Conservation

Animal Alliance of Canada strongly opposes Nova Scotia’s proposed spring bear hunt

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 20, 2024

TORONTO, Feb. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Animal Alliance of Canada, on moral and ethical grounds, strongly opposes Nova Scotia’s proposal to open a spring hunt for black bears.

Key Points: 
  • TORONTO, Feb. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Animal Alliance of Canada, on moral and ethical grounds, strongly opposes Nova Scotia’s proposal to open a spring hunt for black bears.
  • The province is Canada’s last not to have such a hunt, and has asked for public input on the idea of also hunting bears in the spring.
  • Best intentions notwithstanding, Conservation Officers lack resources to launch forensic investigations even if an illegally shot bear carcass is found.
  • “Most wildlife we once had on our planet are gone,” said Liz White, director of Animal Alliance of Canada.

Denver Zoo Launches New Wildlife Conservation Programs in Southeast Asia

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 7, 2024

DENVER, March 7, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra, Indonesia is the last place on Earth where Critically Endangered Sumatran elephants, tigers, orangutans and rhinoceroses coexist in the wild. It's considered one of the world's most irreplaceable protected areas, yet the 6-million-acre UNESCO World Heritage Site faces accelerating threats from deforestation due to illegal oil palm and timber, pulp and paper plantations, development, and natural resource extraction.

Key Points: 
  • "With our new programs in Southeast Asia, we are leveraging our expertise and funding to invest in locally-led organizations that protect wild places and species with the highest conservation need."
  • Other new projects for the Zoo in Southeast Asia include:
    Laos was once called Lan Xang or "Land of a Million Elephants" representing one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia.
  • Denver Zoo became a Conservation Partner of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG), a global network of experts dedicated to the study, monitoring, management and conservation of Asian elephants across Asia.
  • A recognized leader in wildlife conservation, Denver Zoo has dedicated staff and funding to more than 600 wildlife conservation projects in 62 countries—including current field conservation programs in North America, Asia and Latin America—over the past 25 years.

407 ETR is celebrating its new sponsorship with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority at the Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 7, 2024

TRCA has been celebrating maple syrup for more than 50 years, and hosts between 40,000 and 50,000 visitors annually at its Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival.

Key Points: 
  • TRCA has been celebrating maple syrup for more than 50 years, and hosts between 40,000 and 50,000 visitors annually at its Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival.
  • The festival educates visitors about maple syrup production through time as they experience early Indigenous, early European settler and modern maple syrup production through interactive demonstrations.
  • "Highway 407 ETR is surrounded by vibrant communities and we're proud to help connect people to nature through events like the Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival," says Javier Tamargo, President & CEO, 407 ETR.
  • "Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is proud to partner with 407 ETR and host the annual Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival which connects people to nature and provides many benefits to the communities we serve," says John MacKenzie, CEO, Toronto Region Conservation Authority.

Earth Rangers Launches In-School Environmental Education Assembly Program for the First Time in the U.S. Alongside Dawn®

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 27, 2024

TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Earth Rangers, a charity that empowers kids and families to make a positive impact on the environment, today announced the launch of its successful school assembly program in the United States. Originally developed in Canada, Earth Rangers expanded its innovative app into the U.S. in January 2023 and has since been fostering a new generation of young conservationists and environmental leaders across the country. With the continued support of its first U.S. partner Dawn®, America's #1 Dish Brand*, Earth Rangers will now introduce its school assembly program to help make learning about wildlife conservation fun and exciting for students. Kicking off this month, more than 30 elementary schools across Michigan will experience the inspiring, interactive presentation with a brand new, technological twist - a holographic co-host named ECO, the Earth Rangers Communications Operative.

Key Points: 
  • For over 20 years, Earth Rangers has delivered curriculum-linked educational programming across every province and territory in Canada.
  • Marking its 2024 assembly debut, ECO, the holographic Earth Rangers Communications Operative, will play co-host, taking students around the world through the Earth Rangers App and its habitat wheel.
  • Following the presentation, students are encouraged to become Earth Rangers at home by signing up for the free program available through the award-winning Earth Rangers App with their parents' help.
  • For more information on Earth Rangers membership, the Earth Rangers App and more, visit https://www.earthrangers.com/EN/US/ .

National Geographic Photo Ark Exhibit Coming to the Tennessee Aquarium March 1

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 22, 2024

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- When it comes to their names, some animals could use a better publicist because, to the unfamiliar ear, there's little about "River Chub" or "Least Rasbora" that spurs the imagination or sparks a desire to protect them.

