New Report Shows Sharp Declines in Populations of Wild Cats and Dogs

/PRNewswire/ -- The Fading Call of the Wild, a report released today by the world's leading wildlife conservation organizations, details the increasing threats and plunging populations of big cats and rare canids living in the wild. Faced with a striking loss of habitat and prey due to over-development of land and direct killing by poachers and others who see them as a threat, wild cats such as lions, cheetahs and snow leopards, and wild dogs like the Ethiopia wolf and bush dog face an uncertain future.

Eighty percent of all wild cat species are experiencing population declines, as are 25 percent of wild canids - the family of foxes, wolves and wild dogs. The report looks beyond the raw numbers and delves into the plight of 15 of these species that are considered ecologically vital, detailing their current numbers in the wild, changes to the population in the last ten years, and conservation solutions for improving their status. The 15 species were chosen because they are considered umbrella species that, if conserved appropriately, protect their corresponding landscapes and other species dependent on those ecosystems.

A snapshot of the report's findings include:

-- A century ago there were as many as 200,000 lions living in Africa,
today there are fewer than 30,000. Lions are now extinct from 26
countries that they formerly occupied. The single greatest threat to
lions is killing by people who own livestock. Herders and ranchers
shoot, trap and poison lions across their range.
-- There are fewer than 500 Darwin's Fox living today. The animal are
found only in Chile and their restricted distribution makes them
highly vulnerable to extinction. The gentle and curious canids are not
fearful of people which contributes to their endangerment, however
timber exploration and land development are the two biggest factors
that have pushed the animals to the brink.
-- There are fewer than 7,000 snow leopards in the wild today. Snow
leopard poaching is rampant with their bones and hides frequently
confiscated in illegal shipments of wildlife parts bound for markets
in China and throughout Asia.
-- Fewer than 500 Ethiopian wolves remain with more than half found in
the Bale Mountains. The highly social animals live in packs which
makes them especially vulnerable when their populations decrease.
Entire packs are wiped out by rabies outbreaks, while those that
survive face rapid loss of habitat.
-- One of the most ecologically and genetically unique animals, African
wild dogs exist in less than seven percent of their historic range,
and are extinct in 22 countries that they formerly inhabited.
Accidental snaring and rabies have decimated populations throughout
Africa, and fewer than 8,000 of the animals remain.


The report calls for increasing conservation resources and swift policy changes, specifically passage of the Great Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Act that would provide conservation assistance to the 15 species highlighted in the Fading Call of the Wild report.

"Great cats and rare canids are currently suffering from a variety of threats and the positive impact from their protection will no doubt benefit them and many other species," said Jeff Flocken, DC Office Director, IFAW. "The Great Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Act offers viable and valuable methods to ensure a safe future for these majestic animals."

First introduced in July 2004, and set to expire this year unless the Senate takes action, the measure would provide wild cats and canids the same type of conservation assistance presently supporting tigers, great apes, elephants, sea turtles and other iconic species through the Multinational Species Conservation Funds, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The funds were designed to conserve species deemed by Americans to be of special global value, but simultaneously endangered with extinction.

Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are leading the charge to usher the bill through their chamber this Congress. The House passed the measure in April 2009 with a two-thirds majority and bi-partisan support led by Reps. Jay Inslee (WA-01), Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam) and the International Conservation Caucus. The Act is supported by more than 80 scientific, animal welfare, conservation, outdoor recreation organizations, zoos and aquariums.

Actress Glenn Close contributed the foreword for the report and noted, "Whether it is the iconic African lion or the shy Darwin's fox, these animals hold an important place in the landscapes they occupy. They are all ecosystem guardians. As predators, they maintain healthy functioning places, and their absence negatively affects wildlife and people. Not only would losing these species have drastic ecological and economic impacts, I believe their loss will impact us in ways we aren't event able to yet articulate."

The report was authored by Panthera, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Wildlife Conservation Society, in cooperation with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Canids and Cats Specialists Groups.

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Are Polar Bears in Trouble? Experts Disagree

It's been the theme song for many a year. Polar Bears in Alaska are declining. Now a state biologist wants the whole picture examined.

