Loggers 'burned Amazon tribe girl alive'

Loggers in Brazil captured an eight-year-old girl from one of the Amazon's last uncontacted tribes and burned her alive as part of a campaign to force the indigenous population from its land, reports claimed on Tuesday night.

The child was said to have wandered away from her village, where around 60 members of the Awá tribe, who live in complete isolation from the modern world, and fallen into the hands of the loggers.

Luis Carlos Guajajaras, a local leader from a separate tribe, told a Brazilian news website that they tied to her a tree and set her alight as a warning to other natives, who live in a protected reserve in the north-eastern state of Maranhão .

"She was from another tribe, they live deep in the jungle, and have no contact with the outside world. It would have been the first time she had ever seen white men. We heard that they laughed as they burned her to death," he said.

Reports of the killing, which was said to have happened in October or November last year, were seconded by the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI), a Catholic group which said it had seen footage of her charred remains.

A spokesman for the Brazil's Indian Affairs Department said the government was urgently investigating the claims.

Huge iron ore deposits and valuable timber have encouraged mining and logging companies to enter the forests of Maranhão despite laws designed to protect the few remaining uncontacted tribes, often leading to violent clashes.

Around 450 tribes people have were murdered in Brazil between 2003 and 2010, according to figures from CIMI.

Survival International, a charity for tribal groups, warned that a third of the Awá's land had already been destroyed and that their nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle was being threatened as animals fled in the face of the approaching logging companies.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/9005835/Loggers-burned-Amazon-tribe-girl-alive.html

New 'uncontacted' group found in the Amazon

Largest forested indigenous territory in the world
November 2011: Survival International has released new pictures of an uncontacted Yanomami village in Brazil, 20 years after one of its crucial campaigns created the biggest forested indigenous territory in the world.

Survival International, Yanomami leader Davi Kopenawa and Brazil's Pro Yanomami Commission were instrumental in securing the victory.

These new pictures emphasize how important the territory is in protecting the Yanomami from goldminers who devastated the tribe in the 1980s. The ‘Yanomami Park ' is one of many initiatives spearheaded by Survival International.

This sighting represents a huge success – but the fight isn't overSurvival's director Stephen Corry said: ‘Survival's supporters can be immensely proud of the success that this sighting represents. Of course many tribal peoples, including the uncontacted Yanomami, are still threatened by the illegal occupation of their land, so we can't afford to give up the fight.

‘The very existence of uncontacted Yanomami, however, proves that persistent campaigning pays off. Here's to many more such victories.'

The Yanomami suffered years of oppression at the hands of gold-miners. Violence and disease saw their population fall by 20 per cent in just seven years. Brazil announced its decision to outline the borders of a Yanomami territory in November 1991. It was signed into law the following year.

To find out more about the Yanomami people by visiting Survival International's website.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/yanomami-brazil.html

Study reveals alarm bells for Amazonian wildlife

The Amazon is currently experiencing the highest absolute rate of forest loss globally. Yet the proportion of Amazonian species assessed as ‘threatened’ with extinction on the IUCN Red List is below the global average. This list is used to set conservation priorities, and contributes to assessments of the state of the planet’s biodiversity. A new study is changing this picture.

A group of authors from the BirdLife International Partnership used an existing model that predicts where in the Amazon deforestation is projected to take place in the coming years under different scenarios to reassess the Red List status of all 814 forest-dependent Amazonian bird species. Their findings have been published today in the journal Diversity and Distributions. [1]

Using this model, the number of species qualifying as threatened rises substantially from just 24 (3% of species assessed) to 64–92 (8–11%), depending on different forest loss scenarios. The number of species ‘of conservation concern’ (threatened plus Near Threatened species) increases from 60 to 117–172 species. Of particular concern are the species that appear to qualify for uplisting (i.e. at greater risk of extinction than thought) to Critically Endangered or Endangered, such as Hoary-throated Spinetail Synallaxis kollari and Varzea Piculet Picumnus varzeae, as these are the species projected to decline fastest because they will lose suitable habitat most rapidly.

