Paul Rosolie checking the camera trap videos on a laptop in the Amazon, Photo: Mohsin Kazmi

Visiting a rainforest can be an exercise in challenged expectations. Everyone knows that rainforests are full of life: they teem with species, act as stages for unimaginably intricate food webs, and provide refuge for rare and even undiscovered organisms that exist nowhere else in the world. And yet . . . dense tropical forests can appear deceptively devoid of animals. One can spend hours and even days hiking through the Amazon’s cathedrals of green without spotting many animals beyond buzzing insects and snatches of birdsong from overhead. There are millions of organisms around, to be sure, yet they are all woven so tightly into their environment as to be almost indistinguishable from the forest itself.

Through the camera lens

Red howler monkey in the Las Piedras region. Photo: Mohsin Kazmi

Although it seems as though obtaining glimpses of the forest’s large and rare fauna might be a hopeless endeavor, there are a few tricks of the trade that researchers use to tease out evidence of even the most elusive species. Recently, advances in remote camera technology have provided scientists and photographers with new and exciting options for detecting wildlife—a way to put eyes in the forest without disturbing animals’ natural behaviors or movement patterns. When viewed through a camera lens, the forest comes to life. Case in point: the work of Paul Rosolie, a wildlife researcher who has done extensive research along Peru’s lower Las Piedras River. Rosolie has put concerted effort into documenting animals in the region’s forests. He often strategically places his cameras at mineral deposits—hotspots for wildlife seeking critical nutrients—and Rosolie’s photos have provided a valuable window into forest diversity and activity.

Rosolie’s film, An Unseen World, a collection of stunning camera trap footage from the Peruvian Rainforest, was a winner in the 2013 United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) short films contest, Forests for People.

There is a dark side to this story. The animals captured by Rosolie’s cameras cannot comprehend that their forest is on the brink of vast and potentially devastating changes. But Rosolie can, and this is what drives his efforts to document and publicize the region’s incredible biodiversity. He conducts his research knowing that every day, development encroaches a little bit farther into this delicate ecosystem, largely facilitated by road development designed to ease the process of extracting resources from South America’s rich interior.

Paving Peru

The Trans-Amazonian highway was an ambitious and ill-conceived project initiated by General Medici, one of Brazil’s military rulers, in 1970. He observed that the northeastern parts of Brazil faced extreme resource scarcity, and his solution was to build a 5,000 km road spanning South America from east to west—crossing some of the most intimidating terrain on the planet. It was cut through thousands of kilometers of steaming tropical forest, up steep and winding mountainsides, and across dizzyingly high Andean passes.

The highway was assembled at a breakneck pace—the entire road was laid over the course of just 18 months. Unfortunately, someone managed to overlook the fact that the rainforest gets a lot of rain. A lot of rain. Enough rain to make the new highway, covered in just a thin veneer of gravel, virtually impassable for up to six months of the year.

Logging truck near the lower Las Piedras.

Although the road failed as a reliable route of commerce, it has created lasting impacts. It resulted in previously isolated indigenous communities being exposed to new diseases, costing thousands of human lives and even broader cultural losses. The Brazilian government sponsored a large resettlement movement to populate South America’s interior after the road was built. Inevitably, settlers left stranded during rainy periods had to clear fast swaths of forest to eke out a living, due to the Amazon’s low soil nutrient content. And during the months the road was actually passable, it served as a conduit for logging—both illegal and otherwise—and rampant wildlife poaching in a region that is teeming with rare and unique species, including many that are likely unknown to science.

Humankind’s urge to conquer nature knows no bounds, however. Although the Brazilian government largely abandoned the road a few years after it proved to be a maintenance nightmare, there has recently been a new push to pave the entire thing, in an effort to keep it passable and facilitate more resource extraction from the heart of South America. It also provides a convenient corridor for moving drugs from one coast of the continent to the other, although that was not included in the official economic analyses.

This new and “improved” version of the highway—now experiencing dramatic increases in traffic—passes through the Las Piedras river area. The consequences are becoming more and more evident by the day. New logging roads are sprouting off of the main road into the pristine forest, and Rosolie and his team have seen a marked uptick in wildlife fatalities for species ranging from jaguars to macaws.

Protecting the Las Piedras region

One reason the region is reeling from the new road is that none of its land is formally protected—making it nearly impossible to enforce penalties for killing or disturbing wildlife. Thus, Rosolie is spearheading the effort to obtain formal protection of the land. “It’s no small task to create a national park, but…the truly unique element of the Piedras plan is the once-in-history opportunity to protect the area before it is degraded, and before it is filled with too many people to make a park viable.”

“Protecting this river would create ecosystem connectivity between large, famous protected areas. I think that connecting the already-existing parks to create a mega-reserve would be something for Peru to be proud of; an important example for the rest of the world.”

