Rare creatures at risk if HS2 passes through Water Orton, claim wildlife group Read More http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2012/02/11/rare-creatures-at-risk-if-hs2-passes-through-water-orton-claim-wildlife-group-97319-30308558/#ixzz1mDthlL6H

RARE creatures, including otter and water vole, are under threat following claims the HS2 high-speed rail link will cut through Birmingham’s most important green oasis in Water Orton.

The Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, which manages the Park Hall reserve, in Water Orton, admitted it was now drawing-up a ‘‘damage limitation’’ exercise.

The 100-acre site – a mix of woods, grassland and wetland – is home to a host of nesting birds, including teal, reed bunting and buzzards. It’s also important for bats and rare moths.

And otters have been spotted on the reserve’s stretch of the River Tame. An artificial holt was recently erected on the banks in the hope tarkas would breed in the Birmingham area for the first time.

Wildlife Trust top brass, who manage the Environment Agency-owned land, spoke of their frustration over the lack of dialogue with HS2 Ltd, the company behind the link.

Chief executive Neil Wyatt said: “It would be helpful if they would talk to us properly, but they won’t talk specifics about any site.”

The Trust has resigned itself to accommodating the line, but backs Water Orton residents’ calls for a tunnel. At present a one mile stretch of The Tame, running through Park Hall, will be diverted, making the environment ‘‘much more hostile’’ for many creatures.

Mr Wyatt, 49, added: “We have spent a lot of money and effort on the woodland. This site is a gateway for wildlife at the western part of Birmingham.

“As it stands, the plans will turn one large nature reserve into two smaller nature reserves.”

Mr Wyatt stressed the Trust is not anti-HS2.

“We can see the benefits it brings to Birmingham. And, with work done ideally, there is even the opportunity to create habitats.”

Trust development manager Mark Dixon told the Mail: “It is an emotive issue. The rail link is seen as a positive thing by the business community and we do not want to take a confrontational stance.”

The £32 billion rail link will slice 35 minutes from the Birmingham to London rail journey but protestors claim money would be better spent upgrading existing rail stock and environmentalist have panned the project.

A HS2 spokesman said: “We want to develop close working partnerships with all those affected by the planned high speed link between London and the West Midlands.

‘‘We have contacted wildlife organisations to ask for their support in identifying key sites along the route and we are also writing to all relevant landowners to try and arrange site visits for detailed environmental survey work to assess the potential impact of the project.

“This programme is an essential part of the collection of data that will feed into wider environmental impact assessment of HS2, ahead of a hybrid Bill seeking powers to construct the line.”

Read More http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2012/02/11/rare-creatures-at-risk-if-hs2-passes-through-water-orton-claim-wildlife-group-97319-30308558/#ixzz1mDtYVFQo

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

Four lane highway to destroy Indian tiger corridor

Do we want roads for our cars – or a home for our tigers?

December 2011: The face-off between development agencies and environment conservationists is once again at the fore with the issue of expansion of India's National Highway (NH) in the central state of Maharashtra.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) recently rejected the plan of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for mitigation of damage to wildlife due to the expansion of highway NH6.

This is one of the most important landscapes for tigersWhile the expansion work - turning the road into a four-lane highway - is already underway, it is an 85km stretch running through a tiger corridor that is the cause for conflict between the two bodies.

The Nagzira-Nawegaon corridor connects nine tiger reserves in central India and is also included in the proposed Nagzira- Nawegaon Tiger Reserve. The corridor connectivity presently remains as two narrow strips of forest running almost parallel to each other, connecting Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in the north and Nawegaon National Park in the south. The corridor's contiguity is broken by NH6 crossing East-West.

‘This is one of the more important landscapes for tigers, supporting about one-sixth of the world's tiger population, said Dr MK Ranjitsinh, the chairman of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).

Mitigation measures need to be put in placeAfter a legal fight, the WTI has succeeded in halting the work until mitigation measure are put in place.

The subsequent NHAI report had suggested creation of three-metre-high underpasses in critical sections of the corridor for animals to cross through. It had recommended chain-link fencing in other areas to compel the animals to use these underpasses, and stop them from crossing the highway in other areas to prevent road hits.

‘This recommendation was literally amounting to narrowing down the corridor further and leaving only a few small passes for the animals,' said Prafulla Bhamburkar, of the Wildlife Trust for India (WTI)

Now, with the NHAI-recommended plan rejected, the WTI has been brought in to develop a new one.

Meanwhile, it emerged that even with the expansion work already in progress, NHAI has violated the Forest Conservation Act (FCA).

‘The FCA necessitates clearance by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) for any developmental activities within 10km radius of the country's protected areas. This was not adhered to,' said Bhambhurkar.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/tiger-india2011.html#cr

Logging threat fears for rare lobster

Experts fear a planned logging operation in Tasmania's north-west threatens the survival of the Tasmanian giant freshwater lobster.

A river system near Wynyard has been earmarked for logging by Forestry Tasmania, despite the area being known as one of the last strong holds of the vulnerable lobster.

The coupe is not listed for immediate protection under Tasmania's $276 million forest peace deal, but is being assessed for inclusion in future reserves of high conservation value forest.