Incorporating projected deforestation into assessments provides a more accurate reflection of the extinction risk facing species in the region. The revised estimates of extinction risk to Amazonian birds brings them closer in line with the global average of 12% of birds considered threatened.
By overlaying distribution maps for these apparently threatened species, the authors identified ‘crisis areas’ (areas of forest that are projected to be lost, but which support the highest numbers of threatened species) and ‘refugia’ (areas projected to retain forest, but which support the highest numbers of threatened species). Over half of the most important areas for threatened species are currently legally protected, including two thirds of refugia. But the unprotected areas should be priorities for new protected areas, particularly the ’crisis’ areas where important forest will be lost imminently, such as those in the Brazilian states of Rondonia, Mato Grosso and Para.

“It is clear that until now we have underestimated the risk of extinction that many of the Amazon’s species are facing”, said lead author Jeremy Bird of BirdLife International. “Now we have a better understanding, not only of the species that are threatened with extinction, but also the most irreplaceable and imperilled pockets of the Amazon’s remaining forest that we must protect in order to conserve its wildlife."

“As far as we are aware, no Amazonian bird species has been driven to extinction by human activities yet”, he added. “To ensure that none are, and that other groups of wildlife survive too, further investment is needed to protect effectively the priority areas of remaining habitat.”

[1] Integrating spatially explicit habitat projections into extinction risk assessments: a reassessment of Amazonian avifauna incorporating projected deforestation, Jeremy P. Bird, Graeme M. Buchanan, Alexander C. Lees, Rob P. Clay, Pedro F. Develey, Itala Ye´pez and Stuart H. M. Butchart.

http://www.birdlife.org/community/2011/09/study-rings-alarm-bells-for-amazonian-wildlife/

 

Scientists discover new monkey species in Amazon (via Chad Arment)

Mato Grosso, Brazil: Scientists on an expedition backed by WWF-Brazil to one of the last unexplored areas in the Brazilian Mid-west have discovered a new species of monkey.

The monkey belonging to the Callicebus genus was found in the northwest of Mato Grosso State and is one of the great results from the studies undertaken during an expedition in December 2010 to the Guariba-Roosevelt Extractive Reserve.

In May, WWF-Brazil and the scientist who made the discovery, Julio Dalponte, officially handed over the specimen to the Emílio Goeldi Museum in Belem, Para.

"By integrating this animal to a reputable collection such as that of the Goeldi museum we have taken an important step towards gaining better knowledge of the fauna in the northwest Mato Grosso region which is still a puzzle with many pieces missing", Mr Dalponte explained.

Dalponte remarked that the discovery of the new species increases the potential biodiversity of the northwest of Mato Grosso and with it the importance of conservation in the area.

"We do have some information on Protected Areas surrounding this region but little information on this part of the State itself. That means we must work to complete this map and fill in the gaps in our information on the region" said Dalponte.

"Never been observed before"

The primate specimen was found in an area between the courses of the Guariba River and the Roosevelt River​, two of the most important water courses in the north-western part of Mato Grosso state.

Dalponte noted "This primate has features on its head and tail that have never been observed before in other titi monkey species found in the same area".

The animal will be the object of studies designed to provide a detailed description of its characteristics to mammalian zoology experts and primatologists worldwide.

The study of the species will take about six months to conclude. The process of publishing the discovery in specialised scientific journals can take up to one year from the time the papers are submitted till the time they are approved for publication by the editing committees of scientific journals and reviews.

http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?201430/Scientists-discover-new-monkey-species-in-Amazon

Pink dolphins bounce back from 2010 Amazon drought

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13187308

By James Painter Samiria River, Peruvian Amazon

Pink dolphins are intelligent like their distant cousins, the sea dolphins

Several months ago, parts of the Amazon rainforest were in the grip of one of the most severe droughts on record.

River levels were at historic lows and the impact on wildlife was severe.

The number of pink river dolphins in a remote part of the Peruvian Amazon dropped by nearly half in October compared with 2009, as the level of the Samiria River, a major tributary of the Amazon, fell.