Key Points: 
  • The National Geographic Joel Sartore Photo Ark exhibit will open March 1st, featuring inspirational images that were created to inspire conservation action.
  • - Award-winning National Geographic Photographer Joel Sartore
    That's where award-winning National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore comes in.
  • Beginning March 1 and continuing through the end of the year, the Aquarium will exhibit two dozen images from the Photo Ark throughout its campus.
  • The National Geographic Joel Sartore Photo Ark exhibition is presented locally by the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation with additional support from First Horizon, and Yamaha Rightwaters.

Jane Goodall Institute-U.S. and Bezos Earth Fund Join Forces to Further Conservation in the Congo Basin

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 20, 2024

"I would like to truly thank the Bezos Earth Fund for supporting our conservation work in Africa," said Dr. Jane Goodall.

Key Points: 
  • "I would like to truly thank the Bezos Earth Fund for supporting our conservation work in Africa," said Dr. Jane Goodall.
  • "Jeff and I were privileged to experience the Congo Basin's rich biodiversity and breathtaking beauty firsthand, which fueled our determination to protect it," said Bezos Earth Fund Vice Chair Lauren Sánchez.
  • The Bezos Earth Fund, with grantee partners, is working to establish and strengthen protected areas in the Congo Basin , focusing on the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, and Gabon – which collectively hold two-thirds of the intact forests in the Congo Basin.
  • "We are very grateful for this support and partnership with the Bezos Earth Fund," said Anna Rathmann, executive director, Jane Goodall Institute USA.

The world’s spectacular animal migrations are dwindling. Fishing, fences and development are fast-tracking extinctions

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 12, 2024

This fate is all too common for migratory species.

Key Points: 
  • This fate is all too common for migratory species.
  • Today, we get a global glimpse of how migratory species are faring, in the first-ever stocktake produced by the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species.
  • After all, the migratory humpback whale was headed for rapid extinction – until we stopped whaling.

Why are migratory species at higher risk?

  • Some bar-tailed godwits fly 13,000 km without stopping – one of the longest known continuous migrations.
  • On land, roads and fences carve up migratory routes for animals like wildebeest.
  • While a few species are benefiting greatly from farming and artificial wetlands, many more are being severely harmed.

Overexploitation is the top risk

  • Animals often migrate in large groups, making them an appealing target for hunting or fishing.
  • Bycatch in commercial fisheries is a huge problem for sharks, turtles, mammals and birds, but it can be massively reduced with existing technology, if deployed across all fleets Overexploitation can be stopped.
  • In 1981, Australia and Japan agreed to stop hunting Latham’s Snipe, a migratory shorebird that travels between the two countries.

On fences and stepping stones

  • Light pollution can mess with navigation, climate change plays havoc with the timing of migration, and underwater noise pollution can confuse marine migrants.
  • Even simple actions like building fences, roads and dams can disrupt migrations over land and through rivers.
  • Many migratory species need stepping stones: resting sites linking up their whole migratory route.

What the report didn’t cover

  • First, it only covers species listed under the UN convention, a tiny fraction of all migratory species.
  • Listing unlocks stronger protections and urgently needs to be rolled out to more species.
  • For instance, around 60 migratory fish species are covered – but more than 1,700 others are not.

Can we save these species?

  • More than 90% of the world’s migratory birds aren’t adequately protected by national parks and other protected areas.
  • Only 8% of the world’s protected land is joined up, preventing migrating animals from moving safely across their routes.
  • Because of this, animals have to make daring sorties across unprotected land or sea to complete their journeys.
  • Richard Fuller receives funding for migratory species research from the Australian Research Council and the National Environmental Science Program.
  • Lily Bentley works on the Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean (MiCO; mico.eco) system, which has been previously supported by the German International Climate Initiative (IKI) and UNEP-WCMC, the authors of the UN report.

Migrating animals face collapsing numbers – major new UN report

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 12, 2024

The first ever State of the World’s Migratory Species report, released today by the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, showed that the conservation status of many migratory species is getting worse.

Key Points: 
  • The first ever State of the World’s Migratory Species report, released today by the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, showed that the conservation status of many migratory species is getting worse.
  • The convention maintains a list of migratory species that are already in need of protection.
  • More than one in five (or 22%) of the already threatened migratory species now face extinction.

Which species are listed?

  • There are 4,508 species in the world that are migratory, and the convention lists 1,189.
  • What must be done

    My research has pointed out that migratory species undertake remarkable journeys that connect diverse habitats across the globe.

