Airport proposals 'catastrophic' for wildlife

Any airport development in the Thames Estuary would be catastrophic for fragile ecosystems and wildlife, warns Kent Wildlife Trust which is prepared to fight any proposals.

This is in the wake of news that the Government may include options for an airport in the Thames Estuary in a draft policy framework for UK aviation, due for public consultation in March.

John Bennett, Chief Executive of Kent Wildlife Trust, said:

“The Thames and Medway estuaries are extremely rich in wildlife and are internationally important for nature conservation.  An airport here, whether coastal or offshore, will be catastrophic for wildlife communities.

“The impact on breeding, feeding and migratory birds will be huge, but there is also a wider community that includes wildflowers, bees, water voles and brown hares.  Offshore, there are important habitats for fish and seals.

“Thames Estuary Airport options must be withdrawn from the draft policy framework for UK aviation.

“Ten years ago, Kent Wildlife Trust, with many others, successfully campaigned against plans for an airport at Cliffe Marshes in North Kent. However, the area is still under considerable pressure.  If necessary, we are prepared to fight once more to protect our natural heritage.”

Water voles
The Hoo Peninsula is home to important populations of this mammal, which has undergone a long decline in Britain.  A new airport on the peninsula would lead to direct habitat loss and indirect damage to the remaining habitats.

Black-tailed godwit
The Thames and Medway Estuaries are famous for their thousands of waterfowl and waders, such as the black-tailed godwit.  The coastal habitats also support majestic birds of prey, such as the marsh harrier.  A new airport in the area would render large areas uninhabitable for many species of birds.

Shrill carder bumblebee
The Hoo Peninsula supports important populations of nationally rare bumblebees such as the shrill carder bumblebee.  Building an airport over the Isle of Grain would destroy a large area of coastal grassland that these bees need.  Air pollution from aeroplanes could also harm habitats elsewhere in the area, reducing the number of wildflowers.

Short-snouted seahorse 
Seahorses have been found in the Thames and Medway Estuaries but we know very little about them as yet.  Loss of marine habitat to a new airport could be bad news for populations of this species.

Seals
Common and grey seals use the sandbanks in the Thames Estuary at low tide.  Planes using a new airport may scare them off and the loss of marine habitat from an airport would probably affect populations of the fish they feed on.

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/2012/01/24/airport-proposals-catastrophic-wildlife

Salmon Run Up Dead Glacier

After a glacier retreated, an ecosystem was born in Stonefly Creek in Southeast Alaska, near Glacier Bay.

“Shrinking glaciers are changing large expanses of northerly coastlines. The speed and pattern of colonization across Stonefly Creek's watershed will aid our understanding of watershed restoration and conservation of biodiversity in a changing climate,” said Alexander Milner, lead researcher from the University of Birmingham in a press release.

The creek began to appear between 1976 and '79 as a glacier melted and revealed the creek's lower reaches. The birth and development of this new creek into a thriving ecosystem was recently described in the journal Ecology.

Read on...

Some species and regions won’t be troubled by climate change – Some will suffer

Ancient climate change has left a strong imprint on modern ecosystems

October 2011. During the Last Glacial Maximum (21,000 years ago) Earth's climate was much cooler and many species were forced to occupy very different areas than they do today. In northern Europe, for example, many of the species found today are relatively recent arrivals from their refuges in southern Europe. A team of ecologists and computer scientists have asked how fast species around the world have had to migrate to keep up with this massive historical climate change and whether there are differences in the modern communities between places with low and high required migration rates.

Required migration rates were estimated by calculating how fast climate conditions have moved over the Earth's surface at a point. This velocity depends on both the rate of temperature change through time and on local topography. On steep topography, a short distance travelled can produce a large difference in temperature, leading to small climate-change velocities.

Which species can adapt - which can't
What happens if a species cannot migrate as fast as it must to keep up with the velocity of climate change? Its range may shrink and, in some cases, the species may go extinct. This is most likely when climate-change velocity is high relative to species' dispersal abilities. The researchers tested this by mapping patterns of small-ranged species diversity for all terrestrial amphibians, mammals and birds. High concentrations of small-ranged species occurred where velocities were low (for example, the South American Andes), and small-ranged species rarely occurred at all where velocities were high (much of northern Europe, for example). Weak dispersers (amphibians) were most strongly affected by velocity, while the strongest dispersers (birds) were least affected. Within the mammals, bats showed patterns more similar to birds, while non-flying mammals were more like the amphibians. Thus, there appears to be a direct connection between the required migration velocity, a species' ability to disperse in response, and ultimately, the probability that a species will be driven to extinction by climate change.

This research provides the first evidence that past regional climate shifts interact with local topography and species dispersal abilities with long-lasting important consequences for the global distribution of biodiversity.

Most in danger
Anthropogenic climate change is leading to increased climate-change velocities. Moreover, there are several regions in the world including the Amazon basin and much of Africa where velocities have historically been rather low but are expected to increase rapidly in the next 70 years. These areas, by virtue of their historically low velocities, have high concentrations of small-ranged species. These species will likely be at particular risk as velocities increase over the next several decades.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/climate-species.html

Hidden Baja Undersea Park Is the World's Most Robust Marine Reserve

ScienceDaily (Aug. 13, 2011) — A thriving undersea wildlife park tucked away near the southern tip of Mexico's Baja peninsula has proven to be the world's most robust marine reserve in the world, according to a new study led by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

Results of a 10-year analysis of Cabo Pulmo National Park (CPNP), published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE journal, revealed that the total amount of fish in the reserve ecosystem (the "biomass") boomed more than 460 percent from 1999 to 2009. Citizens living around Cabo Pulmo, previously depleted by fishing, established the park in 1995 and have strictly enforced its "no take" restrictions.

"We could have never dreamt of such an extraordinary recovery of marine life at Cabo Pulmo," said National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala, who started the study in 1999. "In 1999 there were only medium-sized fishes, but ten years later it's full of large parrotfish, groupers, snappers and even sharks."