Along a 20km (12 mile) stretch of the river, a population of 250 declined to about 140.

But now a team of conservation experts working in the region has found that many species have recovered more quickly than expected.

This includes the pink dolphins, which, according to surveys conducted in March, have seen their numbers increased by nearly 10%, compared to the same period last year, prior to the drought.

The number of grey dolphins is also up from March 2010 - by 30%.

"This is a very good sign and suggests that the Samiria River is recovering from the drought of 2010," says Dr Richard Bodmer from the University of Kent, who has published extensively on the area for the last 25 years.

Low water levels revealed a very distant landscape in late 2010

The research is being carried out in the Pacaya Samiria national reserve in the upper reaches of the Amazon, an area covering more than 20,000 sq km (700 sq miles).

It falls within one of the three regions worst affected by the 2010 drought, when parts of the Amazon and its tributaries reached their lowest levels for half a century.

"This reserve is a flooded forest, where we get high levels and low levels in the rivers every year," says Dr Bodmer.

"But the 2010 drought and the record floods the previous year were much worse."

Now the water levels are extremely high again and local officials have declared a state of emergency.

"We are being hit on both sides - extremely high levels of water or droughts," says Dr Bodmer.

Dr Bodmer and his team of Peruvian researchers, backed up by volunteers from the conservation organisation Earthwatch, are monitoring the effect of these weather extremes on the pink dolphins and other wildlife.

Smoker's cough

Conservationists regard pink dolphins as a remarkable species - partly for their colour, which no-one can explain for sure.

But they are also the only species of dolphin able to move their neck horizontally as well as vertically. This enables them to find their way underwater between tree roots.

Several of them played around the boat when we visited a favourite spot of theirs on the River Samiria in late March.

You could glimpse sudden movements of pink, but it was easier to hear them than see them. They expel air loudly like old men with a smoker's cough.

Tedy Yuyarima: Local people are seeing more weather extremes

They are apparently curious and intelligent, like their distant cousins the sea dolphins. Between 10 million and 20 million years ago, their ancestors were trapped when this region of the Amazon formed part of a large inland sea area.

Other species appear to have recovered well, too, but the picture is not entirely positive.

Chestnut-fronted macaws had apparently left the reserve or died in significant numbers during the 2010 drought. The latest figures suggest their numbers have recovered strongly now that the rivers are back to high levels.

However, the spectacled caiman, a smaller relation of the crocodile, continues to be a cause for concern. Its numbers in the first three months of 2011 were still 60% lower than in 2010.

Several communities of Cocama Indians live on the river banks of the Samiria within the reserve. They are still talking about last year's drought, and fear it may be repeated in the future.

Tedy Yuyarima, a 42-year-old shaman from San Martin de Tipishca, says the drought was the worst he has ever known.

"Our community depends on fish like the piranha both to eat and sell," he says.

"During the drought it was very difficult to travel for several months because the river was so low. We had to push our boats through less than 20cm of water."

The fish were left stranded in packed, rotting piles. The cormorants and other birds just picked out the best flesh and left the rest.

"We couldn't eat the fish as they had infected abscesses," says Mr Yuyarima.

Multiple threats

The community is still worried the fish stocks may not build up again in 2011. But the early signs from Dr Bodmer's team suggest that fish numbers are recovering.

The Cocama Indians are involved in projects to manage the forest in a sustainable way, but extreme weather makes this more difficult, says Mr Yuyarima.

Researchers are monitoring how different species have recovered

A team of British and Brazilian researchers recently confirmed that the 2010 Amazon drought was more widespread than the one in 2005, which was regarded as "a once in a century event".

The two droughts have been associated with warmer waters in the North Atlantic off the Brazilian coast, caused by warmer global temperatures.

Some computer models suggest that the Amazon could suffer more droughts as the planet warms.

"We cannot ignore these larger global events, which are impacting the local ecosystems and people here, and testing the resilience of the wildlife," says Dr Bodmer.

"At the moment, these impacts worry me, but they are not as dramatic as they could be. But if these weather extremes continue in the future, this will change."

