Make 2015 the Year of Conservation Achievements

As 2014 came to a close, I felt inundated with reports of record numbers of animals killed to fuel the illegal wildlife trade.  In 2014, almost 1,200 rhino were killed for their horns.  Numbers of elephants slaughtered for ivory were in the tens of thousands.  It appears that life in the sea is just as dangerous on land as over 100 million sharks were killed for their fins.  Gorillas, tigers, okapis, hippos, lions, and cheetah are not only losing their lives, but also their homes.  Sadly, they are not the only ones.  This cannot continue.   As we begin 2015, …

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Lionfish: Invasive Predators of the Deep

  Native to reefs in the Indo-Pacific region, the lionfish is a member of the scorpion fish family. Growing upwards of 45 cm in length and 1.3 kg in weight, it is an aggressive, territorial species with very few predators likely due to the fact that they are venomous. Large spins located within the dorsal, anal, and pectoral fins are capable of delivering a mix of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and a neuromuscular toxin causing pain, swelling, respiratory distress, and, in some cases, paralysis. With a life span of 5-15 years, chemical arsenal, and a ferocious appetite, this is one species …

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Conservation Achievements in the Pantanal

Listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Area and one of the world’s largest tropical wetlands, the Pantanal covers 188,000 ha in western central Brazil.  Bordering Bolivia and Paraguay, this freshwater ecosystem, fed by the Cuiabá and Paraguay rivers, is home to a variety of species found nowhere else on Earth.  Modern pressures and an ever-growing human population continue to pose challenges for wildlife conservation and habitat preservation.  Research projects centered on such species as the lowland tapir, giant river otter, and jaguar work relentlessly to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and secure safe rangeland to ensure wildlife are protected and given the …

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Essence of Pakistan’s Wildlife and Biodiversity: An Overview of the Problems and Conservation Needs

Authors: Sunil Nawaz, MSc Zoology, M.phil Microbiology Scholar Natasha Zarish M.Sc Zoology M.Ed Science Education   Pakistan is blessed with several natural beauties including indigenous wildlife (including several rare endangered species), beautiful mountains of Himalayas, deserts of Cholistan and Thar, Manmade forests like changa manga forest as well as several natural resources from the Baluchistan trails. It also holds second tallest mountain K-2, which is a really challenging tourist attraction in terms of mountain climbing. Four seasons bloom each year to their fullest, and rain fall of 12-14 inch per year average lead to make Pakistan a very fertile agricultural …

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World Oceans Day: Why it Should Matter to All of Us

Did you know that 8 June is World Oceans Day? Like all days of designated observance, World Oceans Day was started to bring a yearly awareness, in this case to the state of our underwater world. Although water makes up ~70% of Earth’s surface, our seas remain one of the most unique, important, and yet unexplored parts of our world. As vast as our marine areas are, they are also extremely fragile, quickly being destroyed from an ever-increasing pressure by an ever-increasing human population. I suppose it is easy to dismiss what we do not see on a daily basis; …

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The Internet Influence on Wildlife Conservation

Dissemination of information has never been easier then at this very moment.  The Internet, specifically social media sites, allows us to share concerns regarding wildlife and bring attention to important conservation issues instantly with people around the world.  Case in point, you are reading this blog.  Unfortunately, along with the potential good this kind of technology brings there is also the bad.  With millions of daily tweets, Facebook status updates, Youtube videos, Instagram pictures, Flickr uploads, and blog posts one cannot help but ask if this actually helps or hinders wildlife conservation.   There are not too many wildlife conservation …

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Can CITES Regulations Help Protect Wildlife?

From 3-14 March, the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is holding their Conference of Parties 16 (CoP16) in Bangkok, Thailand.  While some species will get the protection they so desperately need to survive in the wild, others seem to fall by the wayside.  What constitutes a species being placed on the coveted Appendix I list?  Is a down listing to Appendix II or III, or a delisting a death sentence for species?  Do CITES regulations really help protect endangered species or simply pay lip service to the angry mob? A great deal of confusion surrounds what CITES …

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Love is in the Air . . . and Babies on the Way

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought it only fitting to take a closer look at baby making, and rearing, in the animal kingdom.  Being a reproductive physiologist by training, I am always very fascinated by the ways wildlife have adapted to ensure species survival.  How animals have evolved to overcome harsh environments, predators, and lack of resources, to name a few, to reproduce and raise young is incredible to say the very least. Thanks to the children’s animated feature, Happy Feet, most of us have at least a basic understanding of the yearly mating and egg laying drama of …

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Poaching: New Year, New Problems

The last 365 days have proved to be one of the worst years for poaching since the 1980s.  In 2012, it is estimated that over 17,000 elephants and 700 rhino were lost during this ongoing global war against wildlife poaching.  Keep in mind these are but two out of hundreds of species that were affected.  The last year has been filled with both triumphs and failures as conservationists fight to conserve these magnificent creatures.  Unfortunately, as we are only 14 days into a new year, the killing continues.  Already reports out of Kenya reports an entire African elephant family has …

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Human-Wildlife Conflict Redefined

Five years ago, if you heard the words “human-wildlife conflict” (or HWC) the first thing that probably came to mind was the challenges agriculturalists in range countries face coexisting with native fauna.  Maybe you thought about the struggle between Namibian goat herders and cheetahs or East African farmers protecting their crops from raiding elephants.  In short, humans had what animals wanted.  No doubt those types of incidences still exist, but the overall dynamic of human-wildlife conflicts have changed, and therefore need redefined. Perhaps the first thing we should change is our way of thinking; how we view conflict between man …

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