New research finds that one-third of critical jaguar habitat in the Gran Chaco, South America’s largest tropical dry forest, has been lost since the mid-1980s. According to the study, led by researchers at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU Berlin) and published in the journal Diversity and Distributions this week, deforestation driven by agricultural expansion — mainly […]
Tag: deforestation
The why, what, and how of deforestation
Forests are a key component of life on earth. In addition to providing shelter for 80% of land-dwelling species, they play an essential role in the carbon cycle, converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. It is no exaggeration to say that deforestation is a threat to life on earth. A massive 15 billion trees are lost […]
Jaguars killed for fangs to supply growing Chinese medicine trade
Conservationists who have uncovered a growing illegal trade in jaguar fangs in South America are linking it to Chinese construction projects that could be threatening wildlife globally. Experts say major Chinese power plant, road and rail works in developing nations are key stimulants of illicit trade in the skins, bones and horns of endangered animals. […]
Wildlife trafficking is threatening nearly half of all World Heritage sites
There are hundreds of UNESCO World Heritage sites around the world that have been protected because they are culturally, ecologically and economically valuable. These sites are among the last strongholds for some of the earth’s most iconic and endangered species, including orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos. Unfortunately, even though these sites are recognized for their […]
Giraffes facing extinction after devastating decline
The world’s tallest animal is at risk of extinction after suffering a devastating decline in numbers, with nearly 40% of giraffes lost in the last 30 years, according to the latest “red list” analysis. The authoritative list, compiled by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has also added more than 700 newly […]
Could we set aside half the Earth for nature?
As of today, the only place in the universe where we are certain life exists is on our little home, the third planet from the sun. But also as of today, species on Earth are winking out at rates likely not seen since the demise of the dinosaurs. If we don’t change our ways, we […]
Indonesia’s birds being wiped out by pet trade
Birds are hugely popular pets in Indonesia. A 2011 study found, for instance, that more than one-third of households in the six biggest cities of Java and Bali kept birds as pets. Most of these pet birds are caught from the wild. Conservationists say that the popularity of bird-keeping in Indonesia has been driving the […]
Saving Bristly and his fourteen companions from extinction
Stresemann’s Bristlefront Merulaxis stresemanni: a long-tailed bird with distinctive forehead bristles, a rufous rump, a musical whistle song, seen perhaps eating frogs and insects, and with a tennis-ball-sized tunnel for its nest. Spotted a handful of times since its rediscovery in Brazil’s Atlantic forest in 1995, that’s about all we know of this unique bird. […]