The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), a type of salamander, is a critically endangered amphibian endemic to central Mexico. This species is a “paedomorphic species, living permanently in water, and does not undergo complete metamorphosis,” so the gills are retained into its adult life. The axolotl is declining due to competition, disease transmission, and predation from introduced species, in addition to overfishing, pollution, and urbanization. Captive populations do exist, since “the species is used in physiological and biomedical research, as well as in the pet trade, but the re-introduction of captive-bred axolotls is not recommended until threats can be mitigated, and disease and genetic risks to the wild populations assessed.” From the Dallas Morning News, TX:

The axolotl, also known as the “water monster” and the “Mexican walking fish,” is a key part of Aztec legend and diet. Against all odds, it survived amid Mexico City’s urban sprawl in the polluted canals of Lake Xochimilco.

But scientists are racing to save the foot-long salamander from extinction, a victim of the draining of its lake habitat and deteriorating water quality. And nonnative fish introduced into the canals are eating its lunch and its babies.

Researchers say the axolotl could disappear in five years.

“If the axolotl disappears, it would not only be a great loss to biodiversity but to Mexican culture, and would reflect the degeneration of a once-great lake system,” biologist Luis Zambrano said.

The number of axolotls (pronounced ACK-suh-LAH-tuhl) is not known. But the population has dropped from roughly 1,500 per square mile in 1998 to a mere 25 per square mile, according to a survey using casting nets.

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Photo source for attribution. The author or licensor of this image does not endorse my work or me and their image is protected under an attribution license.

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The Interior Department is hell-bent on gutting Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In order to minimize the impact on endangered species, Section 7 requires developers or anyone potentially harming endangered species and their habitat to consult with federal officials to develop a plan for their proposed development project, so the ESA doesn’t actually mean zero development in most cases.  Nonetheless, weakening the ESA has been the Holy Grail for most developers, neoconservatives, and republicans.

The Interior Department has made a mockery of the public commenting process (or the democratic process) by reducing the normal commenting period of 90 days to 60 and then to a mere 30 days. Public outcry forced the Department to give the public 60 days to comment. In the end, the Department received 300,000 comments, and 100,000 of these comments were letters.

Previously, the Department decided to disallow commenting via email. This was a strategic move by the Department, because the Department’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must review all the comments and publish a final rule before the new president is elected. Barack Obama is against the changes to the ESA, so it is now or never for the neoconservative republicans President Bush has festooned throughout agencies such as the Interior Department. From TheNewsTribune.com, WA:

The Interior Department received 300,000 comments about the proposed changes, which supposedly were intended to prevent greenhouse gas emissions from threatening projects thousands of miles away.

About 100,000 of those comments were form letters; the ones that remain include comments from scientists, lawyers, other government agencies and members of Congress.

Actually, “comments” is something of a misnomer since the submissions can run 70 pages or more. At the pace Interior has established, each staffer will have to read and digest seven comments a minute to meet the deadline. Some paper shredders don’t work that fast.

The Interior Department’s review is sham and an insult to the people and organizations who took time to analyze the proposed rules and respond thoughtfully.

If the Bush administration succeeds in ramrodding its proposal through, it could take years for a new president to formally undo – if the next resident of the White House is so inclined.

Democrat Barack Obama is opposed to the rewrite of the endangered species law; Republican John McCain has not taken a position. McCain has said in the past that he is in favor of unspecified changes to the ESA.

The determination of this presidency to weaken wildlife protections is remarkable. Would that the same could be said for its commitment to fully vetting public policy.

To keep up with the deadline, the comment reviewers will have to review 6,250 comments per hour. From the Associated Press:

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne’s office, according to the e-mail, will be responsible for analyzing and responding to them.

The public comment period ended last week, which initiated the review.

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., whose own letter opposing the changes is among the thousands that will be processed, called the 32-hour deadline a “last-ditch attempt to undermine the long-standing integrity of the Endangered Species program.”

At that rate, according to a committee aide’s calculation, 6,250 comments would have to be reviewed every hour. That means that each member of the team would be reviewing at least seven comments each minute.

It usually takes months to review public comments on a proposed rule, and by law the government must respond before a rule becomes final.

“It would seem very difficult for them in four days to respond to so many thoughtful comments in an effective way,” said Eric Biber, an assistant professor at the UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law.

Along with other law professors across the country, Biber sent in 70 pages of comment.

Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall told the AP on Tuesday that the short time frame for processing the comments was requested by Kempthorne and would set a record.

On the Net:

1. Consultations with Federal Agencies: Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act
2. Tell us what you think! (Quickly.) (By postal mail only, please.): Bush administration hustles through ESA rule change with minimal feedback; Obama opposes
3. Stifling Public Comment On Species Act
4. Comment On Endangered Species Act
5. 200,000 Letters In 32 Hours?
6. Bush administration bent on getting last licks in
7. Rush to read 200,000 comments on Species Act
8. FWS Staff to Review Seven Comments a Minute

Federal officials have added an average of 9.5 species a year to the endangered list under President Bush, compared with 65 a year under President Bill Clinton and 59 a year under President George H.W. Bush. They have designated as “critical habitat” only half the acreage recommended by federal biologists. And they are transferring key decision-making powers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to other agencies with different priorities.

- The Washington Post

Although signed by a Republican President, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) hasn’t been popular with Republicans, corporations, or developers, and there have been numerous attempts to change the landmark legislation. The ESA doesn’t solely conserve endangered species, but it protects natural landscapes and ultimately our own health as well. However, there are many folks who don’t believe in the benefits that can bloom from conservation or environmentalism.