Lobster expert Todd Walsh says sediment run-off from logging operations could decimate lobster populations and the area should be given immediate protection.

"Sediment covers their homes, which means the juvenile lobsters have nowhere to live, which means they're exposed to predators like platypus and blackfish."

"But also it covers up their food supply so they either starve to death or they get eaten; so sediment basically wipes them out."

Mr Walsh says the area is an important study site.

"This tributary runs into probably the most surveyed lobster spot on the planet, so there's been more lobsters surveyed and tagged downstream from this tributary than anywhere else.

"So it's probably the most important site that we've got," he said.

Meanwhile Forestry Tasmania has denied plans to log a key habitat of the giant freshwater lobster go against the spirit of the forest peace deal.

Ken Jefferys from Forestry Tasmania says it is harvesting the coupe to meet supply agreements, as it is required to do under the forest agreement.

"Only a few weeks ago we had to send a consignment from the south of the state to the north west with sawlogs to keep those mills operating, we are in a very constrained space, whenever you lock up more forests our capacity to reschedule, to adopt flexibility is significantly reduced."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-09/20111109-logging-threat-fears-for-rare-lobster/3655276

Volcano erupts in Virunga National Park

No danger to wildlife as yet November 2011: Nyamuragira, Africa's most active volcano, erupted earlier this month in a spectacular display of spewing lava, and bright orange smoke and ash in the DR Congo's Virunga National Park.

The volcano, which erupts on average every two years, is situated approximately 40km north of the city of Goma in North Kivu province, and just northwest of Virunga's other active volcano, Nyiragongo.

The eruption and lava appears to be coming from a low-level fissure on a flat area east of the volcano, with the lava flowing north toward a non-populated section of Virunga National Park.

Monitoring a nearby chimpanzee populationThe eruption, which is still in progress, appears to be of no danger to the surrounding population and the city of Goma - or the mountain gorillas and other wildlife. Scientists from the Volcanic Observatory of Goma (OVG) as well as of the National Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) will closely monitor the volcano activity and lava flow, keeping an eye on Tongo, an area north of the volcano where a population of habituated chimpanzees lives. Eruptions from Nyamuragira have been known to last for months.

Since 1882, the 3,058 meter high Nyamuragira (also known as Nyamulagira) has erupted more than 40 times, but fatalities from these eruptions are rare. Although neighbouring Nyiragongo volcano erupted violently in 2002 sending a lava flow through the city of Goma to the south, researchers at the OVG do not believe the eruption at Nyamuragira will have a major affect on the more dangerous Nyiragongo. Overnight tourist treks to the rim of Nyiragongo volcano will continue as usual.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/congo-volcano.html

Call to halt spread of feral cats in the US

‘This is a human-caused tragedy'November 2011: American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is calling on US mayors to stop the epidemic spread of feral cats that threaten national bird populations as well as scores of other wildlife.

Letters have been mailed to mayors of the fifty largest cities in the Unites States, urging they support responsible pet ownership and oppose Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) programmes that promote the feeding of outdoor cats.

‘Cat overpopulation is a human-caused tragedy that affects the health and well-being of cats, our native wildlife, and the public,' says Darin Schroeder, Vice President for Conservation Advocacy for ABC in a letter to the mayors. ‘Numerous published, scientific studies have shown that trap, neuter, re-abandon programmes do not reduce feral cat populations and that outdoor cats, even well-fed ones, kill hundreds of millions of wild birds and other animals each year in the US, including endangered species. Birds that nest or feed on the ground are especially vulnerable to cat attacks.

'About as fair as shooting of fish in a barrel'‘The domestic cat is an extremely effective predator that has been introduced by modern man into an environment whose species have evolved few, if any natural cat defences. Non-native, well-fed, inoculated, healthy cats versus defenseless prey is about as fair in the world of nature as the proverbial shooting of fish in a barrel,' he said.

Studies indicate that there are 95 million outdoor and feral cats in the United States that kill at least 532 million birds, and possibly significantly more. Given the well-documented impacts of cat predation on wildlife, ABC urges the mayors to oppose TNR programmes and the outdoor feeding of cats as a feral cat management option.

Through the Cats Indoors! campaign, ABC and its many partners encourage people to keep their cats indoors, train them to go outside on a harness and leash, or build outdoor cat enclosures. Cats should be spayed or neutered before they can produce an unwanted litter, and should never be abandoned. Abandoning cats is illegal in many areas, is extremely cruel to cats, and is harmful to birds and other wildlife.

‘TNR is not humane to the cats or the wildlife. Free-roaming cats are in constant danger of being hit by cars, contracting diseases and parasites, or being attacked by other animals or people,' said Schroeder. ‘Colonies often become dumping grounds for unwanted pets, thus continuing the inhumane cycle.'

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/feral-cat1112011.html

Marine Conservation Zones at risk

Big Society has spoken up for our seas - but will Government listen?

The wildlife in England’s seas is facing a serious threat, warns The Wildlife Trusts.

The long-awaited network of Marine Conservation Zones, promised by Government for 2012, is in danger, according to the conservation organisation, which has been instrumental in marine
campaigning and research. It is urging the public to write to Under-Secretary for Natural Environment and Fisheries, Richard Benyon MP, in support of Marine Conservation Zones.

