Species failed to survive overfishing, habitat fragmentation and loss of biodiversity, scientists believe
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/chinese-paddlefish-extinct-yangtze-river-a9278716.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Samuel Osborne
Activists urge UK government to ‘tell the truth’ about impact of fossil fuel industry
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/extinction-rebellion-protest-shell-gas-rig-climate-change-dundee-north-sea-scotland-a9272516.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Conrad Duncan
Send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/letters/climate-change-australian-bushfires-iran-us-labour-leadership-letters-a9270576.html
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Lonesome George, the last of the Pinta Island tortoises, died in 2012. George’s story is the perfect extinction story. It features a charismatic character with a recognizable face, an obvious villain, and the tireless efforts of naturalists.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/all-the-species-declared-extinct-this-decade-1840325660
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Ryan F. Mandelbaum
‘Our results suggest [the Carolina parakeet’s] extinction was an abrupt process and thus likely solely attributable to human causes,’ said the study
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/humans-sole-culprit-extinction-us-native-parrot-carolina-parakeet-a9245611.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Kate Ng
Only the Conservatives and Brexit Party have not responded to requests for meeting, activists say
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/extinction-rebellion-hunger-strike-protest-climate-activists-global-parties-a9215411.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Jane Dalton
While the Hawaiian duck may look like a run-of-the-mill, invasive female mallard, it is actually fast approaching genetic extinction.
New research, however, suggests otherwise.
As a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Davis, Caitlin Wells studied the birds, which she described as “petite, buffy brown, and charismatic.”
Often found in pairs instead of large groups, the wary koloa maoli (“native duck”) are secretive and rarely associate with other animals. They can usually be found in the tall, wetland grasses and streams near the Kohala volcano on Hawaii.
The team—including scientists from UC Davis; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; University of Texas, El Paso; Wright State University; Oregon State University; and Hawaii’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife—analyzed 425 koloa, mallards, and hybrids from populations across the islands.
They gathered more than 3,300 genetic data points, including blood samples, from hundreds of the birds before releasing them back into the wild. Researchers also collected information from the carcasses of koloa retrieved following botulism outbreaks.
“We used a lot of tissue samples from salvaged birds that unfortunately died from those disease outbreaks,” Wells, a research scientist at Colorado State University, explained.
The largest population of koloa is on Kauai, where the team found very few hybrids. On other islands, however, all of the birds were crossbreeds or feral mallards.
This study is pivotal in the struggle to save koloa from extinction (via Christopher Malachowski/Oregon State University)
Historically, koloa existed throughout the main Hawaiian islands. Unfortunately, habitat loss, predators, and unregulated hunting meant they disappeared from everywhere except Kauai and Niihau by the late 1960s.
Wildlife managers began captive breeding and release programs to re-establish the koloa. But since mallards were never removed, rapid hybridization continued.
Efforts are now underway to remove mallards from the 50th state to help preserve the genetic diversity of the endemic Hawaiian duck.
“Its recovery could be viewed as a beacon of hope for the many dozens of critically endangered birds found in the islands,” according to study co-author Andy Engilis, curator of the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology.
Hybridization is a tricky issue in terms of conservation: Sometimes it threatens a unique gene pool, while other times it adds more diversity to a population.
“But here’s a case where we have enough individuals with enough genetic variation in the koloa, and we’ve also genetically identified the hybridizing species,” Wells said. “It seems very clear that we can separate those going forward.”
Previously, wildlife managers mistakenly believed that leaving koloa hybrids alone would allow them to eventually evolve back into pure ducks.
“That’s not what we found,” Wells added. “If you don’t have pure koloa parents that outnumber the feral mallards, you’re not going to get any decreases in those hybrid proportions.”
The team’s research provides insight into successful conservation management, and, fingers crossed, may one day lead to the koloa being taken off the endangered species list.
More on Geek.com:
Source: https://www.geek.com/news/endangered-hawaiian-duck-saved-from-brink-of-extinction-1810860/?source
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Stephanie Mlot
Extinction Rebellion activists have erected a large wood pyramid at Oxford Circus, blocking one of London’s busiest junctions. A Ruptly video shows police cordoning off the area.
In a coordinated act of civil disobedience, the group constructed the wooden structure in the middle of the road. Two protesters then climbed onto it, with several more locking themselves to its base.
Footage shows police blocking off the area as they attempt to coax activists off their wooden creation. A boom lift later arrives at the scene to help authorities snatch the perched protesters.
Extinction Rebellion has blocked transport hubs in London, New York, and other cities as part of its crusade to demand global action to address climate change. The group launched a wave of polarizing protests on October 7. Since then, some 1,642 people have been arrested for participating in the divisive acts of public disobedience.