Back in August, the Bush Administration proposed eleventh-hour changes to the Endangered Species Act. The Administration wanted to gut the “mandatory review by independent federal scientists” component from the Act. However, allowing corporations and developers to manage endangered species is a complete antithesis to what the ESA was legislated to do. The Administration also lowered the public commenting period from 120 to a mere 30 days. However, fierce criticism forced the Administration to extend the public commenting period for an “extra 30 days.”

Of course, conservation groups are fighting back. Recently “more than 100,000 citizens opposed the Bush Administration’s attempt to severely weaken the Endangered Species Act,” and “representatives from the Endangered Species Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, Sierra Club, National Audubon Society, Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity delivered over 100,000 comments emailed in from Americans of all walks of life after the Department of the Interior and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration refused to accept public comments in the form of e-mails or faxes.”

The one bit of government that hasn’t increased under George W. Bush is the ESA. Certainly, it illustrates this Administration’s agenda and priorities.

Number of new species added to the ESA by recent Presidents of the United States:

^*54 of those 58 species were added “in response to litigation.”

On the Net: ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT: To Act or not to act

Certainly, people consume their way to poverty, and the affects of over-consumption and living unsustainably is more obvious in some areas of the world than others. For example, in certain African landscapes over-consumption is readily observable, but in parts of the world like the United States of America, the problems associated with over-consumption are not readily observable, because we live comfortable lives, subsidize our gluttony overseas, and often consume at the expense of other countries.

A symptom of over-consumption is the loss of biodiversity, particularly through the bushmeat trade and deforestation. An argument is being made that legalizing bushmeat will alleviate poverty or solve the ongoing food crisis. Not surprisingly, there is resistance to this remedy.

Richard Leakey is making several arguments against legalizing bushmeat, so he does not believe legalizing bushmeat will alleviate poverty. Some of his arguments include (1) the importance of wildlife in providing ecosystem services for people, such as seed dispersal, since “there is evidence that conserving primates, rather than eating them, will actually enhance food availability for humans”; (2) the fact that some species are already critically endangered and cannot sustain hunting pressure; (3) the need for alternative forms of agriculture such as bee-keeping and farming cane rats or grasscutters, which are already a bushmeat favorite; and (4) the spread of zoonotic diseases such as Ebola. HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is thought to have jumped to humans because of bushmeat. From Wildlife Extra, UK:

Legalizing bushmeat hunting will not solve the food crisis. I am incredulous that the Centre of International Forestry Research (CIFOR) would suggest that bushmeat hunting be legalized, giving the local people the task of policing themselves. This position shows remarkable naïveté and totally fails to understand the realities on the ground. A hungry population is never going to practice conservation of food, especially where it can be had free from the forest.

CIFOR argues that since up to 80% of the rural households in central and western Africa already depend on bushmeat for their daily protein requirements, a blanket ban on the trade would endanger both humans and wildlife. They call for regulated but legal uptake of wildlife protein. Maybe, but just how can this be done? There are no mechanisms to regulate this even with the best legislation.

.       .       .

I do not personally dispute the tragedy of the poor but allowing them to hunt and encouraging a process that will result in exploitation of wildlife will not alleviate their poverty. Why don’t people encourage the rearing of chickens, fish or cane rats to alleviate their protein deficiency? This will bring development and a better and healthier existence.

Mammals are at risk from (1) anthropogenic activities such as slash-and-burn agriculture; (2) climate change; and (3) habitat degradation, loss, and fragmentation. Larger mammals, especially predators such as big cats and wolves in addition to migrating herds of herbivores, are at high risk because they are susceptible to climate change and habitat loss, since these mammals require a lot of land to roam. Furthermore, specialists such as the Iberian Lynx, which specialize in certain prey, or specialists that are restricted to unique habitat types are at great risk from habitat loss. From the New York Times, United States:

Experts who helped lead the study said the hazards were, if anything, increasing.

“What we’ve found is that one in four mammals are truly in peril, but these assessments were done largely without accounting for the potential impacts of climate change,” said Jonathan Baillie, the director of conservation programs at the Zoological Society of London.

“If we continue emitting greenhouse gases at the current rate, we’re looking at 40 percent loss of biodiversity by the end of the century,” warned Dr. Baillie, referring to the potential extinction of all species.

Jan Schipper, the director of the global mammal assessment for the conservation union and for Conservation International, an environmental group, said it was hard to draw a direct comparison with its last detailed survey on mammals in 1996. New species have been identified, others discovered, and the criteria used to assess species have been changed to make them more broadly applicable across all animals and plants.

But he gave a mostly bleak assessment.

“Although 5 percent of mammals are recovering, what we observe are rates of habitat loss and hunting in Southeast Asia, central Africa and central and South America that are so serious that the overall rate of decline has steadily increased during the past decade,” Mr. Schipper said.

10 highlighted endangered or threatened mammals from around the world:

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), Status: Critically Endangered

The Iberian lynx survives in isolated areas of Spain and perhaps Portugal. The IUCN 2008 Red List of Threatened Species reports that a “minimum of 84 and a maximum of 143 adults [survive] in two breeding populations (in the Coto Doñana and near Andújar-Cardeña in the eastern Sierra Morena).” The Iberian lynx is a specialist in preying on the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and its decline is attributed to the decline of the European rabbit. Habitat degradation, loss, and fragmentation threatens the Iberian lynx as well, since habitat fragmentation prevents populations from intermingling or sharing genes through sexual reproduction.