Protecting the Las Piedras region would yield compound benefits by creating a corridor system between other vital biodiversity hotspots. “Protecting this river would create ecosystem connectivity between large, famous protected areas. I think that connecting the already-existing parks to create a mega-reserve would be something for Peru to be proud of; an important example for the rest of the world.” While fighting to protect the region from further disturbance, Rosolie continues to document the rich diversity of Las Piedras. His cameras have yielded footage of dozens of rare and unique mammal species, including the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtus), one of the Amazon’s rarest mammals.

Rosolie has also documented a tiny marsupial known as the “mouse opossum” (Marmosa murina), the bellow-lunged red howler monkey (Alouatta sara), the elusive pale-winged trumpeter (Psophia leucoptera), and the virtually unstudied twist-necked turtle (Platemys platycephala), just to name a few highlights. Conservation work can be disheartening, especially for researchers that spend much of their time out in the field, confronting the effects of habitat destruction and poaching first-hand every day. Rosolie remains undaunted, and is putting effort into developing ecotourism-based conservation efforts around the lower Las Piedras. He has also written a book, Mother of God, which will be published by Harper Collins in early 2014. Rosolie hopes that the book’s tales of adventure and descriptions of the rich biodiversity of Peru’s forests will bring more attention and support to his efforts to protect wildlife in the region. In the mean time, he continues to cook up new and innovative ways to bring much-needed attention and support in order to save one of the jewels in South America’s crown of biodiversity.

Species in Las Piedras Colpa Camera Trap Study:

1. Red Brocket Deer: Mazama Americana
2. Grey Brocket Deer: Mazama gouzoubira nemorivaga
3. White-lipped Peccary: Tayassu pecari
4. Collared peccary: Tayassu tajacu
5. Tapir: Tapirus terrestris
6. Ocelot: Leopardus pardalis
7. Puma: Puma concolor
8. Giant Anteater: Myrmecophaga tridactyla
9. Giant Armadillo: Priodontes maximus
10. Nine-banded Armadillo: Dasypus kappleri
11. Red Squirrel: Sciurus igniventris
12. White Capuchin Monkey: Cebus albifrons
13. Howler Monkey: Alouatta sara
14. Paca: Cunniculus paca
15. Agouti: Dasyprocta punctate
16. Anuje: Myoprocta pratti
17. Porcupine: Coendou bicolor
18. Jaguar: Panthera onca
19. Tyra: Eira Barbara
20. Amazon Coati: Nasua nasua
21. Rabbit: Sylvilagus brasiliensis
22. Spider Monkey: Ateles chamek
23. Squirrel Monkey: Saimiri boliviensis
24. Amazonian Red Sided Opossum: Monodelphis glirina
25. Mouse opossum: Marmosa murina
26. Spixes Guan: Penelope jacquacu
27. Razor-billed Curosaw: Mitu tuberosum
28. Pale Winged Trumpeter: Psophia leucoptera
29. Yellow-footed Tortoise: Geochelone denticulata
30. Side Necked Turtle: Atemys platycephala

More Information:

Tamandua Expeditions

Sometimes ‘the hunted’ adapt to the introduction of a new predator better than competing hunters. A clear example is the lace monitor, which competes with the fox for the same food resources. Photo: Wikipedia

The impact an introduced species can have on Australian native animals should take into account possible long-term stress not just numbers of outright deaths, University of Sydney research has shown.

“We also showed that sometimes ‘the hunted’ adapt more successfully to the introduction of a predator than competing hunters,” said Dr Jennifer Anson, from the University’s School of Biological Sciences and lead author of the study published last month in PLOS One.

“Research in Australia has never focused on how reptile predators, as opposed to mammalian predators, are affected by the presence of an introduced predator. Our study shows a reptile predator coping less well in the presence of a non-native predator than a target prey species does.”

The research looked at lace monitors and common ringtail possums in East Gippsland, Victoria.

It shows that ringtail possums are no more vigilant in the presence of foxes, introduced to Australia more than 150 years ago, than in the presence of other native predators, but still survive in high numbers.

“By comparison the lace monitor, which competes for prey with the fox, is faring less well,” said Dr Anson.

The native lace monitor competes with the invasive fox for the same food resources, in particular the ringtail possum. The fox hunts at night and lace monitors hunt during the day.

The study found that in response to increased competition with the fox, the lace monitor took more risks to get food.

“This increase in risk behaviour led to a reduction in body condition of the lace monitor. This means they are smaller or weigh less than they should for their size,” said Dr Anson.

“A lot of studies only look at whether a species numbers are being reduced but not at more subtle long-term threats such as deterioration in body condition. But loss of condition is a trend that could have an impact on how many young are born and on vulnerability to disease, presenting a potential danger to the species overall.”

Another implication of the research is the suggestion ringtails are capable of rapidly evolving in response to an invasive predator, something that other small-sized to medium-sized mammals have not had the opportunity or ability to do.

