Latest news with #BiologicalConservation
The Star
26-05-2025
- Science
- The Star
Lesser flamingos lose one of their only four African breeding sites to sewage
KIMBERLEY, South Africa (Reuters) -Until the last half-decade, the majestic lesser flamingo had four African breeding sites: two salt pans in Botswana and Namibia, a soda lake in Tanzania, and an artificial dam outside South Africa's historic diamond-mining town of Kimberley. Now it only has three. Years of raw sewage spilling into Kamfers Dam, the only South African water body where lesser flamingos congregated in large enough numbers to breed, have rendered the water so toxic that the distinctive pink birds have abandoned it, according to conservationists and a court judgment against the local council seen by Reuters. Lesser flamingos are currently considered near-threatened, rather than endangered, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature: there are 2-3 million left, four-fifths of them spread across Africa, the rest in a smaller area of South Asia. But they are in steep decline, and the poisoning of one of their last few breeding sites has worsened their plight dramatically. Tania Anderson, a conservation biologist specialising in flamingos, told Reuters the IUCN was about to increase its threat-level to "vulnerable", meaning "at high risk of extinction in the wild", owing largely to their shrinking habitats of salty estuaries or soda lakes shallow enough for them to wade through. "It's really very upsetting," Anderson said of the sewage spills in Kamfers Dam. "Flamingos play a pivotal role in maintaining the water ecosystems of our wetlands." A 2021 study in Biological Conservation found sewage threatens aquatic ecosystems across a vast area of the planet. Although 200 nations came together at the U.N. COP16 biodiversity summit in Colombia last year to tackle threats to wildlife, no agreement was reached. 'THEY JUST DISAPPEARED' Footage taken by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa in May 2020 shows Kamfers Dam turned flamboyant pink with flamingos. When Reuters visited this month, there were none. A closer look at the water revealed a green sludge that bubbled and stank of human waste. "It was a sea of pink," Brenda Booth recalled, as she gazed over the bird-free lake located on the farm she owns, dotted with acacia trees and antelope. "They all just disappeared," said Booth, who last month secured the court order compelling the African National Congress-run municipality in charge of Kimberley, a city of 300,000, to fix the problem. Over the years, the treatment plant "became progressively dysfunctional to the point where ... approximately 36 megalitres a day of untreated sewage was being discharged into the dam," said Adrian Horwitz, the lawyer bringing the case in the High Court of South Africa, Northern Cape division. Municipality manager Thapelo Matlala told Reuters thieves had vandalised the plant and stolen equipment, grinding it to a halt. "We are working on a new strategy for ... repairing the damage," he said outside his office, adding that this needed 106 million rand ($5.92 million), money the council didn't have. Failure to deliver services was one of the main reasons the ANC lost its 30-year-strong majority in last year's elections. Lesser flamingos mostly eat spirulina, a blue-green algae - filtering it through their beaks. This limits them to alkaline water bodies, largely in East Africa's Rift Valley. They're fussy about where they breed, with just three sites in India alongside the remaining three in Africa. Flamingos began breeding at Kamfers Dam in 2006, said Ester van der Westhuizen-Coetzer, wetlands specialist for local diamond miner Ekapa Group, as she waded through grassland at the edge of another lake where she had spotted a flock. In 2020, there were 71,000 on the dam, with up to 5,000 new chicks each season. "They've missed three or four breeding seasons," she said, and many also died of botulism, a disease that flourishes in waste. Sewage has become a problem across South Africa, where few treatment plants are in working order, and if nothing is done, "the whole system will degrade and blow up," she said. "That will have a huge impact, and not only on flamingos." ($1 = 17.8903 rand) (Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This invasive frog can fit baby turtles inside its mouth
Listening to frogs croak at night might sound like the perfect nature-focused getaway. But if those vocal amphibians are American bullfrogs and the place is in Yosemite National Park in California, that's not really a good thing. American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) are large frogs originally from the eastern United States, meaning that in California, they're considered an invasive species. Humans introduced them in Yosemite in the 1950s, and within two decades they had become well established in the region. 'One reason American bullfrogs are among the top worst globally introduced pests is because they eat everything — anything that fits into their mouth,' Brian Todd, a professor at the University of California (UC), Davis' Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, said in a statement. The problem is that a lot of things can fit into the frogs' mouths, from snakes and birds to rodents and baby turtles. 