The most striking result of the paper, the authors say, is that fish communities at a depleted site can recover up to a level comparable to remote, pristine sites that have never been fished by humans.

"The study's results are surprising in several ways," said Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, a Scripps postdoctoral researcher, World Wildlife Fund Kathryn Fuller fellow and lead author of the study. "A biomass increase of 463 percent in a reserve as large as Cabo Pulmo (71 square kilometers) represents tons of new fish produced every year. No other marine reserve in the world has shown such a fish recovery."

The paper notes that factors such as the protection of spawning areas for large predators have been key to the reserve's robustness. Most importantly, local enforcement, led by the determined action of a few families, has been a major factor in the park's success. Boat captains, dive masters and other locals work to enforce the park's regulations and share surveillance, fauna protection and ocean cleanliness efforts.

"We believe that the success of CPNP is greatly due to local leadership, effective self-enforcement by local stakeholders, and the general support of the broader community," the authors note in their report.
Strictly enforced marine reserves have been proven to help reduce local poverty and increase economic benefits, the researchers say. Cabo Pulmo's marine life recovery has spawned eco-tourism businesses, including coral reef diving and kayaking, making it a model for areas depleted by fishing in the Gulf of California and elsewhere.

"The reefs are full of hard corals and sea fans, creating an amazing habitat for lobsters, octopuses, rays and small fish," said Brad Erisman, a Scripps postdoctoral researcher and co-author of the article. "During some seasons thousands of mobula rays congregate inside the park and swim above the reef in a magnificent way."

The scientists have been combining efforts to monitor the Gulf of California's rocky reefs every year for more than a decade, sampling more than 30 islands and peninsula locations along Baja California, stretching from Puerto Refugio on the northern tip of Angel de la Guarda to Cabo San Lucas and Cabo Pulmo south of the Bahia de La Paz.

In the ten years studied, the researchers found that Cabo Pulmo's fish species richness blossomed into a biodiversity "hot spot." Animals such as tiger sharks, bull sharks and black tip reef sharks increased significantly. Scientists continue to find evidence that such top predators keep coral reefs healthy. Other large fish at Cabo Pulmo include gulf groupers, dog snappers and leopard groupers.

"I participated, back in the 1990s, in the studies for the declaration of the marine park. Frankly, we decided to go ahead because the community was so determined but the place at that time was not in good environmental health," said Exequiel Ezcurra, Director of the University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS) and co-author of the article. "If you visit the place now, you cannot believe the change that has taken place. And all of it has occurred thanks to the determination of a community of coastal villagers that decided to take care of their place and to be at the helm of their own destiny."

"Few policymakers around the world are aware that fish size and abundance can increase inside marine reserves to extraordinary levels within a decade after protection is established; fewer still know that these increases often translate into economic benefits for coastal communities" said Aburto-Oropeza. "Therefore, showing what's happened in Cabo Pulmo will contribute to ongoing conservation efforts in the marine environment and recovery of local coastal economies."

In addition to Aburto-Oropeza, co-authors include Brad Erisman and Grantly Galland of Scripps Oceanography; Ismael Mascareñas-Osorio of Centro para la Biodiversidad Marina y la Conservación in La Paz, Mexico; Enric Sala of the National Geographic Society and Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes in Spain; and Exequiel Ezcurra of UC-MEXUS at UC Riverside.

The research was funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, International Community Foundation, Moore Family Foundation, Pew Fellowship Program on Marine Conservation, Robins Family Foundation, The Tinker Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110812153216.htm

Loss of large predators risk death of ecosystems

The decline of top predators such as wolves, sharks and lions is threatening to drive other species to extinction, according to a new study that shows for the first time the importance of large animals in the ecosystem.


The top tier predators are often wrongly viewed seen as being so high up the food chain they have little effect on what happens beneath them.


In fact, they are vital – and losing the top predators could represent 'the most powerful impacts humans have ever had on Earth's ecosystems', according to the report in Science.

The process by which the apex beasts affect the rest of the ecosystem is called a 'trophic cascade', whereby their loss has a consequence on everything beneath them.

Professor William Ripple, of Oregon State University, said hunting larger animals to the edge of extinction takes away habitat and food from other animals. For example beavers are needed for tree growth, insects feed on large mammals and kills and whales provide a place for small fish to live. The death of larger animals also takes away the balance of the system, for example sharks being replaced by rays.

"We now have overwhelming evidence that large predators are hugely important in the function of nature, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains, the tropics to the Arctic.

"In a broad view, the collapse of these ecosystems has reached a point where this doesn't just affect wolves or aspen trees, deforestation or soil or water.

"These predators and processes ultimately protect humans. This isn't just about them, it's about us."

By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/8471054/Loss-of-large-predators-risk-death-of-ecosystems.html

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

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

Shark-Catching Nations Fail To Protect Threatened Species

NICOLE WINFIELD
01/27/11 03:10 PM

ROME — Two environmental groups on Thursday accused the 20 countries that catch the most sharks of failing to fulfill promises made to the U.N. to better conserve the animals that are increasingly threatened with extinction.

In 1999, more than 100 governments adopted a plan of action at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization to try to stem overfishing of sharks, pledging, among other things, to develop national action plans to ensure that shark catches are sustainable.

The non-governmental groups Traffic and the Pew Environment Group said Thursday that only 13 of the top 20 shark catching countries had developed national plans, and that it was unclear if such plans had done any good where they were adopted.

They issued their report ahead of a meeting next week of government members of the FAO's fisheries committee, which will discuss the state of the world's fisheries in detail.

Some 73 million sharks are killed annually, primarily to meet the high demand in Asia for fins which are used in shark fin soup.

Because sharks are slow growing, late to mature and produce few young, they are unable to replenish their populations as quickly when they are caught. As a result, some 30 percent of all shark species are now threatened or nearly threatened with extinction.