  • The report found that the threatened migratory species occurring in Africa, Asia and North America are experiencing the fastest declines.
  • Of the migratory species that the convention lists as needing some level of protection, 97% are under threat of extinction.

Migratory animals’ habitats are being destroyed

  • In Africa, 79% of new cropland over the past few decades has been established by destroying the natural vegetation where many migratory animals lived, the report says.
  • The report also points out that pollution and introducing alien invasive species into habitats of natural vegetation put pressure on these indigenous species.

Why migratory species are important

  • Migratory species consume tons of food daily.
  • For example, deep-sea creatures, particularly tiny zooplankton, migrate from deep waters to the surface at night to feed on phytoplankton.
  • Tiny marine animals are key to working out its climate impacts

    Protecting migratory species goes beyond conserving biodiversity; it is crucial for ensuring a healthier future for our planet.

What to do about it

  • This includes expanding protected areas used by migratory species, taking down fences and making more effort to connect protected areas to each other.
  • Stronger laws, enhanced international collaboration to curb illegal activities, and reducing bycatch in fisheries are urgently required, says the report.
  • This report marks a significant step towards creating a conservation roadmap for migratory species.
  • He is a senior Statistician at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany.
  • He is also affilicated with the One Mara Research Hub (OMRH) and the Greater Serengeti-Mara Conservation Society; both devoted to securing the future of the magnificient Greater-Serengeti Mara Ecosystem.

CRC Play To Buy Aera Is Way To Avoid Plugging Idle Wells, Extending Life Of Depleted Oil Fields Via Unproven Technology, Say Consumer Watchdog and FrackTracker Alliance

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 7, 2024

The purchase of Aera brings CRC's count of idle wells producing no oil from about 6,700 up to nearly 16,000 wells.

Key Points: 
  • The purchase of Aera brings CRC's count of idle wells producing no oil from about 6,700 up to nearly 16,000 wells.
  • The two companies avoid the costs of plugging them because the state charges very little in fines.
  • The real play appears to be that CRC wants Aera's oil fields as a potential site to store carbon from unproven carbon capture programs.
  • The state never required the two oil giants to put up the money to cover full plugging and remediation of Aera's wells.

Ecosystem restoration in the Scottish Highlands isn’t going to plan – here’s why

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

The Scottish government estimates that the carbon stored in its peatlands is equivalent to 120 years’ worth of the country’s emissions.

Key Points: 
  • The Scottish government estimates that the carbon stored in its peatlands is equivalent to 120 years’ worth of the country’s emissions.
  • The Scottish government has pledged to spend £250 million between 2020 and 2030 to restore 25,000 hectares of peatland a year.
  • One manager at NatureScot, the government agency responsible for the environment, described the shortfall as a “national emergency” caused primarily by a “funding gap”.
  • He argued that for Scotland to meet its net-zero commitments, there must be large injections of private finance into peatland restoration.

Crofters and carbon markets

  • The selling of carbon credits is supposed to direct private investment into peatland restoration.
  • With these credits, the buyer, whether a company or individual, can claim to have offset their own carbon footprint.
  • Accreditation allows landowners to sell carbon credits on the UK land carbon registry.


Our research team travelled to the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides (an island chain off the Scottish west coast) in early 2023 to interview crofters and landowners. We found that confusion over the rights, responsibilities and benefits of selling carbon credits is slowing down restoration, not a lack of funding.

‘Pots of gold’

  • The Outer Hebrides has the lowest average income in the UK and the highest rate of fuel poverty in Scotland.
  • For crofters here, the prospect of monetary compensation for restoring peatlands (where 70% of the land is classified as peatland soil) is appealing.
  • While these brokers made out the process was simple (“restore peatlands, sell the credits to us”) the reality is more complicated.

Muddy legal waters

  • These (smaller) “pots of gold” are difficult for crofters to access due to legal complications.
  • Our research with Lewisian crofters has shown that unresolved questions regarding profitability and legal complications have created a stalemate.
  • Further advice and legal guidance for crofters – from the Peatland Code, Scottish government and the Scottish Land Court – is urgently needed to break the deadlock.


Ewan Gordon Jenkins received funding from STAIRS, the St Andrews Interdisciplinary Research Support fund.

This article was drafted in collaboration with Dr. Cornelia Helmcke (https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/persons/cornelia-helmcke) and Dr. Lydia Cole (https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/geography-sustainable-development/people/lesc1) who were both co-leads on the research team.