http://hdlns.com/g1267 http://hdlns.com/rss_g1267.xml Science and Technology -> Environment -> Biodiversity en-us Aggregation copyright hdlns (dot com), articles copyright original authors. http://hdlns.com/g1267/Biodiversity+-+Biodiversity+News+Articles+Blogs+and+Resources HDLNS.com is the easiest to use aggregated content RSS Reader on the net. No need to sign up, nothing to remember. Just browse and read. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44790930/Environmental+groups+call+on+Delmas+to+cancel+shipment+of+illegally+logged Pressure is building on the French shipping company Delmas to cancel large shipments of rosewood, which was illegally logged in Madagascar during the nation's recent coup. Today two environmental groups, Global Witness and the Environmental Investiga http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44495203/Orangutans+use+calls+for+a+variety+of+reasons Mature male orangutans produce what scientists call 'long calls', which can be heard for one kilometer in all directions even in dense forests. New research in Ethology has uncovered that these calls are employed for a number of reasons and provide i http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44790931/Amazon+confusion%3A+new+research+shows+forest+is+resilient+to+drought%2C+but+is A drought that happens once in a hundred years had little negative or positive effect on the Amazon rainforest according to a NASA funded study in Geophysical Research Letters. 'We found no big differences in the greenness level of these forests betw http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10524za44769081/Autumn+time%E2%80%A6. is spider time, the time of year when Garden Orb Weaver spiders suspend their webs right where I’m likely to blunder into them at night when I’m outside making a last check on things. One large female has her territory between the Callist http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44713128/Thousands+of+tons+of+illegal+timber+in+Madagascar+readied+for+export As the President of France, Nicholas Sarkozy, argues in Paris that more funding is needed to stop deforestation and mitigate climate change, a shipment of illegal rosewood is being readied for export in Madagascar by a French company with the tacit a http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10524za44682908/A+colourful+beetle. Taken by our friend Alan, a picture of a beautiful beetle in his garden. I haven’t been able to find a match on the web, but I think it is one of what are called flower beetles. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10524za44587648/Bird+portraits. Several times after checking Tyto Tony’s blog I’ve wondered if it’s worthwhile persevering with bird photography. He lives in a bird photographer’s paradise and makes the most of the wonderful assortment of birds on his doorst http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44572134/US+Congressman+pushes+for+bird-friendly+buildings Birds may see pleasanter skies in the US soon, if Congressman Mike Quigley has his way. Quigley, a democrat from Illinois, has introduced legislation that would require all federal buildings to become bird-friendly, potentially saving the lives of mi http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44572133/Sharks+swim+safe+around+the+Maldives Sharks that dwell in the Maldives can breathe a sigh of relief: the island nation has declared 90,000 square kilometers of the Indian Ocean a safe-haven for sharks, banning shark fishing as well as any trade in shark fins. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10526za44524528/Our+1915+Singer+Red+Eye+Treadle... Click on arrow in the bar above to watch the video © 2010 jim otterstromPeggy treadles away at our 95 year-old Singer Model 66 Red-Eye.This reliable old machine was purchased something like 20 years ago from a local antique & junk shop for $75. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44495205/Secrets+of+the+Amazon%3A+giant+anacondas+and+floating+forests%2C+an+interview+w At twenty-two Paul Rosolie has seen more adventure than many of us will in our lifetime. First visiting the Amazon at eighteen, Rosolie has explored strange jungle ecosystems, caught anaconda and black caiman bare-handed, joined indigenous hunting ex http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44495204/Flower+farms+may+be+killing+Kenya%27s+Lake+Naivasha Heavily polluted and shrinking, Lake Naivasha is in dire trouble. Environmentalists say the cause is clear: flower farms. Some 60 flower farms line the entire lakeside, growing cut flowers for export largely to the EU. While the flowers industry is K http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10526za44447352/New+Pine+Floor+%26+Door+For+The+Sewing+Crafting+Room First, We Tore Out The Carpeting... Click on photo to enlarge - © 2010 jim otterstrom Our current project is the renovation of the sewing room.Before we could start on the fun stuff we had to tear out our vintage 1969 lime green carpeting and pull http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44376810/Extinction+outpaces+evolution Extinctions are currently outpacing the capacity for new species to evolve, according to Simon Stuart, chair of the Species Survival Commission for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10524za44357019/In+which+moths+come+in+all+sizes+and+shapes. In the previous post I mentioned that autumn was the time for the Hepialids to appear on wet nights, and so it came to pass. On the night of the first wet day this female Rain Moth, Trictena atripalpis was attracted to the light and landed inside the http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44341137/Flash+flood+sweeps+away+elephant+research+camp+in+Kenya A research camp with environmental organization Save the Elephants (STE) in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya fell victim to a flash flood last week, after the Ewaso Ng'iro River broke its banks. Fortunately, none of the researchers or employees wer http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44341136/Consumption+habits+cause+rich+countries+to+outsource+emissions Over a third of the greenhouse gas emissions related to the consumption of goods in wealthy nations actually occur in developing countries, according to a new analysis by researchers with the Carnegie Institution. Annually, each person if the United http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44302929/New+cuttlefish+discovered+in+India A new species of cuttlefish has been discovered on the Southern tip of India, according to The Hindu. Discovered in Tamil Nadu, along the coast of the town of Colachel, the species has been named sepia vecchioni. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44302928/Frog+in+Australia+goes+from+%27extinct%27+to+very%2C+very+endangered Facing habitat loss, pollution, climate change, and the devastating chytrid fungus, there has been little positive news about amphibians recently. However, a story out of Australia brings a much needed respite from bad news. In 2008 Luke Pearce, a fi http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44278936/Why+seed+dispersers+matter%2C+an+interview+with+Pierre-Michel+Forget%2C+chair+o There are few areas of research in tropical biology more exciting and more important than seed dispersal. Seed dispersal'the process by which seeds are spread from parent trees to new sprouting ground'underpins the ecology of forests worldwide. In te http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44258139/U.S.+and+Brazil+sign+deforestation+agreement Brazil and the United States have signed an agreement to worth together to reduce deforestation as part of an effort to slow climate change. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10529za44247333/Colorado+Crawdads The USGS reported that rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) were found last year in the Yampa River, Colorado. This is the first record for this East Coast crayfish in Colorado. Read more about Colorado's response at the Western Slope Anglers Forum. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10529za44247332/Biofueling+The+Fire The Ecologist had an interesting article last month about UK investors that have been selling the idea that the invasive shrub Jatropha is an ethical 'green fuel' for developing countries. For more about the invasive potential of this plant in Afric http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10524za44201702/In+which+I+talk+about+moths. It will still be some time before I’m fit enough to chase birds in earnest, so for the time being invertebrates are the name of the game. I guess for a lot of people, moths are just something you see in the car headlights or fluttering around a http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44111558/Website+seeking+%27most+wanted%27+photos+and+videos+of+vanishing+species Many of the world's most endangered species have never been photographed or caught on film. The not-for-profit website ARKive is hoping to change that. ARKive provides a collection of some of the best photos and video clips of the world's species. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44111557/Massive+methane+leak+in+Arctic+could+trigger+abrupt+warming Methane, a greenhouse gas 30 times more potent than carbon, is spewing from what was believed to be an impermeable barrier in Siberia in amounts equal to methane releases from the world's oceans. The discovery has lead researchers to fear the possibi http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44111556/Octopus+pretends+to+be+flounder+to+avoid+predators Marine researchers have discovered the Atlantic longarm octopus mimicking not only the color and appearance of the peacock flounder, but also its unique style of swimming in order to convince predators it's something it's not. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44070803/Photos%3A+Madagascar%27s+wonderful+and+wild+frogs%2C+an+interview+with+Sahonagasy To save Madagascar's embattled and beautiful amphibians, scientists are turning to the web. A new site built by herpetologists, Sahonagasy, is dedicated to gathering and providing information about Madagascar's unique amphibians in a bid to save them http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44034319/Australia+pledges+%2430m+to+reduce+deforestation+in+Sumatra Australia will contribute A$30 million to a project to reduce deforestation in the province of Jambi, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, reports Reuters. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za44034320/Healthy+coral+reefs+produce+clouds+and+precipitation Twenty years of research has led Dr. Graham Jones of Australia's Southern Cross University to discover a startling connection between coral reefs and coastal precipitation. According to Jones, a substance produced by thriving coral reefs seed clouds http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10530za44008328/Capturing+Notes+in+the+Field 'Let the collector's motto be 'Trust nothing to memory'; for the memory becomes a fickle guardian when one interesting object is succeeded by another still more interesting.'Charles Darwin Taking notes in the field has been a passion of mine for a lo http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10524za44007891/Back+again%E2%80%A6. Things have been a bit quiet here at BC, the surgeon opened my knee fairly comprehensively to remove the pins and wires, so that has set me back, and then the blog went down for two days in a server upgrade. However we’re up and limping again w http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43992869/W+Australia+has+hottest+and+driest+summer+on+record Western Australia endured its hottest summer on record, according to the state weather bureau. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43992870/Eating+Appalachia%3A+NASA+satellite+images+reveal+mountain+cannibalism+for+co New images released by NASA reveal the conversion of mountains and forests in southern West Virginia to a giant surface mine. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43956936/National+parks+in+India+and+Nepal+hit+by+rhino+poachers The rare Indian rhinoceros is not safe from poachers even in national parks. In Nepal's world renowned Royal Chitwan National Park, twenty-four Indian rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis) have been poached since the last census was taken in 2008. The most r http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43956935/Afghanistan+protects+15+additional+endangered+species Afghanistan's National Environment Protection Agency (NEP) has added 15 species to its Protected Species List, totaling 48 species now under protection. The new species includes the large-billed reed warbler, which was only recently discovered in the http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43956934/UN+mulls+global+environment+organization Mass extinction, ocean acidification, deforestation, pollution, desertification, and climate change: the environmental issues facing the world are numerous and increasingly global in nature. To respond more effectively, the United Nations is consider http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43956933/Oil+palm+plantations+support+fewer+ant+species+than+rainforest Oil palm plantations support substantially less biodiversity than natural forests when it comes to ant species, reports new research published in Basic and Applied Ecology. Tom Fayle, a University of Cambridge biologist, and colleagues sampled ant po http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43915909/Madagascar+traders+ready+%2450m+shipment+of+illegally+logged+rainforest+timbe Traders in Vohemar, a port in northeastern Madagascar, are preparing for to ship $54 million worth of timber illegally logged from the Indian Ocean island nation's rainforest parks, report local sources. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43915908/Prehistoric+snake+gobbled-up+dinosaur+babies A fossilized snake has been discovered inside a titanosaur nest in India, leading researchers to conclude that the snake fed on newly-hatched dinosaur babies, rather than their eggs like modern snakes. Paleontologist and snake expert Jason Head says http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43880919/Common+pesticide+changes+male+frogs+into+females%2C+likely+devastating+popula One of the world's most popular pesticides, atrazine, chemically castrates male frogs and in some instances changes them into completely functionally females, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The author http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43880918/Polar+bears+are+newcomers+on+the+world+stage One of the most well-known animals, the polar bear, is a newcomer on the world stage, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. By studying the DNA of an ancient polar bear jawbone uncovered in 2004 in No http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43880917/Why+we+are+failing+orangutans It is no secret that orangutans are threatened with extinction because their rain forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Ten years ago, Shawn Thompson, a writer, former journalist and university professor, set out to chronicle the threat to http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10529za43807018/Make+It+A+Fish+All Bad news for fish: viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) was recently found in Lake Superior, meaning that the virus has now been found in all five Great Lakes. (Thanks to TC for the tip) http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10535za43785930/Hawaii+Tsunami+Evacuation The tsunami sirens have been going off and I have to evacuate. I live on the southeastern side of the Big Island of Hawaii in a rental house just one house away from the ocean at an elevation of only 8 feet above sea level, so I am very worried! Upda http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43778371/List+of+the+strongest+and+deadliest+earthquakes On February 27, 2010 a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Maule, Chile causing widespread damage and casualties. The quake ranks as one of the ten strongest earthquakes ever recorded. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10526za43753314/FIVE+YEAR+BLOGGIVERSARY%21 Click on photo to enlarge - © 2010 jim otterstromOn February 26, 2005 I sat down at the computer and created Earth Home Garden out of thin air, and now 5 years have passed and this is my 659th post.In many ways the blog is not what I had envisioned http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43727839/Photos%3A+Giant+iceberg+breaks+off+Antarctica An iceberg the size of Luxembourg broke off from Antarctica after it was hit by another iceberg, reports Reuters. The separation could impact ocean circulation and affect marine life say researchers. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43727838/Cargill+sells+palm+oil+business+in+Papua+New+Guinea Cargill will sell off its palm oil holdings in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to focus on operations in Indonesia, reports the Star Tribune. The $175 million sale involves 62,000 ha of oil palm across three plantations and several mills. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43727837/UN+to+appoint+independent+board+to+audit+the+IPCC The U.N. will appoint an independent board of scientists to review the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the embattled U.N. climate body charged with evaluating the risk of climate change caused by human activity, reports Reuters. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43689653/French+company+prepares+to+ship+illegally+logged+rainforest+wood+from+Madag Delmas, a French shipping company that has been under pressure for facilitating the destruction of Madagascar's rainforest parks, has been cleared to begin picking up contraband rosewood as soon as Monday, report local sources in the Indian Ocean isl http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43654540/Savior+of+endangered+crocodiles+dies+of+malaria Crocodile-expert and conservationist, Dr. John Thorbjarnarson, died of falciparum malaria in India on February 14th at the age of fifty-two. While many conservationists work with publicly popular animals like tigers and whales, Thorbjarnarson's passi http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43654539/Galapagos+fur+seals+exploit+warmer+waters+to+establish+colony+off+Peru As suggested by their name, the Galapagos fur seals were once endemic to the Galapagos island chain off the coast of Ecuador. But in a warming world species are on the move, and the Galapagos fur seal is no exception. According to a recent story in R http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43654538/James+Inhofe+is+not+a+climatologist%3A+a+journalist%27s+perspective As a child when I came down with pneumonia my parents did not rush me to see a policeman, a cattle rancher, or a local businessman. Instead they took me to see a medical doctor'someone who had studied that science for at least twelve years'and I was http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10524za43628503/As+busy+as+a+bee%E2%80%A6. remarked my better half as we sat on the verandah looking at the flowering correa shrubs and listening to the hum of bees gathering nectar. The feral honey bees’ wings make a relatvely low pitched hum, and they move in leisurely fashion from fl http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10529za43594920/Best+Homework+Ever%21 Those lucky enough to be enrolled in Duke University must be fighting to get into Dr. Sandra Cooke's excellently titled class, 'The Billion Dollar Problem of Aquatic Invasive Species.' As part of the coursework, students are required to participate i http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43577585/Grizzly+bears+move+into+polar+bear+territory%2C+threatening+polar+cubs Two of the world's largest land carnivores are converging on the same territory, according to data recently published in Canadian Field Naturalist. Grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos horribilis) are moving into an area that has long been considered prime p http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43577584/Vietnam+implements+project+to+save+one+of+the+world%27s+rarest+mammals%2C+the+s Vietnam's central province of Thua Thien-Hue has approved a project to save the enigmatic saola. Listed as Critically Endangered, the saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis)'a type of forest antelope'is so rare and secretive that it was only discovered in 19 http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43577583/BBC+documentary+leads+Unilever+to+blacklist+Indonesian+palm+oil+company Unilever has told Indonesian suppliers to stop sourcing palm oil from Duta Palma due to concerns over deforestation, reports Reuters. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43535509/Extinct+animals+are+quickly+forgotten%3A+the+baiji+and+shifting+baselines In 2006 a survey in China to locate the endangered Yangtze River dolphin, known as the baiji, found no evidence of its survival. Despondent, researchers declared that the baiji was likely extinct. Four years later and the large charismatic marine mam http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43499884/Conflicting+signals+out+of+Indonesia+on+whether+palm+oil+plantations+will+b Indonesia will not allow the conversion of natural forest for oil palm plantations, claimed the country's Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan in comments reported by the Jakarta Post. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43499885/Climate+change+melting+southern+Antarctic+Peninsula+ice+shelves The US Geological Survey (USGS) has found that every ice front in the southern part of the Antarctic Peninsula'the coldest part'has been retreating overall for the past sixty years with the greatest changes visible since 1990. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43424002/REDD+may+not+provide+sufficient+incentive+to+developers+over+palm+oil In less than a generation oil palm cultivation has emerged as a leading form of land use in tropical forests, especially in Southeast Asia. Rising global demand for edible oils, coupled with the crop's high yield, has turned palm oil into an economic http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43458780/Local+vegetation+can+point+to+the+consequences+of+climate+change%2C+Israeli+s A recent study by a team of researchers from Bar Ilan University suggests that endangered plants in water-saturated habitats can be taken as indicators for climate change in the Levant region. They present a picture particularly of the consequences o http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10524za43438766/Hobbled+again Yes, back on crutches for a little while and will have to rely on things that come to me for posts, so that means moths and the like. A number of Dysbatus species came to the light on the last occasion, they were in a range of colours varying from d http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43424003/With+increased+protection%2C+Gulf+of+California+marine+life+could+recover The Gulf of California's once rich marine ecosystem is in trouble. Surveys from 1999 and 2009 revealed that during the ten-year-period 60 percent of the areas showed signs of degradation, including the loss of top predators necessary to keep an ecosy http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43424001/%27No+change+whatsoever%27+in+scientists%27+conviction+that+climate+change+is+occ Despite some politicians and TV personalities claiming that climate change is dead, a panel of influential US and European scientists held a press conference at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science to set the http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43424000/Indonesia+to+target+New+Guinea+for+agricultural+expansion Indonesia will target its last frontier — its territory on New Guinea — as it seeks to become a major agricultural exporter, reports the AFP. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43424004/Could+toxins+from+plantation+trees+be+causing+cancer+cluster%2C+oyster+deaths A local medical doctor, a marine ecologist, and oyster farmers are raising an alarm that a nearby monoculture plantation of Eucalyptus nitens may be poisoning local water reserves, leading to rare cancers and high oyster mortality in Tasmania. Howeve http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43423999/Illegal+loggers+hit+community+reforestation+project+in+Indonesia%2C+spurring Illegal loggers are targeting community-managed forests in South Sumatra, renewing questions over forestry governance and law enforcement as the Indonesia prepares to capitalize on payments for conservation and reforestation under a proposed climate http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10529za43398038/Around+The+World A recently published study from the Global Invasive Species Program (GISP) showed that on average, every country has 50 invasive species making a negative impact on biodiversity. Want more details? Check out the full publication. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10529za43398037/Carping With the recent controversy regarding Asian carp in the Great Lakes at the forefront, plus well-publicized problems with zebra mussels and snakehead fish, the Washington Post recently pondered the cost of fighting invasive species. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10524za43369801/What+a+nice+surprise%E2%80%A6. I got this morning, the day of more surgery on my knee to remove the wires. Turned on the computer to check the blog and it had been hacked. Luckily had an hour to spare so uploaded the latest version and changed passwords. Hope that holds it until I http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43361421/Cricket+mothers+warn+offspring+about+spiders+before+they+hatch Cricket mothers are long gone by the time their infants hatch, so one would assume that cricket parents have little effect on their offspring's behavior. Not so, according to a new study in the American Naturalist which proves that mother crickets h http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43361420/Where+two+worlds+collide%3A+visiting+Tabin+Wildlife+Reserve The vehicle stopped on the way into Tabin Wildlife Reserve as a troupe of pig-tailed macaques began making their way across the road. In a flash a domestic dog, which may or may not have been 'ownerless', ambushed the group. Chaos erupted as the big http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43270900/Climate+change+pledges+by+rich+countries+represent+little+new+money Under the Copenhagen Accord signed in December, the world's richest countries pledged billions of dollars in climate finance to help fund adaptation and mitigation initiatives in poor and vulnerable countries. However a new analysis by the World Res http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43270899/Profit+of+biggest+companies+would+be+cut+by+a+third+if+forced+to+pay+for+en Profits of the world's 3,000 largest companies would be cut by $2.2 trillion per year if they were forced to pay for environmental damage from their operations, according to an upcoming U.N. report detailed by The Guardian. The study, conducted by Tr http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43197209/Humans+push+half+of+the+world%27s+primates+toward+extinction%2C+lemurs+in+parti Of the known 634 primate species in the world 48 percent are currently threatened with extinction, making mankind's closes relatives one of the most endangered animal groups in the world. In order to bring awareness to the desperate state of primates http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43233157/Pregnancy+gives+new+hope+for+rhino+on-the-brink+of+extinction Though they grew up world's apart, Sumatran rhinos Ratu and Andalas have given conservationists new-found hope for saving the embattled species. The rhino couple is expecting, according to the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary at Way Kambas, Indonesia. One of http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43197210/Photos%3A+highest+diversity+of+cats+in+the+world+discovered+in+threatened+for Using camera traps over a two year period wildlife biologist Kashmira Kakati has discovered seven species of wild cats living in the same forest: the Jeypore-Dehing lowland forests in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. Yet the cat-crazy ecosyste http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10524za43171439/Nearly+worn+out%E2%80%A6. Although Odonata have been very scarce here this season, there have been a couple of dragonflies hawking around the house for some weeks. I couldn’t see what species they were until dusk last night. While looking through the window I saw one co http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43121119/UN+to+protect+seven+migratory+sharks%2C+but+Australia+opts+out One hundred and thirteen countries have signed on to an agreement to protect seven migratory sharks currently threatened with extinction byway of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), according to the UN Envi http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43121118/New+study%3A+why+plants+produce+different+sized+seeds The longstanding belief as to why some plants produce big seeds and others small seeds is that in this case