The vaquita (Phocoena sinus), Status: Critically Endangered

The decline of this small porpoise species is linked to the increase of the gillnet fishery. This species, one of the smallest cetaceans, also has one of the smallest ranges, since it is “endemic to [just the] upper quarter of [the] Gulf of California.” Strategies to save this species include conservation education and providing local fishers with alternative employment and fishing methods.



The pygmy hog (Porcula salvania), Status: Critically Endangered

The IUCN 2008 Red List of Threatened Species reports that the “only viable population of the species [is in Assam, India], with a few hundred individuals, [existing] in small grassland pockets of Manas National Park (500 km²) and an adjacent reserve forest in the Manas Tiger Reserve and nowhere else in the world (Narayan and Deka 2002).” Work to save this little species of pig is being undertaken via a captive breeding program at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. Pygmy hogs raised at the Trust have been reintroduced back to the wild.



The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), Status: Near Threatened, but population is decreasing

Certainly one of the oddest mammals in the world, the aye-aye is a species of lemur endemic to Madagascar. Although they don’t look like primates at first blush, aye-ayes are primates. It is rarely seen in the wild, and deforestation via the practice of tavy, or slash-and-burn-agriculture, threatens this species.



The Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), Status: Critically Endangered, and only 30 exist

The Amur leopard is one of the most beautiful and rarest of the big cats. Hunting and habitat loss have decimated this species, and only some 25 individuals exist today in southwest Primorye. Another threat to the Amur leopard is the lack of genetic variability, since its population is so small.



The Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), Status: Critically Endangered

“Relentless hunting” has decimated this species. There are four subspecies of black rhino, and one subspecies may be extinct. According to the IUCN 2008 Red List of Threatened Species:

In Cameroon, no evidence of the Western Black Rhino was found during extensive surveys over much of its known range during the dry season in 2006. The population was estimated at 10 to 13 individuals in 2002, though these were unconfirmed. This subspecies may now be extinct. The South-western Black Rhino currently numbers 1,510 individuals, while the South-central subspecies numbers 1,980. Numbers of the Eastern Black Rhino stand at 700.



The Sumatran rabbit (Nesolagus netscheri), Status: Vulnerable

This species of rabbit is endemic to Sumatra, and it is very rarely seen. Deforestation and other anthropogenic influences such as agriculture activities threaten this species. More data to determine abundance and range is needed to accurately conserve this species.



Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi), Status: Critically Endangered

Hawaiian monk seals are threatened by ciguatera poisoning, human expansion, and pollution. Conservation efforts to save the Hawaiian monk seal include a species recovery plan, which is implemented by NOAA. Earlier this year, NOAA declared another species of monk seal—the Caribbean monk seal—extinct.



Southern marsupial mole (Notoryctes typhlops), Status: Data Deficient

This unusual marsupial is endemic to sandy areas of the Northern Territory in Western Australia. Little data is available for this species, but climate change may threaten it as some areas either become drier or wetter.



Baiji (Lipotes vexillifer), Status: Critically Endangered, possibly extinct or functionally extinct

The demise of the Baiji seemed to catch the world by surprise, and there are several species of freshwater dolphins that suffer similar anthropogenic threats, which resulted in the demise of the Baiji. These unique aquatic mammals are both indicator species of a river’s health and flagship species for conservation. Certainly, any extinction is a loss, but every time a species becomes extinct due to anthropogenic activities, it sends a negative message about our priorities as a civilization.

Iberian lynx image found here
Vaquita image found here
Pygmy hog image found here
Aye-aye image found here
Amur leopard image found here
African black rhinoceros image found here
Sumatran rabbit image found here
Hawaiian monk seal image found here
Southern marsupial mole image found here
Baiji image found here

This is a hodgepodge posting of random images that I’ve come across during the last few days, which may find interesting.

Cost of bailout versus major federal spending



Who voted against the $700 billion financial bailout bill? From NYTimes.com.



WebEcoist hosts “20 of the World’s Weirdest Endangered Species.” Image: Purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis). Image Found Here



The New Yorker magazine’s cover illustrates Sarah Palin’s foreign policy experience.



WebUrbanist hosts “7 Abandoned Architectural Wonders of Modern Asia.”  One of the more famous abandoned buildings includes the failed Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea.



Via Andrew Sullivan, I found this article that highlights “Of All the People in All the World,” an event that uses grains of rice to illustrate statistics. More information here.



Celebrity Solstice, practically a floating city, makes her debut.



Michel de Broin turns a dumpster into a jacuzzi.



Oil Consumption by state.  WTF? Texas!



Bullfrog vs. Sparrow. Sparrow loses. See an amazing series of images here.

After some 20 years of absence, National Geographic is reporting that an adult miles’ robber frog (Craugastor milesi) was rediscovered in Honduras after it was considered extinct. The species was thought to be a victim of the chytrid fungus, which has devastated other frog populations and resulted in frog extinctions worldwide. There is some evidence that the miles’ robber frog may have developed resistance to the fungus. However, more research is needed to determine if resistance has truly developed and more research is needed to uncover the true status of the population. Image by Jonathan Kolby.

The armoured mistfrog was rediscovered in remote tropical locations of northern Australia. The species was presumed extinct since 1991, because the amphibian chytrid fungus had decimated the species.

Images: (AP Photo/James Cook University, Robert Puschendorf, HO). From The Associated Press:

But two months ago, a doctoral student at James Cook University in Townsville conducting research on another frog species in Queensland stumbled across what appeared to be several Armoured Mistfrogs in a creek, said professor Ross Alford, head of a research team on threatened frogs at the university.

