The Power of Nature- The Sundarbans: Nature's bioshield

Stretching along the coastline of India and Bangladesh, this complex maze of mangrove trees and waterways mark the area where land meets the sea and freshwater meets seawater.  

Wildllife thrive in this unique and delicately balanced ecosystem and it is home to large numbers of mammals, birds and fish. It is also one of the largest haunts of the endangered Royal Bengal tiger.

But the Sundarbans value extends beyond just providing a habitat for these magnificent animals; it also protects the densely populated Bay of Bengal from cyclones and the worst extremes of nature.

Yet, it is now threatened by man’s activities, including land reclamation, logging and shrimp farming. In fact, this vast tract of mud and tangles of roots is now being destroyed faster than almost any other ecosystem on Earth, removing this essential barrier and the rich habitat.

In this film sustainability advisor and author Tony Juniper, environmental economist Pavan Sukhdev, and lead scientist with The Nature Conservancy Dr M Sanjayan reveal the wildlife this strange and magical forest supports and explore the hidden strengths that make it such an effective coastal defence. 

From BBC 

Trouble in Galapagos 'paradise' for Ecuador locals

Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, lying 1,000 km (621 miles) off-shore in the Pacific Ocean, are famed as the natural laboratory that inspired Charles Darwin to develop the theory of evolution.

 

Fears that rising tourist visitor numbers could threaten the island's unique wildlife have not been borne out but other challenges remain

 

Surging growth in tourism and local population during the boom times led to serious fears about whether their unique ecosystems could survive the pressure.

Now, awareness of these twin threats appears to have spurred the government into faster action.

On 1 June, President Rafael Correa warned that the islands faced "multiple problems" from "disorder, a lot of abuse, a lot of anarchy, lack of policies".

In a break with tradition, he named an outsider, Maria Isabel Salvador, who was Ecuador's ambassador to the Organization of American States, to run the archipelago.

"The message was very clear, the government is preparing to make some unpopular decisions," says Reyna Oleas, an ecologist in Puerto Ayora, the islands' biggest town.

Already, some fuel subsidies have been cut and the permitted number of cars capped because of the 13,000 birds they run over each year.

In recent years, with the rapid growth of both luxury and backpack travel, tourists have flocked to the islands to wonder at its unique giant tortoises, tame sea lions, and abundant birdlife.

The tourism boom prompted warnings that the visitors would inflict untold damage on the archipelago. Sheer numbers were considered the main threat.

In 1980, environmentalists worried that too many people were arriving, and called for no more than 12,000 a year. That's less than a tenth of present visitors.

Since 2007, tourist numbers have stagnated at around 170,000 annually because of the global financial crisis. If pre-crisis growth rates had continued, there were fears that number could have reached 300,000 tourists.

The slowdown has eased calls for a ceiling on tourists. And observers argue the industry remains the lifeblood of the economy, and needs to be regulated, rather than prohibited.

"If not for tourism, these islands would have been destroyed long ago," says Fernando Delgado, a hotel manager with a long working experience on the archipelago.

Among the rare species on the Galapagos was the giant tortoise, 'Lonesome George', who died in

2012

From BBC NEws  Latin America

 

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Endangered Maui's dolphins fighting for survival off NZ coast

The plight of a critically endangered dolphin subspecies is expected to be one of the main talking points at the International Whaling Commission's scientific committee currently underway in Jeju, South Korea.

Maui's dolphins are only found in a small area off the coast of New Zealand's North Island.

But with only 55 adults believed to be in existence the fight to ensure their survival has proved a contentious issue in a country famed for its environmental credentials.

Ben Brown reports.

Tigers at risk from canine distemper virus

Some of the world's rarest big cats are under threat from a virus carried by dogs, a wildlife expert has warned.

John Lewis, director of Wildlife Vets International, said there was evidence that Indonesian tigers were at risk from the canine distemper virus.

The virus used to be found mainly in dogs but seems to have evolved to infect animals like seals and tigers.

Infected animals usually develop breathing problems, have seizures, and display unusual behaviour.

Threat to tigers

It is a big threat to tigers because it can make them lose their fear of humans. Infected tigers may walk into nearby towns and this puts them in danger.

Dr Lewis explained: "It puts them at big risk because they lose their fear of poachers or they bring themselves in situations of conflict, such as playing with traffic."

Dr Lewis plans to work with Indonesian vets to develop a strategy to protect the nation's tigers from the virus.

From CBBC News