Published with permission from ScienceAlert

Today, at a time of multiple crises, we need to move away from thinking of nature as dead matter to valuing her biodiversity, clean water, and seeds. For this, nature herself will be the best teacher.

My ecological journey started in the forests of the Himalaya. My father was a forest conservator, and my mother became a farmer after fleeing the tragic partition of India and Pakistan. It is from the Himalayan forests and ecosystems that I learned most of what I know about ecology. The songs and poems our mother composed for us were about trees, forests, and India’s forest civilizations.

My involvement in the contemporary ecology movement began with “Chipko,” a nonviolent response to the large-scale deforestation that was taking place in the Himalayan region.

n the 1970s, peasant women from my region in the Garhwal Himalaya had come out in defense of the forests.

Logging had led to landslides and floods, and scarcity of water, fodder, and fuel. Since women provide these basic needs, the scarcity meant longer walks for collecting water and firewood, and a heavier burden.

Women knew that the real value of forests was not the timber from a dead tree, but the springs and streams, food for their cattle, and fuel for their hearths. The women declared that they would hug the trees, and the loggers would have to kill them before killing the trees.

A folk song of that period said:
These beautiful oaks and rhododendrons,
They give us cool water
Don’t cut these trees
We have to keep them alive.

In 1973, I had gone to visit my favorite forests and swim in my favorite stream before leaving for Canada to do my Ph.D. But the forests were gone, and the stream was reduced to a trickle.

I decided to become a volunteer for the Chipko movement, and I spent every vacation doing pad yatras (walking pilgrimages), documenting the deforestation and the work of the forest activists, and spreading the message of Chipko.

One of the dramatic Chipko actions took place in the Himalayan village of Adwani in 1977, when a village woman named Bachni Devi led resistance against her own husband, who had obtained a contract to cut trees. When officials arrived at the forest, the women held up lighted lanterns although it was broad daylight. The forester asked them to explain. The women replied, “We have come to teach you forestry.” He retorted, “You foolish women, how can you prevent tree felling by those who know the value of the forest? Do you know what forests bear? They produce profit and resin and timber.”

The women sang back in chorus:
What do the forests bear?
Soil, water, and pure air.
Soil, water, and pure air
Sustain the Earth and all she bears.

Beyond Monocultures

From Chipko, I learned about biodiversity and biodiversity-based living economies; the protection of both has become my life’s mission. As I described in my book Monocultures of the Mind, the failure to understand biodiversity and its many functions is at the root of the impoverishment of nature and culture.

The lessons I learned about diversity in the Himalayan forests I transferred to the protection of biodiversity on our farms. I started saving seeds from farmers’ fields and then realized we needed a farm for demonstration and training. Thus Navdanya Farm was started in 1994 in the Doon Valley, located in the lower elevation Himalayan region of Uttarakhand Province. Today we conserve and grow 630 varieties of rice, 150 varieties of wheat, and hundreds of other species. We practice and promote a biodiversity-intensive form of farming that produces more food and nutrition per acre. The conservation of biodiversity is therefore also the answer to the food and nutrition crisis.

Navdanya, the movement for biodiversity conservation and organic farming that I started in 1987, is spreading. So far, we’ve worked with farmers to set up more than 100 community seed banks across India. We have saved more than 3,000 rice varieties. We also help farmers make a transition from fossil-fuel and chemical-based monocultures to biodiverse ecological systems nourished by the sun and the soil.

Biodiversity has been my teacher of abundance and freedom, of cooperation and mutual giving.

Rights of Nature On the Global Stage

When nature is a teacher, we co-create with her—we recognize her agency and her rights. That is why it is significant that Ecuador has recognized the “rights of nature” in its constitution. In April 2011, the United Nations General Assembly —inspired by the constitution of Ecuador and the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth initiated by Bolivia—organized a conference on harmony with nature as part of Earth Day celebrations. Much of the discussion centered on ways to transform systems based on domination of people over nature, men over women, and rich over poor into new systems based on partnership.

The U.N. secretary general’s report, “Harmony with Nature,” issued in conjunction with the conference, elaborates on the importance of reconnecting with nature: “Ultimately, environmentally destructive behavior is the result of a failure to recognize that human beings are an inseparable part of nature and that we cannot damage it without severely damaging ourselves.”

Separatism is indeed at the root of disharmony with nature and violence against nature and people. As the prominent South African environmentalist Cormac Cullinan points out, apartheid means separateness. The world joined the anti-apartheid movement to end the violent separation of people on the basis of color. Apartheid in South Africa was put behind us. Today, we need to overcome the wider and deeper apartheid—an eco-apartheid based on the illusion of separateness of humans from nature in our minds and lives.

The Dead-Earth Worldview

The war against the Earth began with this idea of separateness. Its contemporary seeds were sown when the living Earth was transformed into dead matter to facilitate the industrial revolution. Monocultures replaced diversity. “Raw materials” and “dead matter” replaced a vibrant Earth. Terra Nullius (the empty land, ready for occupation regardless of the presence of indigenous peoples) replaced Terra Madre (Mother Earth).

