To my dear visitors and commenters

Hi, everybody! I've noticed with lots of joy and happiness, that thousands of comments have been written in my posts. It's wonderful that so may people around the world appreciate my work. Therefore, I want to thank you for that and ,at the same time I want to ask you to be this blog's followers. It's fast and easy! Make it be even more visited and spread all over the world! I'm a woman, a teacher of English in Portugal, and I've been away for quite a long time because of my father's health. Unfortunately he died from Covid19 a few months ago. Now I felt it was time to restart my activity in this and other blogs I owe. I've recently created a new one in a partnership with a street photographer, Mr. Daniel Antunes. He's fabulous! https://pandpbydandd.blogspot.com I'd like you to visit it and, who knows, become our followers. The poems, chronicles and thoughts are all mine. Thank you so much! Kisses :-)

Search This Blog

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Poor outlook for Borneo's mammals

Half of Borneo's mammals will see their habitats shrink by at least a third by 2080, according to a study.

The Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi photographed in the Deramakot Forest Reserve in Sabah Malaysian Borneo
The Sunda clouded leopard photographed in the Deramakot Forest Reserve in Sabah Malaysian Borneo

By then, twice as many mammals as now will be at risk of extinction, say conservationists.
Climate change, loss of rainforest and hunting is a threat to many rare mammals on the island.
But there is hope for species like the orang-utan if action is taken to focus conservation efforts on upland areas, scientists report in Current Biology.
Borneo is the world's third largest island, accounting for 1% of the world's land yet about 6% of global biodiversity.
The island has already lost over half its forests, a third disappearing in the last three decades.
A team led by researchers at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, UK, used modelling and satellite images to predict where rainforest will be lost over the next 65 years, based on predictions of climate change and changes in land use.
Working with institutes in Germany, Australia and Indonesia, they mapped the likely suitable habitat for each of 81 Bornean mammals.
They found that deforestation and climate change would lead to 30-49% of mammals losing at least a third of their habitat by 2080.
Endangered Bornean orang-utan  photographed in a mining area in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo
Endangered Bornean orang-utan photographed in a mining area in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo
This would put at least 15 carnivores, 8 primates and 21 bat species at risk of extinction by 2080, almost doubling the proportion of threatened mammals on the island, according to the research.
But there is hope that better forestry management for conservation outside existing reserves could curb this loss, said lead researcher Dr Matthew Struebig.
"Only a modest amount of additional land on Borneo (~28,000 km2, or 4% of the island) would be needed to safeguard many mammal species against threats from deforestation and climate change."
The logging industry had a major role to play in conservation, given that they manage much of the land, he added.
And since deforestation and climate change is likely to have the biggest impact on lowland forests, it made sense to target efforts to forests at higher elevations.
Special efforts are needed for species like the flying fox and otter civit that would be unable to adapt to higher altitudes, said Dr Struebig.
"It is not so much that species would be doomed, but more that their area requirements would unlikely be met in the land available for conservation," he explained.
Writing in the journal Current Biology, the researchers described the outlook as "pessimistic", but said improving conservation outside existing reserves could help meet biodiversity goals.
From BBC News

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Beavers allowed back in the wild in south west England

The first beavers found living in the wild in England for 500 years, will be allowed to stay where they are.


The animals, on the River Otter in Devon in south west England, can remain in the wild, as long as they're free of disease.
Beavers were hunted to extinction in England five centuries ago, because their fur and oil were very valuable.
This is the first time permission's been given to re-introduce a mammal previously extinct in England.
The animals, on the River Otter in Devon in south west England, can remain in the wild, as long as they're free of disease.Beavers were hunted to extinction in England five centuries ago, because their fur and oil were very valuable.This is the first time permission's been given to re-introduce a mammal previously extinct in England.
beavers in the River Otter


At least three youngsters and eight adults have been spotted living wild in the River Otter, DevonOne theory is that it was the work of "beaver bombers" - wildlife campaigners who illegally release animals in to the wild.

Five-year trial

The government has decided to allow the Devon Wildlife Trust to manage these animals, for a five-year trial.

The animals must first be caught and tested to make sure they are a European species, and free from a parasite called tapeworm..

'Not an easy decision'

Beavers are known as the engineers of the waterways and can have a massive impact on their environment as they fell trees to build their dams and lodges.Their dams slow the rivers which filters the water and this provides other places for wildlife to thrive.

tree trunk gnawed by beavers

Beavers gnaw trees like this to get to young green shoots at the top
However other people say that blocking up the river with dams in some places, could cause problems with flooding and could harm fish migration.

From CBBC newsround

Wikipedia

Search results