Wolves spur rebirth of Yellowstone ecosystems
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — The reintroduction of wolves has resulted in profound ecoystem changes in the Greater Yellowstone region.
For the first time in 70 years, the over-browsing of young aspen and willow trees has diminished. Trees and shrubs are recovering along some streams, providing improved habitat for beaver and fish.
“Yellowstone increasingly looks like a different place,” said William Ripple, a professor in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University, and lead author of a recent study documenting some of the changes.
“These are still the early stages of recovery, and some of this may still take decades,” Ripple said. “But trees and shrubs are starting to come back and beaver numbers are increasing. The signs are very encouraging.”
The findings of this report are based on a recent analysis done by OSU researchers and a review of other studies. They were published recently in Biological Conservation, a professional journal. They outline an ecosystem renaissance that has taken place since wolves were restored toYellowstone after being extirpated in the 1920s
Among the observations in this report:
•Since their reintroduction in 1995-96, the wolf population generally increased until 2003, forcing changes in both elk numbers and behavior due to what researchers call the “ecology of fear.”
•The northern range elk populations decreased from more than 15,000 individuals in the early 1990s to about 6,000 last year, and remaining elk now have different patterns of movement, vigilance, and other traits.
•By 2006, some aspen trees had grown tall enough they were no longer susceptible to browsing by elk, and cottonwood and willow were also beginning to return in places.
•Improved willow growth is providing habitat that allows for a greater diversity and abundance of songbirds such as the common yellowthroat, warbling vireo and song sparrow.
•The number of beaver colonies in the same area increased from one in 1996 to 12 in 2009, with positive impacts on fish habitat.
•Increases in beaver populations have strong implications for riparian hydrology and biodiversity – Wyoming streams with beaver ponds have been found to have 75 times more abundant waterfowl than those without.
•The coyote population decreased with the increase in wolf numbers, potentially allowing more small mammals that provide food for other avian and mammalian predators, such as red foxes, ravens and bald eagles.
Read more here ...
Showing posts with label eco-systems. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eco-systems. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Coral reef collapse: eight warning signs
Research gives clues to predict problems
September 2011: Coral reefs that have lots of corals and appear healthy may, in fact, be heading toward collapse, according to a study published by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Using data from coral reef systems across the western Indian Ocean, an international team of researchers identified how overfishing creates a series of at least eight big changes on reefs that precipitate a final collapse. This information can help managers gauge the health of a reef and tell them when to restrict fishing in order to avoid a collapse of the ecosystem and fishery.
The authors say these changes are like a series of light switches, each of which make the reef more degraded and dims the chances of sustained fishery production and recovery.
When the ecological lights go off‘The study identifies eight changes before all of the ecological lights go off and the reef and fishery are gone,' said Dr McClanahan, the lead author on the study and the head of WCS's coral reef research and conservation programme.
The study shows that in well-protected areas, there are typically 1,000 to 1,500kg of reef fish of various species per hectare of coral reef. As the volume is fished down below 1,000kg, the early warning signs - such as increased seaweed growth and urchin activity - begin to appear. The researchers found that between 300-600 kg per hectare, there appeared to be a ‘window' of what is known as maximum sustainable yield, but when the fish stock drops below 300kg per hectare, the reef is in real trouble, they said.
Overfished reefs can appear healthy‘Below 300kg per hectare we see a series of dramatic changes on reefs. This is where you get on a real slippery slope,' McClanahan noted. ‘Strangely, the metric used by most managers to gauge the health of reef system - coral cover - is the last threshold before ecosystem failure. Overfished reefs can appear healthy and then shift to algae dominated seascapes.'
The authors recommend measuring the biomass of fish instead of coral cover to identify the early warning rather than the final sign of reef collapse.
‘The good news is that a reef can likely provide sustainable fisheries even after the first three warning switches are turned off, but it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a healthy fishery and restore reefs when the final five switches have been turned off,' said Dr McClanahan. ‘This study provides managers and policy makers with a tangible target of where to maintain their fishery.'
People depend on reefs for their livelihoodsReef fisheries with no regulations tended to perform poorly, with some passing all the switches and completely collapsing. No-take marine reserves, where fishing was prohibited, were the best performers and tended to maintain key ecosystem processes such as predation.
‘People depend on reefs for their livelihoods, so we can't prohibit fishing everywhere,' noted Dr Joshua Cinner from James Cook University in Australia. ‘A key finding from our study was that even easily enforceable regulations that restrict gear or the types of species that can be caught helped maintain biomass. These regulations are often more agreeable to fishermen than no-take closures and consequently receive higher levels of support and compliance.'