Women hold key to solving wildlife trade issues in Amazon (Via Herp Digest)

Women hold key to solving wildlife trade issues in Amazon
Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Quito, Ecuador, 22nd February 2011-TRAFFIC is applying new approaches to reducing illegal and commercial hunting in Yasuní Biosphere Reserve in Amazonian Ecuador. 

Instead of a traditional approach targeting male hunters, TRAFFIC and project partners are instead working through existing womens' groups in indigenous communities, such as the Huaorani, to reduce the illicit trade in wild meat that is threatening many of the region's wildlife species.



The Yasuní Biophere Reserve (YBR) in Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. The Yasuní National Park, which lies at the core of the reserve, is one of Ecuador's largest protected areas (approximately 982,000 ha.). It contains the Napo Tropical Moist Forest, and is the headwaters of many rivers of the upper Amazon basin. 

"It was clear that the women in local communities already understood the issues caused by unsustainable wildlife trade, making them natural allies in efforts to change attitudes towards over-exploitation of the rainforest' resources," said Ana Puyol,

Many of the women were concerned about the sale of wild meat to outside markets, and the effects of over-exploitation both on their own food security and on their local environment. 

"Women have a strategic role to play on the sustainable use of Amazonian biodiversity and in indigenous land management, and have a wealth of traditional knowledge and practices, which are key to addressing this issue." 

"By working with local women, we are helping to empower them and strengthen opportunities for reflection and decision-making." 

"From the outset, men among the community have been consulted as part of the process too-widespread community buy-in for any solution to over-exploitation is essential for it to be successful in the long-term." 

Ecuadorian legislation prohibits the sale of wildlife while recognizing the rights of rural dwellers to engage in subsistence hunting. 

However, wildlife from YBR is massively illegally exploited for commercial purposes, mainly for consumption by Amazonian urban populations.

The excessive hunting of large mammals has caused their populations to decline or be threatened with extinction both outside and on the edges of conservation and sustainable use areas.

This is progressively degrading the quality and integrity of these areas, with unpredictable consequences for the social and ecological future of such reserves, reducing the quality of their natural environments. 



Another serious consequence of the unsustainable wild meat trade is its effect on the food sovereignty of local and indigenous peoples and their opportunities to maintain long-term sustainable livelihoods strategies, as rodents and wild pigs are their main sources of protein. 

Led by AMWAE, a local womens group, with support from TRAFFIC and two programme partners, selected communities have been involved in dialogue both to recognize the extent of the problem and to establish commitments to reduce the scale of the external wildlife trade while securing sufficient meat for local needs. 

An agreement has been signed between AMWAE and Fundación Natura (one of the programme partners) committing communities not to tra!
de wildlife, but rather to work to ensure their families are adequately fed and their lands are sustainably protected and managed. 

A commitment was also made not to hunt tapirs (highly endangered mammals in the Amazon), even for subsistence purposes.



The dialogues have also examined alternative sources of income for local communities. These include cultivation of fine aroma cocoa, a native species with high export value, promoted under a scheme to ensure indigenous communities are treated equitably in the trading process, as well as production of fruit from citrus and avocado trees and traditional foods such as cassava and plantain. 

There are also plans to support hunters in producing handicrafts for sale at AMWAE-run stores to generate income to compete with the illegal sale of wild meat.

Currently the project is working with nine strategically selected communities in two areas of the YBR, with more than 70 Huaorani families and an impact on approximately 200,000 ha of tropical forests. 

"The project has demonstrated how strengthening womens' political leadership on illegal hunting issues substantially improves governance at the organizational and community levels," said Puyol.

"These have laid the foundation for participatory work with a vision for change."

TRAFFIC's work in YBR is carried out through a project on "Diminishing Illegal Wildlife Trade in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve (YBR)" funded by the Spanish Development Cooperation Agency, AECID, led by IUCN/TRAFFIC, and implemented jointly by two strategic members of IUCN: Fundación Natura and the Randi Randi Group Corporation.
Article originally appeared on TRAFFIC (http://www.traffic.org/).

