Wetland | Jotup

Intact Financial Corporation teams up with the Nature Conservancy of Canada to protect one of the last great natural peatlands in the greater Quebec City area

Retrieved on:

Thursday, October 5, 2023

In recent years, Quebec has faced a number of severe weather events including floods, ice storms, heat waves and wildfires.

Key Points:

In recent years, Quebec has faced a number of severe weather events including floods, ice storms, heat waves and wildfires.
Natural infrastructure plays an essential role in mitigating the impact of these extreme weather events on people, businesses and communities.
To adjust to this situation, we must protect natural assets such as the Great Jacques-Cartier Bog, as they are valuable allies.
With the support of funding partners, NCC acquired nearly 200 hectares within the Great Jacques-Cartier Bog, one of the last great natural peatlands in the greater Quebec City area.

New path for early human migrations through a once-lush Arabia contradicts a single ‘out of Africa’ origin

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Little is known, however, about the pathways of these migrations.

Key Points:

Little is known, however, about the pathways of these migrations.
Our evidence suggests this valley had a riverine and wetland zone that would have provided ideal passage for hunter-gatherers as they moved out of Africa and deep into the Levant and Arabia.

Wandering out of Africa

Researchers hypothesise humans migrating out of Africa would have used platforms in the eastern Sahara, the Nile River Valley, or the margins of the western Red Sea.
From there, these small bands of hunter-gatherers would have passed into the Sinai – a land bridge connecting Africa with the rest of Asia – following migrating animals and hunting a variety of them for sustenance.
For many of these hunter-gatherers, the next stop on the journey would have been the southern portion of the Jordan Rift Valley.

When Arabia was a verdant land

Our findings from sedimentary sections ranging 5 to 12 metres in thickness showed ecosystem fluctuations over time, including cycles of dry and humid environments.
We also found evidence for the presence of ancient rivers and wetlands.
Luminescence dating showed the sedimentary environments formed between 125,000 and 43,000 years ago, suggesting there had been multiple wet intervals.
Towards the south, fieldwork in northern Saudi Arabia has also demonstrated a network of rivers and lakes was once present in the region.

Multiple migrations into South-West Asia

Our findings from the Jordan Rift Valley indicate there were multiple early human migrations from Africa, and into Asia, during favourable conditions.
Our results also suggest, together with the Levantine and Arabian evidence, that hunter-gatherers used inland river and wetland systems as they crossed South-West Asia.
Although ancient DNA evidence indicates Homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals and Denisovans multiple times as they spread into Asia, on-the-ground evidence for these encounters has generally been lacking.

ALUS Awards $10,000 for Environmental Efforts to Wayne and Jesse Pukalo

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Farmer, Agriculture, Gie, Carbon, ALUS, Biodiversity, Climate change, Knowledge, Ecosystem, Environment, Bird, Wetland, Tourism

Through the award, ALUS recognizes their vital role as solution providers, community leaders and ambassadors for their local ALUS program.

Key Points:

Through the award, ALUS recognizes their vital role as solution providers, community leaders and ambassadors for their local ALUS program.
The 2023 Dave Reid Award Winners, Wayne and Jesse Pukalo
This year’s Dave Reid Award has been awarded to Wayne and Jesse Pukalo, a father and son team, owners and operators of Century Simmentals and participants in the ALUS Parkland program, in Alberta.
Since they joined ALUS in 2018, Wayne and Jesse have enrolled a total of 100 acres with ALUS, generating valuable ecosystem services.
“Wayne and Jesse exemplify the hardworking solution providers that make ALUS an effective grassroots mechanism for addressing climate change and biodiversity loss.

2023 World Coastal Forum held in Yancheng, issuing "Green Invitation" to the World

Retrieved on:

Monday, October 2, 2023

YANCHENG, China, Oct. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On 25 September, 2023 World Coastal Forum was held in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province.

Key Points:

YANCHENG, China, Oct. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On 25 September, 2023 World Coastal Forum was held in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province.
The conference was co-hosted by Jiangsu Provincial People's Government, Ministry of Natural Resources, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, with the theme "Our coasts: Harmony between People and Nature", according to the World Coastal Forum Organizing Committee.
The World Coastal Forum provides a platform for the participation of multiple stakeholders and will play an important role in promoting coastal ecosystem conservation and sustainable development.
The World Conservation Union, BirdLife International, and 14 other organizations have become partners of the World Coastal Forum.

