Chinese Crested Terns Heading for Extinction

 China.org – Yang Xi

The Chinese Crested Tern is the most endangered bird to date in China. This bird’s common name indicates its close relationship with China. In 1863 scientists gave the bird a Latin name – “Sternabernsteni” but Chinese also call the animal “Shenhua Zhinao” or the “Mythical Bird”, because it is rare and mysterious.

“There are less than fifty Chinese Crested Terns in China,” Chen Shuihua, deputy curator of Museum of Natural History of Zhejiang Province and also the most authoritative expert on Chinese Crested Terns research, said. He did not disclose the exact number. The number of Chinese Crested Terns around the world has reduced by half in the past three years, according to a survey.

The earliest record of the Chinese Crested Terns in China dates from 1863. In 1937, Chinese scientists collected 21 specimens of the birds, including 15 females and 6 males near Qingdao in Shandong Province. Few similar records were made in the following sixty-three years. Some scientists only kept minimal records without photos in the Beidaihe Region in Hebei Province (1978) and in the Yellow River Delta of Dongying in Shandong Province (1991). Many ornithologists believed that the birds were extinct.

Big surprise

Surprisingly, in June 2004 an avian photographer from Taiwan, Liang Jiede, took pictures and unexpectedly found four adult pairs of Chinese Crested Terns and four juvenile birds in his photos after developing his film.
 
In 2003 Chen Shuihua began to lead an investigation into propagating sea birds along the coastal areas of Zhejiang Province, while putting emphasis on Chinese Crested Terns.

Chen Shuihua led a group out to sea to start another investigation in June 2004 because he wanted to set a new record. “None of the ornithologists had gone to sea to do their investigations due to the danger and expense, so little investigation into sea birds in China has ever been carried out,” Chen said. Unfortunately, his investigation did not have a happy ending.

Chen Shuihua set out to the sea several times in 2004 during the sea birds’ breeding season from June to August. Chen’s group found almost twenty Chinese Crested Terns on August 1, 2004 in the central coastal areas of Zhejiang Province.

The main reason for the sharp decrease of Chinese Crested Terns is due to rampant collecting of sea bird eggs. These rare birds will go extinct in five years if such illegal practices are not forbidden, according to an article published by the Bird Life International.

Chen Shuihua has identified the Chinese Crested Tern as a flagship specimen of the marine ecosystem. He believes that the extinction of this bird would mean the destruction of the entire marine ecosystem, so he strongly advocates protecting all sea birds.
　　
Bird Life International has suggested that the mainland and Taiwan should cooperate in rescue efforts directed at Chinese Crested Terns.

This July in Taiwan Chen Shuihua was invited to participate in a meeting that focused on how to create a cooperative effort to protect Chinese Crested Terns. Chen has worked out a five-year plan for their protection. “I hope that efficient measures can be enforced within five years to ensure the successful breeding and survival of these birds and that we can make more detailed investigations in order to obtain greater understanding about these birds,” Chen said.

Wayanadan Pepper faces extinction

Newindpress.com – Jose Kurian

KALPETTA: The legacy of Wayanadan Pepper, which attracted merchants from all over the world to this part of the state, is fading fast. Diseases has been haunting this crop for more than a decade and research institutions and Agricultre Department have totally failed in finding a remedy for this.

It was two panchayats in the district, Pulppalli and Mullankolli, which had been contributing a lion’s share of pepper produced in the country. However, the scenario has drastically changed. Now, withered pepper vines and supporting trees sans the creeper dot farms in the region.

To make matters worse, even the supporting trees are now facing pest-attack. ‘‘It is not far, when textbooks will tell students that this region had been famous for pepper cultivation,’’ said Kuriakose, an aged farmer from Mullankolly panchayat, half in jest about the plight of the farmers here.

‘‘Due to the onslaught of the diseases and hostile climate, majority of farmers are switching over to other crops like rubber,’’ he said.

It is not farmers alone who are worried. The exporters are also an anguished lot. ‘‘The dip in production and the magnitude of crop-loss is alarming and in future we may not be able to retain the goodwill of Wayanadan brand in the international market,’’ says farmer-exporter Parameswaran of Thiru-nelli, who has been directly exporting his produce to UK for the last 15 years.

As per the figures available with the Spices Board, there is a steady dip in pepper production in the district in the last seven years. In 1999-2000 the production was 27,907 tons while in 2006 it was around 14,000 tons. This year the production is predicted to go down by 40 percent compared to last year. ‘‘Due to incessant rain and onslaught of diseases the harvest this season is expected to be at all time low,’’ says Dr.N.M.Usman, an official of the Spices Board.