Jaguar-like species of catfish discovered in the Amazon

A new species of catfish -- Stenolicnus ix - was discovered
in Curuá creek, left tributary of the Amazon River in
Pará, Brazil. Credit: Wolmar B. Wosiack

March 2, 2011

A series of expeditions to explore the unknown biodiversity of the forests of the northern margin of the Amazon River in Brazil yielded a new species of catfish, researchers from Brazil announced today. Published in the journal Zootaxa in January, the discovery was made in a tributary of the Amazon River, in the northern state of Pará, at the heart of the world’s largest block of protected rainforest, which covers four million hectares.

Named after the Mayan word “Ix”, which is a term used to describe jaguars, the new fish, Stenolicnus ix , differs from other species of the same genus by the length of the nasal barbels, or the slender, whisker-like tactile organs extending from the mouth. The color pattern on the dorsal part of the trunk also distinguishes this new catfish, among other characteristics. It has a cream color background and a pattern of grouped dark patches scattered around its body, similar to jaguars.

The individual of Stenolicnus ix was collected with a sieve by scraping sand and leaf litter from the Curuá River bed. Some fifteen species of fish were also observed in the same narrow and shallow waters, in an area about 5 meters wide and less than a meter deep. All other species of the same subfamily (Sarcoglanidinae) have been described based on one to three specimens only due to the limited access to the area where they are found – researchers reached the headwaters of the Curuá River by helicopter. Also, the fact that the fish is tiny (only about 2 cm) and translucent makes it more difficult to be found.

"This fish was collected when we were about to finish our research in the creek. It is very small and, therefore, very hard to find. This is why we collected only a single individual,” says Wolmar Wosiack, researcher and curator of the ichthyology collection of the Emilio Goeldi Museum, in the state of Pará, Brazil. The description was made by Wosiack with Luciano Montag, a professor at the Federal University of Pará, and Daniel Coutinho, student from the Graduate Program in Zoology of the Federal University of Pará. Wosiack, Montag and Coutinho are the authors of the article describing Stenolicmus ix.

The expeditions were organized by Emílio Goeldi Museum, Conservation International Brazil and the Environment Secretary of the State of Pará. Seven biological expeditions were held in 2008 with about 30 researchers who set out to explore an area of more than 12 million hectares and map out the biodiversity of this protected area -- previously unknown to science. The expeditions were led by Alexandre Aleixo, researcher and curator of the ornithological collection of the Museu Goeldi.

Patricia Baião, Amazon Program director at Conservation International Brazil, said: “Discoveries like this one remind us that we still have a lot to learn about the biodiversity of the Amazon. Grao Pará Ecological Station is the world´s biggest strictly protected area and holds important species, some unknown to science, and major ecosystems services. Only the protection of its limits and real implementation will achieve this area’s purpose: the conservation of these native forests.”

More information: "Description of a new species of sand-dwelling catfish of the genus Stenolicmus (Siluriformes; Trichomycteridae)" Zootaxa 2752: 62–68 (31 Jan. 2011) (PDF)
Provided by Conservation International (news : web)

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-jaguar-like-species-catfish-amazon.html

Peru contacts unknown Amazon tribe

Peruvian authorities have presented video footage of a previously uncontacted Amazonian tribe.


The footage was taken in the Kugapakori Nahua Nanti reserve in the country's southeast by members of the government-run National Institute of Development of Andean, Amazonian and Afro-Peruvians (Indepa).

They saw the indigenous group while monitoring area checkpoints that have been installed to prevent entry of unauthorised persons, specifically illegal loggers.

The video - which was presentation at the National Museum and viewed by various government representatives - shows indigenous tribes interacting with Indepa workers.

It also shows a series of rustic huts made from palm leaves and cane that were discovered in August 2009.

Indepa president, Mayta Capac Alatrista, explained how they had been able to gain an insight into their unknown way of life.

"With work that has been done from the five monitoring posts in the Kugapakori Nahua Nanti reserve, we have been able to find and casually meet with voluntarily isolated populations or initiate first contact. We suppose this contact has been made because they went down to the streams in search of food because they are nomads.