.       .       .

The chytrid fungus was blamed for decimating frog populations worldwide, including seven species in Queensland’s tropics between the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Armoured Mistfrogs had been classified as critically endangered rather than extinct, but most researchers believed they had died out from the disease, Alford said.

From CBSNews.com on YouTube:

Bob Simon gets a glimpse of an ancient tuna fishing method called “la mattanza” off the coast of Sardinia. The global demand of sushi-grade tuna is having a big impact on the local fishermen. (CBSNews.com)

On the Net: The King Of Sushi, Growing Demand For Sushi Is Having A Big Impact On The Bluefin Population - CBS News

The Bush Administration’s last minute changes to the ESA are pro-corporation and will impair and upset endangered species protection. Dissents can be found at the IdahoStatesman.com, ID:

Dirk Kempthorne has wanted to rewrite the Endangered Species Act for 15 years.

Now, in his final four months as the Bush administration’s interior secretary, he is pushing changes that could weaken the law.

.       .       .

Kempthorne and the Bush administration are targeting the “consultation” rules that really lend muscle to the law. The section of the law requires federal agencies to consult with wildlife managers to determine whether a road, power plant or any other project or policy will jeopardize “the continued existence of endangered species.”

Kempthorne says he wants to streamline the regulations to ensure that the consultation process isn’t used to address global warming issues. He also wants to help federal agencies avoid “unnecessary” consultations. “We need to focus our efforts where they will do the most good,” Kempthorne says.

But let’s be blunt. The Bush administration carries no credibility when it comes to this rule-making process. This is a White House that once argued - unabashedly but unsuccessfully - that man-made hydroelectric dams are part of the natural environment confronting the Northwest’s migrating salmon. It’s hard to take the administration seriously when it says it wants to merely clarify the process.

and the Billings Gazette, USA:

The administration wants these agencies to be able to determine for themselves whether mines, dams, roadways and other construction projects might do harm

 to threatened plants and animals. If these agencies don’t have concerns, there would be no need for the automatic review of the project by scientists from the National Marine Fisheries Service or Fish and Wildlife Service. These independent reviews, mandated since the act was passed in 1973, would be dramatically reduced

.       .       .

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne defends the changes. He said he fears the act will be increasingly used as a tool to regulate gases blamed for global warming. He raised this concern in May when polar bears were listed as a threatened species because climate change is threatening their Arctic habitat.

We’re troubled by the proposed changes. The timing, coming at the end of this administration’s term, is suspect. The rules would give federal agencies too much discretion in deciding whether a review is warranted. The agencies’ vested interests could likely trump species protection.

and the Kansas City Star:

The Interior Department last week set a 30-day public comment period on an administration proposal that would allow federal agencies approving or funding dams, highways and other projects to decide for themselves — without input from government experts — whether endangered species are likely to be harmed.

That is half the time that was originally scheduled in a draft obtained by The Associated Press. A shorter time frame would give the administration a better chance of imposing the rules before the presidential election.

Group representatives urged Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez in a letter Friday to extend public comment from 30 to 120 days.

An Interior spokeswoman Friday said requests for more time were always considered, but 30 days was not unusual.

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Photo source for attribution here (Endangered species sign), here (Burrowing owl), here (Flycatcher), here (Hand next to fish), here (Manatee warning) and here (Nene geese). The authors or licensors of these images do not endorse my work or me and their images are protected under an attribution license.

Genetic work has revealed two species of goliath grouper, so the “new species” or the Pacific goliath grouper is formally known as Epinephelus quinquefasciatus. It’s not surprising that two species of goliath grouper exist, since the two populations have been geographically separated for millions of years. The discovery will have implications for fisheries conservation, since the Pacific goliath grouper is considered overfished and critically endangered. Furthermore, the Atlantic goliath grouper (E. itajara) is considered overfished and critically endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Some interesting images of the Brazilian Atlantic goliath grouper fishery in action can be found on Flickr, and there is more on this story at the DR Corner. From Science Daily (press release):

“For more than a century, ichthyologists have thought that Pacific and Atlantic goliath grouper were the same species, and the argument was settled before the widespread use of genetic techniques. The genetic data were the key to our finding: two species, one on each side of the isthmus.,” said Dr. Matthew Craig of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, lead author of the study.

Because the two populations of grouper are identical in body form and markings, they were both considered part of the same species: Epinephelus itajara. About three-and-a-half million years ago—before the Caribbean and the Pacific became separated by present-day Panama—they were the same species.

Since that time, the two populations have evolved into genetically distinct populations. While testing the hypothesis that Pacific and West Atlantic grouper were the same species, the research team found significant differences in the DNA from both populations. The differences indicate that the two populations have effectively evolved into two separate species after being separated from one another by Central America. The new Pacific species is now classified as Epinephelus quinquefasciatus. E. itajara is currently listed as critically endangered to extinction in the World Conservation Union’s Red List of Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora. Due to its scarcity, E. quinquefasciatus may also be considered critically endangered.

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Photo source for attribution. The author or licensor of this image does not endorse my work or me and their image is protected under an attribution license.

