Tim Boxall points at a shape in the field bordering the seven-acre wooded pen where he keeps 1,500 pheasants. “Here you are,” he says. “Look! There’s one over here.” He bends down and prises the remains of a pheasant from the long grass. “That’s a buzzard kill, you can tell by the way it’s been […]
Tag: protection
Why is it important to conserve Madagascar’s largest carnivore?
Unfortunately for fosa, their first major big-screen appearance came in the form of the fictitious villains in the widely popular 2005 animated film, Madagascar. Most people don’t realise that these strange cat-like creatures are alive and living across Madagascar today, however. Cryptoprocta ferox, more commonly known as fosa (pronounced foo-sah), is Madagascar’s largest predator (fosa […]
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 […]
New report shows alarming state of North-American birds
Since the seventies, millions of North American birds have disappeared and a third of species are now of high regional conservation concern, a new report reveals. Experts agree that their long-term conservation will only be achieved by building transnational partnerships and involving local communities in citizen science projects. Migratory birds connect the North American continent as millions […]
POLL: Should the Golden Eagle continue to be protected in Norway?
Vigorous debate has erupted in Norway around a potential change in the protection provided to the country’s magnificent Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). A new proposal is due to be voted on in the Norwegian Parliament next week. Norwegian law has protected these and other birds of prey since 1968. The new proposal seeks to reduce […]
POLL: Should Poland’s Białowieża forest be protected?
Europe’s last primeval forest is facing what campaigners call its last stand as loggers prepare to start clear-cutting trees, following the dismissal of dozens of scientists and conservation experts opposed to the plan. Poland’s new far right government says logging is needed because more than 10% of spruce trees in the Unesco world heritage site […]
New Sociable Lapwing habitats discovered in Uzbekistan
The Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwing is one of the world’s rarest and most threatened birds. It breeds in Kazakhstan and southern Russia and winters from Sudan to Pakistan and India. How it gets from its breeding grounds to its wintering areas is of great interest to conservationists, since hunting pressures along its migration routes is […]
POLL: Should the Louisiana black bear be kept on the endangered species list?
The Louisiana black bear, the animal credited with spawning the phrase “teddy bear”, is to be removed from the federal list of endangered wildlife following a two-decade conservation effort. The US Department of the Interior said the “conservation success” of the bear meant it no longer required the protection of the endangered species act, which […]