Release of rhino poachers exposes widespread enforcement failures
Gland, Switzerland, 2 March 2010—The release of six alleged rhino poachers from custody two weeks before a meeting of the largest wildlife trade convention is emblematic of the chronic lack of political will to enact enforcement efforts required to save these endangered species.
A Zimbabwean court last week granted bail to six men arrested at Bubye Valley Conservancy, home to Zimbabwe’s largest remaining rhino population »more ...
As freezing winter temperatures put Florida's sea turtles at risk, CCC is stepping in to help conservation groups across the state deal with this crisis.
Sea turtles are generally attracted to Florida's warm waters and rich food sources, but this winter Florida is experiencing some of the lowest temperatures in 20 years. »more ...
Press Release: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society /
December 11, 2009, www.seashepherd.org Japanese Foreign Minister Confesses to Whale Poaching Sea Shepherd Says It’s Time to Enforce the Law Japanese whaler harpoons minke whale 2009Japan’s Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has confessed to what the rest of the world has known all along. In an interview with The Australian newspaper and Australian Broadcasting Corporation Foreign Minister Okada said, “We
have a tradition here in Japan of eating whale meat.”
"I think food is an important element of culture and therefore there is a need to mutually respect and recognize each other's culture," he said. »more ...
Press Release: Australian Antarctic Division / November 13, 2009 www.aad.gov.au
More icebergs surround Macquarie Island
A large mass of icebergs is drifting north from Antarctica, past the sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island.
In the past 24 hours at least four icebergs have been spotted off the east and west coasts of the island, ranging in size from 50 metres up to an estimated two kilometres in length.
This follows a recent sighting of a 500 metre long iceberg late last week »more ...
Press Release: Pew Environment Group / 14 October 2009 / www.pewtrusts.org
Pew Laments Lack of U.S. Leadership to Protect Atlantic Bluefin Tuna at CITES
Washington, DC - 10/14/2009 - Joshua Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group, today issued the following statement on the United States’ failure to co-sponsor a proposal for consideration by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) that would protect Atlantic bluefin tuna. The proposal was made by Monaco to »more ...
Press Release: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)/ 15 September 2009 www.iucn.org
Bleak future for Mediterranean mammals – IUCN
The latest assessment of Mediterranean mammals shows that one in six is threatened with extinction at a regional level, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.
The study, which assesses the status of 320 mammals in the region, except whales and dolphins, finds three percent are Critically Endangered, five percent are Endangered and eight percent are Vulnerable.
A further eight percent are Near Threatened, and three percent are Extinct or Regionally Extinct. This is the first time all Mediterranean mammals have been assessed for the IUCN Red List.
“The number one threat is habitat destruction, which affects 90 percent of the threatened species,” says IUCN’s Annabelle Cuttelod, co-author of the report. “We need international action to protect key areas and preserve natural habitats to ensure we don’t lose the rich biodiversity in this area.” »more ...
Greenpeace granite shield protects unique marine life
Brussels/Sweden — Greenpeace activists sailed into Swedish waters today and began placing up to 180 granite rocks, each weighing between 0.5 and 3 tonnes, on the seabed in order to prevent bottom trawling in areas listed for European Union protection.
The areas, Fladen and Lilla Middlegrund in the Kattegat, are listed by the Swedish Government as needing protection under Natura 2000 of the EU Habitat Directive because of their unique and rich sea life »more ...
Salazar Protects Grand Canyon Watersheds From New Uranium Claims and Exploration
Order Temporarily Bans New Uranium Claims and Exploration Across 1 Million Acres of Public Land Surrounding Grand Canyon National Park GRAND CANYON, Ariz.— Conservationists are applauding a notice issued today by the Obama administration to temporarily place 1 million acres of public lands surrounding Grand Canyon off limits to new mining claims and exploration or development of existing, unpatented claims »more ...
