A TO Z OF WILDLIFE : NEW ZEALAND & AUSTRALIA | bilby

Bilby populations booming at Currawinya Recent heavy rains and favourable weather conditions have resulted in a booming bilby population at the 2500-hectare enclosure at Currawinya National Park, with numbers estimated to be 3-4 times the initial release group. Monitoring using remote cameras and trackers attached to the base of the bilbies tail are revealing exciting news – these endangered  marsupials are thriving at Currawinya and efforts to save the  species in a long-standing partnership with Save the Bilby Fund are delivering early...

Plastics – and invaders – at the ‘bottom of the world’ : Antarctica is not immune

Rafts of garbage, kelp and other debris could transport alien invaders to a warming Antarctica – reports The Conversation website    ” The remote icy wilderness at the bottom of the world is exposed to pollution and foreign organisms on floating ocean debris. Recognising the threat to Antarctica’s remote coastline and unique marine ecosystems, we wanted to find out where this material is coming from. It turns out it’s travelling further than you might think. Using ocean modelling techniques, we...

Education about plants & gardens

  BGCI is thrilled to announce the 11th International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens! Since its inauguration in 1991 to the 10th Congress in 2018, each International Congress has brought together educators, practitioners, curators, researchers, and academics, to explore cutting-edge developments in botanic garden education. Held every 3-4 years, these congresses have served as global forums, bringing representatives together to exchange ideas, discuss future priorities, and foster collaborative efforts. Previous congresses have tackled themes spanning sustainability, global awareness, biodiversity...

Biggest threats to the ‘man of the forest’

    August 19th is WORLD ORANG UTAN DAY. Here are the biggest threats to the species…. Never before has their very existence been threatened so severely. Economic crisis combined with natural disasters and human abuse of the forest are pushing one of humankind’s closest cousins to extinction. The main threats in today to the survival of orangutans: Loss of habitat through deforestation Palm oil plantations Illegal hunting Illegal pet trade   Orangutans have lost well over 80% of their...

A to Z of wildlife : New Zealand & Australia | Albatross

The Albatross Task Force: reducing albatross deaths by 99% The Albatross Task Force, led by BirdLife International and its UK partner, the RSPB, is an international team of experts on a mission to reduce seabird bycatch by 80% in some of the world’s deadliest fisheries.   Taiaroa Head is the only mainland breeding ground of any species of albatross, and there is nothing that compares with the sheer exhilaration of having a huge Northern Royal Albatross with an over three-metre wingspan...

Why elephants are important….World elephant day 2024

The theme for World Elephant Day 2024 – August 12 – focuses on “Personifying prehistoric beauty, theological relevance, and environmental importance.” This theme highlights the importance of preserving natural habitats to ensure the survival of elephants. RECENT NEWS A groundbreaking study on African elephant communication has revealed that elephants, like humans, use ‘names’ to address each other. Researchers at Save the Elephants, Colorado State University, and ElephantVoices have recorded vocalisations from wild African elephants in Kenya that suggest they address...

Australian ‘Dinosaur trees’ get help from UK

Botanist James Wong joins Forestry England at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest in Kent today to help plant six critically endangered Wollemi Pine trees – the first global ‘metacollection’ to save the iconic species from extinction. Botanist and broadcaster, James Wong, joins Forestry England at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest in Kent on 31.10.2023 to help plant six critically endangered Wollemi pine trees. The planting event is the first stage of an international conservation effort to establish a flourishing, genetically...

World Heritage – the highlights ‘reel’ of recent meeting

The curtain has just come down on the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi.  Here is the end-of-meeting blog by Tim Badman, Director, World Heritage, IUCN IUCN brought a delegation that was not only diverse, but represented the whole of the Union, including global, regional, and country-office staff and Commission specialists. IUCN Regional Councillor Vivek Menon and the World Commission on Protected Areas Regional Vice-chair Sonali Ghosh attended the event as well. There were also IUCN...

Resolving wildlife conflict between elephants and humans …. without killing

Death of Umi sparks concern over electric threat to Sumatran elephants This headline from Mongabay highlights a very real wildlife problem – one where the ‘solution’ is itself creating even more problems – dead elephants. ” Electrified fences set up around farms are an emerging threat to the critically endangered Sumatran elephant, conservationists told Mongabay Indonesia following a series of deaths this year in Aceh and Jambi provinces.” Here are the facts: Electric fences are common deterrents in Africa and...

World Heritage | Globally unique ‘Scotland flow country’ added

  Planet’s largest blanket bog is first peatland to be designated by Unesco after 40-year campaign As reported in the Guardian : The Flow Country, a vast and unspoiled blanket bog that carpets the far north of Scotland, has been made a world heritage site by Unesco. The planet’s largest blanket bog, the Flow Country covers about 1,500 sq miles of Caithness and Sutherland, and is the first peatland in the world to be designated by Unesco, after a 40-year...

Renewed efforts to save the tiger

“Save the tigers before they are silenced forever.” – Unknown “Global Tiger Day is a powerful reminder of the urgent need to protect tigers and their habitats. Born from the ambitious goals set at the 2010 Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit to double the wild tiger population, this day is a pivotal occasion to honour conservation efforts, rally communities worldwide, and inspire continued action to safeguard these majestic creatures. India’s pre-event celebrations across ten villages will include drawing competitions, storytelling, quizzes,...

Creature Feature | Australian bird, New Zealander too?

The Australasian swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus) is a species of swamphen (Porphyrio) occurring in eastern Indonesia), Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand. The New Zealand bird, known as the pūkeko, some believe to be a subspecies of the purple swamphen.   Establishment in New Zealand According to the Heather and Robertson Field Guide, the bird seems to have become established in New Zealand about 1000 years ago. According to Millener (1981), it invaded from Australia less than 1,000 years ago. It...

Why mangroves are such an important habitat

On this World Mangrove Day we che in on amazing mangroves… Mangroves provide natural infrastructure to help protect nearby populated areas by reducing erosion and absorbing storm surge impacts during extreme weather events such as hurricanes. They are also important to the ecosystem too. Their dense roots help bind and build soils. LearnFromNature  Tweet  ...

Hot Topic | Why shark fin soup is bad

  Many types of sharks are exploited for their fins, including endangered species such as the Scalloped Hammerhead and Great Hammerhead. Shark products can contain dangerous levels of mercury, presenting a public health risk. Read more here  LearnFromNature  Tweet  ...

Creature Feature | Unique ‘Tinker frog’ amongst many critically endangered

Several frog species are critically endangered OR presumed extinct – they gave NOT been spotted in the wild for years / decades despite surveys. One key reason is – disease: ‘ Faded out: What environments did Australian frog populations disappear from due to disease? ” By looking at historical and recent frog records across Australia, including from FrogID, we reveal how Australian frog distributions have changed in response to the introduction of a deadly pathogen. Globally, biodiversity is in trouble,...

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