‘There is no one size fits all solution to save the world's coral reef ecosystems. To be politically and socially sustainable, tangible and objective management targets are critical to help managers make difficult near-term decisions of restricting or altering fishing practices for long-term social and ecological gain,' said Dr Caleb McClennen, director of WCS's marine programme. http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/coral-collapse.html
September 2011: Coral reefs that have lots of corals and appear healthy may, in fact, be heading toward collapse, according to a study published by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Using data from coral reef systems across the western Indian Ocean, an international team of researchers identified how overfishing creates a series of at least eight big changes on reefs that precipitate a final collapse. This information can help managers gauge the health of a reef and tell them when to restrict fishing in order to avoid a collapse of the ecosystem and fishery.
The authors say these changes are like a series of light switches, each of which make the reef more degraded and dims the chances of sustained fishery production and recovery.
When the ecological lights go off‘The study identifies eight changes before all of the ecological lights go off and the reef and fishery are gone,' said Dr McClanahan, the lead author on the study and the head of WCS's coral reef research and conservation programme.
The study shows that in well-protected areas, there are typically 1,000 to 1,500kg of reef fish of various species per hectare of coral reef. As the volume is fished down below 1,000kg, the early warning signs - such as increased seaweed growth and urchin activity - begin to appear. The researchers found that between 300-600 kg per hectare, there appeared to be a ‘window' of what is known as maximum sustainable yield, but when the fish stock drops below 300kg per hectare, the reef is in real trouble, they said.
Overfished reefs can appear healthy‘Below 300kg per hectare we see a series of dramatic changes on reefs. This is where you get on a real slippery slope,' McClanahan noted. ‘Strangely, the metric used by most managers to gauge the health of reef system - coral cover - is the last threshold before ecosystem failure. Overfished reefs can appear healthy and then shift to algae dominated seascapes.'
The authors recommend measuring the biomass of fish instead of coral cover to identify the early warning rather than the final sign of reef collapse.
‘The good news is that a reef can likely provide sustainable fisheries even after the first three warning switches are turned off, but it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a healthy fishery and restore reefs when the final five switches have been turned off,' said Dr McClanahan. ‘This study provides managers and policy makers with a tangible target of where to maintain their fishery.'
People depend on reefs for their livelihoodsReef fisheries with no regulations tended to perform poorly, with some passing all the switches and completely collapsing. No-take marine reserves, where fishing was prohibited, were the best performers and tended to maintain key ecosystem processes such as predation.
‘People depend on reefs for their livelihoods, so we can't prohibit fishing everywhere,' noted Dr Joshua Cinner from James Cook University in Australia. ‘A key finding from our study was that even easily enforceable regulations that restrict gear or the types of species that can be caught helped maintain biomass. These regulations are often more agreeable to fishermen than no-take closures and consequently receive higher levels of support and compliance.'
‘There is no one size fits all solution to save the world's coral reef ecosystems. To be politically and socially sustainable, tangible and objective management targets are critical to help managers make difficult near-term decisions of restricting or altering fishing practices for long-term social and ecological gain,' said Dr Caleb McClennen, director of WCS's marine programme. http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/coral-collapse.html
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Upton Heath fire police hunt two young men
10 June 2011
Two young men are being sought by police following the largest heath fire in Dorset for 35 years.
The pair were seen walking toward the A35 footbridge leading to Heights Road in Upton on Thursday.
Residents living nearby have returned to their homes after being evacuated when the fire spread rapidly over about one sq km (247 acres) of heath.
At its height, 200 firefighters were tackling the blaze which started at about 1400 BST.
Det Insp Jim Beashel, from Dorset Police, said: "This was a major incident that had a considerable impact on the community.
"I believe that those responsible are likely to have told friends or family about their involvement and would urge anyone with information to contact us urgently."
'It was panic'
Dorset Fire and Rescue's Neil Rickett said: "This fire was extremely difficult given the access and the high winds. The heath is quite marshy so it was difficult to get vehicles onto the heath."
Four people were treated after breathing in smoke and one firefighter was taken to hospital with exhaustion.
Another firefighter suffered minor burns to his arm, during what the fire service said was Dorset's biggest heath fire since 1976.
Resident Russell Bourton had water pumped from his swimming pool to fight the flames.
He said: "Within an hour the smoke was getting closer and closer. At one point I thought we were going to lose the house."
The flames came to within 100m (330ft) of Claire Graves' house.
She said: "We realised immediately it was around our house.
"It was panic - we didn't have time to pick anything up. We just had to get out for our own safety."
Fire crews remained on the site damping down on Friday, helped by rainfall during the morning.
Ecosystem affected
Dorset Wildlife Trust said the damage has put wildlife development in the area back about 25 years.
Steve Davis, from the trust, said it will have "massive implications".
He added: "It's not just the bigger animals that have been affected... it is the whole ecosystem, the insects, for example, would have been taken out by the smoke.
"The site is internationally important, it has all six species of British reptiles which are only found in a few selected locations in the south coast."