Feds say polar bears declining; state biologist disagrees

by Megan Baldino
Wednesday, December 30, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Center for Biological Diversity says new assessments from the federal government prove that Alaska's polar bears and walrus populations are in trouble, but a state biologist says not so fast.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's stock assessments, the polar bear population in the southern Beaufort Sea region is declining.

They say.....http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=11751501

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Brown Pelican's 40-Year Recovery Victory for Supporters of Environmental Protections

/PRNewswire/ -- National conservation groups focusing on the restoration of coastal Louisiana are hailing today's announcement by federal officials that the state bird of Louisiana, the Brown Pelican, is being removed from the Endangered Species List. Audubon, the Environmental Defense Fund and the National Wildlife Federation view the recovering pelican as powerful proof that a healthy coast and strong environmental protections can benefit people and nature alike.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the species has sufficiently recovered from the impact of DDT contamination compounded by continuing habitat loss to be taken off the list in areas where it is not already delisted. Populations along the Atlantic Coast, in Florida and Alabama were delisted in 1985.

"The delisting of this iconic Gulf of Mexico species shows that cooperation produces results," said Mary E. Kelly, senior counsel of the Environmental Defense Fund's Center for Rivers and Deltas. "Now, we need to ensure that same spirit of cooperation and results extends to restoration of coastal Louisiana's wetlands, which, among many other benefits, provide habitat and food for this beautiful bird."

"This is an Endangered Species Act victory that demonstrates the great success we can achieve when we work together," echoes NWF's John Kostyack. "Maintaining that success will require confronting climate change and its relationship to coastal restoration and the species that depend on these important ecosystems."

According to Audubon's annual Christmas Bird Count, Brown Pelican population trends have risen in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and California for the past 40-50 years. Hurricane Katrina took a toll on the Gulf Coast populations that has not been thoroughly erased, but the prospects remain good, provided coastal recovery stays on track.

"The future of the Brown Pelican depends on the same strategies that will benefit coastal residents," said Audubon's Louisiana Bird Conservation Director Melanie Driscoll. "Pelicans and people need a strong, well-funded coastal restoration plan that will speed the recovery of coastal marshes and the barrier islands that are our first defense from hurricanes and their primary source of food and shelter."

Continued monitoring of Brown Pelicans is essential to detect any unexpected future population declines. Conservationists also caution that proper site selection, operational guidelines and vigilance will be needed to ensure that proposed wind power projects don't threaten recovery in Texas and other areas.

Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 700,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org.

The National Wildlife Federation is America's largest conservation organization inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future.

Audubon -- Now in its second century, Audubon connects people with birds, nature and the environment that supports us all. Our national network of community-based nature centers, chapters, scientific, education, and advocacy programs engages millions of people from all walks of life in conservation action to protect and restore the natural world.

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International group to discuss tracking monarch butterfly populations

An international panel of butterfly experts is landing at the University of Georgia next week to discuss the status of monarch butterfly populations in North America, and find ways to integrate and improve population monitoring programs.

The four-day workshop hopes to merge data from a number of groups monitoring the monarch butterfly in an ongoing effort to track the continent-wide population status of this iconic insect.

The meeting is being organized by Andy Davis, a monarch researcher and Ph.D. candidate in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and Sonia Altizer, who also studies monarchs and is an associate professor in the Odum School of Ecology. The workshop is being funded by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, which has been spearheading efforts to devise an international conservation plan for the monarch butterfly in part by fostering communication between the governments of the United States, Mexico and Canada.

There are many organizations in North America that collect data on the monarch butterfly, said Davis. The purpose of next week’s meeting, he explained, is to create a plan for integrating existing data, some of which spans the last three decades, into a larger framework. A unified data resource will allow scientists to better track monarch population size and investigate the biology of this fascinating insect, according to Davis.