This philosophy goes back to Francis Bacon, called the father of modern science, who said that science and the inventions that result do not “merely exert a gentle guidance over nature’s course; they have the power to conquer and subdue her, to shake her to her foundations.”

Robert Boyle, the famous 17th-century chemist and a governor of the Corporation for the Propagation of the Gospel Among the New England Indians, was clear that he wanted to rid native people of their ideas about nature. He attacked their perception of nature “as a kind of goddess” and argued that “the veneration, wherewith men are imbued for what they call nature, has been a discouraging impediment to the empire of man over the inferior creatures of God.”

The death-of-nature idea allows a war to be unleashed against the Earth. After all, if the Earth is merely dead matter, then nothing is being killed.

As philosopher and historian Carolyn Merchant points out, this shift of perspective—from nature as a living, nurturing mother to inert, dead, and manipulable matter—was well suited to the activities that would lead to capitalism. The domination images created by Bacon and other leaders of the scientific revolution replaced those of the nurturing Earth, removing a cultural constraint on the exploitation of nature. “One does not readily slay a mother, dig into her entrails for gold, or mutilate her body,” Merchant wrote.

What Nature Teaches

Today, at a time of multiple crises intensified by globalization, we need to move away from the paradigm of nature as dead matter. We need to move to an ecological paradigm, and for this, the best teacher is nature herself.

This is the reason I started the Earth University/Bija Vidyapeeth at Navdanya’s farm.

The Earth University teaches Earth Democracy, which is the freedom for all species to evolve within the web of life, and the freedom and responsibility of humans, as members of the Earth family, to recognize, protect, and respect the rights of other species. Earth Democracy is a shift from anthropocentrism to ecocentrism. And since we all depend on the Earth, Earth Democracy translates into human rights to food and water, to freedom from hunger and thirst.

Because the Earth University is located at Navdanya, a biodiversity farm, participants learn to work with living seeds, living soil, and the web of life. Participants include farmers, school children, and people from across the world. Two of our most popular courses are “The A-Z of Organic Farming and Agroecology,” and “Gandhi and Globalization.”

The Poetry of the Forest

The Earth University is inspired by Rabindranath Tagore, India’s national poet and a Nobel Prize laureate.

Tagore started a learning center in Shantiniketan in West Bengal, India, as a forest school, both to take inspiration from nature and to create an Indian cultural renaissance. The school became a university in 1921, growing into one of India’s most famous centers of learning.

Today, just as in Tagore’s time, we need to turn to nature and the forest for lessons in freedom.

In “The Religion of the Forest,” Tagore wrote about the influence that the forest dwellers of ancient India had on classical Indian literature. The forests are sources of water and the storehouses of a biodiversity that can teach us the lessons of democracy—of leaving space for others while drawing sustenance from the common web of life. Tagore saw unity with nature as the highest stage of human evolution.

In his essay “Tapovan” (Forest of Purity), Tagore writes: “Indian civilization has been distinctive in locating its source of regeneration, material and intellectual, in the forest, not the city. India’s best ideas have come where man was in communion with trees and rivers and lakes, away from the crowds. The peace of the forest has helped the intellectual evolution of man. The culture of the forest has fueled the culture of Indian society. The culture that has arisen from the forest has been influenced by the diverse processes of renewal of life, which are always at play in the forest, varying from species to species, from season to season, in sight and sound and smell. The unifying principle of life in diversity, of democratic pluralism, thus became the principle of Indian civilization.”

It is this unity in diversity that is the basis of both ecological sustainability and democracy. Diversity without unity becomes the source of conflict and contest. Unity without diversity becomes the ground for external control. This is true of both nature and culture. The forest is a unity in its diversity, and we are united with nature through our relationship with the forest.

In Tagore’s writings, the forest was not just the source of knowledge and freedom; it was the source of beauty and joy, of art and aesthetics, of harmony and perfection. It symbolized the universe.

In “The Religion of the Forest,” the poet says that our frame of mind “guides our attempts to establish relations with the universe either by conquest or by union, either through the cultivation of power or through that of sympathy.”

The forest teaches us union and compassion.

The forest also teaches us enoughness: as a principle of equity, how to enjoy the gifts of nature without exploitation and accumulation. Tagore quotes from the ancient texts written in the forest: “Know all that moves in this moving world as enveloped by God; and find enjoyment through renunciation, not through greed of possession.” No species in a forest appropriates the share of another species. Every species sustains itself in cooperation with others.

The end of consumerism and accumulation is the beginning of the joy of living.

The conflict between greed and compassion, conquest and cooperation, violence and harmony that Tagore wrote about continues today. And it is the forest that can show us the way beyond this conflict.