Homes in Beacon Road and Kingcup Close were among those evacuated. Properties in nearby Long Meadow Lane were also under threat at the height of the blaze.
Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles around and at one point was blowing across parts of the A35.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-13723882
Two young men are being sought by police following the largest heath fire in Dorset for 35 years.
The pair were seen walking toward the A35 footbridge leading to Heights Road in Upton on Thursday.
Residents living nearby have returned to their homes after being evacuated when the fire spread rapidly over about one sq km (247 acres) of heath.
At its height, 200 firefighters were tackling the blaze which started at about 1400 BST.
Det Insp Jim Beashel, from Dorset Police, said: "This was a major incident that had a considerable impact on the community.
"I believe that those responsible are likely to have told friends or family about their involvement and would urge anyone with information to contact us urgently."
'It was panic'
Dorset Fire and Rescue's Neil Rickett said: "This fire was extremely difficult given the access and the high winds. The heath is quite marshy so it was difficult to get vehicles onto the heath."
Four people were treated after breathing in smoke and one firefighter was taken to hospital with exhaustion.
Another firefighter suffered minor burns to his arm, during what the fire service said was Dorset's biggest heath fire since 1976.
Resident Russell Bourton had water pumped from his swimming pool to fight the flames.
He said: "Within an hour the smoke was getting closer and closer. At one point I thought we were going to lose the house."
The flames came to within 100m (330ft) of Claire Graves' house.
She said: "We realised immediately it was around our house.
"It was panic - we didn't have time to pick anything up. We just had to get out for our own safety."
Fire crews remained on the site damping down on Friday, helped by rainfall during the morning.
Ecosystem affected
Dorset Wildlife Trust said the damage has put wildlife development in the area back about 25 years.
Steve Davis, from the trust, said it will have "massive implications".
He added: "It's not just the bigger animals that have been affected... it is the whole ecosystem, the insects, for example, would have been taken out by the smoke.
"The site is internationally important, it has all six species of British reptiles which are only found in a few selected locations in the south coast."
Homes in Beacon Road and Kingcup Close were among those evacuated. Properties in nearby Long Meadow Lane were also under threat at the height of the blaze.
Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles around and at one point was blowing across parts of the A35.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-13723882
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Boom and bust signals ecosystem collapse
28 April 2011
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News
An experiment in a US lake suggests that ecosystem collapses could be predicted, given the right monitoring.
Researchers changed the structure of the food web in Peter Lake, in Wisconsin, by adding predatory fish.
Within three years, the fish had taken over, producing a decline in tiny water plants and an explosion in water fleas.
Writing in the journal Science, the researchers say the change was preceded by signals that could be used to predict similar collapses elsewhere.
In particular, rapid swings in the density of plants and fleas indicated the food web was unstable and about to change.
The idea that such early warning signals ought to exist is not new - but the researchers say this is the first time it has been demonstrated experimentally.
"For a long time, ecologists thought these changes couldn't be predicted," said research leader Stephen Carpenter from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, US.
"But we've now shown that they can be foreseen. The early warning is clear; it is a strong signal."
Peter and Paul
The Peter Lake food web contained four key components. Insects such as fleas ate tiny water-borne plants, small fish such as golden shiners ate the fleas, and much bigger largemouth bass ate the little fish.
Beginning in 2008, the researchers began to add more bass, and more than a thousand hatched the following year.
Sensing the threat from these predators, the golden shiners began to spend more time in the shallows or sheltering under floating logs.
Larger fleas moved in, eating the floating plants (phytoplankton).
But the changes were anything but smooth, with wildly varying numbers of fleas and phytoplankton seen at different times.
Eventually, by late 2010, the ecosystem appeared to have finalised its transition from one stable state to another.
This second state, dominated by fleas and largemouth bass, is similar to the situation that had existed for years in neighbouring Lake Paul.
This lake showed no major changes during the three years, indicating that the changes seen in Peter really were caused by the addition of bass.
Banks collapse
Many natural systems appear capable of existing in more than one stable state.
Until 20 years ago, the Grand Banks off Canada's east coast were dominated by cod - so many as to prevent the growth of other species.
Overfishing caused the cod population to collapse.
Other species have since taken their prime position, some of which predate on juvenile cod - perhaps meaning that the prized fish will never return to their former dominance.
The new research suggests it might be possible to detect signals of such a coming crash before it happened.
"Early warning signs help you prepare for, and hopefully prevent, the worst case scenario," said Jonathan Cole from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies near New York, another of the scientists involved.
"We are surrounded by problems caused by ecological regime shifts - water supply shortages, fishery declines, unproductive rangeland - and our study shows that there is promise in identifying these changes before they reach their tipping point."
The principle may have been proved, but the application would still appear to be some way away.
Monitoring any ecosystem with the intensity used at Peter Lake will be expensive, although the ever growing fleet of Earth observation satellites could help in some cases.