bigger-is-better, since large seeds have a better chance of survival. However, Helene Muller-Landau, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropic http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43121117/Consumers+fail+at+identifying+green+companies An article today in New Scientist shows that American consumers have a difficult time correctly identifying green companies, often confusing 'greenwashing' for true green credentials or not bestowing enough credit where credit is truly due. By combin http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43081050/EU+biofuels+target+will+starve+the+poor%2C+says+anti-poverty+group The European Union's biofuel targets could starve up to 100 million people, warns a report from an anti-poverty charity. ActionAid estimates the E.U.'s plan to source 10 percent of transport fuels from biofuels would increase competition for agricult http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43046799/12-year-old+on+a+mission+to+save+Africa%27s+most+unusual+animal%2C+the+okapi%2C+a Anyone who says a kid can't change the world hasn't met Spencer Tait. At the age of five Spencer had his first encounter with the Congo's elusive okapi at the Milwaukee Public Museum. Spencer'now 12 years old'describes that encounter as 'love at firs http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43046800/Under+siege%3A+oil+and+gas+concessions+cover+41+percent+of+the+Peruvian+Amazo A new study in the Environmental Research Letter finds that the Peruvian Amazon is being overrun by the oil and gas industries. According to the study 41 percent of the Peruvian Amazon is currently covered by 52 separate oil and gas concessions, near http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za43006751/Tropical+timber+imports+to+the+U.S.+plunge U.S. tropical lumber imports plunged by nearly half between 2009 and 2008, reports the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10529za42984401/Frog+The+Bounty+Hunter Coming up this March in Cairns, Australia, is Toad Day Out, an opportunity to win a prize for catching the biggest cane toad (Bufo marinus). The person to deliver the biggest toad, measuring at least 15cm from nose to rear, will win $50 AUS. Toads mu http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za42977622/Australia+starts+10+million+dollar+initiative+to+find+new+species Known as the 'Bush Blitz', Australia will spend 10 million Australian dollars (8.88 million US dollars) over the next three years to conduct biodiversity surveys in far-flung places, reports Sydney Morning Herald. The program hopes to both uncover ne http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za42921455/Head+of+UN+urges+%27a+wake-up+call%27+to+save+biodiversity Speaking at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that 'business as usual is not an option' to protect the world' s biodiversity. The failure of governments worldwide to meet their pledges to p http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za42977621/Illegal+logging+rampant+in+Peru A survey of 78 forestry concessions in Peru found that 46 (59 percent) were in breach of their concession contracts, reports the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za42977620/Decline+in+fog+threatens+California%27s+iconic+redwood+ecosystems A surprising new study finds that during the past century the frequency of fog along California's coast has declined by approximately three hours a day. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the researchers are concerned th http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za42977619/How+free+trade+has+devastated+Africa%27s+farmers+and+poor A push in the mid-1980s for Africa to embrace free trade to aid it economies backfired in many of the continent's poorest countries, argues a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Africa was pushed to rollback gover http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10529za42951578/Camel+Pose Forget goats or sheep...or beetles! A Colorado rancher wants to enlist *camels* in the battle against the invasive shrub known as tamarisk (saltcedar, Tamarix spp.). http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za42921454/UN+official%3A+Zimbabwe+security+forces+poached+200+rhinos Last week the secretary of the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Willem Wijnstekers, announced that security forces in Zimbabwe had poached approximately 200 rhinos in a two year period. He did say how many elephants http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za42900491/The+Critically+Endangered+South+China+Tiger+Roars+Again+in+2010%2C+the+Chines Today marks the Chinese New Year for 2010, and the start of the traditional Year of the Tiger. The people of China might be celebrating future Years of the Tigers without their native and critically endangered South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoy http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10530za42884089/Notebook+Jottings+4 'I spent a day by the river, It was quiet and the wind stood still.I spent some time with nature,To remind me of all that's real....'Creed - Faceless ManAn oblog cotton-like swadle lays on the forest floor containing the pupae of the forest tent cate http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10531za42860569/Bill+Gates%3A+ban+coal+and+invest+in+clean+energy+technology The planet needs 'energy miracles' to overcome the dual challenges of meeting energy demand and addressing climate change, said Microsoft founder Bill Gates during a speech Friday at the TED Conference in Long Beach, California. http://hdlns.com/g1267zf10524za42842275/Moths+to+the+flame%E2%80%A6. or the mercury vapour lamp as the case may be. The first is a small Pyralid, Endotricha pyrosalis, and the way that it sits is interesting, a bit like a delta winged aircraft taking off. It is supposed to be a common moth but I think it’s the f