'They've been causing declines to native species everywhere they're introduced, which is around the world,' Todd added. Northwestern pond turtles (Actinemys marmorata) are one of only two native freshwater turtles in California, and they have seen a particularly dramatic population decline. Todd and colleagues thus decided to investigate whether this could also be linked to American bullfrogs. In a study published recently in the journal Biological Conservation, the team monitored four native turtle habitats in Yosemite National Park, two of which also hosted the bullfrog. They immediately saw that native turtles sharing their habitat with American bullfrogs were fewer, older, larger, and heavier than those in habitats without them. In other words, adult turtles that can't fit in the frog's mouth. 'The evidence so far suggests that bullfrogs are physically eating young western Pond turtles, which means the baby western pond turtles never grow up to become adults and the population will eventually disappear as adults are not replaced,' Todd tells Popular Science. The researchers started removing American bullfrogs to see how this might impact the native turtle populations. Low and behold, when the researchers had almost completely eliminated the invasive species from both sites, baby northwestern pond turtles made a comeback. [ Related: It's raining tiny toxic frogs. ] Furthermore, 'as bullfrog presence declined, we started to hear other native frogs call and see native salamanders walking around,' Sidney Woodruff, lead-author of the study and an ecology PhD student at UC Davis, explained in the statement. 'It's nice to be able to go back to these sites and hear a chorus of native frogs calling again that previously would not have been heard.' As such, the study suggests that this could be a winning approach for supporting pond turtle populations in priority conservation areas where non-native bullfrogs are unlikely to make an unwelcome comeback. 'The best reason to eradicate invasive species or to prevent them from establishing in the first place is because of how damaging they can be to native ecosystems,' Todd tells Popular Science. 'Invasive species can outcompete and eliminate desirable native species and cause declines in many endangered species. Invasive species can even damage human livelihoods by affecting crops or domesticated animals and they can spread diseases.'
The Hindu
08-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Trace DNA left by large carnivores at livestock kill sites can be used to reliably identify individual predators: NCBS study
National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) researchers in a recent study have stated that trace DNA left by large carnivores at livestock kill sites can be used to reliably identify individual predators. NCBS said that this approach offers a powerful tool to effectively manage human-wildlife conflict and understand predator behaviour and ecology. 'In communities that live in proximity to large carnivores, livestock depredation might cause conservation challenges. Systematic understanding of individuals involved in conflict is a critical first step towards a solution,' said Uma Ramakrishnan, senior author of the study which has been published in Biological Conservation. NCBS said that around the world, managing human-wildlife conflict often involves relocating or removing the suspected predator. 'Typically, forest departments rely on field signs like pugmarks, scat, or claw marks to identify the animal involved. However, these signs can be ambiguous, and removing the non-target individual may disturb carnivore populations and sometimes further intensify conflict situations. More reliable and robust genetic identification of predators could be an effective strategy for conflict resolution,' NCBS said. The researchers in collaboration with Panthera and the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department investigated 198 kill sites across two of Central India's key tiger habitats - Kanha and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserves. At each site, researchers collected non-invasive genetic samples - saliva, scat, and shed hair as a potential source of predator DNA. Using genetic tools based on Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), they identified individual tigers present at these kill sites. Shed hair samples were the most effective for individual identification, followed closely by saliva and scat. Overall, tigers were successfully identified at 85% of the kill sites, with species-level identification exceeding 95% across all sample types. To assess each tiger's likely involvement in a kill, the team developed a classification framework based on the type and location of genetic evidence. Each case was categorised as a true predator (high confidence),circumstantial predator (medium confidence), or predator uncertain (low confidence). Out of the 198 cases studied, 72 were classified with high confidence, 34 with medium confidence, and 49 with low confidence. 'Genetic samples are often the only true evidence of a predation event and are therefore vital. While identification is possible, there remains some possibility of misidentification especially when multiple individuals are present at the kill site. That's why it's important to assign confidence levels in identification. We hope that such a classification scheme will help better represent the level of confidence provided by the genetic tools and further evidence-based conflict management,' said Himanshu Chhattani, lead author of the study.