Traffic and Pew analyzed fisheries data and made a list of the top 20 shark catchers which account for nearly 80 percent of the total shark catch reported globally. In order, the top 10 are Indonesia, India, Spain, Taiwan, Argentina, Mexico, Pakistan, United States, Japan, and Malaysia. Yet according to the two groups, Indonesia has only made a draft national plan and India is developing one. Other countries have adopted them but, because reporting is voluntary, it's not clear if they've been implemented or have done any good.

The groups urged governments at the FAO meeting next week to have the U.N. agency complete a thorough review to determine what countries have and haven't done to comply with their pledges to manage their fisheries.

"The fate of the world's sharks is in the hands of the top 20 shark catchers, most of whom have failed to demonstrate what, if anything, they are doing to save these imperiled species," said Glenn Sant, Traffic's global marine program leader.

Jill Hepp, manager of shark conservation for Pew, said sharks play a critical role in the ocean environment.

"Where shark populations are healthy, marine life thrives; but where they have been overfished, ecosystems fall out of balance," she said.

The report suggests that national action plans with lofty goals that are never implemented might not be the answer to saving sharks. Rather, countries that take smaller, incremental steps toward conservation might achieve better results.

It noted that Palau had announced in 2009 it would create the world's first shark sanctuary by banning all commercial shark fishing in its territorial waters and that Honduras had announced a moratorium on shark fishing last year.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/30/sharkcatching-nations-fai_n_815064.html

Legendary Parrot Who Saved His Species Dead at 80

Photo via AKO AOTEAROA

by Stephen Messenger, Porto Alegre, Brazil on 01.13.11
Travel & Nature

Richard Henry may sound like an oddly dignified name for a bird -- but its bearer deserves nothing less. Richard was a highly-endangered Kakapo, a flightless parrot from New Zealand, who is credited by many with single-wingedly saving his species. In the 1970s, researchers believed that the Kakapo had been nearly wiped out and that extinction was inevitable -- that is, until they ran across Richard. With his genetic material, conservationists were able to slowly recover the species. But today, after decades of service, Richard Henry has passed away at the ripe old age of 80 -- leaving behind a legacy that, with any luck, will be everlasting.

Aside from being rare, kakapo are actually quite unique for a parrot in that they are nocturnal, flightless, and heavy -- perfect traits for their virtually predator-less native habitat in New Zealand, but those characteristics put them at a terrible disadvantage when Europeans began to settle the islands, bringing animals and a tradition of clearing forests for farmland.

Even early on, scientists at the time noticed that the bird numbers were in decline -- due mainly to the factors described above, but also because they were a curiosity among foreign biologists and animal collectors, though the species didn't fair well in captivity.

By the 1890s, it was clear that lest some action be taken to protect them, the kakapo would soon go the way of that other flightless bird, the dodo. So, the New Zealand government set aside a reserve for the kakapo on the Resolution Island, where they were to be protected from the many threats they faced from humans and other invasive species. Appointed to oversee the birds was a dedicated naturalist by the name of Richard Henry.

Their safety in the reserve was short lived, however; predatory animals were able to swim to the island and decimate the kakapo population there. A small group of birds were rescued and moved to other islands, but the same problems only repeated. Finally, they found some refuge on the island of Fiordland, but their numbers continued to decline well into the 20th century. By the 1970s, it biologists feared they'd become extinct.

Then, on an exploratory expedition to Fiordland in 1975, researchers found a single middle-aged kakapo male, offering hope that the birds could yet be saved -- and they named him after that early kakapo conservationist.

When a small group of other birds were discovered on another island, Richard Henry became instrumental in producing offspring by offering some diversity to the dwindling population.

Over the next few decades later, with the help of Richard Henry, the kakapo species has seen an encouraging increase. Thanks to the dedication of a devout group of conservationists who have worked tirelessly to save the birds -- as well as concerned citizens from throughout the world -- the kakapo population currently stands at 122 birds. And, in the tradition of Richard Henry, each of the birds has a name, too. But his legacy hardly ends there.

With his death at 80 years of age, that very important kakapo leaves behind a better world for his kind. The Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Program Scientist Ron Moorhouse says Richard Henry's death marks the end of an era.

"Richard Henry was a living link to the early days of kākāpō recovery, and perhaps even to a time before stoats when kakapo could boom unmolested in Fiordland," said Dr Moorhouse. Richard Henry had not bred since 1999, and had been showing signs of age including blindness in one eye, slow moving and wrinkles. A sample of his DNA has been preserved.

The kākāpō breeding season is now well under way on both Codfish and Anchor Islands. If chicks are hatched on Anchor, they could well be the first kākāpō chicks in Fiordland since Richard Henry himself was a chick.

We had a great year last year when 33 chicks were born, and we're hoping for more this year. The males are booming well, so we're optimistic. It's sad to lose Richard Henry but the main thing is that the kākāpō population is growing...

There's something moving about the story of this bird, so full of tragedy, and hope. Perhaps there was a time when he could sense a darkness closing in on his species, when his lonely calls into the dim forests were all unanswered. But in the end, Richard Henry survived the night and chanced a glimpse of a new beginning for his kind.

It must be a bitter-sweet farewell for those dedicated humans who knew him long, but of course, there's more work to do -- it's egg-laying season for the kakapo soon. And, while Richard Henry's death may mark the end of an era, it marks the beginning of a new one, too.

Thanks to Sirocco Kakapo for the tip.

More on the Kakapo
Teenager on a Mission to Save Endangered Parrots
The World's Most Endangered Parrot Adds 26 Chicks to Its Numbers
Lessons From Extinction: Why are the Dodo Bird and the Kakapo So Similar?