Information about the top-centered image showing a large goliath grouper can be found here

Two environmental causes I strongly recommend:

Regarding endangered species protection:

Tell the Bush Administration to protect endangered wildlife! Bush must not weaken the Endangered Species Act in order to impose the agenda of those politicians and corporations that support cheap, quick and easy unsustainable development and an agenda of climate change disbelief

Facts on the weakening of the Endangered Species Act (ESA)

1. There is normally a 90-day comment period given by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for rule changes. However, to expedite the weakening of the ESA, the comment period was originally reduced to 60 days and then to 30 days. The weakening of the ESA isn’t just detrimental to natural landscapes, but such obtuse and reckless action is characteristic of the Bush Administration, whose policies are eroding and replacing the grass roots movement and individualism with corporatism. We must stop the Bush Administration from imposing their radical agenda of resisting climate change policy, and allowing large corporations to take the cheap and quick route at the detriment of both wildlife and ordinary Americans. More at Gristmill.
2. Normally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allows for electronic commenting through email or the Internet, but public comments regarding the ESA rule changes will have to be hand written and mailed. However, the “NRDC is backdooring the limitation by accepting internet comments here, which they will print and deliver to the Fish and Wildlife Service.”  More at The Thin Green Line.
3. Democrat Barack Obama opposes Bush’s ESA changes. However, Republican John McCain had no comment regarding the changes. From Yahoo! News:
   

   “This 11th-hour ruling from the Bush administration is highly problematic. After over 30 years of successfully protecting our nation’s most endangered wildlife like the bald eagle, we should be looking for ways to improve it, not weaken it,” said Obama campaign spokesman Nick Shapiro. “As president, Senator Obama will fight to maintain the strong protections of the Endangered Species Act and undo this proposal from President Bush.”

Regarding the false promises of offshore drilling:

Tell your members of Congress that we must resist drilling and pursue clean, renewable energy alternatives

As American consumption continues to grow, the infliction of habitat degradation, loss, and fragmentation in addition to human-wildlife conflicts will increase. Therefore, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) will draw more attention as it affects people’s lives. Like our Constitution and the Civil Rights Act, the ESA represents an ideal. The ESA should not be manipulated or mitigated for political gain but must continue to exist as a strong regulatory tool which we use to save ourselves from extinction. From Yahoo! News:

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said late Monday the changes were needed to ensure that the Endangered Species Act would not be used as a “back door” to regulate the gases blamed for global warming. In May, the polar bear became the first species declared as threatened because of climate change. Warming temperatures are expected to melt the sea ice the bear depends on for survival.

.        .       .

The new rules were expected to be formally proposed immediately, officials said. They would be subject to a 30-day public comment period before being finalized by the Interior Department. That would give the administration enough time to impose the rules before November’s presidential election. A new administration could freeze any pending regulations or reverse them, a process that could take months. Congress could also overturn the rules through legislation, but that could take even longer.

.        .       .

“We have always had concerns with respect to the need for streamlining and making it a more efficient process,” said Joe Nelson, a lawyer for the National Endangered Species Act Reform Coalition, a trade group for home builders and the paper and farming industry.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, called the proposed changes illegal.

“This proposed regulation is another in a continuing stream of proposals to repeal our landmark environmental laws through the back door,” she said. “If this proposed regulation had been in place, it would have undermined our ability to protect the bald eagle, the grizzly bear and the gray whale.”

.        .       .

“This is the fox guarding the hen house. The interests of agencies will outweigh species protection interests,” said Eric Glitzenstein, the attorney representing environmental groups in the lawsuit over the wildfire prevention regulations. “What they are talking about doing is eviscerating the Endangered Species Act.”

Simply deplorable.

More than half of the amphibians, birds, and mammals endemic to the Philippines are critically endangered or threatened with extinction. One of the most famous critically endangered species is the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jeffery).

The Philippine eagle is a very large and powerful raptor, which is considered a flagship species for Philippine conservation efforts. According to the 2007 IUCN Red List, “there may be as few as 226 mature individuals, with the total population, including immatures, estimated at c.350-670 birds (assuming a 25-50 km2 pair-range size, 40% occupancy of available habitat and only one surviving offspring per pair).”

Due to a host of factors such as colonialism in addition to war, developing countries have either low political capital coupled with high (but threatened) environmental capital or low political and environmental capital (or the environmental capital has almost been removed). This is my personal observation and isn’t a rule.

Certainly, island biodiversity is confronted with a double-edged sword. First, insular developing countries strive to sustainably use their natural resources. Socio-economic needs can be very pressing. For example, overseas and local demand for wood products can easily result in forest fragmentation. Agriculture can conflict with conservation efforts as well.

Islands are more susceptible to unsustainability than continental countries. However, islands can hold some of the most remarkable flora and fauna on the planet. This unique environmental capital can be tapped via ecotourism and if managed correctly a win-win situation can exist.

Political willpower can have both favorable and unfavorable consequences as well. Obviously, if the political will is to grossly commodify natural resources then the detriment to biodiversity will be great. However, if political will is weaved tightly with conservation then those old growth forests will remain.

The 2007 IUCN Red List cites specific threats of Philippine eagles and other endemic species: (1) “most remaining lowland forest is leased to logging concessions” and (2) “mining applications and uncontrolled hunting (for food and, at least formerly, zoo exhibits and trade) pose additional threats” in addition to (3) “evidence that [Philippine eagles] accumulates pesticides which reduce its already slow reproductive output.” From the AFP:

The tropical southeast Asian archipelago is the sole host to 1,137 animal species and 14,000 species of plants, the government agency said in a statement.

“Worldwide, we rank fifth in the number of plant species. We also rank fourth in bird endemism, which means that these birds are found only in the Philippines,” Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Joselito Atienza said.