After years of pressure from NGOs, and with huge public support, the Marine and Coastal Access Act of 2009 promised a coherent network of protection around the coast of England by 2012. Now 127 marine sites around England’s coast have been recommended by four regional stakeholder groups to become Marine Conservation Zones next year.

The recommendations are the result of two years of consultation with more than one million stakeholders involved including fishermen, conservationists and businesses. This has been the first ‘Big Society’ experiment where local stakeholders have decided together which areas of the sea should be protected.

There is concern that Government’s Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee) will recommend to Government that only a fraction of the 127 recommended sites are designated. This would result in a much smaller and less effective network of Marine Conservation Zones, leaving vulnerable and precious areas unprotected.

Joan Edwards, The Wildlife Trusts’ Head of Living Seas, said: “A huge amount of work has been done to get a broad agreement on this network of sites needed for the health and future productivity of our marine environment. Now, however, in the final stages the Government has lost its direction and is proposing to over-ride the recommendations of local stakeholders and cut the 127 sites down to an unrealistic 30 in contradiction with the aims of the new Marine and Coastal Access Act.

“With Wildlife Trusts all around the UK, we are lobbying hard for the successful completion of a process that will make the difference between the life or death of our seas. We need to demonstrate the weight of public support for Marine Conservation Zones to Government. This is a once in a lifetime chance. We can’t afford to let it slip away.”

The Wildlife Trusts is urging people to write to Richard Benyon and ask for Government to create the proposed network of 127 sites in England. It has produced some guidance on writing to the Minister, which can be found at www.wildlifetrusts.org/saveourmczs.

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/2011/11/08/marine-conservation-zones-risk

Duck's Boon Might Be a Turtle's Bane: Overturned Duck Nest Boxes Can Be Death Traps for Turtles

ScienceDaily (Nov. 3, 2011) — Duck nest boxes used to aid cavity-nesting ducks can prove to be turtle death traps. That was the discovery made by University of Cincinnati Educator Associate Professor Denis Conover, of the Department of Biological Sciences in UC's McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, when he came upon a duck nest box in the wetlands of southern Ohio's Miami Whitewater Forest. The box had tipped over. Turtle corpses were strewn about the mud and mire surrounding the fallen nesting box. Several species of turtles had been trapped by the box, and not all of them made it out alive.

Conover's concern for the turtles' welfare led him and co-authors Wayne Wauligman and Karen Cody, a naturalist, to write "Tipped Over Duck Nest Box Traps Turtles in a Restored Wetland (Ohio)," to raise awareness about the problem of improperly maintained and monitored duck nest boxes. A slide presentation of the research will be displayed at the Kansas Herpetological Society's (KHS) annual meeting in Wichita, Kansas, Nov. 4-6, 2011.

Ordinarily a good thing, duck nest boxes -- a nesting box attached to a pole in the wetland ground -- are often erected in wetlands to provide nest sites for cavity-nesting ducks such as wood ducks and hooded mergansers. In fact, duck nest boxes have been put up in many wetlands throughout the United States and Canada and have helped with increasing wood duck populations.

However, improper care of these boxes can have devastating effects on wetland turtles. Conover writes that "if a pole gets tipped over and the box gets into the water, these duck nest boxes can serve as death traps for turtles."

In Conover's case, the three species of trapped turtles -- painted, snapping and box -- are not endangered in Ohio. Still, other wetlands, such as the Beaver Creek Wetlands, Spring Valley Wildlife Area, and Cedar Bog, may harbor species like the spotted turtle which are much rarer. Such species may also be affected by overturned duck nest boxes.

Duck nest boxes are typically monitored and maintained during the winter or just before the breeding season, but Conover suggests that it "should probably be done more frequently." Periodically checking on duck nest boxes throughout the year can help reduce the dangerous and sometimes fatal consequences overturned boxes can have on turtles.

"Our goal is to reduce suffering and death of turtles by warning land managers about the threat to turtles that downed duck nest boxes can pose."

Conover recently finished an article titled, "Keystone Role of Beavers in a Restored Wetland (Ohio)," and has also published articles on control of Amur honeysuckle, deer management, woodland, wetland and prairie restoration, earlier flowering of wetland prairie plants associated with global warming, seed germination, plant/water relations, and ecological physiology of freshwater clams.

Over the years Conover has conducted many botanical surveys for various park districts and conservation groups such as Oxbow, Inc. and the Bergamo Center at Mount Saint John Nature Preserve. He is currently doing a vascular plant survey at Campbell Lakes Preserve for the Hamilton County Park District.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111103120457.htm

Environmentalists hunt wildlife-killing nurdles

Environmental regulators walked gingerly along the San Leandro shoreline Friday, keeping a sharp eye out for the elusive wildlife killer known as the "nurdle."

"I've got one," said Jared Blumenfeld, regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, after scooping one out of a worker's net. There, in his palm, was a tiny white pellet.

Nurdles are the tiny bits of plastic that are melted down and used in the production of plastic bags, bubble wrap, packaging and wrapping material. They may sound cuddly and nonthreatening, but they are believed to be responsible for the sickness and death of thousands of fish and birds in the region that have mistaken them for food.