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/01/legendary-parrot-who-saved-his-species-dead-at-80.php?campaign=th_rss_travel

Legendary Parrot Who Saved His Species Dead at 80

Photo via AKO AOTEAROA

by Stephen Messenger, Porto Alegre, Brazil on 01.13.11
Travel & Nature

Richard Henry may sound like an oddly dignified name for a bird -- but its bearer deserves nothing less. Richard was a highly-endangered Kakapo, a flightless parrot from New Zealand, who is credited by many with single-wingedly saving his species. In the 1970s, researchers believed that the Kakapo had been nearly wiped out and that extinction was inevitable -- that is, until they ran across Richard. With his genetic material, conservationists were able to slowly recover the species. But today, after decades of service, Richard Henry has passed away at the ripe old age of 80 -- leaving behind a legacy that, with any luck, will be everlasting.

Aside from being rare, kakapo are actually quite unique for a parrot in that they are nocturnal, flightless, and heavy -- perfect traits for their virtually predator-less native habitat in New Zealand, but those characteristics put them at a terrible disadvantage when Europeans began to settle the islands, bringing animals and a tradition of clearing forests for farmland.

Even early on, scientists at the time noticed that the bird numbers were in decline -- due mainly to the factors described above, but also because they were a curiosity among foreign biologists and animal collectors, though the species didn't fair well in captivity.

By the 1890s, it was clear that lest some action be taken to protect them, the kakapo would soon go the way of that other flightless bird, the dodo. So, the New Zealand government set aside a reserve for the kakapo on the Resolution Island, where they were to be protected from the many threats they faced from humans and other invasive species. Appointed to oversee the birds was a dedicated naturalist by the name of Richard Henry.

Their safety in the reserve was short lived, however; predatory animals were able to swim to the island and decimate the kakapo population there. A small group of birds were rescued and moved to other islands, but the same problems only repeated. Finally, they found some refuge on the island of Fiordland, but their numbers continued to decline well into the 20th century. By the 1970s, it biologists feared they'd become extinct.

Then, on an exploratory expedition to Fiordland in 1975, researchers found a single middle-aged kakapo male, offering hope that the birds could yet be saved -- and they named him after that early kakapo conservationist.

When a small group of other birds were discovered on another island, Richard Henry became instrumental in producing offspring by offering some diversity to the dwindling population.

Over the next few decades later, with the help of Richard Henry, the kakapo species has seen an encouraging increase. Thanks to the dedication of a devout group of conservationists who have worked tirelessly to save the birds -- as well as concerned citizens from throughout the world -- the kakapo population currently stands at 122 birds. And, in the tradition of Richard Henry, each of the birds has a name, too. But his legacy hardly ends there.

With his death at 80 years of age, that very important kakapo leaves behind a better world for his kind. The Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Program Scientist Ron Moorhouse says Richard Henry's death marks the end of an era.

"Richard Henry was a living link to the early days of kākāpō recovery, and perhaps even to a time before stoats when kakapo could boom unmolested in Fiordland," said Dr Moorhouse. Richard Henry had not bred since 1999, and had been showing signs of age including blindness in one eye, slow moving and wrinkles. A sample of his DNA has been preserved.

The kākāpō breeding season is now well under way on both Codfish and Anchor Islands. If chicks are hatched on Anchor, they could well be the first kākāpō chicks in Fiordland since Richard Henry himself was a chick.

We had a great year last year when 33 chicks were born, and we're hoping for more this year. The males are booming well, so we're optimistic. It's sad to lose Richard Henry but the main thing is that the kākāpō population is growing...

There's something moving about the story of this bird, so full of tragedy, and hope. Perhaps there was a time when he could sense a darkness closing in on his species, when his lonely calls into the dim forests were all unanswered. But in the end, Richard Henry survived the night and chanced a glimpse of a new beginning for his kind.

It must be a bitter-sweet farewell for those dedicated humans who knew him long, but of course, there's more work to do -- it's egg-laying season for the kakapo soon. And, while Richard Henry's death may mark the end of an era, it marks the beginning of a new one, too.

Thanks to Sirocco Kakapo for the tip.

More on the Kakapo
Teenager on a Mission to Save Endangered Parrots
The World's Most Endangered Parrot Adds 26 Chicks to Its Numbers
Lessons From Extinction: Why are the Dodo Bird and the Kakapo So Similar?

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/01/legendary-parrot-who-saved-his-species-dead-at-80.php?campaign=th_rss_travel

Dead Species Can Indeed Tell Tales

January 15th, 2011, 08:57 GMT | By Tudor Vieru

Research scientists have over the years developed methods of using the fossil record for studies of the future. The analysis of extinct species is allowing them to gain more insight into how modern-day animals response to changes in their environments and ecosystems, and scientists are on it 24/7.

Paleobiologists and paleontologists basically use the same approach to teasing out the future response of ecosystems from available data as climate scientists do when determining the future of the climate from old records inscribed in ancient ices.

In a new, extensive review of the scientific literature covering the fossil record, scientists have determined that the remains of ancient creatures can be used to boost modern science in a variety of ways.

One possible application could be to assess the potential environmental impacts that events similar to ones that happened in the past could have on a modern ecosystem, habitat or on species.

Using data from Earth's distant past could also help scientists predict which species will be most vulnerable to changes in the environment. In turn, this may provide thorough guidelines for restoration efforts currently being conducted by conservationists.

The review effort was funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), and led by Gregory Dietl and Karl Flessa. A paper detailing the findings was published in the January issue of the scientific journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution.

Gregory Dietl is a conservation paleobiologist at the Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, and also at the Paleontological Research Institution, whereas Karl Flessa occupies an identical position at the University of Arizona.

“Conservation paleobiologists apply the data and tools of paleontology to today's problems in biodiversity conservation,” says Dietl.

“A conservation paleobiology perspective has the unique advantage of being able to identify phenomena beyond time scales of direct observation,” he explains.

“Historically, paleontologists have focused their efforts on understanding the deep-time geological record of ancient life on Earth, but these authors turn that focus 180 degrees,” H. Richard Lane says.

