An anonymous reader shares a report: The predation of livestock by carnivores, and the retaliatory killing of carnivores as a result, is a major global conservation challenge. Such human-wildlife conflicts are a key driver of large carnivore declines and the costs of coexistence are often disproportionately borne by rural communities in the global south. While current approaches tend to focus on…
Tag: conservation
Hurricane Hanna shrinks Gulf of Mexico dead zone
The Gulf of Mexico dead zone was much smaller than usual this year because Hurricane Hanna stirred up the area of low-oxygen water. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/hurricane-hanna-shrinks-2020-gulf-of-mexico-dead-zone…
Penguin Poop Seen From Space Leads To Discovery of New Colonies
Satellite-mapping technology “that detects stains on the ice from penguin droppings” has revealed there are more Emperor colonies than previously known in fast-warming Antarctica, reports Bloomberg: Eleven new colonies of the species were found, taking the census to 61 across the polar continent, according to a study by scientists at the British Antarctic Survey published Wednesday. The scientists used images from…
Satellites discover new penguin colonies from space
Satellite images have revealed 11 previously unknown emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica, identified by telltale reddish-brown guano stains the birds leave on the ice. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/satellite-new-emperor-penguin-colonies-from-space…
Germany Plans To Dim Lights At Night To Save Insects
An anonymous reader quotes a report from MSN: In a draft law seen by AFP, the country’s environment ministry has drawn up a number of new measures to protect insects, ranging from partially outlawing spotlights to increased protection of natural habitats. “Insects play an important role in the ecosystem…but in Germany, their numbers and their diversity has severely declined in recent…
Chinese nature reserves focus so much on pandas that leopards suffer
China’s conservation efforts to save giant pandas have paid off for the bears, but miserably failed leopards and other carnivores that share their home Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2250611-chinese-nature-reserves-focus-so-much-on-pandas-that-leopards-suffer/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Theoretical Physicists Say 90% Chance of Societal Collapse Within Several Decades
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: Two theoretical physicists specializing in complex systems conclude that global deforestation due to human activities is on track to trigger the “irreversible collapse” of human civilization within the next two to four decades. If we continue destroying and degrading the world’s forests, Earth will no longer be able to sustain a large human…
Dark Sky Sanctuary established in New England
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine was certified as a Dark Sky Sanctuary on May 8, 2020. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/first-dark-sky-sanctuary-in-new-england…
350 elephants drop dead in Botswana, some walking in circles before doing face-plants
More than 350 elephants in Botswana have mysteriously died since May, in a phenomenon that some scientists have dubbed a “conservation disaster,” and one that has evaded explanation. Source: https://www.livescience.com/elephant-mass-deaths-botswana.html
Check out this sloth robot
SlothBot is a slow-moving and energy-efficient robot that can linger in the trees to monitor animals, plants, and the environment below. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/sloth-robot-video…