Press Release: WWF International / 07 July 2009 / www.panda.org
Kamchatka geyser’s sudden eruption a peculiar challenge for scientists
Kamchatka, Russia – The sudden eruption of a new geyser in Russia’s Far East has taken scientists by surprise, underlining the distinctiveness of the remote but threatened Kamchatka peninsula.
The new geyser – dubbed “Prikolny” or “Peculiar” in English – has appeared in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, in Uzon Caldera, 14 kms away from the world-renowned Valley of Geysers »more ...
Pembina Institute Distributes Facts to Key Decision Makers in Canada and the U.S.
On June 4, 2009, the Pembina Institute distributed copies of a new resource, Clearing the Air on Oil Sands Myths, to key Canadian and U.S. decision makers. It identifies a growing body of oil sands “spin” from federal and Alberta politicians and the oil sands industry. »more ...
Press Release: The Wilderness Society / May 5, 2009 / Ann Ingerson www.wilderness.org
Wood Products Expansion Will Not Stave Off Climate Change, Report Concludes
CRAFTSBURY COMMON, VT — As policymakers weigh their options for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, they hope to find solutions that allow us to have our cake and eat it too. Manufacturing renewable energy equipment or retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency, for instance, can provide new green jobs while they reduce our use of fossil fuels. Some hold out hope that long-term storage of carbon in wood products such as furniture and home-building materials can be such a win-win solution. The notion is intuitively appealing – use the forest as a biological “pump” that removes carbon dioxide from the air, then move the carbon offsite and store it in houses and eventually landfills while new trees take the place of the harvested ones. A new report from Wilderness Society resource economist Ann Ingerson highlights some of the obstacles to this approach. »more ...
Press Release: World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) / April 2009 www.wspa.org.au
Plans to restart New Zealand’s live sheep trade
Negotiations to resume New Zealand’s live sheep trade with Saudi Arabia are underway following a ban on live exports for more than five years. New Zealand stopped live sheep exports in 2003 after 5,000 sheep died and a further 43,000 spent nearly three months adrift in the Persian Gulf after the Cormo Express was refused permission to unload »more ...
Conservation Groups Sue to Protect False Killer Whales in Hawai‘i
Longline fishery killing whales at twice sustainable levels
Honolulu, HI -- Seeking an end to the continuing slaughter of false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) in the waters of Hawai'i, Earthjustice, representing a coalition of conservation groups, filed suit in federal court in Honolulu today against the National Marine Fisheries Service, challenging the agency's failure to devise a plan to protect the whales from the Hawai'i-based longline fishery ... »more ...
Press Release: American Bird Conservancy / March 4, 2009 www.abcbirds.org
Administration Moves to Restore Endangered Species Act
The Obama Administration has announced its intention to reverse a rule passed in the last days of the previous administration and thereby restore the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to its previous full strength. The rule removed long-standing requirements for federal agencies to consult with experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service in cases where their actions may impact endangered species. Instead, it allowed each agency to decide on its own whether or not to consult. The rule drew fire from conservation and environmental groups across the country as “putting the foxes in charge of the hen house.” »more ...
United States Protects America's Arctic From Industrial Fishing
Nearly 200,000 square miles of U.S. Arctic waters will close to industrial fishing
Seattle, WA -- The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) voted unanimously today, February 5th, 2009, to prevent the expansion of industrial fishing into all U.S. waters north of the Bering Strait for the foreseeable future to limit stress on ocean ecosystems in light of the dramatic impacts of global climate change in the Arctic. With no large-scale commercial fishing in the U.S. Arctic at present this decision establishes one of the largest preventative and precautionary measures in fisheries management history.
"As goes the Arctic, so goes the planet. We must wake up and recognize that in reality, we are all on thin ice," said Jim Ayers, vice president of Oceana. "The Arctic Ocean is a unique place vital to the people in the region and the Earth's health. The NPFMC is leading the way toward a science- based precautionary approach and this action -- the largest of its kind-- is a model for management of our Arctic Ocean." »more ...
