Latest news with #conservation
The Independent
2 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Valmik Thapar: Legendary conservationist dubbed India's ‘Tiger Man' dies aged 73
One of India 's best-known wildlife conservationists, Valmik Thapar, has died at his home in Delhi at the age of 73. Dubbed India's ' Tiger Man', Thapar dedicated five decades of his life to reviving the big cat's dwindling population, writing nearly 50 books on the subject and appearing in a host of nature documentaries including for the BBC. Thapar co-founded the Ranthambore Foundation in 1988, an important non profit focused on community-based conservation efforts. The charity reportedly worked across almost 100 villages around the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, one of the biggest success stories in the country in terms of its flourishing tiger population, in the western state of Rajasthan. Never afraid to speak out over the shortcomings of government bureaucracy, he served as an expert on scores of public committees and was also part of the National Board for Wildlife, a Supreme Court-empowered committee which is led by the country's prime minister. In 2005 Thapar was appointed a member of the Tiger Task Force, set up by the government to review the management of tiger reserves following the infamous disappearance of the big cats from Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan. He disagreed with the findings of the task force, arguing that the report was overly optimistic about the coexistence of tigers and humans. Thapar said that for tigers to survive, certain forest areas needed to be completely free from human interference – a claim that put him in odds with activists advocating for the rights of forest-dwelling communities and tribes. Among the books on tigers written by Thapar are the popular Tiger: A Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent (1997), and Tiger Fire: 500 Years of the Tiger in India. He has presented and co-produced landmark wildlife documentaries, including the BBC series Land of the Tiger in 1997, which explored the wildlife of the Indian subcontinent. In recent years, he had been critical of the government's Project Cheetah, which reintroduced African cheetahs into India. "Thapar was no arm-chair conservationist, he spent as much time as possible in the field. Be it in the searing heat or an icy cold winter morning, rain or shine, he would be ideating with community elders and officers managing India's Tiger Reserves and National Parks to find solutions to complex, sensitive issues," his family said in a statement, according to The Hindu. "Of course, he enjoyed his time in the jungle with his camera and binoculars, not just in the Indian wilderness but also in Africa. But what gave him the most pleasure was spending time with tigers in Ranthambore." Last year, he appeared in the BBC's My Tiger Family – a 50-year story of an Indian tiger clan in Ranthambore. Thapar is survived by his wife Sanjana Kapoor and their son Hamir Thapar. Jairam Ramesh, a senior figure in the opposition Congress party and former environment minister, said Thapar "was uncommonly knowledgeable on a variety of issues relating to biodiversity and not a day passed during my ministerial tenure without our talking to each other -- with me almost always at the receiving end'. "We had arguments but it was always an education to listen to him, full of passion and concern. He was truly an unforgettable one of a kind," he added.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Word from the Smokies: Scientific inquiry a thriving enterprise in the Smokies
Birds, bees, bears, dragonflies, salamanders, hemlocks, fungi. Scientific research in Great Smoky Mountains National Park addresses a wide swath of subjects. From Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and states much farther away, scientists from several disciplines have found the park fertile ground for inquiry. No wonder, since the park is the most biodiverse in the National Park System. Discover Life in America (DLiA), a nonprofit park partner that works to discover, understand, and conserve species in the Smokies, has documented nearly 23,000 species in the park and estimates there may be as many as 60,000 to 80,000. The park is unique, an extremely complex and interconnected environment, giving curious scientists many launchpads for study, according to DLiA Communications Director Jaimie Matzko. 'The park's geologic history, vast range in elevation, and large amounts of annual precipitation have not only produced an incredible diversity of species, but also an unparalleled number of unique and diverse ecosystems,' Matzko said. 