“The monarch butterfly is one of the best-known insects in the world, and a flagship species for conservation,” he said. “Their spectacular migration in eastern North America—which spans more than 2,000 miles—is in danger, partially because of a loss of winter habitat in Mexico, as well as anthropogenic pressures in breeding areas. While the species itself is globally-distributed, there’s a fear that the monarch butterfly in North America will suffer population declines because of these dual pressures.”

The all-day meetings are scheduled from June 22 through June 25. Meeting space and resources are being provided by the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the Odum School of Ecology. About a dozen international butterfly experts are scheduled to attend the meetings, including Eduardo Rendon of WWF Mexico, Tara Crewe of Bird Studies Canada and Karen Oberhauser of the University of Minnesota. Warnell Professor Nate Nibbelink and Odum School postdoctoral student Becky Bartel also are on the panel.

“There have been several international meetings and reports targeted towards monarch conservation, but nothing quite like this before,” said Altizer. “To have all of the experts who collect long-term data on monarch abundance and migration in one room will be a big step forward in helping us predict the future status of monarch populations.”

“Improving access to monitoring data on the monarch will improve how we target research and conservation efforts for this species, and contribute to improving how we access and manage biodiversity data more broadly in North America,” said Thomas Hammond, who is with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. “Improving access and use of biodiversity data will also assist in advancing our understanding of ecosystem response to stresses such as climate change, and how best to adapt to these stresses.”

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UGA Study Reveals Ecosystem-Level Consequences of Frog Extinctions

In some parts of the tropics, frogs are the most abundant land vertebrates. This peculiar-looking casque-headed tree frog is one of the estimated hundreds of species of tropical frogs.

Photo by Scott Connelly/UGA

Streams that once sang with the croaks, chirps and ribbits of dozens of frog species have gone silent. They’re victims of a fungus that’s decimating amphibian populations worldwide.

Such catastrophic declines have been documented for more than a decade, but until recently scientists knew little about how the loss of frogs alters the larger ecosystem. A University of Georgia study that is the first to comprehensively examine an ecosystem before and after an amphibian population decline has found that tadpoles play a key role keeping the algae at the base of the food chain productive.

“Many things that live in the stream depend on algae as a base food resource,” said lead author Scott Connelly, a doctoral student who will graduate in December from the UGA Odum School of Ecology. “And we found that the system was more productive when the tadpoles were there.”

The results, which appear in the early online edition of the journal Ecosystems, demonstrate how the grazing activities of tadpoles help keep a stream healthy. The researchers found that while the amount of algae in the stream was more than 250 percent greater after the amphibian population decline, the algae were less productive at turning sunlight and nutrients into food for other members of the ecosystem. Without tadpoles swimming along the streambed and stirring up the bottom, the amount of sediment in the stream increased by nearly 150 percent, blocking out sunlight that algae need to grow.

The study is part of a larger effort known as the Tropical Amphibian Declines in Streams (TADS) project, which also involves researchers from Southern Illinois University, Drexel University and the University of Alabama. The project is now in its third round of funding by the National Science Foundation and was initiated by Catherine Pringle (UGA Odum School of Ecology) and Karen Lips (Southern Illinois University) in 2000 through a Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) from the NSF. Connelly and Pringle are monitoring in-stream effects of the population decline on algae, while other team members are studying how the loss of frogs impacts other organisms and the transfer of energy between streams and the terrestrial communities that surround them. Preliminary data show that the number of snakes that feed on frogs, for example, has plummeted after the population decline.

“We were there before, during and after the extinction event and were able to look at the ecosystem and measure how it changed,” said Pringle, Distinguished Research Professor in the Odum School and study co-author. “Very rarely have scientists been able to do that with respect to any organism.”

The chytrid fungus responsible for declines has steadily marched southeast across Costa Rica and through much of Panama like a storm front, killing up to 90 percent of frogs in afflicted streams. In 2003, the team set up research sites on two streams in the pristine and lush highlands of Panama. One study site had already suffered a catastrophic amphibian decline, while the other had a healthy population but, based on its location, was directly in the path of the fungal disease.

In the first stage of their research, Connelly and Pringle assessed ecosystem changes that occur when tadpoles are experimentally excluded from small areas of both the healthy stream and the frogless stream. They found that the absence of the tadpoles resulted in more sediment and less productive algae.