The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, State Water Resources Control Board and the EPA have targeted four San Leandro plastic manufacturers in a first-in-the-nation effort to halt the rampant spillage of the pellets, hundreds of thousands of which have washed into storm drains that flow into San Francisco Bay.

"It's a very big problem," Blumenfeld said during Friday's first mandated nurdle cleanup operation at Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline in San Leandro. "We're looking at the practices of companies that have a great deal of these nurdles and we're making sure they are contained."

Three plastic bag manufacturing companies and one automobile bumper manufacturer have been ordered to develop procedures to prevent future spillage of pellets. The companies also have to conduct cleanup operations during high tides at nearby Oyster Bay, where the local storm drains empty out. The wetland around Oyster Bay, where workers were using pool skimmers Friday to capture the nurdles, is prime habitat for the endangered California clapper rail and salt marsh harvest mouse.

As mitigation for the pellets that were already spilled and can't be recovered, the companies have to clean up litter on the shoreline between Sept. 1 and Feb. 1 for the next two years.

Ironically, one of the bag manufacturers produced a plastic sack with the phrase "Don't Trash California Bags."

Regulators have known about the problem ever since a giant floating patch of plastic - including nurdles and other debris - twice the size of Texas was found in an area of the Pacific Ocean known as the North Pacific Gyre.

Read on ...

New Zealand oil spill threatening wildlife

Volunteers comb Bay of Plenty coast for oil-spill victims
October 2011. Around 70 volunteers including Forest & Bird members were searching the Bay of Plenty coastline today for injured birds as the oil spill worsened from the grounded container ship the Rena, Forest & Bird said.

Volunteers were combing beaches in the western Bay of Plenty as news came of a major new breach in the fuel tanks of the Rena, which ran aground on Astrolabe Reef off the coast from Tauranga last Wednesday.

"We are faced with a potential disaster along our coastline and many bird species are currently breeding. The news that the oil spill is getting much worse is a huge worry," Forest & Bird's Tauranga-based Central North Island Field Officer Al Fleming said.

"Volunteers are out today searching along the coast and on Matakana and Motiti Islands. Conditions have been unfavourable for trying to recover birds at sea today due to 2.5 metre swells and strong winds. It is unsafe to be out on the water," he said.

Breeding colonies
There are estimated to be 10,000 grey-faced petrels, thousands of diving petrels, white-faced storm petrels and fluttering shearwaters breeding on nearby islands, including colonies on islands off the Coromandel Peninsula and feeding in the Bay of Plenty.

Gannets & Blue penguins
A colony of several thousand gannets is on White Island and around 200 to 300 little blue penguins are estimated to be living along the coast in the vicinity of the oil spill. By the end of yesterday, seven little blue penguins and two pied shags had been rehabilitated after being fouled by oil and washed ashore.

Petrels and shearwaters
It is so far unclear if seabirds such as diving petrels and shearwaters have been badly affected because they do not come ashore on the mainland. Diving petrels are currently nursing small chicks and fluttering shearwaters are sitting on eggs. These seabirds breed in burrows so any birds with oil on their feathers could carry that oil into their nests and harm their chicks as well. If the parent birds have swallowed oil, both they and any chicks they feed could be killed.

Dotterels, Oystercatchers and terns
Shorebirds such as New Zealand dotterels, oystercatchers and white-fronted terns are starting to nest on sandy beaches just above the high tide mark. Spring tides, storm surges and low pressure systems could all combine to bring the oil higher up the beach and smother eggs and chicks.

Godwits & knots
Migratory birds such as the godwits and red knots are returning to New Zealand from the northern hemisphere and arriving in Tauranga and other harbours and estuaries along the Bay of Plenty coast.

Fur seals
Fur seals are currently moulting ashore on headlands, islands, and beaches throughout the region. Islands and rocky headlands are also home to mussels, crabs, and skinks.

Wha;es and dolphins
Whales and dolphins are in the area and a blue whale and a calf were seen in the vicinity of Astrolabe Reef a week ago. Filter-feeding whales are at risk from sticky oil clinging to their baleen plates as they feed.

Marine life
The effect on finfish, shellfish, crustaceans, filter feeders and other sea floor life could
be disastrous.

"Without quick action, the oil will blanket our filter feeding marine life which are not only important water filters but also crucial in the diets of many animals. Eventually the oil will accumulate throughout the food web," Al Fleming said.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/new-zealand-oil.html

Zimbabwe wildlife news – not good

The latest new from Zimbabwe - And it is all badOctober 2011. Courtesy of Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force

Elephants still under threat at Chiredzi River Conservancy
According to the latest reports from Zimbabwe, The situation in Chiredzi River Conservancy is worsening.

Overrun by ‘invaders'. The Chiredzi River Conservancy, part of the Trans Frontier Conservation Area, is an internationally renowned wildlife conservancy in the Sout Eastern Lowveld of Zimbabwe. It is being overrun by destructive invaders and its elephant and wildlife population is in severe danger of being wiped out. Reports indicate that the destruction of its fragile ecosystem has reached such serious proportions that its very survival is under threat. Appeals for the government to intervene before the destruction of the environment in the conservancy, and in all areas of Zimbabwe, becomes irreversible are falling on deaf ears.