GREATER GOOD CHARITIES ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF GLOBAL DISCOVERY EXPEDITIONS INTO VIETNAM

Retrieved on:

Monday, October 2, 2023

Discovery Expedition, Record, Charity Navigator, Research, Greater good, Biodiversity, Animal, Pet, Observation, Madrean Sky Islands, Ecosystem, Candid (organization), Platinum, Wetland, Agriculture

Seattle, Wash., Oct. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greater Good Charities , a global nonprofit that works to help people, pets, and the planet, announces that their Global Discovery Expeditions program has expanded its efforts into Vietnam.

Key Points:

Seattle, Wash., Oct. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greater Good Charities , a global nonprofit that works to help people, pets, and the planet, announces that their Global Discovery Expeditions program has expanded its efforts into Vietnam.
Global Discovery Expeditions is the expansion of Greater Good Charities’ biodiversity efforts and studies of the Madrean Archipelago, a series of unique ecosystems that range from New Mexico and Arizona to Mexico.
Greater Good Charities’ three scientists on the ground in Vietnam were accompanied by eight Vietnamese scientists, representing a variety of specialties.
To learn more about how Greater Good Charities is amplifying the good across the globe, please visit greatergood.org or follow Facebook , Instagram , X , YouTube and TikTok .

Stericycle Continues Partnership with the National Park Foundation to Support Habitats and Restore Wetlands in Yosemite National Park and Cape Cod National Seashore

Retrieved on:

Monday, October 2, 2023

BANNOCKBURN, Ill., Oct. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Stericycle, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRCL), a leading provider of regulated medical waste management and secure information destruction solutions, today announced additional project locations as part of its five-year, $1 million partnership with the National Park Foundation, which was initiated in 2021. Stericycle's 2023 commitment will support wetland restoration efforts at Yosemite National Park in California's Sierra Nevada mountains and Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts. Prior commitments with the National Park Foundation helped rebuild oyster beds along identified coasts at the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in Jacksonville, Florida, as well as the Cumberland Island National Seashore in Saint Marys, Georgia, to help decrease erosion, improve water quality and restore ecosystems.

Key Points:

Stericycle's 2023 commitment will support wetland restoration efforts at Yosemite National Park in California's Sierra Nevada mountains and Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts.
"Stericycle is proud to support the Ackerson Meadow and Herring River Restoration projects," said Cindy J. Miller, president and chief executive officer at Stericycle.
"Through these efforts, we can help restore diminished wetlands and reestablish habitats of endangered species, which is aligned to our corporate promise to protect what matters.
This will improve fishing and other recreational opportunities for park visitors while also helping to control mosquitoes within the park.

American Climate Corps: Biden's new green jobs initiative delivers more promises than details

Retrieved on:

Thursday, September 28, 2023

The White House promises that the corps “will ensure more young people have access to the skills-based training necessary for good-paying careers in the clean energy and climate resilience economy.” By helping Americans get entry-level green jobs, such as solar panel installation and home insulation, it will equip thousands more young Americans to tackle the complex challenges posed by climate change.

Key Points:

The White House promises that the corps “will ensure more young people have access to the skills-based training necessary for good-paying careers in the clean energy and climate resilience economy.” By helping Americans get entry-level green jobs, such as solar panel installation and home insulation, it will equip thousands more young Americans to tackle the complex challenges posed by climate change.
As a scholar who researches and teaches about the history of U.S. volunteer service programs, I believe that the American Climate Corps will not provide anything radically new.
Rather, it will largely offer the same experiences and work opportunities as an array of programs that already exist.

New Deal echoes

That New Deal program put unemployed – and mainly white – young men to work on public lands across the country to counter the devastating unemployment of the Great Depression.
The Biden administration aims to make its new corps far more inclusive in terms of gender, race and ethnic diversity.
Rather than alleviating a short-term employment crisis, like its Depression-era predecessor, the American Climate Corps will emphasize launching careers.
The American Climate Corps, according to the details available, will mobilize far fewer participants than the CCC.

Network of similar programs already in place

There are about 150 similar conservation service programs in the U.S., all connected through the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps.
Known as the Corps Network, this patchwork includes 150 programs that give young adults and veterans opportunities to engage in service work on public lands and in rural and urban communities.
One of the oldest programs in what’s known as the Corps Network is the Student Conservation Association, founded in 1957.
Its emphasis on conserving land and water overlaps with the work existing state programs already do.