Even more problematic is knowing which early warning signs apply in which ecosystem.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13229211
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News
An experiment in a US lake suggests that ecosystem collapses could be predicted, given the right monitoring.
Researchers changed the structure of the food web in Peter Lake, in Wisconsin, by adding predatory fish.
Within three years, the fish had taken over, producing a decline in tiny water plants and an explosion in water fleas.
Writing in the journal Science, the researchers say the change was preceded by signals that could be used to predict similar collapses elsewhere.
In particular, rapid swings in the density of plants and fleas indicated the food web was unstable and about to change.
The idea that such early warning signals ought to exist is not new - but the researchers say this is the first time it has been demonstrated experimentally.
"For a long time, ecologists thought these changes couldn't be predicted," said research leader Stephen Carpenter from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, US.
"But we've now shown that they can be foreseen. The early warning is clear; it is a strong signal."
Peter and Paul
The Peter Lake food web contained four key components. Insects such as fleas ate tiny water-borne plants, small fish such as golden shiners ate the fleas, and much bigger largemouth bass ate the little fish.
Beginning in 2008, the researchers began to add more bass, and more than a thousand hatched the following year.
Sensing the threat from these predators, the golden shiners began to spend more time in the shallows or sheltering under floating logs.
Larger fleas moved in, eating the floating plants (phytoplankton).
But the changes were anything but smooth, with wildly varying numbers of fleas and phytoplankton seen at different times.
Eventually, by late 2010, the ecosystem appeared to have finalised its transition from one stable state to another.
This second state, dominated by fleas and largemouth bass, is similar to the situation that had existed for years in neighbouring Lake Paul.
This lake showed no major changes during the three years, indicating that the changes seen in Peter really were caused by the addition of bass.
Banks collapse
Many natural systems appear capable of existing in more than one stable state.
Until 20 years ago, the Grand Banks off Canada's east coast were dominated by cod - so many as to prevent the growth of other species.
Overfishing caused the cod population to collapse.
Other species have since taken their prime position, some of which predate on juvenile cod - perhaps meaning that the prized fish will never return to their former dominance.
The new research suggests it might be possible to detect signals of such a coming crash before it happened.
"Early warning signs help you prepare for, and hopefully prevent, the worst case scenario," said Jonathan Cole from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies near New York, another of the scientists involved.
"We are surrounded by problems caused by ecological regime shifts - water supply shortages, fishery declines, unproductive rangeland - and our study shows that there is promise in identifying these changes before they reach their tipping point."
The principle may have been proved, but the application would still appear to be some way away.
Monitoring any ecosystem with the intensity used at Peter Lake will be expensive, although the ever growing fleet of Earth observation satellites could help in some cases.
Even more problematic is knowing which early warning signs apply in which ecosystem.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13229211
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
UW-Madison lake scientist gets world's top water prize
March 22, 2011
by Terry Devitt
Noted University of Wisconsin-Madison limnologist Stephen Carpenter has been awarded the 2011 Stockholm Water Prize, the world's most prestigious award for water-related activities, it was announced in Stockholm, Sweden today (Tuesday, March 22).
The award, which comes with $150,000 and a specially designed crystal sculpture, honors individuals and organizations "whose work contributes broadly to the conservation and protection of water resources and to improved health of the planet's inhabitants and ecosystems."
The award will be conferred in August by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in a royal award ceremony at Stockholm City Hall.
"It s a great honor to be selected," says Carpenter, the Stephen Alfred Forbes Professor of Zoology at UW-Madison. "So many great people have received this award, and there are so many great people who could have received it. I am surprised."
Carpenter, who directs the UW-Madison Center for Limnology, is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He is one of the world's most distinguished authorities on lakes and fresh water ecosystems, including eutrophication, long-term ecological change, lake food web dynamics, and the economic and social aspects of fresh water ecology.
He is a former president of the Ecological Society of America and his research, embodied in five books and nearly 300 scientific papers, is among the most cited in all of environmental science. He has received numerous awards and honors, including a Pew Fellowship in Conservation and Environment, the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Medal of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, and the Robert H. MacArthur Award from the Ecological Society of America.
"The prize increases my resolve and sense of obligation to work on emerging issues of fresh water, such as climate change and the connections of food and water security," says Carpenter.
The Stockholm water Prize was first presented in 1991. Past recipients include such luminaries as Rita Colwell, former director of the U.S National Science Foundation. The prize is presented each year in Stockholm during World Water Week. This year the prize will be conferred on Aug. 25.
http://www.news.wisc.edu/19126
by Terry Devitt
Noted University of Wisconsin-Madison limnologist Stephen Carpenter has been awarded the 2011 Stockholm Water Prize, the world's most prestigious award for water-related activities, it was announced in Stockholm, Sweden today (Tuesday, March 22).
