Nature in the News

recedite

Alun wrote: »

A bit OT, but a distant relative of my wife was stationed on Ascension in the 1800's and his 'job' was to live up in the hills in a cave (shacked up with one of the local women it seems!) and collect dew that collected in tarpaulins strung up around the area and also in a so called 'dew pond' and bring it down to the camp. This was their only supply of fresh water.

That must be how they got the idea of planting the trees up there to collect the sea mist/dew. Maybe it was his idea and Darwin stole it :pac:

whyulittle

A Beluga Whale filmed off Antrim coast...

https://www.facebook.com/IrishWildlifeTrust/posts/10155831266990104

OpenYourEyes

A good article on the benefit of Owls on farms and in the countryside, and the value of farmers putting up nestboxes.

http://www.wexfordpeople.ie/news/conservationist-urges-wexford-farmers-to-embrace-owls-in-a-fight-against-vermin-31426430.html

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Here's hoping......

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/first-sea-eagle-chicks-in-100-years-take-flight-in-kerry-1.2307010

fryup

minke whale found dead in Liscannor co clare

http://www.clare.fm/news/whale-washes-near-liscannor

OpenYourEyes

Protect nature for world economic security, warns UN biodiversity chief

A major UN report in the impacts of biodiversity loss that will be launched in October is expected to say that the economic case for global action to stop the destruction of the natural world is even more powerful than the argument for tackling climate change. It will say that saving biodiversity is remarkably cost-effective and the benefits from saving "natural goods and services", such as pollination, medicines, fertile soils, clean air and water, are between 10 and 100 times the cost of saving the habitats and species that provide them.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/aug/16/nature-economic-security

Jayzesake

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Protect nature for world economic security, warns UN biodiversity chief

The depressing thing is that such warnings are nothing new. A paper published in 1997 in the international journal 'Nature' estimated the worth in ecosystem services provided by the Natural World at around $33,000,000,000,000 U.S. per year - almost twice global GDP at the time.

"As natural capital and ecosystem services become more stressed and more ‘scarce’ in the future, we can only expect their value to increase. If significant, irreversible thresholds are passed for irreplaceable ecosystem services, their value may quickly jump to infinity. Given the huge uncertainties involved, we may never have a very precise estimate of the value of ecosystem services. Nevertheless, even the crude initial estimate we have been able to assemble is a useful starting point (we stress again that it is only a starting point). It demonstrates the need for much additional research and it also indicates the specific areas that are most in need of additional study. It also highlights the relative importance of ecosystem services and the potential impact on our welfare of continuing to squander them."

http://www.esd.ornl.gov/benefits_conference/nature_paper.pdf

Apparently the paper received massive attention all around the world at the time, and was then forgotten about, as everybody went back to concentrating on the really 'serious' matters at hand, such as the world financial economy, Islamic terrorism, what posh spice had for breakfast etc., etc. As usual, the problem isn't the lack of evidence for what's going on, but the fact that the evidence isn't taken seriously.

Let's hope this makes more of an impact, given its source.

OpenYourEyes

'34 birds of prey killed in 2014'



http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/34-birds-of-prey-killed-in-2014-348380.html

OpenYourEyes

Jayzesake wrote: »

The depressing thing is that such warnings are nothing new. A paper published in 1997 in the international journal 'Nature' estimated the worth in ecosystem services provided by the Natural World at around $33,000,000,000,000 U.S. per year - almost twice global GDP at the time.

And closer to home, a report from 2008 found that biodiversity and ecosystem services are worth at least €2.6 billion per annum to the Irish economy, with potential to increase that in pretty much every department.

And yet you'd be hard pressed to see any difference between then and now in terms of how much effort we put into looking after ecosystems or biodiversity here, nevermind trying to find a politician who's aware of that report or its signficance.

Jayzesake

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

'34 birds of prey killed in 2014'

"The service noted the number of confirmed incidents is likely to be “only a fraction” of the actual number."

Heartbreaking.

Jayzesake

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

And closer to home, a report from 2008 found that biodiversity and ecosystem services are worth at least €2.6 billion per annum to the Irish economy, with potential to increase that in pretty much every department.

And yet you'd be hard pressed to see any difference between then and now in terms of how much effort we put into looking after ecosystems or biodiversity here, nevermind trying to find a politician who's aware of that report or its signficance.

It's very, very, difficult to understand.

To me the most likely explanation is that the human brain just didn't evolve with a capacity to easily grasp such concepts as the fact that the natural world can't simply be taken for granted, that it won't always be there to provide for us no matter how much abuse we heap on it.

OpenYourEyes

An article about responsible use of pesticides in gardens given their impact on important bees and other invertebrates:

http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/outdoors/gardening/bee-careful-when-using-garden-remedy-sprays-348438.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_term=Autofeed#link_time=1439659720

OpenYourEyes

The Burren farm scheme continues to go from strength to strength - a fantastic use of public money for public good. If only there was the political will to replicate it in other locations and circumstances!

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/burren-farmers-paid-21m-to-help-flowers-prosper-349197.html

Jayzesake

25 million birds killed illegally in the Med. each year, says report.

BirdLife’s chief executive, Patricia Zurita, said: “This review shows the gruesome extent to which birds are being killed illegally in the Mediterranean. Populations of some species that were once abundant in Europe are declining, with a number even in freefall and disappearing altogether.”

Birds such as the Eurasian chaffinch are being killed off at a horrifying rate according to the study, with an estimated 2.9m dying each year.