'The Smokies also host many rare species found nowhere else — 94 endemic species have been confirmed in the park. And it is the largest roadless tract of wilderness east of the Mississippi River, making it ideal for field work and research that require large areas of undisturbed habitats.' Park research goes down many roads, she said, from conservation biology, genetics, and ecology to the impacts of environmental threats like climate change, air pollution, and invasive species. Knowledge about the park has been growing and finding its way into scientific journals while also increasing on-the-ground understanding. Both directly and indirectly, research has benefited the park and the scientific community studying it. The annual Park Science Colloquium, a scientific show-and-tell supported by DLiA and the National Park Service, gives scientists a forum to present their studies and findings. Launched more than 40 years ago, the event hands scientists the microphone about once a year. 'We had a series of them back in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, had a break, and then started back again in 2008, and have been unbroken since,' said Paul Super, the park's research coordinator and event organizer. In its current iteration, the event is exclusively online. Super's role could be summed up as 'the NPS science guy' in the Smokies. Those who want to engage in science within the park boundary contact him to ask questions or obtain a research permit. In the first quarter of 2025, Super issued 94 permits. In all of 2024, he issued 143. 'We are one of the most-researched national parks in the National Park System. We've had over 2,250 research studies that we can document,' Super said, noting the Smokies and Yellowstone lead in the volume of research conducted, running neck-in-neck. Each scientist's quest starts by asking questions, and plenty have been asked over the years. Recently, researchers in the Smokies have wondered: What happens when bears that become habituated to human food are relocated? How does the forest change over time? How do shifts in climate affect biodiversity, weather, and forecasts? Scientists from a variety of research institutions, such as colleges and government agencies, present their work during the colloquia as they would at academic and professional conferences. They prepare talking points about their hypotheses, methods, variables, limitations, conclusions, and ideas for future inquiry. They also take questions. Most talks during the colloquia are recorded and posted online. Several years' worth of presentations can be viewed free on the DLiA YouTube channel. The talks run 15-20 minutes, include the presenters' slides, and are generally understandable by the non-scientist. The earliest known research in the Smokies dates to 1923, prior to the park's establishment. J.C. Crawford, of the US National Museum, predecessor of the National Museum of Natural History, a Smithsonian institution, traveled to the area to study bees. Crawford described and named several species in his research. 'I have a permit for Crawford from 1923, though I cannot find a publication that clearly indicates he made use of bees collected in what is now the park,' Super said. 'I also have a permit for Albert F. Ganier, a founder of the Tennessee Ornithological Society from 1928. He published a lot about birds of the Smokies. I don't know who was issuing those permits back then.' New avian research has come forth in the 2025 and 2023 colloquia. Because the park has been well surveyed in the past, this has led to better knowledge of the current state of birds, a group that shows signs of strain. Social sciences are also conducted in the park. For Justin Beall, formerly a researcher at Virginia Tech, this meant spending time in the Smokies to research 'overtourism,' or excessive visitation, at nature destinations. Beall wanted to find effective ways to reduce stress on popular outdoor destinations and try out ideas to draw tourists to less-frequented spots. The Smokies, which draws upwards of 12 million visitors a year, was his test case. 'Our primary motivation for selecting this park was that it is so heavily visited and, as a result, experiences environmental and social impacts related to overcrowding,' said Beall, who now works as a conservation social scientist in the Rockies. Because of the timing of his study period — the start of the 2023 fall leaf-peeping season — he was able to collect all his data within three days rather than an anticipated 10. He presented his findings at the 2024 colloquium and hopes to officially publish the results soon. Will Kuhn, the DLiA director of science and research, has held dual roles for the colloquium, as an organizer and presenter. Whether in person or virtual, he said, the research presentations never get boring. 'We're considering ways that we might go hybrid, in-person plus remote, in future years to bring back some of the face-to-face interactivity,' he said. 'What hasn't changed is the incredible quality and breadth of research taking place in the Smokies. I learn lots of new things every year. It's always stimulating!' And sometimes, it's also very concerning. Often, science digs into problems, such as a recent study showing how a pesticide used to control wooly adelgids affects salamanders. Still, it is comforting to know that scientists see the Smokies through the lens of possibility, since scrutiny can lead to improvement. It is Super's belief that science brings greater knowledge to light with the potential for greater good. 