31/12/2023

Archive

Tuesday Plant Talk | Value of rainforests

  Rainforests – especially tropical rainforests – are said to have ‘an outsized role in the world, with their significance outweigh by their size.. Of the Earth’s ecosystems, rainforests support the largest variety of plants and animal species, house the majority of indigenous groups still living in isolation from the rest of humanity, and power the mightiest rivers. Rainforests lock up vast amounts of carbon, moderate local temperature, and influence rainfall and weather patterns at regional and planetary scales. BUT...

2024 a year to focus on ‘camelids’

    This news just in…. 2024 is the International Year of Camelids The United Nations has declared 2024 the International Year of Camelids (IYC 2024). The Year will highlight how camelids are key to the livelihoods of millions of households across over 90 countries. From alpacas to Bactrian camels, dromedaries, guanacos, llamas, and vicuñas, camelids contribute to food security, nutrition and economic growth as well as holding a strong cultural significance for communities across the world. Camelids play an...

Creature feature | Dingoes are truly unique

Dingos lack the distinctive smell of domestic dogs, they do not bark – rather they ‘howl’ just like a wolf. They only breed once a year and then have quite small litter. Dingos are a dog-like wolf – despite being called a ‘wild dog’ , they are far more ‘wolf-like’. They have a long muzzle, erect ears and strong claws. There head is in fact the widest part of their body – so if there head fits they know they...

Creature Feature | Cheetah

Did You Know – the Cheetah uses its tail much like a rudder, so it can change direction if required during hunting. Cheetah are found in Africa – and Iran –  in the first they are ‘vulnerable’ , however in Iran they are ‘critically endangered’ – IUCN For more info: National Geographic ...

Some great conservation news | Scimitar-horned oryx ‘back from the brink”, literally

On December 11th, 2023, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species announced the scimitar-horned oryx has been reclassified from Extinct in the Wild to ‘Endangered’. The downlisting of the oryx marks a milestone in one of the most ambitious conservation programs ever undertaken and contributes to putting the Sahara and the Sahel more firmly on the global conservation agenda. After nine years of the world’s most ambitious species reintroduction program, once ‘Extinct in the...

Why rainforests are so VERY important?

With the Conference of Parties – COP28 – reaching its end-point, it’s a good time to ask why RAINFORESTS are so very important? ‘Flying over the heart of the Amazon is like flying over an ocean of green: an expanse of trees broken only by rivers. Even more amazing than their size is the role the Amazon and other rainforests around the world play in our everyday lives. Rainforests – the lungs of the planet, since they  are superb at...

Climate talks : keep or ditch fossil fuels

Controversy hangs over climate talks as countries weigh whether to ditch fossil fuels According to CNN – The first week of the COP28 climate talks has come to an end not with the euphoria of the first days of breakthrough announcements, but with growing anxiety about whether the world will do anything about the main cause of the climate crisis: fossil fuels. What is COP? A critical moment in global transformative climate actionIn the three decades since the Rio Summit...