Bear species: six of eight face extinction

Telegraph – Paul Eccleston

Six of the eight species of bear in the world are now officially classed as facing extinction.
In pictures: Endangered bears

The smallest, the sun bear, is the latest to be classified as vulnerable on the Red List of Threatened Species.

Of the other species four – Asiatic black bear, Sloth bear, Andean bear and Polar bear – are also listed as vulnerable.

The giant panda is facing the greatest threat and remains in the endangered category.

There is least concern over the European brown bear and the American black bear.

The sun bear found in Souteast Asia, Sumatra and Borneo, will be included in the 2007 Red List drawn up by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

Previously it was known as ‘Data Defficient’ meaning not enough was known about it to give it a classification.

Rob Steinmetz, co-chair of the IUCN Bear Specialist Group’s sun bear expert team, said: “Although we still have lot to learn about the biology and ecology of this species, we are quite certain that it is in trouble.

“We estimate that sun bears have declined by at least 30 per cent over the past 30 years (three bear generations), and continue to decline at this rate.

“Deforestation has reduced both the area and quality of their habitat. Where habitat is now protected, commercial poaching remains a significant threat.

“We are working with governments, protected area managers, conservation groups and local people to prevent extinction of the many small, isolated sun bear populations that remain in many parts of Southeast Asia.”

Bear hunting is illegal throughout Southern Asia, but they suffer heavy losses from poachers, who risk the small chance of being caught against lucrative gains from selling parts.

Bile from the bear’s gall bladder is used in traditional Chinese medicine and their paws are consumed as a delicacy.

Additionally, bears are often killed when they prey on livestock or raid agricultural crops. Bears simply roaming near a village may be killed because they are perceived as a threat to human life.

Dave Garshelis, co-chair of the Bear Specialist Group, which met earlier this month in Mexico, to update the status of the eight species, said: “Although the bear population estimates for Asia are not as reliable as we would like, we estimate that bears in Southeast Asia are declining at a particularly rapid rate due to extensive loss of forest habitat combined with rampant poaching.”

Bruce McLellan, also a co-chair, said: “An enormous amount of effort and funding for conservation and management continue to be directed at bears in North America where their status is relatively favourable.

“It is unfortunate that so little is directed at bears in Asia and South America where the need is extreme. We are trying to change this situation but success is slow.”

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The eight species:

Vulnerable:

Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus):

Markings: Black, with an easily recognisable white “crescent moon” on its chest.
Distribution: Roughly coincides with forest distribution in southern and eastern Asia and found in all countries except Malaysia.
Population: Unknown but unofficially as many as 28,000 in China.

Sloth bear (Helarctos malayanus):

Markings: Shaggy black coat especially over the shoulders. U or Y shaped white/yellow marking on the chest. A whitish ‘bare’ face.
Distribution: India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan. Until recently they were also known to occur in Bangladesh, but their continued existence there is uncertain.
Population: Estimated 10,000 to 20,000.

Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus):

Markings: Black or brown thick coat with whitish or cream “spectacles” with colour extending to the throat and chest.
Distribution: Endemic to the Tropical Andes and the only bear in South America.
Population: Maybe 20,000.

Polar bear (Ursus maritimus):

Markings: Dense creamy-white fur. Large and stocky with hind limbs that are longer than the forelimbs, and a long neck. Large furry feet.
Distribution: Arctic – most northerly found bear. U. S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Denmark (Greenland), and Norway.
Population: About 20,000 to 25,000.

Sun bear (Helarctos malayanus):

Markings: Short black/dark brown water-repellent fur, yellow crescent on chest and white face.
Distribution: Mainland Southeast Asia as far west as Bangladesh and northeastern India, as far north as southern Yunnan Province in China, and south and east to Sumatra and Borneo.
Population: Unknown.

Endangered:

Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Markings: Unmistakable white coat with black fur around eyes, ears, muzzle, legs and shoulders. WWF emblem.
Distribution: Confined to south-central China.
Population: Approximately 1,600 individuals in the wild.

Least concern:

European brown bear (Ursus arctos)

Markings: Brown bear with mound of muscle on the nape of its neck. The colour of the fur on paws varies from almost black to chocolate brown and grey to red and light brown.
Distribution: Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North America.
Population: Total population is estimated to exceed 200,000.

American black bear (Ursus americanus) also known as Grizzly bear.

Markings: Usually black coats but can vary through cinnamon, blond, and honey-coloured. White and bluish grey along Canada’s Pacific coast.
Distribution: North America – Alaska, Canada and south to mountains of northern Mexico.
Population: Thriving in most areas. 850,000 – 950,000. Twice as many as all other species combined.