'People still make the management decisions, but the scientific studies help inform those decisions so that they are not made in the dark,' he said. And, if there's a theme that connects most of the research, it could be this: the park keeps changing. There's even a presentation about that. To learn more about scientific research in the park, check out past Science Colloquium presentations on the Discover Life in America YouTube channel at or visit the organization's website at Jennifer Fulford is lead editor for the 29,000-member Smokies Life, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the scientific, historical, and interpretive activities of Great Smoky Mountains National Park by providing educational products and services such as this column. Learn more at or reach the author at Jennifer@ This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Word from the Smokies: Scientific inquiry a thriving enterprise in the Smokies
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Three more wolf packs confirmed in California as ranchers call for relief
It was bright and early and Axel Hunnicutt was howling. He was looking for wolves. Sometimes they howl back, providing a sense of their location. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife this week reported there were three new wolf packs in the state's far north. Hunnicutt, gray wolf coordinator for the agency, was trying to track down one of them — the freshly minted Ashpan pack that consists of at least two wolves roaming eastern Shasta County. There's also the Ishi pack in eastern Tehama County and the Tunnison pack in central Lassen County. Some experts say there could now be more than 70 wolves living in California. 'I don't want to boast, but I think my howl is pretty good,' Hunnicutt said by phone while heading to the town of Burney, north of Lassen Volcanic National Park. He was taking a break from a day of searching that began at 5 a.m. in an effort to add to the limited information state wildlife officials know about the packs. The goal is to capture and outfit one of the wolves with a GPS collar. That would allow them to share information about the animal's whereabouts with owners of livestock that could become a meal for the apex predators. And it would make it easier to track them down again and collar more wolves if necessary. The trio of new packs brings the state total to 10, marking a continued resurgence for the canids protected under state and federal endangered species laws. There were seven packs by the end of last year and just one at this time five years ago. All of the latest packs were confirmed by what Hunnicutt described as "persistence" — documenting at least two wolves together at least four times in an area over six months. At least three wolves comprise the Ishi pack; it's not clear if one is the offspring of the other two. It's welcome news for conservationists, who want to see the state's native animals thrive. Many ranchers, however, see the rise of wolves as a threat to their livelihood. Read more: A dozen wolves collared in California as officials seek to track the growing population California's wolves were killed off by humans about a century ago, and they only began to recolonize the state about 14 years ago. In recent years, the population has started to take off. There were about 50 by the end of last year, wildlife officials said. The population fluctuates throughout the year as pups are born and die off, and it's likely higher at the moment. As the number of wolves increases, so does the number of cattle they attack. Between January and March of this year, 26 instances of livestock depredation were being investigated with wolves confirmed as the culprit in 16 of them, according to state data. Kirk Wilbur, vice president of government affairs for the California Cattlemen's Assn., a trade association representing ranchers and beef producers, said wolves in at least two of the new packs are known to have preyed on livestock. "There's been a real emotional impact, a real fear impact, in the north state," Wilbur said. "Folks who perhaps have never had a wolf depredation on their herd are nevertheless fearful of the possibility, and the folks who have suffered repeat depredations from wolves, this gets really stressful and taxing and depressing for those producers." This month, Shasta County joined four other Northern California counties in declaring states of emergency due to wolves. The county's Board of Supervisors also penned a letter to the state wildlife department calling for "immediate assistance and regulatory changes to better equip counties to address this growing concern," according to a news release. The state has taken steps to address ranchers' concerns. About two weeks ago, the state wildlife department announced the release of an online map that shows the approximate location of GPS-collard wolves. Anyone can check it out, but it's geared toward cluing in ranchers in an effort to prevent wolf-livestock conflict. California wildlife officials plan to complete a status review of the wolf population and are exploring the possibility of allowing harsher methods to haze the animals, including firing nonlethal ammunition at them. The state agency also offers reimbursement to ranchers for livestock killed by wolves. At one point, the state also provided money to cover nonlethal tools and indirect losses, but Hunnicutt said the program no longer has enough funding to do so. Wilbur said the new packs underscore a long-held belief by his group that gray wolves don't need to be on California's endangered species list, where they were added in 2014. Some ranchers want to be able to shoot the broad-muzzled canids, something their protected status precludes. Read more: Two new wolf packs confirmed in California amid population boom Hunnicutt said it's not so cut and dried. 