— the international union for conservation of nature’s red list of threatened species, which inventories threatened species and serves as a tool to prioritize species for conservation action, has so far assessed less than 10 percent of the more than 390,000 recognized plant species. as comparison, it has assessed all recognized bird and mammal species. read : could machine learning be the key to better plant conservation?
art ecology science & animals
By storm
PROGRESS FOR BIG INDICATORS
— fin whales, once hunted to the brink of extinction, have been upgraded from endangered to vulnerable, according to a report published this week by the international union for the conservation of nature (iucn). read : fin whales removed from global list of endangered species more: fin whales back from brink of extinction thanks to conservation efforts more : scientists count whales from space
WHAT SPECIES ARE IRRECOVERABLE IS HIGHLY POLITICAL
— faced with limited funding, conservation managers face the conundrum of how to allocate inadequate resources to recover as many species as possible. that’s why a team of scientists and researchers from arizona state university, along with the u.s. fish and wildlife service, developed the data tool, called recovery explorer. it compares potential outcomes based on investment amounts and recovery strategies. read : digital tool could help the U.S. save more endangered species
— WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
— “we packaged the product as a responsive web application. the product is currently being developed by IUCN for release later in the year”. the modern human team comes from diverse backgrounds in anthropology, psychology and behavioural sciences; architecture, product design, service design, interaction design and interior design; data science, technology and business management. read more : redesigning the biggest list of endangered species in the world
FLAMINGOES IN HEED
— “amid scorching temperatures on the continent — which have spawned wildfires in england and wales, melted glaciers in austria and sweden, and broken records in portugal, a surprising thing happened at the reserve.” read article : amid eu’s heat wave, rare flamingos lay first eggs in 15 years read more : latest from wwt
ROADS, TOWERS & LIGHTS
— maintaining the infrastructure on the border right now raises environmental concerns. if you then add on to that infrastructure a major wall and more pervasive maintenance operations into perpetuity, those concerns are going to be even greater read : wall likely to adversely impact endangered species freedom of information act : FOIA.gov
GO FOR LASTING SUCCESS
— “the data are unequivocal. we are undergoing a steady and continuing deterioration in the status of the world’s birds,” tris allinson, birdlife’s senior global science officer and editor-in-chief of the report, said in a statement. “the threats driving the avian extinction crisis are many and varied, but invariably of humanity’s making.” read : study finds one in eight bird species threatened with extinction read study : birdlife.org
THIS REWILDING
— this is not meant to replace the lost species, but can be used to tell a powerful story about mankind’s impact on fragile desert environments. read : endangered species find safe harbor at springs preserve
A HUGE VICTORY
— studies have suggested that 3,000 bison is a reasonable target to ensure a population’s survival, and that the study would seem to argue each of yellowstone’s herds should have 3,000 or more bison. read : court asks feds to review decision to reject ESA protections for yellowstone bison
A PEACE OF MIND
— on january 22 2018, the eastern cougar subspecies was officially declared extinct in the u.s. and removed from the endangered species listby the u.s. fish and wildlife service. read : eastern cougars declared extinct—but that might not be bad
STANDING WOMEN
PRAYER OF PRAYERS For the Water Protectors at Standing Rock The leaves hang on into mid-November oak, alder, locust— each one a prayer flag singing aloud— scarlet, cinnamon, gold rippling with wind’s rough caress. Every acorn, every hickory nut, a tobacco tie hung in the trees; they call out to us come harvest your prayers. Soon a blanket of prayers will cover the earth and the trees will stand like prayer poles dressed in feathers— gifts from blue jay, eagle, hummingbird, meadowlark. The planet prays for us, for itself; the planet sings for November’s endurance, weaves a nest for our…
THE ARCTIC ON THE TABLE
— on oct. 19 2017, republicans made significant headway to allow drilling in the arctic national wildlife refuge read high country news more : scientific america
worldsendangeredspecies 