"We have photographic record and have even been able to interact with them to see how they go about their daily lives. We have been able to bring them some tools that they have used to hunt, to fish and cook," said Capac Alatrista.

A small exhibition of tools, arrows and handmade pottery, along with skeletons of hunted animals, was also on display.

Peru contacts unknown Amazon tribe

Peruvian authorities have presented video footage of a previously uncontacted Amazonian tribe.


The footage was taken in the Kugapakori Nahua Nanti reserve in the country's southeast by members of the government-run National Institute of Development of Andean, Amazonian and Afro-Peruvians (Indepa).

They saw the indigenous group while monitoring area checkpoints that have been installed to prevent entry of unauthorised persons, specifically illegal loggers.

The video - which was presentation at the National Museum and viewed by various government representatives - shows indigenous tribes interacting with Indepa workers.

It also shows a series of rustic huts made from palm leaves and cane that were discovered in August 2009.

Indepa president, Mayta Capac Alatrista, explained how they had been able to gain an insight into their unknown way of life.

"With work that has been done from the five monitoring posts in the Kugapakori Nahua Nanti reserve, we have been able to find and casually meet with voluntarily isolated populations or initiate first contact. We suppose this contact has been made because they went down to the streams in search of food because they are nomads.

"We have photographic record and have even been able to interact with them to see how they go about their daily lives. We have been able to bring them some tools that they have used to hunt, to fish and cook," said Capac Alatrista.

A small exhibition of tools, arrows and handmade pottery, along with skeletons of hunted animals, was also on display.

Pink river dolphins at risk from drought

Numbers of the rare pink river dolphin, or Bufeo as it is known to indigenous people, have almost halved over the past year, according to a survey by conservation experts.


They say severe drought that has been moving down the Amazon basin from the upper reaches of the river in Peru have caused fish populations to plummet.

This has left the Amazon river dolphins, which can grow to more than 9 feet in length, struggling to find enough food. Surveys conducted in the Peruvian Amazon have revealed a 47 per cent drop in numbers.


Dr Richard Bodmer, an ecologist from the University of Kent and the Wildlife Conservation Society who has been working with environmental charity Earthwatch to monitor changes in the area, said extremely low water levels in tributaries to the Amazon River had dramatically impacted on dolphin numbers.

He said that as the drought has moved further downstream, similar effects are being seen elsewhere in the Amazon basin.

He said: "This year there has been quite a difference in the numbers of pink river dolphins we are seeing.

"They are an important river species that tell us a lot about the health of the aquatic habitat in the river.

"The drought in the Amazon has been extremely harsh and water levels have been very low. We saw large numbers of dead fish when we were moving around on the river.

"This has a knock-on effect for a lot of species and especially the river dolphins that are being forced to seek refuge in some of the larger channels of the Amazon."

Pink river dolphins, which are only found in the Amazon, are the largest species of river dolphin and are the only one able to turn their neck, a trait that has evolved to help the aquatic mammals navigate around underwater tree roots.

Whereas most dolphin species have a distinctive dorsal fin, the pink river dolphin has a hump on its back. It has fully adapted to the freshwater environment and unlike other river dolphins is unable to live in salt water. Its skin colour ranges from off-white to bright pink.

In Peru and throughout the Amazon, the pink river dolphin has an almost-mythical status among indigenous populations. It is considered bad luck to kill one. There are many legends that describe these elusive creatures as shape-shifters.

Dr Bodmer said: "The drought that was seen in Peru has now moved down into Brazil, and we will almost certainly be seeing similar affects on the wildlife there."

A state of emergency has been declared in many parts of the Amazon after the area has experienced its worst drought for many years.

The dry spell reached its peak in the upper reaches of the South American river in late August and now the impact of the low water levels are moving downstream, leaving many smaller channels and tributaries almost completely dry. Brazil's Rio Negro has fallen to its lowest level in a century.

Dr Bodmer studied the impacts on wildlife in the Samiria River, which is a major tributary to the Amazon in Peru.