Also on rt.com
Rush hour rumble: Livid Londoners drag Extinction Rebellion protesters off Tube train roof (VIDEOS)
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Source: https://www.rt.com/uk/471225-extinction-rebellion-oxford-circus-london/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
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The Article Was Written/Published By: RT
Activists disrupt London services in busy morning rush hour
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/extinction-rebellion-protests-london-today-tube-train-canning-town-station-underground-a9159631.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Samuel Osborne
Newly released documents show sightings of large carnivore with almost Loch Ness Monster status Down Under
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/tasmanian-tiger-extinct-sighting-marsupial-wolf-thylacine-australia-a9158341.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Jane Dalton
Protests by climate activist group Extinction Rebellion has continued to roil cities around the world, including London. And after shutting down parts of Central London, police banned the group from conducting protests anywhere in the city on Monday evening. The move comes after eight days of protests centered on…
Source: https://earther.gizmodo.com/in-unprecedented-move-london-police-ban-extinction-reb-1839050154
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Tom McKay on Earther, shared by Brian Kahn to Gizmodo
Activists and those arrested vow to keep disrupting city until government takes climate change threat seriously
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/extiction-rebellion-london-latest-climate-change-protests-a9152231.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Colin Drury
Fires now burning through range of marmoset found in only one corner of Brazilian state
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/monkey-amazon-fires-marmoset-rainforest-brazil-extinct-climate-crisis-a9150946.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Harry Cockburn
Environmental protesters glue themselves to Home Office as others blockade roads around Westminster
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/extinction-rebellion-protests-live-london-disruption-climate-change-westminster-trafalgar-square-a9147126.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Emma Snaith
The last mammoths to stomp on Earth lived on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean. This isolated population lived for thousands of years after most mammoths were gone, but when extinction finally came, it happened quickly. New evidence may finally explain what happened to these stubborn holdouts.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/how-the-last-woolly-mammoths-met-their-demise-on-a-remo-1838848130
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The Article Was Written/Published By: George Dvorsky
Activists deride ‘the piecemeal action we’re currently seeing across the world’ from governments
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/extinction-rebellion-climate-change-protest-london-westminster-roads-city-airport-met-police-a9142476.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Jon Sharman
Human activity has decimated roughly 29% (almost 3 billion) of bird populations over the past 50 years in the U.S. and Canada, including meadowlarks, swallows and sparrows, scientists announced Thursday.
Why it matters: In addition to suffering pervasive losses in several groups of birds, North America has also reached a “widespread ecological crisis” that is affecting other activities like spring migration, food production and pest control, the scientists warn.
What’s new: In a study published Thursday in Science, scientists found that “we’re losing species of birds, abundances of birds, much faster than we thought … almost three billion or one-third since 1970,” co-author Peter Marra tells Axios.
The bad news: The study, which uses a combination of standardized surveys by bird enthusiasts and data from radar, finds the abundance of birds has fallen in diverse areas since 1970.
The good news: The study also notes prior actions taken to protect certain species have worked, with waterfowl and raptors in particular becoming more abundant.
What they’re saying: “Studies like this do suggest the potential of a systems collapse,” Richard Gregory, a professor at University College London who wasn’t part of this study, told the Washington Post. “These birds are an indicator of ecosystem health. And that, ultimately, may be linked to the productivity and sustainability of agricultural systems.”
The bottom line: Marra says it isn’t too late to restore habitats and restore a healthy ecosystem in North America.
Of note: Sponsors of the study include American Bird Conservancy, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Environment and Climate Change Canada, GEI and SMBC.
Go deeper: Listen to Science‘s podcast on this topic and check out a new multimedia website describing the issue and advocating action, called 3BillionBirds.org.
Source: https://www.axios.com/bird-population-loss-study-5aed1e47-8829-40df-be85-cb9f684efc55.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Eileen Drage O’Reilly
‘If we don’t act now, we will lose these animals and the unique role they play in marine ecosystems’
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/wedgefish-guitarfish-rhinos-of-the-ocean-extinct-conservation-illegal-fishing-a9077286.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Phoebe Weston
At least three whales died after they were hit by ships. There are only 100 reproductive females left
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/whale-deaths-north-atlantic-population-canada-gulf-st-lawrence-a8987761.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Phoebe Weston
Lab-made embryos are one step closer to saving a virtually extinct species. Scientists have successfully transferred a test tube rhino embryo back into a female for the first time, implanting the creation into a southern white rhino in Poland. The…Source: https://www.engadget.com/2019/06/30/near-extinct-rhino-test-tube-embryo-transfer/
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