However, the Philippines is also one of the top biodiversity hot spots, with 592 endemic species of amphibians, birds and mammals considered “threatened or endangered,” Atienza said.

In addition 227 endemic species of flowering plants are listed in the “Red List” of “critically endangered” species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

On the Net: Philippine Eagle Foundation Official Website
On the Net: Farmer who shot, ate RP eagle will face raps - DENR
On the Net: Environment Secretary recommends charges vs eagle killer

A new population of greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus) has been discovered in Torotorofotsy marsh. The marsh is a Ramsar site located in Madagascar. I have been to the marsh about 3 or 4 times looking for some of Madagascar’s endemic ducks like the Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata) and Meller’s duck (Anas melleri). I never observed any endemic ducks or greater bamboo lemurs in Torotorofotsy. We did see some red-billed teal (Anas erythrorhyncha) amongst many other species of birds and amphibians.

Torotorofotsy Marsh despite its degradation is an extraordinary place, but the marsh is threatened by a series of canals that drain the marsh in addition to nearby mining activity. The marsh is an important site, because it is home to some very rare fauna. The marsh is one of the few locations where the slender-billed flufftail (Sarothrura watersi) and golden mantella frog (Mantella aurantiaca) in addition to several other species of lemurs and the Meller’s duck. From Science Daily:

The discovery of the distinctive lemurs with jaws powerful enough to crack giant bamboo, their favorite food, occurred in 2007 in the Torotorofotsy wetlands of east central Madagascar, which is designated a Ramsar site of international importance under the 1971 Convention on Wetlands.

Updated information on the species will be presented at the upcoming International Primatological Society 2008 Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Aug. 3-8, as part of a new assessment of the world’s primates that shows the state of mankind’s closest living relatives.

For years, scientists believed but were unable to prove that greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus) lived in the Torotorofotsy area. A collaborative effort between the Malagasy non-government organization MITSINJO and the Henry Doorly Zoo in the United States supported by the Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation and Conservation International (CI) resulted in researchers finding and immobilizing several to attach radio collars for further monitoring.

The researchers believe there are 30-40 greater bamboo lemurs in the Torotorofotsy wetland, which is far to the north of the isolated pockets of bamboo forest where the rest of the known populations of the species live. Habitat destruction from slash-and-burn agriculture and illegal logging threatens the previously known populations that total about 100 individuals, making the existence of the newly found lemurs in a distinct region especially valuable.

Here are some images below from my trip to Torotorofotsy marsh in 2003. To get to the marsh, you have to travel through Andasibe National Park, and find the path that takes you to a set of railroad tracks. The experience is reminiscent of the movie: Stand by Me. The path to the marsh are the railroad tracks, and it takes about 4 - 6 hours of stepping over tracks to get to the marsh. We observed several species of birds including signs of rail activity.

Greater bamboo lemur image found here and the image credit belongs to Jonathan Linus Fiely. The other images are by me.

IMAGE: Precious cargo. A spoon-billed sandpiper recorded during an Arctic wader expedition. The critically endangered sandpiper winters in Burma.

Cyclone Nargis left behind negative impacts on the already fragile and anthropogenically pressured Irrawaddy delta ecosystems of Burma. The Irrawaddy delta is home to many species of birds, and some of them are endangered or critically endangered. Freshwater dolphins are found in the Irrawaddy delta as well.

Earlier this year it was reported that eighty-four critically endangered spoon-billed sandpipers (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus) were found utilizing previously unknown wintering grounds in Burma. From The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand:

Soe Nyunt, chairman of the Myanmar (Burma) Bird and Nature Society, said the Brahminy duck and Sarus crane were already threatened with extinction in Burma.

Burma has more than 1,000 species of bird, many of which inhabit lowlands such as the Irrawaddy delta and the coast.

Forty three threatened species have been registered with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Five are listed as “Critically Endangered”—the white-shouldered ibis, white-rumped vulture, slender-billed vulture, pink-headed duck and Gurney’s pitta.

The Irrawaddy delta’s mangrove swamps, inundated by the cyclone, provide a natural habitat for birds, as well as for fish, crabs and prawns.

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Photo source for attribution. The author or licensor of this image does not endorse my work or me and their image is protected under an attribution license.

The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) was once more common in the Southwestern United States. Today it is critically endangered, and it is the sole living representative of a genus that use to feed on various species of now extinct megafauna.

Lead poisoning has been and continues to be the greatest threat to California Condors. The species was very close to extinction when the United States government decided to start a breeding and reintroduction program in the late 1980s. Today, the California condor reintroduction program is one of the most expensive conservation projects ever. However, the Big Sur fire in California is complicating conservation efforts by claiming the lives of California Condors bred in captivity for reintroduction. From the Monterey County Herald, CA:

One rare California condor chick may be dead and two others are in areas too dangerous to be saved, as the Basin Complex Fire creeps into their once-serene canyons.

“It is horrible, but there is nothing we can do,” said Kelly Sorenson of Ventana Wildlife Society, which monitors each bird along the vast Central Coast. Thick smoke thwarted a rescue attempt early Tuesday.

“We’re just waiting, watching and hoping for the best. Our hands are tied,” he said.

The chicks are about 2½ months old, covered in downy gray feathers and already the size of chickens. Too young to fly, they are confined to their nests.

One bird, perched 200 feet up an ancient redwood tree, was located in a remote interior part of Ventana Wilderness Area — which is now completely burned. Although the tree remains standing, biologists fear that the heat and smoke were deadly.

The other two chicks live in more coastal nests, not yet burned but within a quarter mile of the fire. Because of cool coastal fog, their prospects seem better.

