Kenya opens anti-poaching forensic laboratory

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has opened a forensic laboratory to boost the fight against poaching.

The Kenya Wildlife Service says some species could be pushed into extinction because of poaching

The information gathered should help in prosecuting suspected poachers as cases can collapse because of weak evidence.

The laboratory will build up a DNA database which will link stolen ivory and meat to specific animals.

Poaching has damaged the wildlife population in Kenya with fears that some species could be pushed into extinction.

The laboratory is the second of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa - the other being in South Africa - and KWS says it can be used by all countries in the east and central African region.

A team of 45 researchers at the $1.7m (£1.2m) laboratory in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, will now be taking samples from wild animals in order to extract the DNA.

This information can then be used to provide "water-tight evidence" in court, according to KWS spokesman Paul Udoto.

The Thai authorities recently discovered $6m-worth (£4m) of smuggled ivory in the country

Mr Udoto says prosecutors have faced a problem proving that meat found with a suspected poacher is from a protected species.

In the past suspects have been able to argue that it was goat or cattle meat.

Now the evidence can be tested in court and compared with the information in the database to prove beyond doubt what animal it comes from.

KWS says that bushmeat hunting is endangering some wild animals including the sable and hirola antelopes.

DNA taken from smuggled ivory that has been discovered can be linked to an individual animal in a specific location.

Some ivory stockpiles have been destroyed in an attempt to halt the trade

That information can secure a prosecution and help in intelligence gathering when trying to establish where poachers are operating, Mr Udoto says.

About 100 rhinoceros have been poached in Kenya in the last three years and KWS things that if no "urgent interventions are made" rhinos could disappear from Kenya altogether.

It is hoped that more prosecutions will act as a deterrent to potential smugglers.

The illegal ivory trade has soared in recent years, and a kilogramme of ivory is now worth thousands of dollars.

Much of the demand has been driven by a rapidly growing market in Asia.

From BBc Science / Environment

'Airspace reserves' could protect wildlife

"Airspace reserves" should be created to protect wildlife, scientists say.

There is a growing conflict between animals and humans in the air

They warn that growing numbers of skyscrapers, wind turbines, power lines, planes and drones are threatening billions of flying animals.

Researchers in Argentina and Wales have called for airspace zones where human activity is partially or totally restricted to reduce the aerial conflict.

The report is published in the journal Science.

Sergio Lambertucci, from the University of Comahue and the Argentina Research Council (Conicet), said: "Most of the conservation in reserves and national parks is mainly focussed on the ground or more recently on water. None of them have focussed on the airspace."

Human cost

The skies are becoming increasingly crowded.

Scientists estimate that millions of animals die each year from collisions with tall buildings, power lines and wind turbines.

But the aerial conflict can cause problems for humans too.

The research team, also from Swansea University in Wales, says that bird strikes with planes have killed more than 200 people globally and have damaged thousands of planes.

The impact of drones is yet to be assessed, but the researchers fear they could be a growing problem.

The scientists say that areas of pristine airspace should be created.

These could be temporary zones, for example to help protect birds on their seasonal migrations, or more permanent areas, put in place over key habitats.

The scientists add that the impact on wildlife needs to be taken into account in the planning stages of major construction projects.

Dr Lambertucci said: "If you know all the species that use that area before you build an airport or a building or a wind farm, you will probably be able to reduce a lot of the conflicts."

From BBC News

Why is sea ice so important?

After Norwegian scientists described profound changes in the Arctic as a "new era" for sea ice,BBC Weather's Tomasz Schafernaker reports for BBC Global on why it is so important.

Climate drives 'new era' in Arctic Ocean

Changes in the Arctic Ocean are so profound that the region is entering what amounts to "a new era", according to Norwegian scientists.

A switch from a permanent cover of thick ice to a new state where thinner ice vanishes in the summer will have far-reaching implications, they say.

The Norwegian Polar Institute has been mounting an expedition to the Arctic Ocean during the year's coldest months.

Scientists have to brave extreme temperatures and total darkness.

Their aim is to gather data on the condition of the ice as it freezes during the polar winter.

A research vessel, the Lance, has been deployed to an area about 500 miles from the North Pole and allowed to drift with the pack-ice.

The director of the institute, Jan-Gunnar Winther, said that measuring what happens in the winter was vital to improving scenarios for future climate change.

A major focus of the expedition is to examine the consequences of having less so-called multi-year ice and a greater proportion of younger ice

"We have almost no data from the Arctic Ocean in winter - with few exceptions - so this information is very important to be able understand the processes when the ice is freezing in early winter and we'll also stay here when it melts in the summer," he explained.

"A new era has entered, we are going from old ice to young ice, thinner ice and the climate models used today have not captured this new regime or ice situation.

"So knowing how it is today can improve climate models which again improve the projection for global climate change."

Record lows

This research effort comes as US scientists have reported that the maximum extent of Arctic sea-ice was recorded at its lowest winter level since satellite records began.

A major focus of the expedition is to examine the consequences of the Arctic Ocean having less of the so-called multi-year ice - older, tougher floes which have survived for several years - and a greater proportion of younger ice which is thinner.

Among the researchers investigating the impact of this change on the polar biology is Dr Haakon Hop, who is leading a team of biologists working under the ice.

Scientists want to understand how the cycles of freeze and melt are changing

READ MORE

From BBC Science/ Environment

Wild lynx could return to Britain after 1,300 years

An animal charity is trying to get the lynx back into the UK countryside.

The big cats became extinct in the UK 1,300 years ago.

But now the Lynx UK trust wants to reintroduce them to three forest areas in Britain.

They say it will help stop wild deer from destroying woodland by eating too many plants and leaves.

However, farmers are worried that the lynx might decide to hunt their animals instead.

The Iberian lynx is one of the rarest types of lynx, and can only be found in parts of Spain and Portugal.

What is a lynx?

A lynx is a medium-sized cat which lives in the wild. There are four different species of lynx.

The Eurasian, Iberian, Canada and Bobcat.

The Eurasian lynx used to be native to Britain and is the biggest - around 60cm tall - about the same size as a Labrador.

The Iberian lynx is the rarest wildcat in the world and can be found in parts of Spain and Portugal.

You can find the Bobcat in North America and the Canada lynx lives in Canada and Alaska.

The Lynx is listed as threatened on the endangered species list, as many poachers hunt them for their fur.

Lynx are usually only active at night and hunt deer, rabbits and hares for food.

From CBBC Newsround