The conservancy is situated in an area classified as arid and unsuitable for agriculture. Despite this, invaders have destroyed large areas by burning tress and vegetation in their efforts to grow crops and graze their cattle. Although there is funding available to help them move to areas more suitable for farming, the government turns a blind eye to the problem. Game scouts are employed to patrol the area but their jobs are extremely dangerous and they live under constant threat from poachers, politicians and invaders. They are continually assaulted and abused.

In an effort to protect the elephants, the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Francis Nhema was approached and asked if the elephants could be moved to a safer area but he was adamant that they stay in the conservancy. Whilst he acknowledged that the invaders were there illegally, he has made no attempt to have them removed.

South Africans hunt buffalo in Kariba
ZCTF have received reports recently of South African hunters allegedly being given permission by National Parks to shoot buffalo in the Kariba area - apparently for rations. It is thought that 2 have already been shot and a third is being hunted.

The reports say that a buffalo was shot and taken to the weigh bay in the National Anglers' Union (NAU) Charara fishing camp where it was skinned. It was then hung in the cold room in the camp - all this apparently with the permission of the Acting Manager of the NAU.

The part that doesn't make sense is that normally, when animals are shot for rations, they are taken to Nyanana and not to the NAU fishing camp. ZCTF were always under the impression that NAU Charara site was a fishing camp - not a hunting camp. If any tourists were present at the time, they would probably have been quite distressed to see a buffalo being skinned in the weigh bay. The other disturbing factor is that there are only about 32 buffalo left out of an original herd of 650.

Read on...

Thailand’s booming illegal exotic pet trade is trashing Madagascar's wildlife

Paperwork just doesn't add up

June 2011: Thailand's pet dealers are supplying large numbers of Madagascar's most threatened reptiles and amphibians to local and international markets, despite unanswered questions over the legality of the imports, a new TRAFFIC report has found.

A 15-day survey of 32 vendors in Bangkok and eight Thai provinces by TRAFFIC investigators found 591 specimens of Malagasy reptiles and amphibians available for sale.


‘Of particular concern was the large scale trade in endemic Malagasy chameleons,' states the report.

The investigators found 233 chameleons representing 16 species for sale in markets, shops and internet traders' homes, including the Antsingy Leaf Chameleon, a species whose international commercial trade is prohibited under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

While some chameleon species from Madagascar can be legally traded with permits, up to 78 per cent - some 3,738 individuals - imported to Thailand between 2004 and 2005, had been declared as ‘captive-bred' in Kazakhstan or re-exported from Lebanon, notes the report.

However, analysis of official trade data showed that Kazakhstan had reported no imports of chameleons from Madagascar, nor had any country reported exports of Malagasy chameleons to Kazakhstan. Clearly imports of Malagasy chameleons are a pre-requisite to establishing captive breeding populations and many of the exports went to Lebanon, from where they were re-exported to Thailand.

If there is a large-scale breeding operation - where did they source their breeding stock?

‘If large-scale captive-breeding operations of Malagasy chameleons are indeed taking place in Kazakhstan, where did they source their breeding stock and why are many of the exports going via Lebanon, a country that is not a party to CITES?' asks Chris Shepherd, deputy director of TRAFFIC South-East Asia.

Official trade data show Lebanon legally imported 32 Madagascan chameleons in 2005 from CITES Parties.

‘Even at the highest theoretical hatching and survival rates, it is impossible for 32 chameleons to produce the thousands of offspring Thailand declared as imported from Lebanon in subsequent years, so how is the shortfall accounted for?' asks Shepherd.

Critically endangered tortoises also on sale
Other species discovered during TRAFFIC's investigations in Thailand included more than 100 radiated tortoises, dozens of spider tortoises, and three ploughshare tortoises-three of the world's rarest tortoise species. All are classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered and international commercial trade in all is banned under CITES. The radiated tortoise population is believed to have shrunk to 30 per cent or less of its former range in south-west Madagascar since 2009.

According to Richard Hughes, WWF's representative in Madagascar: ‘We know there is a significant ongoing illegal trade in protected species from Madagascar, mainly destined for Asia, which has been exacerbated by the current political situation in the country leading to weaker enforcement of existing laws and safeguarding of protected areas.'

800 protected reptiles seized at Bangkok airport
TRAFFIC's investigations found that trade in Malagasy reptiles and amphibians, once concentrated in Bangkok's Chatuchak market, has now spread to provincial towns and is rife on the internet, with evidence to suggest a network of dealers who supply both national and international clients.

‘Traders who sell illegally acquired reptiles and amphibians show total contempt for the law and undermine Thailand's enforcement efforts,' said Shepherd.

For example, earlier this month more than 800 protected reptiles were interdicted by Thai authorities at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.

‘Seizures of Malagasy chameleons by airport authorities are testament to the continuing illegal trade, but as the current report amply demonstrates, only through making regular visits to markets stalls and other vendors can we hope to unearth the true scale of the illicit trade and its potential impact on wild chameleon populations,' said Dr Richard Jenkins, chair of the IUCN/SSC Chameleon Specialist Group.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/illegal-wildlife-thailand.html#cr

HS2 plan 'will destroy Warwickshire wildlife'

THOUSANDS of nature lovers across Coventry and Warwickshire are being rallied to fight the latest plans for a high-speed rail line.