He found that there were half as many pink river dolphins in the river as there were last year. He also found that numbers of a smaller, related dolphin, the grey river dolphin, had fallen by 49 per cent.

Other animals affected by the low water levels include the spectacled caiman, a smaller relative of the crocodile. Birds have also suffered, including the chestnut-fronted macaw.

Dr Bodmer said the drought in the Amazon this year gave a stark warning of what could happen if global temperatures continue to rise under climate change.

He added: "If the extreme climatic events continue, both the wildlife and the local people will be severely impacted."

Conservation experts have also warned the dolphins are under threat from Amazonian fishermen who are increasingly slaughtering the creatures to use as bait.

Wendy Elliott, the WWF's species manager for whales and dolphins, said: "River dolphins are really fascinating creatures that much of the world has overlooked. They manage to live in rivers where others couldn't; they are very special.

"When we see river dolphin populations declining it is the first sign that the river system isn't healthy."

By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8114754/Pink-river-dolphins-at-risk-from-drought.html

Pink river dolphins at risk from drought

Numbers of the rare pink river dolphin, or Bufeo as it is known to indigenous people, have almost halved over the past year, according to a survey by conservation experts.


They say severe drought that has been moving down the Amazon basin from the upper reaches of the river in Peru have caused fish populations to plummet.

This has left the Amazon river dolphins, which can grow to more than 9 feet in length, struggling to find enough food. Surveys conducted in the Peruvian Amazon have revealed a 47 per cent drop in numbers.


Dr Richard Bodmer, an ecologist from the University of Kent and the Wildlife Conservation Society who has been working with environmental charity Earthwatch to monitor changes in the area, said extremely low water levels in tributaries to the Amazon River had dramatically impacted on dolphin numbers.

He said that as the drought has moved further downstream, similar effects are being seen elsewhere in the Amazon basin.

He said: "This year there has been quite a difference in the numbers of pink river dolphins we are seeing.

"They are an important river species that tell us a lot about the health of the aquatic habitat in the river.

"The drought in the Amazon has been extremely harsh and water levels have been very low. We saw large numbers of dead fish when we were moving around on the river.

"This has a knock-on effect for a lot of species and especially the river dolphins that are being forced to seek refuge in some of the larger channels of the Amazon."

Pink river dolphins, which are only found in the Amazon, are the largest species of river dolphin and are the only one able to turn their neck, a trait that has evolved to help the aquatic mammals navigate around underwater tree roots.

Whereas most dolphin species have a distinctive dorsal fin, the pink river dolphin has a hump on its back. It has fully adapted to the freshwater environment and unlike other river dolphins is unable to live in salt water. Its skin colour ranges from off-white to bright pink.

In Peru and throughout the Amazon, the pink river dolphin has an almost-mythical status among indigenous populations. It is considered bad luck to kill one. There are many legends that describe these elusive creatures as shape-shifters.

Dr Bodmer said: "The drought that was seen in Peru has now moved down into Brazil, and we will almost certainly be seeing similar affects on the wildlife there."

A state of emergency has been declared in many parts of the Amazon after the area has experienced its worst drought for many years.

The dry spell reached its peak in the upper reaches of the South American river in late August and now the impact of the low water levels are moving downstream, leaving many smaller channels and tributaries almost completely dry. Brazil's Rio Negro has fallen to its lowest level in a century.

Dr Bodmer studied the impacts on wildlife in the Samiria River, which is a major tributary to the Amazon in Peru.

He found that there were half as many pink river dolphins in the river as there were last year. He also found that numbers of a smaller, related dolphin, the grey river dolphin, had fallen by 49 per cent.

Other animals affected by the low water levels include the spectacled caiman, a smaller relative of the crocodile. Birds have also suffered, including the chestnut-fronted macaw.

Dr Bodmer said the drought in the Amazon this year gave a stark warning of what could happen if global temperatures continue to rise under climate change.

He added: "If the extreme climatic events continue, both the wildlife and the local people will be severely impacted."

Conservation experts have also warned the dolphins are under threat from Amazonian fishermen who are increasingly slaughtering the creatures to use as bait.