20 species of birds, sea mammals face extinction threat

Peninsula Online – Ssatish Kanady

doha • A total of 20 species of birds, fish and sea mammals are facing the extinction threat in Qatar, says the Sustainable Development report released by the General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP). “Qatar has a recorded 262 bird species and 1.9 per cent of them are facing extinction threat. Of the total 139 species of fish and sea mammals, 2.2 per cent are also facing the threat,” the report says. The environment indication section of the document also says that Qatar’s coastal water has a high rate of ammonia and nitrate concentration. The high concentration of these elements can cause excessive growth of plant planktons leading to a tilt in the balance of Qatar’s marine eco system.

Regarding the endangered species, the report says that the birds form 5 species while the fish and mammals are amounting to dozens. The document stressed the need for preserving and multiplying the numbers of the species. The document is optimistic that Qatar’s renewed efforts to protect the living ecosystem and the decision to expand the area of land, marine natural and coastal reserve will help combat the menace. The Islamic Shariah’s promotion on raising awareness of the importance of conserving living creatures and the enactment of environmental law regulating hunting will come to the rescue of endangered species.

Strict measures have also been introduced to prohibit trading in living species threatened with extinction listed in the appendices of the Convention of International Trading in Endangered Species (Cites). On the concentration of natural nutrient elements such as nitrogen and phosphorous in coastal waters, the data indicator shows a high concentration of ammonia , in general, in Qatari coastal waters, with concentration ranging between 63.33 and 185.1 in the area facing Mesaieed. “Causes of this high rate are flows rich in ammonia by some industrial enterprises”, the document said.

Nitrate concentration is also high in coastal waters facing Doha, reaching 144 microgrammes/litre in 2004. This high concentration is due to the biodegradation of some nitrogenous substances and their oxidation by bacteria into nitrates. “A high increase of the concentration of these elements can cause excessive growth of plant planktons and the ecological equilibrium in the area will be negatively affected. Some poisonous plant substances cause the death of large quantities of fish and huge numbers of marine animals will perish. Concentration of ammonia and nitrates in Qatari coastal waters is high when compared with the values recorded in some Arabian Gulf areas.” the environment indicator report said.

The environmental indicator also shows a decline in the quantity of underground water. Field measurements indicated a high salinity rate in the underground water. According to the report, underground water consumption rates are expected to fall in the next few years. “Qatar aims at reducing annual withdrawal of underground water, discovering feeding sources to upgrade its quality as well as search for substitute water resources, both conventional and non-conventional”, the document said.

A hop away from extinction

The Hindu

 

BANGALORE: They are not exactly cutie-pies. Being slimy and warty, frogs may not feature in your list of favourite animals. But you’ve got to admit you would miss their rrribbids if they fell silent on a rainy night. And, tellingly, they are an indicator of the health of the local environment.

According to research by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), nearly half of the Earth’s 6,000 amphibians, including frogs, are in danger of extinction. Destruction of habitat, trade and over-collection are just some of the factors that are threatening the frogs along with a another unstoppable killer, amphibian chytrid, a fungal disease that has the capacity to catalyse what could be the largest mass extinction since dinosaurs disappeared, according to IUCN.

To save the frog from this fate, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, IUCN’s Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, and the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group have formed Amphibian Ark, a programme designed to educate, raise funds and captive breed the species. They have also declared 2008 as the Year of the Frog.

Frogs form an essential part of the ecosystem – as predator and prey – snapping up bugs and insects that destroy crops, and ending up in turn as sumptuous meals for birds, fish and turtles (or on dinner plates for those consider frog legs a delicacy).

In India, the campaign will be promoted by the Amphibian Network of South Asia and its hosts and Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO).

Sanjay Molur, Deputy Director of ZOO, Coimbatore, says: “In India, the focus is always on new research, on discovering new species. But a lot of work needs to be done to determine the status of frogs.” For instance, he says, “there is no information on whether chytrid sickness has spread rapidly in India. It may be killing frogs silently somewhere in India without our knowledge.”

A training workshop has been initiated by ZOO in Periyar to train individuals and prepare them to handle this crisis, Mr. Molur adds. “We have also come out with over 5,000 Amphibian Ark publications to educate the general public, students, teachers and government officials.”

The educational programmes and activity will become vigorous in the run up to 2008 when the whole campaign will begin on a large scale, he says. The funds raised from this global campaign will be used to raise funds for the conservation work of these amphibians.

For more information about this campaign or be a part of it, write to zooreach@zooreach.org or to AArk at ZOO WILD, PO Box 1683, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641004.