“In putting the dead to work, they identify the significant impact knowledge of fossil life can have on interpreting modern biodiversity and ecological trends,” explains the expert, who is the program director of the NSF Division of Earth Sciences.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Dead-Species-Can-Indeed-Tell-Tales-178432.shtml

Dead Species Can Indeed Tell Tales

January 15th, 2011, 08:57 GMT | By Tudor Vieru

Research scientists have over the years developed methods of using the fossil record for studies of the future. The analysis of extinct species is allowing them to gain more insight into how modern-day animals response to changes in their environments and ecosystems, and scientists are on it 24/7.

Paleobiologists and paleontologists basically use the same approach to teasing out the future response of ecosystems from available data as climate scientists do when determining the future of the climate from old records inscribed in ancient ices.

In a new, extensive review of the scientific literature covering the fossil record, scientists have determined that the remains of ancient creatures can be used to boost modern science in a variety of ways.

One possible application could be to assess the potential environmental impacts that events similar to ones that happened in the past could have on a modern ecosystem, habitat or on species.

Using data from Earth's distant past could also help scientists predict which species will be most vulnerable to changes in the environment. In turn, this may provide thorough guidelines for restoration efforts currently being conducted by conservationists.

The review effort was funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), and led by Gregory Dietl and Karl Flessa. A paper detailing the findings was published in the January issue of the scientific journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution.

Gregory Dietl is a conservation paleobiologist at the Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, and also at the Paleontological Research Institution, whereas Karl Flessa occupies an identical position at the University of Arizona.

“Conservation paleobiologists apply the data and tools of paleontology to today's problems in biodiversity conservation,” says Dietl.

“A conservation paleobiology perspective has the unique advantage of being able to identify phenomena beyond time scales of direct observation,” he explains.

“Historically, paleontologists have focused their efforts on understanding the deep-time geological record of ancient life on Earth, but these authors turn that focus 180 degrees,” H. Richard Lane says.

“In putting the dead to work, they identify the significant impact knowledge of fossil life can have on interpreting modern biodiversity and ecological trends,” explains the expert, who is the program director of the NSF Division of Earth Sciences.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Dead-Species-Can-Indeed-Tell-Tales-178432.shtml

Danube wildlife threatened by EU plans to improve navigation

Danube River navigation scheme could damage huge ecosystem

December 2010. New plans to ease navigation bottlenecks on the Danube could threaten some of the river's most scenic and natural values, said WWF after the release of plans of the European Commission to increase navigation on the river as part of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.

The Danube River basin, the most international river basin in the world, comprises 19 countries and is currently home to close to 100 million people. One quarter of them depend on the river for their drinking water.

WWF criticises the decision to increase navigation on the Danube by removing the so-called bottlenecks, obstacles to navigation during low water level. This usually involves deepening and widening the fairway with the help of old-fashioned and expensive infrastructures. Such interventions would not only affect local ecosystems, but the entire river morphology and dynamics as well as the associated flora and fauna.

Hungary badly affected
The number of existing navigation projects show the alarmingly broad definition being applied to the term bottleneck - it includes the last free flowing stretch of the Danube in Germany and the entire Hungarian section of the river. Many areas with outstanding natural values are also being investigated for intrusive navigational works. In the Lower Danube, islands like Belene, Cama-Dinu and Turcescu are considered bottlenecks at the same time as being part of Nature Parks or designated EU Natura 2000 sites.

Although the river has seen considerable improvements in its condition over the last decade, this decision could result in significant negative impacts on its unique environment without bringing the expected economic benefit to the region.

Diking and dredging
"Heavy investments in diking and dredging the Danube have been justified by various officials with reference to the Rhine River. But the Rhineland has very different conditions from the Danube area, with an industrial base that has developed over centuries and not just thanks to the river. Expecting an economic miracle from investments in Danube navigation is a myth, and potentially a very costly mistake." said Andreas Beckmann, Director of the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme.

The Danube, as opposed to the Rhine, does not harbour as many industrial sites, and many of the large economic centres on the Danube are not located on the river.

Big mistake

"Today is a sad day", said Petruta Moisi, a prominent Romanian environmentalist who lives close to the river in Galati. "It's sad not because there will be navigation along the Danube River - the river has always been navigable - but because of the narrow mindset of the hydrologists and river engineers, who were all trained over the past 50 years and this is their final lifetime opportunity to get things wrong".

"It's the same pattern of thinking that made it possible for the former river wetlands and floodplains to be destroyed for good starting back in the early 1970s. I feel sad because I truly believed in all the decision makers' capacity for understanding the issues here. But who will pay the price now for doing things in an unsustainable way? You do not need to be smart to know that", Moisi said.

The current focus of the proposed strategy on expensive and out-dated approaches to increase navigation risks not only waste money but destroy valuable biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, from flood protection to water purification.

"Solutions for improving inland navigation without changing drastically the nature of the river are available and are less costly in financial as well as ecological terms. We need to invest in innovative ship design that fit the existing depth of the river, better information systems, and nature friendly infrastructure." added Beckmann.

WWF is calling on Danube countries and on Hungary as next leader of the EU Council to seize the opportunity of the Strategy to bring short and long term benefits to its population by using its enormous natural and cultural assets in a sustainable way.

Other aspects of the plan, which will continue the improvement of water quality and offer special protection to the sturgeon, were praised by WWF

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/danube-threat.html

Danube wildlife threatened by EU plans to improve navigation

Danube River navigation scheme could damage huge ecosystem

December 2010. New plans to ease navigation bottlenecks on the Danube could threaten some of the river's most scenic and natural values, said WWF after the release of plans of the European Commission to increase navigation on the river as part of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.

The Danube River basin, the most international river basin in the world, comprises 19 countries and is currently home to close to 100 million people. One quarter of them depend on the river for their drinking water.