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is calling on its 23,500 members to stand together in opposing plans for non-stop bullet trains that would cut the journey time from London to Birmingham to 49 minutes.

They say the proposed route for HS2 will create a “massive iron and concrete curtain” that will have a “devastating” impact on wild animals and plants.

Chief executive Steven Trotter, who this year took over the running of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, based at Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve, has spoken out since the government announced their intended route.

He said: “The new route for HS2 will be devastating for Warwickshire’s wildlife – and especially protected species such as bats, nationally-rare butterflies, bluebells and otters in some of our most sensitive and beautiful habitats.

“We’re here to stand up for wildlife. I know that thousands of Wildlife Trust members and members of the public will be writing to their MPs, lobbying government, and collaborating with the many community Stop HS2 action groups.”

On Monday, transport secretary Philip Hammond announced the government’s “preferred route” for the £17 billion scheme, which would see 250mph trains run through local communities including Burton Green, Stoneleigh, Kenilworth, Southam and across the western edge of Coventry.

A six-month public consultation will now follow.

Warwickshire is one of seven Wildlife Trusts that will feel the impacts of the high- speed rail route and Mr Trotter’s fears have been echoed at a national level.

Stephanie Hilborne, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, said: “Whilst consideration may have been given to noise and visual impacts on those people who live along the proposed route, Philip Hammond made no reference at all to the impact on the natural environment.”

Analysis by the Wildlife Trusts finds the route will directly affect two of its nature reserves, four sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs), 10 ancient woodland sites and 53 local wildlife sites.

The Wildlife Trust is made up of 47 groups nationwide with more than 800,000 members.

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/2010/12/24/hs2-plan-will-destroy-warwickshire-wildlife-92746-27881636/#ixzz19Pj3bOh5

HS2 plan 'will destroy Warwickshire wildlife'

THOUSANDS of nature lovers across Coventry and Warwickshire are being rallied to fight the latest plans for a high-speed rail line.

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is calling on its 23,500 members to stand together in opposing plans for non-stop bullet trains that would cut the journey time from London to Birmingham to 49 minutes.

They say the proposed route for HS2 will create a “massive iron and concrete curtain” that will have a “devastating” impact on wild animals and plants.

Chief executive Steven Trotter, who this year took over the running of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, based at Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve, has spoken out since the government announced their intended route.

He said: “The new route for HS2 will be devastating for Warwickshire’s wildlife – and especially protected species such as bats, nationally-rare butterflies, bluebells and otters in some of our most sensitive and beautiful habitats.

“We’re here to stand up for wildlife. I know that thousands of Wildlife Trust members and members of the public will be writing to their MPs, lobbying government, and collaborating with the many community Stop HS2 action groups.”

On Monday, transport secretary Philip Hammond announced the government’s “preferred route” for the £17 billion scheme, which would see 250mph trains run through local communities including Burton Green, Stoneleigh, Kenilworth, Southam and across the western edge of Coventry.

A six-month public consultation will now follow.

Warwickshire is one of seven Wildlife Trusts that will feel the impacts of the high- speed rail route and Mr Trotter’s fears have been echoed at a national level.

Stephanie Hilborne, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, said: “Whilst consideration may have been given to noise and visual impacts on those people who live along the proposed route, Philip Hammond made no reference at all to the impact on the natural environment.”

Analysis by the Wildlife Trusts finds the route will directly affect two of its nature reserves, four sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs), 10 ancient woodland sites and 53 local wildlife sites.

The Wildlife Trust is made up of 47 groups nationwide with more than 800,000 members.

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/2010/12/24/hs2-plan-will-destroy-warwickshire-wildlife-92746-27881636/#ixzz19Pj3bOh5

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

Feral cats kill 480 million birds in US every year - Responsible for 33 extinctions

480 million birds killed by feral cats each year

December 2010: A new report has put the annual economic loss from feral cat predation on birds in the US at a alleged $17 billion (Some of the maths involed in this figure are interesting, to say the least).

The report, Feral Cats And Their Management, analyses existing research on management of the burgeoning feral cat population - over 60 million and counting - in the United States, including the controversial practice of Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR).

Trap, Neuter & Release doesn't work
‘This report is a must read for any community or government official thinking about what to do about feral cats. It encapsulates the extensive research on this subject and draws conclusions based on that data. Not surprisingly, the report validates everything the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) has been saying about the feral cat issue for many years, namely TNR doesn't work in controlling feral cat populations,' said Darin Schroeder, Vice President for Conservation Advocacy for American Bird Conservancy, US's leading bird conservation organisation.

'These animals live short, miserable lives'

‘Communities seeking a solution to their feral cat problems need to consider the science on the issue and the well being of animals impacted by feral cats as well as the cats themselves. These other animals - birds especially - don't deserve to die at the hands of a predator introduced into their environment by irresponsible pet owners.

‘A humane decision-making process on this issue must also recognise that feral cats live short, miserable lives because of disease, other predators, severe weather and traffic hazards. Their life expectancy is about one third as long as owned cats,' Schroeder added.

