Press Release: Department of Conservation (DOC), 20 August 2010, www.doc.govt.nz
Mass whale stranding in Far North
58 pilot whales have been found stranded on a remote Far North beach this morning.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) in Kaitaia received a call from a member of the public at approximately 10.30am this morning advising of a mass whale stranding on Karikari Beach (a remote beach on the Karikari Peninsula north of Doubtless Bay) »more ...
Press Release: nef (the new economics foundation), 9 July 2010, www.neweconomics.org
Europe blows its annual budget for fish on Friday 9 July
New research reveals that Europe could not feed itself on fish from EU waters for more than 189 days a year, and from today is dependent on fish caught elsewhere.
Consuming far more than our depleted European seas can produce is making the EU increasingly dependent on fish from elsewhere, according to a new report from leading independent think-tank nef (the new economics foundation) and OCEAN2012, published today, Friday 9 July 2010 »more ...
Press Release: American Bird Conservancy / International Bird Rescue Research Center, June 2010 www.abcbirds.org / www.ibrrc.org
Information on Bird Impacts from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
What is the Likely Impact on Birds?
The concern for birds are three-fold.
- Brown PelicanThe first is the immediate threat to individual birds from oil contamination. The first oiled birds are now being collected and sent to rehabilitators in the region. Many birds could be killed but never collected, particularly 'plunge-diving' birds such as pelicans, gannets and terns »more ...
Press Release: NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R), 27 April 2010, www.incidentnews.gov
Deepwater horizon incident (Update 10)
Unified Command continues with a comprehensive oil well intervention and spill response plan following the April 22 sinking of the Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling rig 130 miles southeast of New Orleans. More than 1,000 personnel are involved in the response effort both on and offshore with additional resources being mobilized as needed »more ...
Press Release: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), 23 March 2010, www.ucar.edu
Pollution from Asia circles globe at stratospheric heights
BOULDER—The economic growth across much of Asia comes with a troubling side effect: pollutants from the region are being wafted up to the stratosphere during monsoon season. The new finding, in a study led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, provides additional evidence of the global nature of air pollution and its effects far above Earth's surface »more ...
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 ...