In late 2004, frogs in the formerly healthy stream began dying. The team reassessed the stream and found that impact of the frog die-off was even greater than they had predicted in their exclusion studies. “We predicted the direction of the change,” Pringle said, “but underestimated its magnitude.”

The UGA research team is continuing to monitor the health of the streams to get valuable, long-term data. So far the stream has not rebounded. “It’s still sad going back,” Connelly said, to which Pringle added: “Once the frogs die, it’s like an incredible silence descends over the whole area. It’s eerie.”

To date, scientists have not found a way to stop the spread of the fungus in the wild. Broadly applying a fungicide to an entire watershed, Connelly said, would kill beneficial fungi that are necessary for a healthy ecosystem.

But scientists can cure individual frogs in captivity by simply swabbing them with a fungicide. Connelly has worked to protect frogs through Amphibian Ark, a global effort supported by zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums and research institutions that aims to ensure the survival of amphibians by collecting and breeding them. The Atlanta Botanical Garden is one of the key breeding sites.

“The one speck of hope is that if we’re able to collect some of these rare animals, we can cure them,” Connelly said. “As long as we have the money to keep a breeding program going, in the future it might be possible to reintroduce them into the wild.”

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Risks To Wild Bird Populations Mitigated By Artificial Nest Boxes

24-7 - North American bird populations continue to decline at a steady rate due to human activities such as habitat loss, pesticide use, outdoor cats, window strikes, and power lines. A new Alberta company believes it's possible to mitigate some of those effects by providing artificial homes for wild birds. The biologist-run internet company named Northern Bird Houses goes two steps further than your typical department store 'pet aisle' by providing education alongside the sale of species-accurate bird houses.

"Birds around the world are in serious trouble due to human alteration of natural areas and massive consumption of resources," says award-winning biologist, Dianne Wittner. "Most of us could turn our own yards into bird-friendly habitat with a few simple steps."

Wittner says one of those steps is the addition of nest boxes and platforms. Tree clearing has led to a shortage of appropriate locations for cavity-nesting species such as bluebirds, swallows, wrens, chickadees, owls, woodpeckers, and even ducks. However, Wittner stresses the importance of not putting up "just any old box", but erecting nest boxes that possess the correct features, thereby increasing the likelihood of survival for offspring. "So many of the bird houses sold in large retail stores or pet stores will end up in early mortalities for its occupants," Wittner says. "For example, I was asked to help a youth group that had spent days painting and hanging dozens of bird boxes only to discover the box designs were absolutely useless. They had to start all over again. If we really want to take positive action for birds, we should sell products that save lives and enhance conservation."

The development of Northern Bird Houses, a dot-com enterprise, was a result of Wittner's frustration with the lack of good information for consumers. "It's not like selling a set of curtains that turns out to be mismatched or the wrong size. If you sell a nest box that is not properly designed, lives are lost. We simply can't afford to lose any more birds unnecessarily."

In the U.S. and Canada, statistics indicate bird mortalities due to human factors to be in the tens of millions every year. Creating environmentally friendly yards that provide shelter and food is a growing trend but it's not enough.

Erecting bird houses is not a new concept; the come-back of bluebirds in the last fifty to seventy years has been largely aided by artificial nest boxes made by people. However, an internet outlet that sells properly designed houses, provides free and accurate information for their use, provides loads of professional reference material, and donates a percentage of proceeds to conservation organizations, is both innovative and responsible. Operators of the site hope to raise awareness and encourage action all over North America while raising money at the same time.

Bird watching is this continent's second most popular leisure activity and still on the rise. This new website, www.NorthernBirdHouses.com, allows bird lovers to browse products in total confidence, knowing each one is tested and proven safe. Many visitors to the site are simply looking for information or photographs that can be used in school projects, reports, or for personal use. There is so much free stuff shoppers don't even need to take their wallets out to come away with something new. Furthermore, visitors can ask for material not found on the site, such as pictures to help identify species and additional references.