Thanks to the “Get the lead out!” campaign, California recently implemented progressive hunting regulations that require the use of non-lead hunting ammunition in areas of central and southern California or within the California condor’s range. However, the Center for Biological Diversity wants a statewide ban on lead-based hunting ammunition. Non-lead hunting ammunition is widely available and performs just as well as lead-based hunting ammunition. Exposure to lead is not only detrimental to California condors but other animals that consume shot carcasses, including humans. People consuming game killed with lead-based hunting ammunition risk exposure to lead. From the Center for Biological Diversity (press release), AZ:

Lead poisoning from ingesting lead fragments in carcasses is the leading cause of death for reintroduced condors in California and Arizona. Since condors were reintroduced to California in 1992, at least 14 condor deaths in the state have been confirmed or linked to lead poisoning, and dozens more poisoned condors have required invasive, life-saving chelation therapy to “de-lead” their blood after feeding on lead-tainted carcasses.

The Center for Biological Diversity and a coalition of health and conservation organizations, hunters, and Native Americans launched a “Get the Lead Out” campaign in 2004 to eliminate lead from condor habitat. Several years and one lawsuit later, Assembly Bill 821, the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act, was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger last fall. The Act requires hunters to use non-lead ammunition for hunting all big game (such as deer, elk, pigs, and bighorn sheep) and shooting coyotes within the condor range, which encompasses all or portions of 13 central and southern counties and seven deer-hunting zones. The California Fish and Game Commission approved additional regulations in December of 2007 that expand the non-lead requirements to hunting of non-game mammals and non-game birds (and prohibit the use of lead .22-caliber and smaller-rimfire cartridges for non-game hunting) in the condor range.

The California condor is one of the world’s most endangered species. As of April 2008, only 151 of the birds were flying free in the wild, 80 of them in California. Scientific studies provide overwhelming evidence that the lead poisoning condors comes from ammunition fragments in carcasses and gut piles left behind in the condor range by hunters. In 2007, more than 45 prominent wildlife biologists signed a “Statement of Scientific Agreement ” concluding that lead ammunition is the primary source of the lead that is poisoning condors.

These images below from The Peregrine Fund show an x-rayed package of ground venison and the x-rayed cavity of a deer. The x-rayed images reveal lead fragments. According to the Fund, “Some individual packages of both ground meat and steaks contained up to nine fragments.” The study killed “a total of 30 deer…using standard lead-core, copper-jacketed bullets.”

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On the Net: Center for Biological Diversity: “Get the lead out!” campaign
On the Net: The Peregrine Fund Lead Images
On the Net: Tejon Ranch Again Seeks Permit to Harm California Condors and Other Rare Wildlife; Permit Request Coincides With Condor Lead Poisoning Crisis

IMAGES: The image at right shows a female North Atlantic right whale giving birth. The bottom right image shows the mother lifting her calf out of the ocean to help it get its first breath.

Photographs showing a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale giving birth to her calf have been released. New England Aquarium researcher Monica Zani took the first ever photographs.

The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) remains threatened from ship strikes and commercial fishing gear. Documents have recently revealed that the White House was instrumental in delaying the protection of the critically endangered whales. According to the Boston Globe “efforts to protect the endangered right whale from being killed by commercial ships have languished for more than a year in part because of White House objections [and] documents show Vice President Dick Cheney’s office and White House economists have questioned the conclusions of marine scientists.” Too bad the Bush Administration nor their economists understand that natural resources must be conserved in order to maintain a sustainable world economy. Where is the conservative in conservatism? Liberals have grasped what it means to be conservative when protecting the environment better than the Bush Administration and many other conservatives have.

In more marine mammals news, scientists in New Zealand had the opportunity to necropsy a pygmy right whale after it was found dead and stranded “at Spirit’s Bay in the country’s far north.” The opportunity to conduct a necropsy of the specimen drew excitement amongst the marine mammal community since this is only the second specimen to be examined and little is known of this species so data is badly needed.

Pygmy right whales are the smallest of the baleen whales and are considered oddities. For example, asymmetry is rare in nature but this species exhibits asymmetry. According to Joy Reidenberg, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York “the larynx has a sac on it, like all baleen whales, but the sac is off to one side, and that raises a couple of very interesting functional and evolutionary questions, such as how they generate sounds.” The pygmy right whale has little in common with larger species of right whales but may be more closely related to other whales.

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IMAGE: ©2004 Jim Lindelien

The Eco Preservation Society is raising awareness to conserve habitat for the Central American squirrel monkey or mono tití. The mono tití is a small New World primate native to Costa Rica and Panama.

The grey crowned red-backed squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii ssp. citrinellus) a subspecies of the mono tití is native to Costa Rica and has a highly restricted ranged. Because of its restrictive range and anthropogenic activities negatively influencing its habitat, the subspecies is considered critically endangered and threatened by development and habitat fragmentation.

The mono tití is unique as it was once thought to have been introduced by humans who kept them as pets. However, genetic studies show that the Central American populations are genetically distinct.

Another population of Central American squirrel monkey is the Black-Crowned Central American squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii ssp. oerstedi), which is native to Costa Rica and Panama. This subspecies is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). According to the 2007 IUCN Red List:

Saimiri oerstedii citrinellus has a very restricted range on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, centered on Quepos. Occurs in one protected area: the Manuel Antonio National Park (683 ha). There is some dispute by different teams as to total numbers. The larger estimate is 1,300–1,800 individuals (Wong 1990, Sierra et al. 2003; but see Boinski et al. 1998). The Critically Endangered assessment is based on the species’ extent of occurrence (201 km²), historic loss of habitat (89%) and severe fragmentation….