WWF criticises the decision to increase navigation on the Danube by removing the so-called bottlenecks, obstacles to navigation during low water level. This usually involves deepening and widening the fairway with the help of old-fashioned and expensive infrastructures. Such interventions would not only affect local ecosystems, but the entire river morphology and dynamics as well as the associated flora and fauna.

Hungary badly affected
The number of existing navigation projects show the alarmingly broad definition being applied to the term bottleneck - it includes the last free flowing stretch of the Danube in Germany and the entire Hungarian section of the river. Many areas with outstanding natural values are also being investigated for intrusive navigational works. In the Lower Danube, islands like Belene, Cama-Dinu and Turcescu are considered bottlenecks at the same time as being part of Nature Parks or designated EU Natura 2000 sites.

Although the river has seen considerable improvements in its condition over the last decade, this decision could result in significant negative impacts on its unique environment without bringing the expected economic benefit to the region.

Diking and dredging
"Heavy investments in diking and dredging the Danube have been justified by various officials with reference to the Rhine River. But the Rhineland has very different conditions from the Danube area, with an industrial base that has developed over centuries and not just thanks to the river. Expecting an economic miracle from investments in Danube navigation is a myth, and potentially a very costly mistake." said Andreas Beckmann, Director of the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme.

The Danube, as opposed to the Rhine, does not harbour as many industrial sites, and many of the large economic centres on the Danube are not located on the river.

Big mistake

"Today is a sad day", said Petruta Moisi, a prominent Romanian environmentalist who lives close to the river in Galati. "It's sad not because there will be navigation along the Danube River - the river has always been navigable - but because of the narrow mindset of the hydrologists and river engineers, who were all trained over the past 50 years and this is their final lifetime opportunity to get things wrong".

"It's the same pattern of thinking that made it possible for the former river wetlands and floodplains to be destroyed for good starting back in the early 1970s. I feel sad because I truly believed in all the decision makers' capacity for understanding the issues here. But who will pay the price now for doing things in an unsustainable way? You do not need to be smart to know that", Moisi said.

The current focus of the proposed strategy on expensive and out-dated approaches to increase navigation risks not only waste money but destroy valuable biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, from flood protection to water purification.

"Solutions for improving inland navigation without changing drastically the nature of the river are available and are less costly in financial as well as ecological terms. We need to invest in innovative ship design that fit the existing depth of the river, better information systems, and nature friendly infrastructure." added Beckmann.

WWF is calling on Danube countries and on Hungary as next leader of the EU Council to seize the opportunity of the Strategy to bring short and long term benefits to its population by using its enormous natural and cultural assets in a sustainable way.

Other aspects of the plan, which will continue the improvement of water quality and offer special protection to the sturgeon, were praised by WWF

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/danube-threat.html

Life discovered in deepest layer of Earth’s crust

Just when you thought we had discovered signs of life everywhere possible on Earth, a new expedition has revealed a complete ecosystem existing in the deepest layer of the planet’s crust.


A drilling expedition towards the Earth’s centre would mean digging through sediment, a layer of basalt, and then hit the gabbroic layer, which lies directly above the mantle.

A team led by Stephen Giovannoni of Oregon State University in Corvallis drilled down to 1391 metres, where temperatures reach 102 degrees Celsius. Here, they found communities of bacteria that were sparse but widespread, reports New Scientist.

But the type of organisms they came across was very different.

One key difference was that archaea were absent in the gabbroic layer. Also, genetic analysis revealed that unlike their upstairs neighbours, many of the gabbroic bugs had evolved to feed off hydrocarbons like methane and benzene.

This could mean that the bacteria migrated down from shallower regions rather than evolving inside the crust.

"This deep biosphere is a very important discovery," said Rolf Pedersen of the University of Bergen, Norway.

He added that the reactions that produce oil and gas abiotically inside the crust could occur in the mantle, meaning life may be thriving deeper yet.

The find is published in PLoS ONE.

Life discovered in deepest layer of Earth’s crust

Just when you thought we had discovered signs of life everywhere possible on Earth, a new expedition has revealed a complete ecosystem existing in the deepest layer of the planet’s crust.


A drilling expedition towards the Earth’s centre would mean digging through sediment, a layer of basalt, and then hit the gabbroic layer, which lies directly above the mantle.

A team led by Stephen Giovannoni of Oregon State University in Corvallis drilled down to 1391 metres, where temperatures reach 102 degrees Celsius. Here, they found communities of bacteria that were sparse but widespread, reports New Scientist.

But the type of organisms they came across was very different.

One key difference was that archaea were absent in the gabbroic layer. Also, genetic analysis revealed that unlike their upstairs neighbours, many of the gabbroic bugs had evolved to feed off hydrocarbons like methane and benzene.

This could mean that the bacteria migrated down from shallower regions rather than evolving inside the crust.

"This deep biosphere is a very important discovery," said Rolf Pedersen of the University of Bergen, Norway.

He added that the reactions that produce oil and gas abiotically inside the crust could occur in the mantle, meaning life may be thriving deeper yet.

The find is published in PLoS ONE.

First cold water coral ecosystem discovered off coast of Mauritania

The 190km long coral wall is up to 60 metres high

November 2010: A cold water coral ecosystem has been found off the coast of Mauritania in Africa for the first time. A research team led by Professor Andre Freiwald of Germany's Senckenberg Institute came across the reef, which was full of living animals during a research trip. The scientists also stumbled across the giant deep sea oyster, a Methuselah among sea creatures.

The coral wall on the continental shelf off the coast of Mauritania is between 50 and 60 metres high and 190 km long. When the Swedish robot pilot Tomas Lundälv of the Sven Lovén Centre of the University of Gothenburg set down a diving robot on the seafloor at a depth of 615 metres, the scientists on board the research ship found themselves transported via video link to the middle of a flourishing coral ecosystem.