Wendy Elliott, the WWF's species manager for whales and dolphins, said: "River dolphins are really fascinating creatures that much of the world has overlooked. They manage to live in rivers where others couldn't; they are very special.

"When we see river dolphin populations declining it is the first sign that the river system isn't healthy."

By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8114754/Pink-river-dolphins-at-risk-from-drought.html

Scientists discover new species of monkey hidden deep in Amazon rain forest

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:01 AM on 13th August 2010

Scientists have discovered a new species of Amazon monkey species in Colombia, which they say is at risk as its home is gradually destroyed.

A team of researchers from the National University of Colombia observed 13 groups of the new species - dubbed the Caqueta titi monkey because it was found in the southern state of Caqueta, near Peru.

The new variety of titi monkey, which has the scientific name Callicebus caquetensis, is the size of a cat and has greyish-brown hair. What sets it apart from other types of titi monkey species is its lack of a white bar on the forehead.

The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Primate Conservation, believe the species may be critically endangered.

They estimate less than 250 of the monkeys exist and say the felling of forest for agriculture threatens their habitat.

'It's a spectacular finding,' said Jeffrey French, a biology and psychology professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha who works with primates in the Amazon in Brazil.

Some formerly rebel-held regions of Colombia became safer in recent years due to the government's gains against guerrilla bands, facilitating efforts to search for oil and precious metals as well as flora and fauna.

The find was announced by Conservation International, a group that helped finance the research in remote rain forests that until recently were considered too dangerous for scientific work due to the presence of leftist rebels.

The research team, including professors Thomas Defler and Marta Bueno and student Javier Garcia, visited Caqueta in 2008 - three decades after Martin Moynihan, an animal behaviour expert, first caught sight of the species in the area.

Insecurity in the area prevented research to confirm his sighting until the team arrived.

The researchers said the monkeys are monogamous - unlike most primates but common among titi monkeys - and often have one baby a year. They have complex calls and were spotted often moving around in groups of four.

Juan Mayer, a former Colombian environment minister, said that due to deforestation, 'huge efforts will have to be made to protect the creature's habitat'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1302768/Scientists-discover-new-species-monkey-Amazon-rain-forest.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0wUzvzlUr

New species of monkey with red, bushy beard found in Amazon rainforest

Washington, Aug 13 : A new species of monkey with a red, bushy beard has been discovered in the Colombian section of the Amazon rain forest, say conservationists.

A scientist first glimpsed Callicebus caquetensis-a type of titi monkey-in the 1960s.

But political strife in the southern Caqueta Province kept scientists away until 2008, when an expedition finally confirmed the bearded monkey as a new species, reports National Geographic News.

The cat-size primate is "fascinating" because it mates for life, an unusual trait among monkeys, said expedition leader Thomas Defler of the National University of Colombia.

Pairs are often spotted sitting on branches with their tails intertwined.

A typical Caqueta titi couple has a baby every year, and the father handles most of the infant''s care, other than nursing, Defler noted.

It''s unknown why the dad does most of the work, but there''s likely an evolutionary advantage, he said.

The newfound Caqueta titi monkey is being forced to travel on the ground more often as Amazon rain forest habitat becomes more and more fragmented by expanding Colombian cattle country, Defler said.

Increased ground travel may make the species more vulnerable to predators, such as margay cats and birds of prey, he said.

It''s estimated that fewer than 250 Caqueta titi monkeys survive-which means the International Union for Conservation of Nature will likely classify the primate as critically endangered, he added.

The details appeared online on the journal Primate Conservation.

http://www.newkerala.com/news2/fullnews-19854.html

River Dolphin threat

The bright pink color gives them a striking appearance in the muddyjungle waters. That Amazon river dolphins are also gentle and curiousmakes them easy targets for nets and harpoons as they swim fearlessly upto fishing boats. Now, their carcasses are showing up in record numberson riverbanks, their flesh torn away for fishing bait, causing researchers to warn of a growing threat to a species that has alreadydisappeared in other parts of the world.

http://interceder.net/i/Amazon-river