More than 30 bird species have been wiped out
A key finding of the report was the statement by the authors that they do not recommend the TNR method to eliminate colonies of feral cats. In their extensive research, they were unable to find a single real-world example of TNR succeeding in eliminating a feral cat colony.

Some of the many findings of the report include:
Feral cats are invasive and pose a threat to native fauna and public health.

Three separate studies showed that most feral cats (62 to 80 per cent) carry the parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis - a condition of special concern to pregnant women.

Cats are responsible for the extinction of at least 33 species of birds.

Feral cats kill an estimated 480 million birds in the US each year.

Feeding feral cats encourages them to congregate which encourages the chances of diseases being transmitted.

The supplemental feeding of feral cats should be prohibited.

Cats will kill wildlife no matter how well they are fed.

Feral cats kill 480 million birds in US every year - Responsible for 33 extinctions

480 million birds killed by feral cats each year

December 2010: A new report has put the annual economic loss from feral cat predation on birds in the US at a alleged $17 billion (Some of the maths involed in this figure are interesting, to say the least).

The report, Feral Cats And Their Management, analyses existing research on management of the burgeoning feral cat population - over 60 million and counting - in the United States, including the controversial practice of Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR).

Trap, Neuter & Release doesn't work
‘This report is a must read for any community or government official thinking about what to do about feral cats. It encapsulates the extensive research on this subject and draws conclusions based on that data. Not surprisingly, the report validates everything the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) has been saying about the feral cat issue for many years, namely TNR doesn't work in controlling feral cat populations,' said Darin Schroeder, Vice President for Conservation Advocacy for American Bird Conservancy, US's leading bird conservation organisation.

'These animals live short, miserable lives'

‘Communities seeking a solution to their feral cat problems need to consider the science on the issue and the well being of animals impacted by feral cats as well as the cats themselves. These other animals - birds especially - don't deserve to die at the hands of a predator introduced into their environment by irresponsible pet owners.

‘A humane decision-making process on this issue must also recognise that feral cats live short, miserable lives because of disease, other predators, severe weather and traffic hazards. Their life expectancy is about one third as long as owned cats,' Schroeder added.

More than 30 bird species have been wiped out
A key finding of the report was the statement by the authors that they do not recommend the TNR method to eliminate colonies of feral cats. In their extensive research, they were unable to find a single real-world example of TNR succeeding in eliminating a feral cat colony.

Some of the many findings of the report include:
Feral cats are invasive and pose a threat to native fauna and public health.

Three separate studies showed that most feral cats (62 to 80 per cent) carry the parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis - a condition of special concern to pregnant women.

Cats are responsible for the extinction of at least 33 species of birds.

Feral cats kill an estimated 480 million birds in the US each year.

Feeding feral cats encourages them to congregate which encourages the chances of diseases being transmitted.

The supplemental feeding of feral cats should be prohibited.

Cats will kill wildlife no matter how well they are fed.

Oysters at risk in acid oceans

THEY have formed a succulent and nutritious part of the human diet for thousands of years. But a new report is warning that plentiful supplies of oysters and mussels could disappear over the next century because the oceans are becoming increasingly acidic.

Dr John Baxter, the co-editor of an international report into the acidification of the world's seas, said increasing levels of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere by industrialised countries was gradually changing the acid level of waters across the world.


If the trend continued, the shells of thousands of species would be eroded and the creatures eventually wiped out - creating a huge knock-on effect on other fish and marine life.

As lobsters and crabs have shells with a different chemical composition, it is not clear how they will be affected by increasingly acidic sea water, the report says.

But as well as shellfish eaten by humans, certain types of plankton at the bottom of the marine food chain and coral reefs would also face serious ecological damage.

The first major marine areas to be affected, says the report, are the northern oceans, which are home to a wide variety of important marine life.

The Arctic Ocean is expected to be the first to reach a dangerous level of acidification with 10 per cent of its area hitting the threshold at which damage will occur by the end of this decade.

Dr Baxter, the principal adviser in marine ecology for Scottish Natural Heritage, presented the report, Ocean Acidification: Questions Answered, at a scientific meeting last week. SNH co-funded the report, alongside Natural England, the UK Ocean Acidification Research Programme and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

Baxter said: "The only way around this is for the amount of CO2 being released into the atmosphere to be reduced.

"To a certain extent, this can be done by carbon capture - when carbon released from power stations is trapped underneath the seabed and stopped from being released into the atmosphere - but, other than that, we just have to start using less fossil fuel.

The alternative is pretty worrying."


He said that while some animals and plants may adapt to the new environment, many would be wiped out.

"We just don't know what species adapt, if any," Baxter said, adding that the last time there had been serious ocean acidification, 55 million years ago, around 80 per cent of sea species had become extinct.

While ocean acidification occurs naturally, studies show it has increased far more rapidly in the past 150 years.

More than 440 billion metric tons of CO2 has been released into the atmosphere since the end of the first industrial revolution in the 1830s - with half of this generated in the past 30 years.

As atmospheric CO2 increases, more of it is dissolved in the oceans, causing chemical changes which make sea water more acidic. While it is unlikely the world's seas will ever become positively acidic - like lemon juice or vinegar - even a fairly mild level of acidification would have a significant effect on the world's ecosystem.

