Leaders from government and non-government organisations as well as celebrities and scientists have converged on Barcelona, Spain, for a meeting of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Yesterday at the Congress a new study assessing the status of the world’s mammals was released showing:
“188 mammals are in the highest threat category of Critically Endangered, including the Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus), which has a population of just 84-143 adults and has continued to decline due to a shortage of its primary prey, the European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).
China’s Père David’s Deer (Elaphurus davidianus), is listed as Extinct in the Wild. However, the captive and semi-captive populations have increased in recent years and it is possible that truly wild populations could be re-established soon. It may be too late, however, to save the additional 29 species that have been flagged as Critically Endangered Possibly Extinct, including Cuba’s Little Earth Hutia (Mesocapromys sanfelipensis), which has not been seen in nearly 40 years.
Nearly 450 mammals have been listed as Endangered, including the Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), which moved from Least Concern to Endangered after the global population declined by more than 60 percent in the last 10 years due to a fatal infectious facial cancer.
The Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), found in Southeast Asia, moved from Vulnerable to Endangered due to habitat loss in wetlands. Similarly, the Caspian Seal (Pusa caspica) moved from Vulnerable to Endangered. Its population has declined by 90 percent in the last 100 years due to unsustainable hunting and habitat degradation and is still decreasing.”
The report states that habitat loss is the biggest issue for the world’s mammals especially in Southeast Asia.
The Sumatran tiger falls under this category and continues to lose habitat including to palm oil plantations and then there is also the issue of poaching.
The IUCN lists the tiger, Panthera tigris, as Endangered with less than 2,500 mature individuals in the wild.
This picture of a Sumatran tiger was taken by a camera trap set by Neil Franklin and provided by Richard Ness. Richard Ness has commented that “I am not sure the cutting of primary forest for logging or plantations is a real issue for them. They may do just as well in secondary growth. The main problem is humans hunting them for parts… same goes for orangutans.”
Dr Brendan Moyle, a zoologist and senior lecturer at Massey University, New Zealand, wrote on the issue of tigers and poaching in a note entitled ‘Tigers and Endangered Species’ at this blog in July last year. ‘
*********
According to Wikipedia, the IUCN was founded in 1948 and brings together 83 states, 108 government agencies, 766 non-governmental organizations and 81 international organizations and about 10,000 experts and scientists from countries around the world.
This is my info..
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Half the Amazon Rainforest to be Lost by 2030
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(NaturalNews) Due to the effects of global warming and deforestation, more than half of the Amazon rainforest may be destroyed or severely damaged by the year 2030, according to a report released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The report, "Amazon's Vicious Cycles: Drought and Fire," concludes that 55 percent of the world's largest rainforest stands to be severely damaged from agriculture, drought, fire, logging and livestock ranching in the next 22 years. Another 4 percent may be damaged by reduced rainfall caused by global warming. This is anticipated to destroy up to 80 percent of wildlife habitat in the region.
read more..
http://hernadi-key.blogspot.com/2008/11/half-amazon-rainforest-to-be-lost-by.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loss of the Sumatrun Tigers, Panda's etc is tragic. However there is an even bigger tragedy happening in our own Australian backyards. 30% of our Fauna and 40% of our Flora now classified as endangered and what are we doing ?
Lets stop debating climate change and get on with practice and policy that factors in the real social and environmental cost of development.
We have an extraordinary opportunity in the heart of Melbourne's suburbia to establish a benchmark project that demonstrates sustainable urban development. Act Now Go to.........
http://www.youtube.com/user/BLEEPNOW
Just how political has the IUCN red list become. Recently the IUCN was part of an investigation team to Tasmania, however when the report of its expert and two other experts was tabled it was given the rider “Views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect IUCN policy in relation to this property”
Was this because the experts found Tasmania’s wilderness and its forests to be well managed, completely contradicting the claims of the wilderness society and the Greens Political Party? Is it more than a coincidence that the Wilderness Society’s nominee Senator Christine Milne is a Vice President of the IUCN.
In the past as well as now threatened species are used as a weapon to stop development by the greens. The Orange belied parrot is on the red list and despite its breeding habitat being secured in Tasmania’s southwest national park, its threatened status was used as a reason to stop a wind farm in Victoria. Perhaps it is threatened not by wind farms but that its likely winter habitat is now occupied by 3.1 million people.
Another is the Tasmanian Devil, given as a reason to stop the pulp mill and to halt timber harvesting, despite it being listed due to a facial disease of unknown origin but definitely not forestry or a value adding factory.
Then there is Bob Brown’s Wielangta Federal court case against Forestry Tasmania and the parties to the Regional Forest Agreement that he lost. That was over the Swift Parrot, the Wedge Tail Eagle and the Wielangta Stagg Beetle. Swift parrot habitat is all ready well reserved, wedge tail eagle reported number have dramatically increased so that they are over 80% of the population estimated to exist in 1750. The only known death of the Wielangta stag beetle in recent years was when one was trapped in a chemically laden pit trap to provide evidence for Bob Brown’s prosecution.
Thank you spangled drongo.
Although I know what I am researching now may not have crucial impact on the overall environment protec, I believe if everyone takes the environmental consciousness as their responsibility and devotes some time and energy, we will ensure ourselves a more comfortable home and leave our offsprings a beautiful world.
P.S. In China, to arouse people's awareness is more important than to punish them for what they have done. I can see more and more people purchase SUV as their forst choice which has a big oil consumption than the Hybrid cars. As I know, in many western countries SUV could be seen as a lack of the envirionmental awareness , ironically in my country this is the symbol of wealth and high social status.