Vandana Shiva wrote this article for What Would Nature Do?, the Winter 2012 issue of YES! Magazine. Shiva is an internationally renowned activist for biodiversity and against corporate globalization, and author of Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply; Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace; Soil Not Oil; and Staying Alive. The last section of this essay was adapted by the author from “Forest and Freedom,” written by Shiva and published in the May/June 2011 edition of Resurgence magazine. Shiva is a YES! contributing editor.

This work is licensed by YES Magazine under a Creative Commons License

Manta ray. Photo courtesy Christopher Bartlett

Update: March 14, 2013,

In an historic vote during the plenary session, five species of sharks and two species of manta rays will now be subject to international trade regulations, a move that could save these threatened species from collapse.

The required two-thirds of the 177 CITES member governments voted to protect these animals—the oceanic whitetip and porbeagle sharks, three species of hammerhead sharks, and the two species of manta rays—marking an increase in the number of sharks protected by CITES from three to eight species. -Ed

During the CITES meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, 178 from countries around the world met to vote on a proposal put forward by  the Ecuadorian Government to protect manta rays, one of the world’s largest fishes. Manta rays, which were only recognized as two distinct species in 2009, were listed for the first time by experts as globally threatened species vulnerable to extinction, in recognition of the increased threat they face around the world.

Manta rays are worth an estimated $73 million USD in direct revenue and $140 million USD to the overall marine tourism industry annually. The estimated value of a single manta ray  to the eco- tourism industries of certain areas of the world over its lifetime is up to 1 million USD. However, the demand for manta ray gill rakers is on the rise and one set can fetch up to $700 USD per kilo (2.2 lbs).

Despite this, they are protected in less than a dozen range states worldwide, and as migratory species, have no protection within their larger home ranges or in international waters. Many populations of manta rays across the globe are in swift decline as a result of targeted fisheries for their gill rakers, a body part used in Chinese health tonics.

Recent research headed by Dr. Andrea Marshall, director of the Marine Megafauna Foundation and lead author of the IUCN Red List conservation assessments for manta ray species, demonstrated that manta rays have conservative life history strategies, bearing only a single offspring every 2-3 years on average in the wild.

“Manta rays are amongst the least fecund of all elasmobranch species, with extremely conservative life history traits, most notably their small litter size,” said Dr. Marshall. “As low productivity species, these beautiful rays are highly vulnerable to human-induced pressures; unregulated and unsustainable fishing can quickly wipe out entire populations.”

To curb increases in unsustainable fisheries for Manta species globally, particularly shifts from subsistence to trade fisheries, it is imperative that manta rays be protected at national levels and local populations managed carefully. However, this CITES listing for manta rays will provide the framework for the increased protection of remaining global populations by restricting unsustainable international trade. The CITES Appendix II listing requires at a minimum that exports be derived from sustainably-managed fisheries that are not detrimental to the status of the wild populations that they exploit.

Manta rays are not species that can afford to be exploited. A CITES Appendix II listing was desperately needed as a precautionary approach to avoid the over-exploitation of these species, according to Dr. Marshall. “Those of us studying wild populations of manta rays are seeing first hand substantial declines in their numbers across the globe. This is a real and pressing issue.” The Marine Megafauna Foundation congratulates Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador for this timely proposal that will help in safeguarding these exquisite and economically important species.

In addition to the proponents of this proposal, many Range States including the European Union, Australia, United States, Mozambique and South Africa all took the floor to convey their support for the Manta proposal. South Africa used key studies from the Marine Megafauna Foundation to highlight the importance of this proposal and voiced their personal interest in the matter since they are concerned about the population they share with Mozambique. The host country, Thailand, also voiced support for the proposal. Days before, a division director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mr. Vinit Rungpheung spoke publicly to the importance of manta rays to Thailand’s lucrative dive tourism industry.

Photos courtesy Andrea Marshall

The global eco-tourism industry is constantly expanding and public demand for interactions with large charismatic marine species, like manta rays, is on the rise. This non-consumptive, sustainable activity directly depends on the conservation and management of vulnerable megafauna species. Revenue from tourism continues to heighten the value of individual animals. Over their lifespan, what a single manta ray is worth, is of greater magnitude  to the tourism industry than its small, finite value as a fished resource.

The manta ray proposal passed receiving 80.67 percent of the vote. “This is a fantastic move in the right direction,” said Dr. Marshall. “While manta rays face significant threats worldwide, there has been tremendous support and momentum for their conservation recently. The Appendix II CITES listing is a major step toward our shared goal of the global protection of these iconic species.”

Note:

CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is an intergovernmental agreement signed by 178 countries. It aims to ensure that international trade does not threatened the survival of wild animals or plants in their natural habitats.

The March 11th vote marks the first international agreement to protect all species within the genus Manta, although this decision will only be formally adopted at the concluding CITES plenary on Thursday 14 March 2013.