The award, which comes with $150,000 and a specially designed crystal sculpture, honors individuals and organizations "whose work contributes broadly to the conservation and protection of water resources and to improved health of the planet's inhabitants and ecosystems."
The award will be conferred in August by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in a royal award ceremony at Stockholm City Hall.
"It s a great honor to be selected," says Carpenter, the Stephen Alfred Forbes Professor of Zoology at UW-Madison. "So many great people have received this award, and there are so many great people who could have received it. I am surprised."
Carpenter, who directs the UW-Madison Center for Limnology, is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He is one of the world's most distinguished authorities on lakes and fresh water ecosystems, including eutrophication, long-term ecological change, lake food web dynamics, and the economic and social aspects of fresh water ecology.
He is a former president of the Ecological Society of America and his research, embodied in five books and nearly 300 scientific papers, is among the most cited in all of environmental science. He has received numerous awards and honors, including a Pew Fellowship in Conservation and Environment, the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Medal of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, and the Robert H. MacArthur Award from the Ecological Society of America.
"The prize increases my resolve and sense of obligation to work on emerging issues of fresh water, such as climate change and the connections of food and water security," says Carpenter.
The Stockholm water Prize was first presented in 1991. Past recipients include such luminaries as Rita Colwell, former director of the U.S National Science Foundation. The prize is presented each year in Stockholm during World Water Week. This year the prize will be conferred on Aug. 25.
http://www.news.wisc.edu/19126
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Chaco forest preservation funds appeal
John Vidal's piece describing the Chaco forest as the "last agricultural frontier", where "great swaths of … virgin thorn forest … are being turned into prairie-style grasslands to rear meat for Europe and grow biofuel crops for cars" could not have been more timely (Chaco deforestation by Christian sect puts Paraguyan land under threat, 6 October).
At the World Land Trust we have identified the situation in the Chaco as one of the worst examples of wanton destruction in the natural world. Vidal's article clearly lays out the issues confronting this habitat of rich biodiversity: "home to about 3,400 plant species, 500 bird species, 150 species of mammals, 120 species of reptiles, and 100 species of amphibians".
He describes how Mennonite farmers, who settled in the region in the 1930s, together with Brazilian ranchers, have bought an estimated 2m hectares (5m acres) of land, and have rapidly developed "a $100m-a-year meat and dairy agri-business". Their rapid development of the land has led to at least 10% of this forest being cleared. The methods used in this deforestation – fire and bulldozers – will undoubtedly lead to desertification and erosion, and the destruction of a unique ecosystem. The rate of this destruction has accelerated dramatically in the past two years and shows little sign of slowing down.
However, Vidal fails to highlight the most important point facing conservationists – the lack of available funding needed to protect this wilderness. This is also hampered by the fact that many people are simply unaware of where the Chaco is and why it is so important to conserve it. The forest covers an area of 240,000 sq km and encompasses parts of Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. Deforestation of this area and the resultant carbon emissions will have a serious impact on the world's climate.
The World Land Trust has been striving to raise funds to help local conservationists acquire critical areas of Chaco land, in order to protect this unique habitat. So far we have been able to fund the purchase of more than 20,000 hectares, which are now owned and managed by Guyra Paraguay, a national conservation non-government organisation.
Raising funds for basic measures, such as enforcing existing legislation to protect the land, is difficult, but the results can be extremely rewarding. We are at present funding five rangers to protect an area of 5m hectares. It costs about £5,000 a year to put a ranger in the field – in the Chaco, a combination of land acquisition, together with keeping trained rangers in the field, benefits not only the biodiversity but also the indigenous peoples living in the forests.
When I visited the Chaco last month, as well as seeing the extent of both illegal and legal deforestation, I was able to see areas deforested 80 years ago in the Chaco war of the 1930s (when Bolivian troops invaded the region) that still have not fully recovered. This gives some indication of how fragile this ecosystem is. As Vidal says, "the region's remoteness and the government's lack of resources for monitoring or prosecuting law-breakers has encouraged rampant, illegal felling of this dense, slow-growing forest". It simply must not be allowed to continue.
John Burton,
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/20/chaco-forest-funding-conservation
At the World Land Trust we have identified the situation in the Chaco as one of the worst examples of wanton destruction in the natural world. Vidal's article clearly lays out the issues confronting this habitat of rich biodiversity: "home to about 3,400 plant species, 500 bird species, 150 species of mammals, 120 species of reptiles, and 100 species of amphibians".
He describes how Mennonite farmers, who settled in the region in the 1930s, together with Brazilian ranchers, have bought an estimated 2m hectares (5m acres) of land, and have rapidly developed "a $100m-a-year meat and dairy agri-business". Their rapid development of the land has led to at least 10% of this forest being cleared. The methods used in this deforestation – fire and bulldozers – will undoubtedly lead to desertification and erosion, and the destruction of a unique ecosystem. The rate of this destruction has accelerated dramatically in the past two years and shows little sign of slowing down.
