Latest news with #conservationists
ABC News
12 hours ago
- Science
- ABC News
An adult cane toad
First introduced in Queensland to manage sugar cane, the invasive species now threatens biodiversity across various parts of Australia.
CNA
3 days ago
- General
- CNA
Singapore's Southern Islands are home to plants and animals not found anywhere else in the country, survey finds
A biodiversity survey has found that Singapore's Southern Islands are home to many plant and animal species not found anywhere else in the country. The survey – the first comprehensive study of its kind conducted on the islands – recorded more than 6,500 types of flora and fauna, including 44 new native species.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Lifestyle
- BBC News
Mountain ringlet butterfly: Lake District sightings sought
Visitors to the Lake District are being asked to look out for a mountain butterfly which is the only one of its kind in mountain ringlet is so elusive that, even in Scotland where it is more common, conservationists are still unsure exactly how many public is being asked to log any sightings of the creature, which is brown with orange wing spots, to help scientists improve their knowledge of the Wain, from the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation North of England, said: "We urgently need to know more about where it is so we can learn more about how to protect it." Adult mountain ringlets usually emerge in June and fly for up to three weeks, but the timing depends on the last week of May is the earliest it has been spotted in Cumbria, with mid-July being the 35-38mm (1.4inches) in size, they are active in bright sunshine, keeping low to the ground in short flights and pausing to feed on bunchgrass and other are concerned numbers are being affected by climate change, with areas of suitable habitat becoming smaller as temperatures rise. Butterfly Conservation has produced a map of previous sightings all above 450m (1,476ft) on mountains in the Borrowdale volcanic group - from Wasdale in the west to Mardale and Haweswater in the map also includes potential new locations marked in pink squares, near to existing Wain added: "Looking for the mountain ringlet can add extra interest to your hike, whether you slow down and mindfully look for it, watch out for it as you eat your sandwiches or just keep it in mind as you walk."The charity also aims to work with farmers and land managers across Cumbria to trial different land management techniques, in particular grazing regimes, to see how to maintain the best habitat for the mountain ringlet. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Slovakia approves sale of brown bear meat to public
The meat of brown bears, a protected species in the EU, could soon be available to eat in Slovakia after the government approved plans for month, the cabinet authorised a plan to shoot about a quarter of the country's 1,300 brown bears in response to some recent fatal state-authorised slaughter has been criticised by conservationists and opposition politicians, including in the European Parliament. The brown bear is listed as a "near threatenend" species in the EU by the World Conservation Slovakia's populist-nationalist government is forging ahead with the plan, this week announcing that meat from culled bears would be sold to the public. From next week, organisations under the ministry can offer the meat for sale, provided all legal and hygiene conditions are met. State Minister Filip Kuffa said it was wasteful that the animals had previously been sent to carcass disposal facilities."We will release every shot animal that meets certain conditions for consumption. Why? Because bear meat is edible," he have become a political issue in Slovakia after a rising number of encounters, including fatal ranks second in Europe, behind Romania which is estimated to have about 13,000 brown bears, for the number of bear attacks in recent country reported a total of 54 bear attacks from 2000-2020. But the average number of attacks had gone up to 10 per year, rough figures April, a man was mauled to death while walking in a forest in Central after, Prime Minister Robert Fico announced the culling plan, saying: "We can't live in a country where people are afraid to go into the woods."He said his government would shoot up to 350 brown bears - a figure equivalent to the species' entire population in government argues that a bear overpopulation problem has led to the environmental groups and critics say the focus should be on prevention. Michal Wiezik, an ecologist and MEP for the opposition party Progressive Slovakia, told the BBC last month the government's plan was "absurd" and it had already failed to limit the number of bear attacks "by the unprecedented culling of this protected species."Wiezik argued that thousands of encounters a year passed without incident and he hoped the European Commission would Abelova of Greenpeace Slovakia called the culling plan "completely reckless," accusing the government of ignoring conservation laws and scientific advice. Brown bears are strictly protected under EU directives, and may only be killed in exceptional cases - such as threats to public safety - when no other alternatives meat is not commonly eaten in Europe and is considered a delicacy only in a few regions, such as parts of Eastern Europe and the Nordic countries. In most EU member states, strict hunting rules and the protected status of the bears mean the meat is rarely available. When it is, it is usually from controlled culls or licensed hunting and not commonly found in restaurants or bear meat is consumed, health officials warn of the risk of Trichinella - a parasite that can cause serious illness in humans. The European Union Food Safety regulation requires all bear meat to be tested for Trichinella larvae before it can be sold and the US' Centre for Disease Control Prevention stipulates an internally cooked temperature of at least 70 degrees centigrade to kill the parasite. Freezing, smoking or drying the meat does not make it safe.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Rare wild cattle herded in Cambodia by helicopter
A helicopter successfully herded 16 critically endangered banteng onto a truck in Cambodia for the first time, conservationists said, marking a "significant achievement" in a country with high rates of deforestation. Banteng are a type of wild cattle native to Southeast Asia and listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of threatened species. Their natural habitat is forests and grasslands, but only a few thousand remain in the wild and they are mostly threatened by hunting, logging and industry. Cambodia has lost around 33 percent of its tree cover since 2000, according to Global Forest Watch, as the government allows firms to clear vast tracts of land -- including in protected zones. Conservation groups Rising Phoenix and Siem Pang said that 16 banteng found in the wild were herded over three days last week through a "mass-capture funnel trap" onto a truck before being relocated to a wildlife sanctuary. For the first time, a helicopter was used to guide them through the funnel. The operation took place in Siem Pang in northeastern Cambodia. The conservation groups said that the method "opens the way for further such operations to relocate Banteng trapped in isolated forest patches elsewhere in the country". They added that the banteng will be monitored and protected at the Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary. bur-sjc/pdw/tym