CITES focuses only on international trade and not domestic trade or subsistence fisheries. A CITES Appendix II listing does not ban the take or international trade of manta rays, but requires that range states 1) produce a scientific assessment showing that the trade will not be detrimental to the survival of the species or regional populations and 2) demonstrate that manta rays have not be acquired against domestic law or against the provisions of the CITES convention.

There will be an 18-month delay in the implementation of the Appendix II listing for manta rays to enable Parties to resolve technical and administrative issues.

Listing on CITES promotes regional and international cooperation as exporting and importing countries are required to work together to ensure sustainable trade.

Range States with legislation prohibiting the catch and/or trade of Manta species include: New Zealand, Ecuador, the USA (Florida, Hawaii, Flower Garden Banks), Guam, Maldives, Yap, Indonesia (Raja Ampat), the Philippines and Mexico.

The Manta listing on CITES was proposed by Ecuador and co-supported by Brazil and Colombia. Conservation groups actively supporting the manta ray proposal included: Marine Megafauna Foundation, Proyecto Mantas Ecuador, PEW Environmental Group, Shark Advocates International, Project AWARE Foundation, International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Humane Society International, Wildlife Conservation Society, WildAid, Shark Savers, the Manta Trust and the Shark Trust.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Press release from the Marine Megafauna Foundation, edited and amended by Christopher Bartlett.

Hammerhead Shark. Photo Jim Abernathy

According to scientific findings released recently in the peer-reviewed journal Marine Policy, the number of sharks killed each year in commercial fisheries is estimated at 100 million, with a range between 63 million and 273 million. The authors also warn that the rate of fishing for shark species, many of which grow slowly and reproduce late in life, exceeds their ability to recover.

The estimates in the study – calculated by adding landed catch data reported to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to estimates of unreported landings, finned sharks, and other discards of dead sharks – comes at a critical time. Governments convene this week in Bangkok to consider shark protections under a treaty concerned with regulating international wildlife trade – the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).  The Pew Charitable Trusts is calling for immediate action to increase safeguards for some of the most vulnerable species.

“Biologically, sharks simply can’t keep up with the current rate of exploitation and demand,” said Boris Worm, a marine biologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and lead author of the study. “Protective measures must be scaled up significantly in order to avoid further depletion and the possible extinction of many shark species.”

“This groundbreaking study confirms that people are killing an enormous number of sharks,” said Elizabeth Wilson, manager of global shark conservation at Pew. “We are now the predators. Humans have mounted an unrelenting assault on sharks, and their numbers are crashing throughout the world’s oceans.”

The catch of sharks in commercial fisheries for their fins, meat, liver oil, cartilage, and other parts remains largely unregulated in most of the world, driving some populations toward extinction. This week, 177 governments from around the world are expected to attend the March 3-14 meeting of CITES in Bangkok. Proposals to regulate the international trade of five species of sharks and two related manta rays have been submitted and co-sponsored by 37 countries for consideration at the meeting. The proposed shark species – the oceanic whitetip, porbeagle, and three types of hammerheads–are among the most valuable and vulnerable sharks in international trade.

“A simple vote ‘yes’ to support their listing could turn things around for some of the world’s most threatened shark species,” Wilson said. “Countries should seize this opportunity to protect these top predators from extinction.”

CITES, which was agreed to in Washington, DC, in 1973, offers protection to more than 30,000 animal and plant species around the globe. It has been instrumental in preventing their extinction and is generally recognized as one of the most effective and best-enforced international conservation agreements.

Source: Pew Charitable Trusts

Invasive alien species pose greater risks than previously thought for biodiversity, human health and economies, according to two new reports from the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Asian tiger mosquito

An alien or non-native species is an organism which humans have introduced –intentionally or accidentally -outside its previous range. It is deemed ‘invasive’ if it has negative effects on its surroundings, for example by outcompeting or predating on native species that have evolved without specific adaptations to cope with them. In such cases populations of native species can be devastated. Evidence shows that in a growing number of cases invasive alien species even cause harm to human health and society.

There are more than 10 000 alien species present in Europe, and the rate of new introductions has accelerated and is still increasing. At least 15% of these alien species are known to have a negative ecological or economic impact. However, non-native species – for example, some food crops – can also have huge benefits.

The first report, The impacts of invasive alien species in Europe, details the effects and spread of some species. The second report, Invasive alien species indicators in Europe discusses the methodological approach in bringing this data together.

Zebra mussel

The most common reason species are introduced elsewhere is for horticulture, while others may be brought into new areas for other reasons including farming, hunting, and fishing, or as pets, the report notes. Transport is not always intentional – for example, zebra mussels have stowed away in the ballast water of ships to proliferate in European lakes.

Increasing trade and tourism in recent decades may have led to increasing numbers of alien species. Climate change may also play a role in the spread of these species, the report says, making some areas more favourable to plants and animals originally from elsewhere.