However, Vidal fails to highlight the most important point facing conservationists – the lack of available funding needed to protect this wilderness. This is also hampered by the fact that many people are simply unaware of where the Chaco is and why it is so important to conserve it. The forest covers an area of 240,000 sq km and encompasses parts of Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. Deforestation of this area and the resultant carbon emissions will have a serious impact on the world's climate.
The World Land Trust has been striving to raise funds to help local conservationists acquire critical areas of Chaco land, in order to protect this unique habitat. So far we have been able to fund the purchase of more than 20,000 hectares, which are now owned and managed by Guyra Paraguay, a national conservation non-government organisation.
Raising funds for basic measures, such as enforcing existing legislation to protect the land, is difficult, but the results can be extremely rewarding. We are at present funding five rangers to protect an area of 5m hectares. It costs about £5,000 a year to put a ranger in the field – in the Chaco, a combination of land acquisition, together with keeping trained rangers in the field, benefits not only the biodiversity but also the indigenous peoples living in the forests.
When I visited the Chaco last month, as well as seeing the extent of both illegal and legal deforestation, I was able to see areas deforested 80 years ago in the Chaco war of the 1930s (when Bolivian troops invaded the region) that still have not fully recovered. This gives some indication of how fragile this ecosystem is. As Vidal says, "the region's remoteness and the government's lack of resources for monitoring or prosecuting law-breakers has encouraged rampant, illegal felling of this dense, slow-growing forest". It simply must not be allowed to continue.
John Burton,
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/20/chaco-forest-funding-conservation
Chaco forest preservation funds appeal
John Vidal's piece describing the Chaco forest as the "last agricultural frontier", where "great swaths of … virgin thorn forest … are being turned into prairie-style grasslands to rear meat for Europe and grow biofuel crops for cars" could not have been more timely (Chaco deforestation by Christian sect puts Paraguyan land under threat, 6 October).
At the World Land Trust we have identified the situation in the Chaco as one of the worst examples of wanton destruction in the natural world. Vidal's article clearly lays out the issues confronting this habitat of rich biodiversity: "home to about 3,400 plant species, 500 bird species, 150 species of mammals, 120 species of reptiles, and 100 species of amphibians".
He describes how Mennonite farmers, who settled in the region in the 1930s, together with Brazilian ranchers, have bought an estimated 2m hectares (5m acres) of land, and have rapidly developed "a $100m-a-year meat and dairy agri-business". Their rapid development of the land has led to at least 10% of this forest being cleared. The methods used in this deforestation – fire and bulldozers – will undoubtedly lead to desertification and erosion, and the destruction of a unique ecosystem. The rate of this destruction has accelerated dramatically in the past two years and shows little sign of slowing down.
However, Vidal fails to highlight the most important point facing conservationists – the lack of available funding needed to protect this wilderness. This is also hampered by the fact that many people are simply unaware of where the Chaco is and why it is so important to conserve it. The forest covers an area of 240,000 sq km and encompasses parts of Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. Deforestation of this area and the resultant carbon emissions will have a serious impact on the world's climate.
The World Land Trust has been striving to raise funds to help local conservationists acquire critical areas of Chaco land, in order to protect this unique habitat. So far we have been able to fund the purchase of more than 20,000 hectares, which are now owned and managed by Guyra Paraguay, a national conservation non-government organisation.
Raising funds for basic measures, such as enforcing existing legislation to protect the land, is difficult, but the results can be extremely rewarding. We are at present funding five rangers to protect an area of 5m hectares. It costs about £5,000 a year to put a ranger in the field – in the Chaco, a combination of land acquisition, together with keeping trained rangers in the field, benefits not only the biodiversity but also the indigenous peoples living in the forests.
When I visited the Chaco last month, as well as seeing the extent of both illegal and legal deforestation, I was able to see areas deforested 80 years ago in the Chaco war of the 1930s (when Bolivian troops invaded the region) that still have not fully recovered. This gives some indication of how fragile this ecosystem is. As Vidal says, "the region's remoteness and the government's lack of resources for monitoring or prosecuting law-breakers has encouraged rampant, illegal felling of this dense, slow-growing forest". It simply must not be allowed to continue.
John Burton,
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/20/chaco-forest-funding-conservation
At the World Land Trust we have identified the situation in the Chaco as one of the worst examples of wanton destruction in the natural world. Vidal's article clearly lays out the issues confronting this habitat of rich biodiversity: "home to about 3,400 plant species, 500 bird species, 150 species of mammals, 120 species of reptiles, and 100 species of amphibians".