There are also 4.6m Eurasian blackcaps, quail and song thrushes suffering in a regional cull that extends to species listed as near-threatened on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s red list, such as the Eurasian curlew.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/21/25m-birds-illegally-killed-in-mediterranean-each-year-says-report

Capercaillie

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/21/new-zealand-conservationists-apologise-over-accidental-shooting-of-endangered-takahe

The head of New Zealand’s national deerstalkers’ association has apologised “to the country at large” after four critically endangered takahē were mistakenly shot by hunters carrying out a cull of a somewhat similar-looking bird.

PeoplE should always know what they are shooting:(

recedite

takahē are “just fat pukeko”

:pac:
The hunters have a point, I suppose. Stories like that make me wonder about the methods conservationists sometimes use.
A friend was on Dalkey Island just off Dublin this year, and said the amount of dead seagulls lying around the place was unreal, presumably due to the gulls feeding on poisoned rats. I presume this is another ongoing tern protection measure or some such "conservation" practice.

Jayzesake

recedite wrote: »

:pac:
The hunters have a point, I suppose. Stories like that make me wonder about the methods conservationists sometimes use.
A friend was on Dalkey Island just off Dublin this year, and said the amount of dead seagulls lying around the place was unreal, presumably due to the gulls feeding on poisoned rats. I presume this is another ongoing tern protection measure or some such "conservation" practice.

What would you have conservationists do - nothing?

People created problems like that of invasive species that are having such a devastating effect on wildlife. it is incumbent on us to do what we can to lessen them, trying obviously to avoid or minimise the inevitable mistakes that will be made along the way.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

recedite wrote: »

:pac:
Stories like that make me wonder about the methods conservationists sometimes use.
A friend was on Dalkey Island just off Dublin this year, and said the amount of dead seagulls lying around the place was unreal, presumably due to the gulls feeding on poisoned rats. I presume this is another ongoing tern protection measure or some such "conservation" practice.

So many assumptions there. I think you presume in error on all that.

Capercaillie

recedite wrote: »

:pac:
The hunters have a point, I suppose. Stories like that make me wonder about the methods conservationists sometimes use.
A friend was on Dalkey Island just off Dublin this year, and said the amount of dead seagulls lying around the place was unreal, presumably due to the gulls feeding on poisoned rats. I presume this is another ongoing tern protection measure or some such "conservation" practice.

Is there a project to remove rats from the Island? Rats eat eggs and chicks of seabirds on Dalkey Island.

OpenYourEyes

recedite wrote: »

:pac:

A friend was on Dalkey Island just off Dublin this year, and said the amount of dead seagulls lying around the place was unreal, presumably due to the gulls feeding on poisoned rats. I presume this is another ongoing tern protection measure or some such "conservation" practice.

Are you sure theres a rat poisoning programme there? Theres none as far as I know.

Were they dead adults, dead chicks or dead fledglings?

recedite

Dead adults I think, but I haven't been there myself so I cannot elaborate on the details.

OpenYourEyes

recedite wrote: »

Dead adults I think, but I haven't been there myself so I cannot elaborate on the details.

If you don't know the details of the dead birds, and are seemingly unsure that there is even a rat poisoning programme out there, then maybe you should be careful what you say until you're sure.

Jayzesake

For anyone who's interested (and awake!), there'll be a discussion of the damage that invasive species are doing to native species and ecosystems on 'Mooney Goes Wild' at 10.00 this morning on RTE radio 1.

Jayzesake

Jayzesake wrote: »

For anyone who's interested (and awake!), there'll be a discussion of the damage that invasive species are doing to native species and ecosystems on 'Mooney Goes Wild' at 10.00 this morning on RTE radio 1.

I got that one spectacularly wrong, sorry about that. Very interesting programme nonetheless.

OpenYourEyes

'Whale carcass to be used as shark bait in Irish Sea'

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/whale-carcass-to-be-used-as-shark-bait-in-irish-sea-350021.html

OpenYourEyes

Great work being done in Northern Ireland by the RSPB:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/406126-threatened-species-thrive-in-the-antrim-hills?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=News

recedite

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

'Whale carcass to be used as shark bait in Irish Sea'

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/whale-carcass-to-be-used-as-shark-bait-in-irish-sea-350021.html

Should be interesting, whatever shows up for the cameras.

Capercaillie

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Great work being done in Northern Ireland by the RSPB:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/406126-threatened-species-thrive-in-the-antrim-hills?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=News

The proper approach. Do everything possible to help those birds. BWI should take note. On their wader reserve in Mayo a fox proof fence was put up. Vegetation was let grow under fence and no doubt earthed the electric fence. Foxes got in and killed most of the wader chicks. The place is rank with hoodies/magpies and they killed a lot of chicks as well. No culling of crows! Red necked phalarope breed at the reserve this year, hopefully the chicks were not predated.

At their corncrake reserve foxes left to their own devices. With a den in the middle of the reserve. they were notified but they never bothered to check!!!!!!

Capercaillie

http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/Birdlife_25_million_birds_killed_every_year_around_the_mediterranean.aspx?s_id=733168726
25 million birds killed every year around the Mediterranean

BirdLife International’s first review into the illegal killing of birds in the Mediterranean has been published – and it’s uncovered the shocking death toll suffered by a number of the region’s species. Rampant shooting/trapping.

OpenYourEyes

Peculiar predation behaviour: Eleonora's Falcons keep their prey alive

http://moroccanbirds.blogspot.com/2015/08/falco-eleonorae-keeping-prey-alive.html