Scant objective evidence

Many of them survey their participants, who regularly say they enjoyed the experience.
Participants also cite a sense of personal growth, greater familiarity with environmental concerns and stronger leadership skills.

Better pay? Great opportunities?

The low pay, which ranges from about US$16,000-$30,000 a year, can mean that they’re not an option for many recent college grads who might otherwise be interested.
Full-time AmeriCorps volunteers are also eligible to apply for grants to pay for their education or to make student loan payments on top of their earnings.
American Climate Corps backers argue it should pay a living wage as a form of “climate justice.” It’s unclear whether the American Climate Corps will do that.

Answers to operational questions TBD

For example, California, Michigan, Maine, Washington and Colorado already have their own climate corps.
Perhaps most importantly, it’s yet to be determined whether the American Climate Corps’ service work will differ from those state initiatives and similar programs.

One in six UK species threatened with extinction – here's what we could lose (plus how to save them)

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

These islands have lost species and unique habitats have shrunk to tiny remnants.

Key Points:

These islands have lost species and unique habitats have shrunk to tiny remnants.
More than 750 assessed species have declined by 19% on average since monitoring began in 1970.
Today, out of over 10,000 species assessed, 16% (1,500, or one in six) are threatened with extinction.

Nature continues to decline

Everyone depends on nature for the things it provides for free: so-called ecosystem services like healthy food, materials, clean air and water.
There is cause to protect nature because it aligns with our values, from the moral responsibility we feel to future generations to the intrinsic worth we know nature has.
The new report presents evidence on how and why nature is changing in the UK and in its four constituent countries.

Added to these pressures on wildlife are invasive species, pollution and for some, such as birds of prey, persecution.
Solving all of these problems will involve several actions that can be joined up to support each other.
This is the scale at which conservationists need to operate in order to reverse nature’s decline.

Recovery by 2050?

The 2023 state of nature report is timely given the recent adoption of global targets to recover nature.
To halt and reverse biodiversity loss in the UK, efforts to conserve and restore species and habitats must ramp up.
We have never had a better understanding of the state of nature and what is needed to fix it.

Ontario's Greenbelt: A step in the right direction, but is it enough to protect biodiversity?

Retrieved on:

Monday, September 25, 2023

Although Ford has now restored his broken promise not to touch the Greenbelt, he remains adamant that developing the Greenbelt would be good for Ontarians.

Key Points:

Although Ford has now restored his broken promise not to touch the Greenbelt, he remains adamant that developing the Greenbelt would be good for Ontarians.
This hypocrisy underscores that what is required now, more than ever, is more protection for our planet, and not less.

Not-so-careful consideration

Experts from a long list of fields like hydrology, ecology, climatology and more contributed their knowledge to this process.
As a result, the Greenbelt is made up of ecologically significant areas like wetlands, forests and important wildlife corridors.
Ford’s plan to simply swap lands in and out of the Greenbelt was made without this same type of careful consideration.
Although it is disappointing, to say the least, that this did not seem to factor into his decision whatsoever.

Critical state of biodiversity

Biodiversity underpins every biological process in nature, creating resilience and ensuring the continued functioning of these natural systems.
Protecting ecologically rich areas like the Greenbelt bolsters biodiversity and in turn, the Earth’s life support systems.
However, this latest assessment paints a dire picture of the current state of global biodiversity.

LSU Engineering Professor, Research Team Seek to Plug Orphan Wells Leaking Methane

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Nearly 450 of these wells were tagged “orphan” in 1994, which means they have been dormant and possibly leaking methane gas for nearly 30 years.

Key Points:

Nearly 450 of these wells were tagged “orphan” in 1994, which means they have been dormant and possibly leaking methane gas for nearly 30 years.
Thanks to a $3 million grant from the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, LSU Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering Professor Ipsita Gupta is working with a team of LSU researchers to find out which wells are leaking and measure their emissions before and after they are plugged.
One of the ways to accurately measure methane emissions in the state is to measure individual wells, which is being done by LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences Chair and Professor Kanchan Maiti.
“It will not only have an immediate impact on reducing methane emissions from orphan wells, which is an important health, safety, and environmental concern; plugging orphan wells will also be impactful for ongoing and future efforts on carbon dioxide storage as the CO2 will be safely sequestered underground if there are no leaking wells around.