He describes how Mennonite farmers, who settled in the region in the 1930s, together with Brazilian ranchers, have bought an estimated 2m hectares (5m acres) of land, and have rapidly developed "a $100m-a-year meat and dairy agri-business". Their rapid development of the land has led to at least 10% of this forest being cleared. The methods used in this deforestation – fire and bulldozers – will undoubtedly lead to desertification and erosion, and the destruction of a unique ecosystem. The rate of this destruction has accelerated dramatically in the past two years and shows little sign of slowing down.
However, Vidal fails to highlight the most important point facing conservationists – the lack of available funding needed to protect this wilderness. This is also hampered by the fact that many people are simply unaware of where the Chaco is and why it is so important to conserve it. The forest covers an area of 240,000 sq km and encompasses parts of Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. Deforestation of this area and the resultant carbon emissions will have a serious impact on the world's climate.
The World Land Trust has been striving to raise funds to help local conservationists acquire critical areas of Chaco land, in order to protect this unique habitat. So far we have been able to fund the purchase of more than 20,000 hectares, which are now owned and managed by Guyra Paraguay, a national conservation non-government organisation.
Raising funds for basic measures, such as enforcing existing legislation to protect the land, is difficult, but the results can be extremely rewarding. We are at present funding five rangers to protect an area of 5m hectares. It costs about £5,000 a year to put a ranger in the field – in the Chaco, a combination of land acquisition, together with keeping trained rangers in the field, benefits not only the biodiversity but also the indigenous peoples living in the forests.
When I visited the Chaco last month, as well as seeing the extent of both illegal and legal deforestation, I was able to see areas deforested 80 years ago in the Chaco war of the 1930s (when Bolivian troops invaded the region) that still have not fully recovered. This gives some indication of how fragile this ecosystem is. As Vidal says, "the region's remoteness and the government's lack of resources for monitoring or prosecuting law-breakers has encouraged rampant, illegal felling of this dense, slow-growing forest". It simply must not be allowed to continue.
John Burton,
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/20/chaco-forest-funding-conservation
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Giant tortoises released onto Pinta Island for the first time for 40 years
Tortoises needed to engineer the ecosystem
June 2010. 39 tortoises have been released into the wilds of Pinta Island, in the northern waters of the Galapagos Archipelago, as part of an ongoing effort to restore the ecological integrity of Pinta ecosystems. This is the first time that tortoises have inhabited the island since the removal of Lonesome George, the last known Pinta tortoise, in 1972.
The return of tortoises to Pinta is considered an essential step towards re-establishing ecological processes on the island. The Ministry of the Environment of Ecuador is overseeing this vital step in the implementation of the plan for the ecological restoration of Pinta.
Lonesome George last of his kind
Giant tortoises on Pinta are thought to have numbered between 5,000 and 10,000 before pirates and whalers began removing them for food. As a result of the over-exploitation in past centuries, tortoises were believed to be extinct on Pinta during much of the twentieth century. The discovery of Lonesome George on Pinta in 1971 surprised scientists and park managers alike. George was transported to the Tortoise Center on Santa Cruz Island in the spring of 1972 to ensure his safety. While park rangers, scientists and the thousands of tourists who have visited George hope that one day a mate will be discovered-on Pinta, in a zoo, or in a private collection-no female Pinta tortoise has yet been found.
In addition to the removal of giant tortoises, which are known to play an important role as "ecosystem engineers" through movement patterns, herbivory, and seed dispersal, Pinta also suffered large-scale degradation by introduced goats. Three goats released onto Pinta in 1959 eventually resulted in a population of more than 40,000 animals, which destroyed much of the island's native vegetation. After the GNP achieved eradication of the goats from the island in 2003, the vegetation recovered rapidly. However, full and balanced island restoration required the presence of Galapagos giant tortoises.
Hybrid tortoises sterilized and releasedWhile ongoing genetic studies are helping to determine the best species with which to repopulate the island, it is important that tortoises be released onto Pinta as soon as possible. The decision was made to use the hybrid tortoises held in corrals of the GNP on Santa Cruz and Floreana for this purpose. These tortoises are the offspring of tortoises of unknown origin held in captivity during the early years of the GNP. Given that one of the main goals of the GNP is to conserve the evolutionary integrity of the archipelago's biodiversity, release of hybrid tortoises into the wild is unacceptable. Therefore, these tortoises were destined to spend their entire lives-as much as 150 years or more-in captivity. By sterilizing these tortoises, they can now be released into the wild on Pinta as non-reproducing contributors to the restoration of the island's ecosystem.
A group of veterinarians from the United States, led by Drs. Steve Divers (College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia), Sam Rivera (Zoo Atlanta), and Joe Flanagan (Houston Zoo), worked with the GNP to sterilize the tortoises in November 2009. Since that time, the tortoises have been held in quarantine in a corral separate from all other captive tortoises. Their health is monitored and their faeces are also inspected to determine if they have consumed any seeds. It is essential to ensure that the tortoises do not introduce any plant species to the nearly pristine island. The tortoises will also be fitted with satellite and telemetry tags so that scientists can monitor their movements on Pinta.
