numbers in ancestral feeding grounds in Antarctica for the first time since hunting was restricted in 1976. The paper, published in Scientific Reports, includes the first video documentation of large groups of fin whales feeding near Elephant Island, Antarctica. The authors suggest that the recovery of fin whale populations could restore marine ecosystem nutrients and support the recovery of other marine organisms.

Southern fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus quoyi) are a subspecies of fin whale—the second largest whale species after the blue whale—that inhabits the Southern Hemisphere. They were extensively hunted during the nineteenth century, particularly around specific feeding grounds in Antarctica. By the time fin whale hunting was banned in 1976, it is estimated that more than 700,000 individuals had been killed and they were rarely seen in their traditional feeding regions.