— animals and plants on appendix I are considered the rarest of the rare and generally banned from international trade. in the case of the asian arowana, however, the listing seemed to backfire, propelling the species into the spotlight as a limited edition. read article : endangered species laws may endanger species
art ecology science & animals
From photography
landscape photography
NEW AND EXTREME
— the new silver snake species was named the conception bank silver boa, chilabothrus argentum, based on its color and since it was initially discovered in an appropriately named silver palm tree. the study about the species was published in the journal breviora. read article : new species of silver snake is extremely endangered
REPRODUCTION IN DROUGHT
— “the future picture is not all that rosy” read article : drought helps predict how climate change might affect an endangered species
CLOUDED DATA
— “as you cross from one ecosystem into another, those transitions show up very clearly, and the exciting thing is that these data allow you to directly observe those patterns.” this study use 15 years of data from NASA’s terra and aqua satellites, to build a database of cloud cover for nearly every square kilometer of the planet. read article : cloud cover key to finding threatened species
PRO-ACTIVE PLEASE
— the secret to PAWS is the fact that it manages to incorporate complex terrain data. after the protected area’s topography is input, then the system can create practical routes “to limit the differences in elevations that could slow down patrol action.” this doesn’t only save time, but energy as well. read article : how AI can prevent poaching activities more : AI vs. poachers
AMBITIOUS APPROACHES
— “as climate continues to change, those isolated habitats become more and more precious, and should something happen to even one of those isolated habitats, you may lose an important component of that population.” read article : the extinction crisis in a warming world, how climate change is intensifying threats to nature and what can be done
THE IMPORTANCE OF FRUGIVORES
— traditionally, conservation tended to be species-specific … but now people are moving toward more ecosystem-level projects because we’ve realized that you can’t protect a species in a vacuum. read article : lemur extinctions are harmful to madagascar’s plant life, too
THE FIRST OF ITS KIND
— these evaluations are a huge step forward for the epa. now that we know the magnitude of danger these pesticides pose, it’s clear we need to take action. this epa study is the first of its kind to look at whether common pesticides harm wildlife.
A LONG GAME
— it’s hard to target conservation planning unless you’ve been out there and have the on-the-ground knowledge. read article : why people turn to lemurs and other endangered animals for dinner in madagascar
$1.21 BILLION/YEAR
— the ideal “cost-effective” group is what we should be aiming for with every endangered species: enough funding and evidence of recovery. read article : overpaying to save some endangered species and barely funding others
DO IT IN A SMART WAY
— cases like these rile up the law’s critics. after a 2008 delta smelt “jeopardy finding,” california republicans and farmers accused the government of creating the drought just to save a “stupid little fish.” read article : a new study suggests ESA doesn’t stop economic growth, but the devil’s in the details.
TO HUNT OR NOT TO HUNT
— in 1975, when grizzlies in the yellowstone area dipped to fewer than 140 individuals, ursus arctos horribilis was hastily given federal protection by a still-young federal law called the endangered species act. read article : yellowstone’s grizzly bears should not be hunted
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