'With wolves, if allowed the protections that they have, they do really well, and they recover quickly,' he said. 'On the flip side, it would not take very much to completely topple these 10 packs.' He pointed out that the hundreds of thousands — and potentially millions — of wolves were eradicated from the Western U.S. within decades. Roughly 50 animals is generally not considered a "viable population," according to Hunnicutt. If the population reaches about 150, he said protections could probably be relaxed. Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation group, sees the wolves' growth rate as typical. She said the state's 2016 wolf conservation plan identified about 23,000 square miles of suitable wolf habitat just in the region north of Interstate 80. The same plan estimated that that area could support roughly 370 to 500 wolves. Weiss said misunderstanding and misinformation is fueling backlash against the animals. 'Decades of research shows that conflicts between livestock, wolves and people are rare and preventable,' she said in a statement. 'These magnificent animals have immense value because they help keep nature wild and healthy, and that ultimately benefits humans as well.' Back in Shasta County, Hunnicutt was hot on the trail of the Ashpan pack. He picked up tracks, which led him to a fresh poop. He scooped it up. 'It's like, ah! I'm gonna figure out who it is,' he said. He believes the two wolves in the pack might be denning; it's currently the season. That means they bred and the female gave birth in a den, which could be a hollowed-out log or other safe haven. When wolves are denning, they're anchored to one spot — the den — upping the chances of finding them. It essentially entails trying to locate one square mile of activity in a 1,000-square-mile search area, Hunnicutt said. 'It's hard, but I love it,' he said. After lunch in Burney, he'd go back to scouting. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong display strikes gold at Chelsea Flower Show with rare orchids
The Chelsea Flower Show, held in London every summer for more than a century, is a British institution drawing around 150,000 gardening enthusiasts to enjoy spectacular floral displays. Advertisement This year, there was an exhibit with a difference, featuring rare orchids from Hong Kong and other parts of Asia and the Pacific. The vibrant display, with orchids from Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in the New Territories, won a coveted gold medal and was visited by Queen Camilla. It also sent a powerful message about the need to protect the ecologically significant but endangered plants. 'We have got 150,000 bees in to look at the orchids,' said John Parke Wright IV, chairman of Orchid Conservation Chelsea, referring to the show's visitors. 'They are being pollinated with ideas about conservation and why it is important.' The Hong Kong section at the Chelsea Flower Show. Photo: Cliff Buddle Wright, who knows China well having worked for Jardine Matheson in the 1970s, was instrumental in forming the orchid group, comprising 25 institutions globally.
Malay Mail
8 hours ago
- General
- Malay Mail
MMEA busts duo smuggling RM100,000 worth of exotic birds in boat
BATU PAHAT, May 31 — The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 1,300 exotic birds, believed to be run by two local men, early yesterday. Batu Pahat Maritime Zone director Maritime Commander Mohammad Zaini Zainal said the birds, estimated to be worth RM100,000, were found on a fibre boat intercepted by a patrol vessel at about 1am. 'Checks on the boat uncovered 114 baskets containing murai batu (white-rumped shama) and murai kampung (oriental magpie robin). The two men, aged 26 and 27, failed to produce documents permitting the export of wildlife. 'Both suspects were taken to the Batu Pahat Maritime Zone for further investigation. The case is being investigated under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010,' he said in a statement last night. Mohammad Zaini said the success was the result of intelligence gathered on smuggling activities in the waters off Tanjung Laboh, believed to be a key transit point for wildlife trafficking syndicates. He said the smuggling attempt was likely driven by strong market demand, with syndicates often using small boats at night to avoid detection. — Bernama