André Freiwald reports on a heavily calcified Lophelia coral with orange-red polyps and gorgonias, which, beside the reef-building stony corals, formed imposing octocoral gardens in the dark and otherwise inaccessible habitat. According to the excited expedition report, giant clams also hang on the coral galleries, in exactly the same way as is found elsewhere in Norwegian reef systems.


Traditionally associated with Scandanavia and the irish Sea
Such impressive ecosystems were previously associated with areas much further to the north, around Scandinavia and in the Irish Sea. Unlike their tropical relatives, found by snorkellers and scuba divers in the illuminated and significantly warmer surface waters, cold water corals live at a cold 13 degrees centigrade in the dark and nutrient-rich deep sea region below 200 metres. Prof Freiwald was aware of a loose cold water coral reef which extends to southern regions but until now scientists had found only fossil coral reef structures on the seafloor off the coast of Gibraltar and Morocco.

While the Maria S. Merian, equipped with a dynamic positioning system, accompanied the diving robot step by step, the on-board coral team followed the exploratory dive, about 60 km west of Cape Tamirist, which took them into uncharted waters. Metre by metre, the device worked its way up the slope following a navigation chart drawn up by the Senckenberg scientist, Dr Lydia Beuck, when at a depth of approximately 500 metres, the coral team discovered further Lophelia. At the same time, the diversity of sponges and large crustaceans at the location increased significantly.

Giant deep sea oyster that can live for more than 500 years
Among other things, the scientists found the powerful carrier crab Paromola here, and on diving through the rocky landscape, also discovered the giant deep sea oyster Neopycnodonte, also never before observed so far to the south. These oysters form thick populations and can be described as Methuselahs among animals, with some individuals living for more than 500 years.


For the scientists on board the Maria S. Merian, the discovery of the ecosystem with living cold water corals came as a surprise. Prof Freiwald thinks one explanation may be that offshore winds push the surface waters from the Mauritanian cliffs out into the open ocean, allowing a flow of cold and nutrient-rich water from the depths.

The 16th research voyage with the Maria S. Merian, under the leadership of Professor Hildegard Westphal from the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Ecology in Bremen, ends later this month in Cape Verde. Until then, it will stop at and chart further parts of the coral system in the canyon of the continental shelf off the coast of Mauritania. Prof Freiwald expects the next dives on this expedition to provide information as to whether the newly discovered ecosystem represents a single structure or whether a spatially extended living reef province exists in the southern waters.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/coral-deepwater001.html

First cold water coral ecosystem discovered off coast of Mauritania

The 190km long coral wall is up to 60 metres high

November 2010: A cold water coral ecosystem has been found off the coast of Mauritania in Africa for the first time. A research team led by Professor Andre Freiwald of Germany's Senckenberg Institute came across the reef, which was full of living animals during a research trip. The scientists also stumbled across the giant deep sea oyster, a Methuselah among sea creatures.

The coral wall on the continental shelf off the coast of Mauritania is between 50 and 60 metres high and 190 km long. When the Swedish robot pilot Tomas Lundälv of the Sven Lovén Centre of the University of Gothenburg set down a diving robot on the seafloor at a depth of 615 metres, the scientists on board the research ship found themselves transported via video link to the middle of a flourishing coral ecosystem.


André Freiwald reports on a heavily calcified Lophelia coral with orange-red polyps and gorgonias, which, beside the reef-building stony corals, formed imposing octocoral gardens in the dark and otherwise inaccessible habitat. According to the excited expedition report, giant clams also hang on the coral galleries, in exactly the same way as is found elsewhere in Norwegian reef systems.


Traditionally associated with Scandanavia and the irish Sea
Such impressive ecosystems were previously associated with areas much further to the north, around Scandinavia and in the Irish Sea. Unlike their tropical relatives, found by snorkellers and scuba divers in the illuminated and significantly warmer surface waters, cold water corals live at a cold 13 degrees centigrade in the dark and nutrient-rich deep sea region below 200 metres. Prof Freiwald was aware of a loose cold water coral reef which extends to southern regions but until now scientists had found only fossil coral reef structures on the seafloor off the coast of Gibraltar and Morocco.

While the Maria S. Merian, equipped with a dynamic positioning system, accompanied the diving robot step by step, the on-board coral team followed the exploratory dive, about 60 km west of Cape Tamirist, which took them into uncharted waters. Metre by metre, the device worked its way up the slope following a navigation chart drawn up by the Senckenberg scientist, Dr Lydia Beuck, when at a depth of approximately 500 metres, the coral team discovered further Lophelia. At the same time, the diversity of sponges and large crustaceans at the location increased significantly.

Giant deep sea oyster that can live for more than 500 years
Among other things, the scientists found the powerful carrier crab Paromola here, and on diving through the rocky landscape, also discovered the giant deep sea oyster Neopycnodonte, also never before observed so far to the south. These oysters form thick populations and can be described as Methuselahs among animals, with some individuals living for more than 500 years.


For the scientists on board the Maria S. Merian, the discovery of the ecosystem with living cold water corals came as a surprise. Prof Freiwald thinks one explanation may be that offshore winds push the surface waters from the Mauritanian cliffs out into the open ocean, allowing a flow of cold and nutrient-rich water from the depths.

The 16th research voyage with the Maria S. Merian, under the leadership of Professor Hildegard Westphal from the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Ecology in Bremen, ends later this month in Cape Verde. Until then, it will stop at and chart further parts of the coral system in the canyon of the continental shelf off the coast of Mauritania. Prof Freiwald expects the next dives on this expedition to provide information as to whether the newly discovered ecosystem represents a single structure or whether a spatially extended living reef province exists in the southern waters.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/coral-deepwater001.html

Black magic behind illegal owl trade in India

Use of owls in black magic and sorcery driven by superstition, totems and taboos is one of the prime drivers of the covert owl trade, finds a TRAFFIC India investigation into the illegal trade, trapping and utilization of owls in India.


TRAFFIC India’s report entitled “Imperilled Custodians of the Night” was launched today by Shri Jairam Ramesh, Hon. Minister of Environment and Forests at his office in New Delhi.