This project has been made possible by funding from the Galapagos National Park, and generous contributions of the Panaphil Foundation, Continental Airlines, Buffalo Exchange, SUNY-ESF, the Houston Zoo, a number of veterinarians who have donated their services, and approximately 1,000 Galapagos Conservancy members.
Galapagos Conservancy is dedicated exclusively to the long-term protection of the Galapagos Islands. This single focus allows us to maximize the impact of the financial investments of our members, who include individuals and institutions that care deeply about the Galapagos Islands and understand the scientific importance of preserving this extraordinary ecosystem.
Under the leadership of the Minister of the Environment, the tortoises' release was carried out by a team of park rangers, herpetologists, botanists, and veterinarians-from the Galapagos National Park (GNP), Galapagos Conservancy, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), and the Houston Zoo.
June 2010. 39 tortoises have been released into the wilds of Pinta Island, in the northern waters of the Galapagos Archipelago, as part of an ongoing effort to restore the ecological integrity of Pinta ecosystems. This is the first time that tortoises have inhabited the island since the removal of Lonesome George, the last known Pinta tortoise, in 1972.
The return of tortoises to Pinta is considered an essential step towards re-establishing ecological processes on the island. The Ministry of the Environment of Ecuador is overseeing this vital step in the implementation of the plan for the ecological restoration of Pinta.
Lonesome George last of his kind
Giant tortoises on Pinta are thought to have numbered between 5,000 and 10,000 before pirates and whalers began removing them for food. As a result of the over-exploitation in past centuries, tortoises were believed to be extinct on Pinta during much of the twentieth century. The discovery of Lonesome George on Pinta in 1971 surprised scientists and park managers alike. George was transported to the Tortoise Center on Santa Cruz Island in the spring of 1972 to ensure his safety. While park rangers, scientists and the thousands of tourists who have visited George hope that one day a mate will be discovered-on Pinta, in a zoo, or in a private collection-no female Pinta tortoise has yet been found.
Lonesome George was the last of the true Pinta Island tortoises
Tortoises are important eco-system engineersIn addition to the removal of giant tortoises, which are known to play an important role as "ecosystem engineers" through movement patterns, herbivory, and seed dispersal, Pinta also suffered large-scale degradation by introduced goats. Three goats released onto Pinta in 1959 eventually resulted in a population of more than 40,000 animals, which destroyed much of the island's native vegetation. After the GNP achieved eradication of the goats from the island in 2003, the vegetation recovered rapidly. However, full and balanced island restoration required the presence of Galapagos giant tortoises.
Hybrid tortoises sterilized and releasedWhile ongoing genetic studies are helping to determine the best species with which to repopulate the island, it is important that tortoises be released onto Pinta as soon as possible. The decision was made to use the hybrid tortoises held in corrals of the GNP on Santa Cruz and Floreana for this purpose. These tortoises are the offspring of tortoises of unknown origin held in captivity during the early years of the GNP. Given that one of the main goals of the GNP is to conserve the evolutionary integrity of the archipelago's biodiversity, release of hybrid tortoises into the wild is unacceptable. Therefore, these tortoises were destined to spend their entire lives-as much as 150 years or more-in captivity. By sterilizing these tortoises, they can now be released into the wild on Pinta as non-reproducing contributors to the restoration of the island's ecosystem.
A group of veterinarians from the United States, led by Drs. Steve Divers (College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia), Sam Rivera (Zoo Atlanta), and Joe Flanagan (Houston Zoo), worked with the GNP to sterilize the tortoises in November 2009. Since that time, the tortoises have been held in quarantine in a corral separate from all other captive tortoises. Their health is monitored and their faeces are also inspected to determine if they have consumed any seeds. It is essential to ensure that the tortoises do not introduce any plant species to the nearly pristine island. The tortoises will also be fitted with satellite and telemetry tags so that scientists can monitor their movements on Pinta.
This project has been made possible by funding from the Galapagos National Park, and generous contributions of the Panaphil Foundation, Continental Airlines, Buffalo Exchange, SUNY-ESF, the Houston Zoo, a number of veterinarians who have donated their services, and approximately 1,000 Galapagos Conservancy members.
Galapagos Conservancy is dedicated exclusively to the long-term protection of the Galapagos Islands. This single focus allows us to maximize the impact of the financial investments of our members, who include individuals and institutions that care deeply about the Galapagos Islands and understand the scientific importance of preserving this extraordinary ecosystem.
Under the leadership of the Minister of the Environment, the tortoises' release was carried out by a team of park rangers, herpetologists, botanists, and veterinarians-from the Galapagos National Park (GNP), Galapagos Conservancy, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), and the Houston Zoo.
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