Jacqueline McGlade, EEA Executive Director, said: “In many areas, ecosystems are weakened by pollution, climate change and fragmentation. Alien species invasions are a growing pressure on the natural world, which are extremely difficult to reverse.”

Invasive alien species are one of the main threats to biodiversity. Of the 395 European native species listed as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 110 are in danger because of invasive alien species. The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2020 has policy targets which aim to address the problem.

Impacts on human health

• For humans, one of the most dangerous effects of invasive alien species is as a carrier of disease. The Asian tiger mosquito has been linked to more than 20 diseases, including yellow fever and chikungunya fever. It has come to Europe mainly through the intercontinental trade in used tyres, and is now prevalent in several southern European countries, especially Italy. Climate change projections show that the mosquito will likely extend its range further north in coming years.

• Climate change is also enabling the spread northward of the common ragweed. The plant is originally from North America, the seeds first coming to Europe in mixes of grain intended as bird feed. It is a powerful trigger of hayfever and other allergies.

• Changing landscapes are another result of invasive alien species. For example, the red palm weevil is destroying large numbers of palms in the Mediterranean region, transforming the green spaces in cities.

• There are also effects on ecosystems which indirectly affect humans. In some cases ecosystems altered by invasive alien species may be less able to provide important ‘ecosystem services’ which support human activity. For example, the pollination carried out by honeybees may be affected by invasive alien species – the yellow-legged hornet, native to Asia, has been found to devastate beehives in France.

• Invasive alien species cost Europe around € 12 billion per year, according to one estimate. Species such as the Spanish slug, now found in most European countries, can devastate crops. Other species such as the pervasive zebra mussel can also cause high costs by fouling water filtration plants and water cooling reservoirs of power plants.

Invasive species harming biodiversity

• Invasive alien species harm native species through predation, as is the case of feral cats killing smaller creatures. Cats have been introduced to approximately 180 000 islands worldwide, and have a significant impact – in Britain alone, cats are estimated to kill 25-29 million birds every year.

• The American mink was originally brought to Europe for fur farming. Many animals have since escaped or been intentionally ‘liberated’, so the species is now common in the wild in many areas of Europe. It is now outcompeting its European cousin in many areas, and has had devastating effects on local wildlife, particularly ground-nesting birds.

• Amphibians around the world are in decline, in part due to the invasive chytrid fungus. Other alien species can spread diseases, as is the case with the red swamp crayfish, which carries the ‘crayfish plague’. The disease often proves deadly to European crayfish, as they have not evolved to cope with the disease.

• Hybridisation can also be a problem. For example, Japanese knotweed is a particularly virulent hybrid of two alien species originating from different parts of Asia, which first came into contact as alien species in central Europe. The hybrid has been found to spread faster than its parents, outcompeting other plants and altering ecosystems with effects on other species.

Japanese knottweed

About Louie Schwartzberg

by David Salisbury

The eastern American mole (Scalopus aquaticus linnacus) showing the large forelimbs used to excavate tunnels. Photo courtesy Kenneth Catania, Vanderbilt University

Most mammals, including humans, see in stereo and hear in stereo. But whether they can also smell in stereo is the subject of a long-standing scientific controversy.

Now, a new study shows definitively that the common mole (Scalopus aquaticus) – the same critter that disrupts the lawns and gardens of homeowners throughout the eastern United States, Canada and Mexico – relies on stereo sniffing to locate its prey. The paper that describes this research, “Stereo and Serial Sniffing Guide Navigation to an Odor Source in a Mammals,” was published on Feb. 5 in the journal Nature Communications.

“I came at this as a skeptic. I thought the moles’ nostrils were too close together to effectively detect odor gradients,” said Kenneth Catania, the Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University, who conducted the research.

What he found turned his assumptions upside down and opened new areas for potential future research. “The fact that moles use stereo odor cues to locate food suggests other mammals that rely heavily on their sense of smell, like dogs and pigs might also have this ability,” Catania said.

Catania’s interest in the common mole’s sense of smell dates back ten years when he was studying the remarkable sense of touch of the common moles’ cousin, the star-nosed mole, which uses a set of fleshy tentacles surrounding its nose to detect edible objects as it burrows. He decided to test the common moles’ capability to find prey for comparison purposes. “I expected the common mole, which is virtually blind and doesn’t have a very good sense of touch, to be a lot worse than the star-nosed mole. So I was quite surprised when they turned out to be very good at locating prey. At the time, I figured that they must be using their sense of smell, but I didn’t pursue the matter.”

When the neuroscientist began seriously studying the common moles’ sense of smell last year, he discovered that it was even more remarkable than he had expected.

He created a radial arena with food wells spaced around a 180-degree circle with the entrance for the mole located at the center. He then ran a number of trials with the food (pieces of earthworm) placed randomly in different wells. The chamber was temporarily sealed so he could detect each time the mole sniffed by the change in air pressure.