"Carbonate levels in sea water, which are presently high enough to allow calcium carbonate structures like shells and skeletons to stay intact, can drop to levels that will mean these hard structures will begin to dissolve," the reports says.

"If levels of atmospheric and oceanic CO2 continue to rise at current rates… by 2100 it is likely that the entire Arctic Ocean will be in a state that can dissolve unprotected calcium carbonate structures."

Evidence had already been found that the shells of one species - the planktonic foraminifera - are already 30-35 per cent lighter than their pre-industrial-era counterparts, demonstrating that the effect has already begun.

Environmental groups said acidification was a growing danger to marine life. Richard Dixon, director of WWF Scotland, said: "Climate change would already be much worse if the oceans weren't absorbing huge amounts of the carbon dioxide we are spewing into the atmosphere, but the consequence is that the planet's seas are becoming more and more acidic. This is potentially disastrous for marine life around the globe, devastating much of the base of the food chain and further endangering fish-stocks that many human populations rely on.

"We spend a lot of time worrying about droughts, floods and ice caps, but what's happening to the oceans may actually be the most dangerous impact of climate change."

Duncan McLaren, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, added: "Ocean acidification threatens not only coral reefs and marine biodiversity, but also the commercial fisheries that depend on them."



By Jane Bradley


http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/environment/Oysters-at-risk-in-acid.6615795.jp

Oysters at risk in acid oceans

THEY have formed a succulent and nutritious part of the human diet for thousands of years. But a new report is warning that plentiful supplies of oysters and mussels could disappear over the next century because the oceans are becoming increasingly acidic.

Dr John Baxter, the co-editor of an international report into the acidification of the world's seas, said increasing levels of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere by industrialised countries was gradually changing the acid level of waters across the world.


If the trend continued, the shells of thousands of species would be eroded and the creatures eventually wiped out - creating a huge knock-on effect on other fish and marine life.

As lobsters and crabs have shells with a different chemical composition, it is not clear how they will be affected by increasingly acidic sea water, the report says.

But as well as shellfish eaten by humans, certain types of plankton at the bottom of the marine food chain and coral reefs would also face serious ecological damage.

The first major marine areas to be affected, says the report, are the northern oceans, which are home to a wide variety of important marine life.

The Arctic Ocean is expected to be the first to reach a dangerous level of acidification with 10 per cent of its area hitting the threshold at which damage will occur by the end of this decade.

Dr Baxter, the principal adviser in marine ecology for Scottish Natural Heritage, presented the report, Ocean Acidification: Questions Answered, at a scientific meeting last week. SNH co-funded the report, alongside Natural England, the UK Ocean Acidification Research Programme and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

Baxter said: "The only way around this is for the amount of CO2 being released into the atmosphere to be reduced.

"To a certain extent, this can be done by carbon capture - when carbon released from power stations is trapped underneath the seabed and stopped from being released into the atmosphere - but, other than that, we just have to start using less fossil fuel.

The alternative is pretty worrying."


He said that while some animals and plants may adapt to the new environment, many would be wiped out.

"We just don't know what species adapt, if any," Baxter said, adding that the last time there had been serious ocean acidification, 55 million years ago, around 80 per cent of sea species had become extinct.

While ocean acidification occurs naturally, studies show it has increased far more rapidly in the past 150 years.

More than 440 billion metric tons of CO2 has been released into the atmosphere since the end of the first industrial revolution in the 1830s - with half of this generated in the past 30 years.

As atmospheric CO2 increases, more of it is dissolved in the oceans, causing chemical changes which make sea water more acidic. While it is unlikely the world's seas will ever become positively acidic - like lemon juice or vinegar - even a fairly mild level of acidification would have a significant effect on the world's ecosystem.

"Carbonate levels in sea water, which are presently high enough to allow calcium carbonate structures like shells and skeletons to stay intact, can drop to levels that will mean these hard structures will begin to dissolve," the reports says.

"If levels of atmospheric and oceanic CO2 continue to rise at current rates… by 2100 it is likely that the entire Arctic Ocean will be in a state that can dissolve unprotected calcium carbonate structures."

Evidence had already been found that the shells of one species - the planktonic foraminifera - are already 30-35 per cent lighter than their pre-industrial-era counterparts, demonstrating that the effect has already begun.

Environmental groups said acidification was a growing danger to marine life. Richard Dixon, director of WWF Scotland, said: "Climate change would already be much worse if the oceans weren't absorbing huge amounts of the carbon dioxide we are spewing into the atmosphere, but the consequence is that the planet's seas are becoming more and more acidic. This is potentially disastrous for marine life around the globe, devastating much of the base of the food chain and further endangering fish-stocks that many human populations rely on.

"We spend a lot of time worrying about droughts, floods and ice caps, but what's happening to the oceans may actually be the most dangerous impact of climate change."

Duncan McLaren, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, added: "Ocean acidification threatens not only coral reefs and marine biodiversity, but also the commercial fisheries that depend on them."



By Jane Bradley


http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/environment/Oysters-at-risk-in-acid.6615795.jp