Miami Herald
18-02-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Pair of rare jungle predators seen prowling Thailand park, trail camera video shows
A pair of leopards was recently seen prowling through a sprawling park in Thailand, video footage shows. The rare feline predators were picked up by a trail camera in Kaeng Krachan National Park, which spans across about 1,000 square miles near the Myanmar border. The camera footage — posted by Thai conservation officials on Feb. 15 — shows the animals sauntering down a tree-lined path on two different dates in late December, once under cover of darkness and once in the daylight. At one point, one of the leopards can be seen stopping, licking its paw and glancing around the forest. One of the animals is black, or melanistic — an uncommon trait caused by recessive genes, which is estimated to be present in about 1 in 10 leopards, according to Britannica. The other animal is lighter in complexion, and is believed to be the black leopard's cub. The footage highlights the importance of conserving the Thai forest, which is home to numerous rare animals, officials said. It is also the second reported sighting in recent days. On Feb. 10, park visitors spotted a black leopard lazily strolling down a trail before disappearing into the forest, according to previous reporting from McClatchy News. Leopards, also known as panthers, are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa and large portions of the Middle East and Asia, according to the IUCN Red List. After an assessment in 2023, they were listed as vulnerable. A 2024 study found that their densities in Thailand and Cambodia were low and that densities throughout Southeast Asia were 'some of the lowest ever reported for the species.' 'Our findings suggest the overall prognosis of the leopard in Southeast Asia is becoming increasingly bleak,' the study, published in the journal Biological Conservation, concluded. Google Translate was used to translate a news release from the Thai Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Study sparks concern over dramatically altered behavior of dangerous wild animal: 'Activity ... may be constrained'
As humans continue encroaching on the habitats of California's mountain lions, we are altering their behavior, which could have other consequences. According to Newsweek, "a new study published in the journal Biological Conservation" showed that "mountain lions in the Greater Los Angeles area" with a higher number of "human hikers, cyclists, and joggers have become more nocturnal than those living in less busy areas." Mountain lions, also known as pumas, cougars, or panthers, are typically active at dawn or dusk. However, as more humans enjoy the outdoors, they have become nocturnal compared to mountain lions that live in less populated areas. Researchers tracked 22 mountain lions living in the Santa Monica Mountains between 2011 and 2018 and compared the data to human activity in the area. Many of these mountain lions were active at night when they lived in areas with high human activity. The researchers found that the males named P41 and "Hollywood Cat" P22 were the most nocturnal. They lived in areas with high human activity and development around them, and their habitats were also small. Interestingly, female mountain lions didn't react to human activity the same. They were less likely to change their habits than the males. P13 was found to be the "least nocturnal lion," according to Newsweek. The study researchers said: "Females in this system show evidence of avoiding habitats used by males." They added: "Activity of female mountain lions may be constrained by avoiding males such that they do not exhibit as strong of a response to humans." If males and females do not cohabitate, it will make it hard for them to reproduce. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. According to Conservation Mag, mountain lions play a key role in the ecosystem. They regulate other populations, such as mule deer, which are grazers. If these deer populations were unchecked, they would overgraze, which would have more environmental consequences. Newsweek reported that the researchers suggested avoiding mountain lion territories during dawn and dusk. Additionally, be careful driving at night since that's when they are coming out more. Natural Habitat Adventures stated: "Several organizations are involved in programs to increase mountain lion populations in their areas through education, research, awareness, and other conservation efforts." You can also donate to climate causes that work to protect mountain lions. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
