31/08/2023

Archive

World heritage important for biodiversity

New research underscores the vital role played by the World Heritage Convention in protecting biodiversity A UNESCO and IUCN assessment of the status of species reveals that UNESCO World Heritage sites harbour over 20% of mapped global species richness within just 1% of the Earth’s surface. Safeguarding these biodiversity hotspots is essential if the Kunming – Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is to be achieved. UNESCO is appealing to the 195 States Parties to the Convention to scale up investment in...

World ecology in action

  History of the establishment of IPBES At a meeting on biodiversity and ecosystem services in June 2010, States adopted the Busan outcome document which stated that “an intergovernmental science-policy platform for biodiversity and ecosystem services should be established”. By resolution 65/162 of 20 December 2010, the General Assembly “[took] note of the Busan outcome” and requested the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), “to convene a plenary meeting…to determine modalities and institutional arrangements for [IPBES]”. According to the UN Office of...

Paw action! Dogs help save wildlife

For International Dog Day, a celebration about the use of 4-legged friends in conservation….. Case study #1 Department of Conservation in New Zealand Well trained dog-handler teams have successfully been used for conservation for more than 40 years. New Zealand was the first country to use dogs to benefit conservation as far back as the 1890s. Today, conservation dogs are used all over New Zealand, for example: protecting the Hauraki Gulf and other pest-free islands from introduced pests helping monitor...

Africa’s endangered wild dog

Today – 26th August – is World Painted Dog Day   Some facts What is the difference between a painted dog and a hyena? African wild dogs are commonly mistaken for hyenas, but in fact, there are many differences, both physically and behaviorally, between these two beautiful animal species. Hyenas have a larger build with spotted markings, while African wild dogs are smaller and more slender in shape, and have mottled marked fur. The wild dog is one of the...

Plant Tuesday | About the Brisbane Botanical Gardens

  Did you know?  Part of the riverside site where the gardens are located was originally a botanic reserve. It was established in 1828 to provide food for the early penal colony. The City Botanic Gardens officially opened in 1855. That year, the botanic gardens’ curator Walter Hill was appointed as the first superintendent. He began an active planting and experimenting program. This included: trialing crops and plants from around the world to determine their suitability for growing in subtropical...

Orangutans – fascinating facts about these incredible creatures

Did you know??? Here are some facts about these amazing wild animals, you might not be aware of….. The name orangutan means “man of the forest” in the Malay language. There are 3 species of orangutan….. “Bornean and Sumatran orangutans differ a little in appearance and behavior. While both have shaggy reddish fur, Sumatran orangutans have longer facial hair. Sumatran orangutans are reported to have closer social bonds than their Bornean cousins. Bornean orangutans are more likely to descend from...

Lizards are very clever creatures! World Lizard Day

if you’e thinking of a lizard on the big screen – you might be thinking of Godzilla? Although the big G is based on true lizard-design (see infographic) here are some real facts about real lizards as we prepare for World Lizard Day on August 14th.   Some facts which might surprise you Lizards can detach their tails. They are all cold-blooded – and love eating insects. Chameleons, a kind of lizard,  can famously change colour! Chameleons can actually look...

World lion day – common BIG challenges lions and other big cats

Work Lion day is August 10th The differences between the lions and tigers might be obvious – lions are only now in Africa, tigers in Asia; lions are creatures of the savannah, whereas tigers live in the ‘jungle’  … So, what do these ‘big cats’ have in common. Regretfully, too much….and not in a. good way…. All of the so-called ‘big cats’ have seen a “similar” HUGE decline in their populations’ sizes The decline in their numbers are due to…....