Hunting of and trade in all Indian owl species is banned under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 of India.

While the exact number of owls traded each year countrywide is unknown, it certainly runs into thousands of individuals and there are anecdotal reports of owls becoming rare throughout India due to loss of suitable habitat especially old growth forests.

In light of such reports, TRAFFIC is calling for measures including better law enforcement to curb the trade in owls immediately.

TRAFFIC also calls for raising awareness of the beneficial and vital role of owls in the ecosystem, the birds being of particular benefit to farmers through their predation of rodents and other crop pests.

The sacrifice of owls on auspicious occasions appears to be a regular practice and TRAFFIC warns of a possible increase in owl trade and sacrifice around Diwali, the Festival of Light, which this year is on 5th November.

Shaman or black magic practitioners frequently referred to as tantriks in India, prescribe the use of owls and their body parts such as skull, feathers, ear tuffs, claws, heart, liver, kidney, blood, eyes, fat, beak, tears, eggshells, meat and bones for ceremonial pujas and rituals.

Of the 30 owl species recorded from India, 15 have been recorded by this study in the domestic live bird trade. Owl species most highly sought after by traders are large species, especially those with false “ear-tufts” (actually feather extensions on the head), which are thought to bestow greater magical properties on the birds.

However, trade includes both large (e.g. Rock Eagle-Owl) & small (e.g. Spotted Owlet) owl species inhabiting areas as varied as urban settings and forest or riverine tracts with the main centres for the illicit trade located in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Bihar, according to TRAFFIC.

Shri Jairam Ramesh, Hon. Minister of Environment and Forest said at the launch, “Diwali should be a time for celebration across our nation, not one when our wildlife is plundered to feed ignorant superstition. India's wildlife already faces many pressures; the additional burden of being killed out of ignorance and fear is not one that has any place in our modern society”.

“Owls are as important to our ecosystem as the Tigers or any other better known charismatic species. It is important that the threat to owls is brought to light during the festival of Diwali and concrete ground action is undertaken to curb such trade” he further added.

The TRAFFIC investigation also finds that besides black magic, owls are trapped and traded for use in street performances; killed for taxidermy and for their meat; their parts are used in folk medicines; even their claws and feathers are sometimes used in headgear. Live owls are also used as decoys to catch other bird species.

In addition, the investigation recorded 15 owl species in trade including the spotted owlet, barn owl, rock-eagle owl, jungle owlet, collared scops-owl, brown fish-owl, dusky eagle-owl, mottled wood-owl, Asian barred owlet, collared Owlet, brown wood-owl, oriental scops-owl, spot-bellied eagle-owl, tawny fish-owl and the eastern grass-owl.

http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?196341/Black-magic-behind-illegal-owl-trade-in-India

Black magic behind illegal owl trade in India

Use of owls in black magic and sorcery driven by superstition, totems and taboos is one of the prime drivers of the covert owl trade, finds a TRAFFIC India investigation into the illegal trade, trapping and utilization of owls in India.


TRAFFIC India’s report entitled “Imperilled Custodians of the Night” was launched today by Shri Jairam Ramesh, Hon. Minister of Environment and Forests at his office in New Delhi.

Hunting of and trade in all Indian owl species is banned under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 of India.

While the exact number of owls traded each year countrywide is unknown, it certainly runs into thousands of individuals and there are anecdotal reports of owls becoming rare throughout India due to loss of suitable habitat especially old growth forests.

In light of such reports, TRAFFIC is calling for measures including better law enforcement to curb the trade in owls immediately.

TRAFFIC also calls for raising awareness of the beneficial and vital role of owls in the ecosystem, the birds being of particular benefit to farmers through their predation of rodents and other crop pests.

The sacrifice of owls on auspicious occasions appears to be a regular practice and TRAFFIC warns of a possible increase in owl trade and sacrifice around Diwali, the Festival of Light, which this year is on 5th November.

Shaman or black magic practitioners frequently referred to as tantriks in India, prescribe the use of owls and their body parts such as skull, feathers, ear tuffs, claws, heart, liver, kidney, blood, eyes, fat, beak, tears, eggshells, meat and bones for ceremonial pujas and rituals.

Of the 30 owl species recorded from India, 15 have been recorded by this study in the domestic live bird trade. Owl species most highly sought after by traders are large species, especially those with false “ear-tufts” (actually feather extensions on the head), which are thought to bestow greater magical properties on the birds.

However, trade includes both large (e.g. Rock Eagle-Owl) & small (e.g. Spotted Owlet) owl species inhabiting areas as varied as urban settings and forest or riverine tracts with the main centres for the illicit trade located in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Bihar, according to TRAFFIC.

Shri Jairam Ramesh, Hon. Minister of Environment and Forest said at the launch, “Diwali should be a time for celebration across our nation, not one when our wildlife is plundered to feed ignorant superstition. India's wildlife already faces many pressures; the additional burden of being killed out of ignorance and fear is not one that has any place in our modern society”.

“Owls are as important to our ecosystem as the Tigers or any other better known charismatic species. It is important that the threat to owls is brought to light during the festival of Diwali and concrete ground action is undertaken to curb such trade” he further added.

The TRAFFIC investigation also finds that besides black magic, owls are trapped and traded for use in street performances; killed for taxidermy and for their meat; their parts are used in folk medicines; even their claws and feathers are sometimes used in headgear. Live owls are also used as decoys to catch other bird species.

In addition, the investigation recorded 15 owl species in trade including the spotted owlet, barn owl, rock-eagle owl, jungle owlet, collared scops-owl, brown fish-owl, dusky eagle-owl, mottled wood-owl, Asian barred owlet, collared Owlet, brown wood-owl, oriental scops-owl, spot-bellied eagle-owl, tawny fish-owl and the eastern grass-owl.

http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?196341/Black-magic-behind-illegal-owl-trade-in-India