“It was amazing. They found the food in less than five seconds and went directly to the right food well almost every time,” Catania said. “They have a hyper-sensitive sense of smell.”

After observing dozens of trials, he noticed a general pattern. When the mole first entered the chamber, it moved its nose back and forth as it sniffed, but then it seemed to zero in on the food source, and moved in a direct path. This was pretty remarkable and made Catania reconsider the idea of stereo sniffing. Although there is evidence for this ability in stationary rats trained to detect flowing air, no one had shown how this might work for a natural behavior.

To further investigate the moles’ sense of smell, Catania blocked one of the moles’ nostrils with a small plastic tube. When their left nostrils were blocked, the moles’ paths consistently veered off to the right and when their right nostrils were blocked, they consistently veered to the left. They still found the food but it took them significantly longer to do so.

Next, the researcher designed a chamber where the food was always placed in the same position, directly across from the entrance. Moles using both nostrils went almost directly to the food, but the path of those with their left nostrils blocked was consistently to the right of the direct path and that of those with the right nostrils blocked was consistently to the left.

“This is strikingly similar to a landmark study of hearing in barn owls performed in 1979 by Eric Knudsen and Mark Konishi at the California Institute of Technology, who found that blocking one of the owl’s ears caused them to misjudge the location of a sound source,” Catania said.

By comparing input across its two nostrils, an eastern mole gets directional information from a single sniff. (Kenneth Catania / Vanderbilt University)

By comparing input across its two nostrils, an eastern mole gets directional information from a single sniff.

The definitive evidence that the moles rely on stereo sniffing came from yet another test. Catania inserted small plastic tubes in both of the moles’ nostrils and crossed them, so the right nostril was sniffing air on the animal’s left and the left nostril was sniffing air on the animal’s right. When their nostrils were crossed in this fashion, the animals searched back and forth and frequently could not find the food at all.

As for humans, Catania remains skeptical. “In humans, this is easier to test because you can ask a blindfolded person to tell you which nostril is being stimulated by odors presented with tubes inserted in the nose.” Such studies suggest it is only when an odor is strong enough to irritate the nostril lining that humans can tell which side is most strongly stimulated.

Source: Vanderbilt University Research News

Photo by Böhringer Friedrich via wikipedia Creative Commons license

Tadpoles may be vital in helping maintain the ecosystems of freshwater streams, a James Cook University researcher is discovering.

A tadpole is the aquatic larva or immature form of frogs and toads, after the development of the internal gills and before the appearance of the forelimbs and the resorption of the tail.

Katrin Schmidt, a PhD candidate in JCU’s School of Marine and Tropical Biology, said the study of a tadpole’s role in nature was fascinating.

“Stream-breeding frogs are important in linking streams and the surrounding riparian landscape,” she said. “By acting both as consumers and prey to other species they contribute to energy transfer within and between the two habitats.

“Tadpoles may be highly abundant in some streams, but we know very little about their actual role in these ecosystems.”

Ms Schmidt said amphibian declines had become a serious conservation problem worldwide, resulting in the loss of populations or even entire species.

Many of the declines had been linked to the fungal disease chytridiomycosis, she said.

Rainforest Frogs Have Declined or Disappeared

“In the Australian Wet Tropics, various rainforest frogs have declined or disappeared, particularly stream-breeding frogs from undisturbed upland rainforest areas.

“The drastic loss of frogs at higher elevations has made the question on the role of tadpoles in streams very urgent.”

Ms Schmidt said tadpoles could be very important in maintaining the structure and function of streams through their feeding activities and their interactions with other animals.

“However, the feeding ecology of tadpoles is poorly understood and little is known about their nutritional requirements, including their main source of energy and nutrients.

“By looking at the isotope signatures in tadpoles, invertebrates and possible food sources in streams, I hope to determine how they are interlinked in the food web.”

Ms Schmidt said information on relationships between tadpoles and other organisms was also limited.

“Tadpoles and some species of invertebrates may interact with each other, for example during leaf litter breakdown,” she said. “Terrestrial leaf litter is the main source of energy in forest streams and nutrients get released while animals feed on the leaves.

“Nutrients released as a result of tadpole activity can benefit microorganisms, algae and other animals, but the extent of this is not known.

“My project focuses on understanding the function of tadpoles and the effects of their loss on streams and other aquatic organisms.”

 Source: Science Alert

Over the weekend, thousands of common dolphins were spotted 9 miles off the coast of San Diego, engaged in an apparent feeding frenzy that stretched 7 miles wide and 5 miles long.

Dolphins usually travel in groups of 200 or less, but occasionally are spotted in pods of 1,000.

According to KFMB television in San Diego, experts estimated 2,000-3,000 in this “super pod,” but Capt. Joe Dutra, who piloted the tour boat that followed the dolphins for more than an hour, estimated the number closer to 100,000.

At times, the dolphins reached speeds greater than 25 mph, outpacing the boat while churning the ocean’s surface into a boil.