During the 1950s, logging and cattle ranching were encouraged in the region, and large areas were planted with African oil palms and rice. At present the area is mainly used for pastures, crops, wood, African oil palm and fruit plantations (Sierra et al. 2003). There are scattered forest fragments, coastal mangroves and large remnants of forest in the Manuel Antonio National Park and a northern fringe of uninterrupted forest that extends above 1,000 m.

On the Net: Eco Preservation Society Blog
On the Net: Saving Mono Tití Blog

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IMAGE CREDIT: © New Zealand Department of Conservation.

The kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) is a species of flightless nocturnal parrot endemic to New Zealand. The flightless parrots are critically endangered, but captive breeding recently provided a boost for the species. A recent hatching of five chicks has brought the overall known number of kakapo parrots to 91.

The kakapo evolved in the absence of predators, so like other insular species, the introduction of animals such as cats, dogs, and rats has been devastating. Since these flightless parrots evolved ignorant of mammalian predators, they are easy prey for introduced species.

Except for bats, most of New Zealand’s mammals became extinct millions of years before. Therefore, New Zealand had no mammals for a very long time until humans brought cats, dogs, rats, and other mammalian species. Until humans brought domestic or commensal mammals, New Zealand was a landscape dominated by birds and insects.

Another extraordinary endangered New Zealand endemic is the kiwi.  Other exceptional birds include the extinct moa, relatives of the kiwi.  Some species of moa were giants and hunted by the giant Haast’s Eagle. Not doubt the giant Haast’s eagle was a specialist at preying on moas, so this specialist depended on moas for survival.  As a result, the giant eagles went extinct with the moas.  From the Kakapo Recovery Programme:

As of Saturday 29th March, the world’s population of kakapo has been boosted from 86 to 91 with another two eggs due to hatch over the coming fortnight. 

While seven chicks might seem like a relatively small birth rate – for the Department of Conservation staff who monitor and protect the kakapo, it’s fantastic news.

“Boosting the population from 86 to 91 is awesome especially considering these birds only breed every few years,” kakapo recovery team leader Emma Neill said.

Minister of Conservation, Steve Chadwick said the new arrival of kakapo chicks reflects New Zealand’s international reputation in species conservation programmes.

“It is a credit to the Department of Conservation to have brought this species back from the brink of extinction, and we should take pride in the fact that our efforts with kakapo are recognised throughout the world,” the Minister said.

Kakapo last bred in 2005 when four chicks were produced, but the record year was in 2002 with 24 chicks.

The exciting thing about the breeding this season is that two of the younger females, have bred for the first time. These birds are six years old, which is considered quite young for kakapo breeding, as prior to this the youngest females to breed were nine years old.

“The kakapo breeding season is always a special time, but this discovery makes it even more exciting. It could change the way kakapo breeding is managed in future.”

The other great news is that this year, there was 100% fertility of the kakapo eggs.

“In the last breeding season in 2005, the overall fertility rate was just 58%, and because not every egg results in a hatching and not every hatching results in a healthy chick, we are doing all we can to improve survival rates,” Ms Neill said.

Meanwhile, down on Whenua Hou, it’s all systems go, as DOC staff and volunteers work around the clock to look after the new arrivals. Giving the chicks the best chance means nest-minding volunteers keep a nightly vigil; camping near the nest to ensure the female incubates properly, and sometimes covering the eggs with heat pads when she leaves to ensure the eggs do not go cold.

On the Net: Home of the Kakapo Recovery Programme | Kakapo Recovery Programme

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In 2006, biologists for The Peregrine Fund discovered a remote and tiny population of Madagascar Pochards (Aythya innotata) made up of males, females and most encouragingly ducklings. Madagascar pochards are a medium-sized diving duck endemic to Madagascar. Formally, the stronghold of the species was Lake Alaotra but the lake has over the years degraded due to agriculture production, invasive species such as Tilapia sp. and water hyacinth in addition to pollution and run off from anthropogenically induced erosion via deforestation and soil degradation. The duck was considered “possibly extinct” just before being rediscovered. It is possible to save this species by protecting habitat where remnant populations exist and establishing the species in captivity. From my experience, most pochards are relatively easy to breed in captivity.

A recent expedition failed to find new populations of Madagascar pochards in other areas. From the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust:

Dr Glyn Young recently participated in an expedition into Madagascar aimed at finding further populations of the Madagascar pochard – a medium-sized diving duck. The duck had been considered extinct by many authorities for more than ten years, until last winter’s sighting of nine adults and four juveniles….

According to Dr Young the ducks were found in a slightly different habitat and in a different location to what had been expected, sparking new hopes that there might be similar, undiscovered populations in Madagascar.

He said: “The Madagascar pochard is extremely secretive and little is known about its life-cycle and behaviour. It was believed that they preferred marshy lakes with lots of reeds and emergent vegetation but the newly discovered population was found in a steep sided volcanic lake with little shoreline marsh and reeds.”

This year’s expedition was aimed at locating further populations of the bird, but sadly four weeks of surveying Madagascar’s remote hill-sides yielded no further sightings.

Dr Young added: “The failure to find any other populations of the duck highlights the need for immediate conservation intervention to save this species. The Durrell team will be working closely with other conservation organisations over the coming weeks to develop a strategy that will stop this species disappearing off the face of the earth.”

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