Recent Posts
September 29th 2008 01:14
As questions continued to be raised over the cost/benefit of wind farms to the environment and biodiversity worldwide, energy giants in Scotland announce plans to take their 'wind' energy underwater.
Scottish Power has announced plans to build up to 40 turbines in waters surrounding Ireland and Scotland.
Standing 30m tall, and potentially operating as deep as 100m, the turbines will have blades 20m long.
Apparently, tests in Norway have indicated that the blades will move slowly enough for marine life to avoid them....
While i endeavour to remain impartial in reporting science and environment news, i have to say i am slightly sceptical of this claim. With reports that millions of birds get killed by wind turbines each year worldwide, that bat get the bends from a change in air pressure near wind turbine blades (leading to death) and that the noise of turbines can influence communication in some species - i can't quite see how a quick trial in Norway will have anticipated all of the potential outcomes to marine life.
One positive thing, however, is that zones which contain turbines would be off limits to trawlers!
A prototype - worth about 6 million POUNDS, will be located off Orkney for a year prior to the deployment of the other units.
Can underwater 'wind' farms solve the energy crisis?
September 25th 2008 23:58
A study just published in the journal Conservation Biology shows that human generated noise, from compressor stations, has a negative effect on native birds.
The researchers examined bird density in Canadaian forests and found that the abundance of birds was 1.5 times higher in forest which was near noiseless energy stations, compared to noise producing energy sites.
The study suggests that the impacts of anthropogenic noise will be most important for bird species which communicate by vocalizations.
The authors estimate it would cost $175 million to mitigate existing noise impacts on bird populations.
The red eyed vireo - one of the species particularly affected by human noise
September 24th 2008 00:51
Despite my fears of looking like a weird frogger person by writing yet another frog/toad post, i had to include this story as a cautionary tale....
A new study, just out in the journal Current Biology, shows that efforts to re-introduce captive endangered midwife toads to their native range in Morrocco has actually put the entire popualtion at high risk of extinction.
Tests show that the wild population is now infected with the chytrid fungus which threatens amphibian populations worldwide (see previous post on Australia's extinct frog found).
The researchers traced the source of the infection back to toads released into the wild from the captive breeding centre.
This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that humans moving amphibans around is contributing to the spread of the fungus.
The extent to which the fungus will impact the populat
Midwife toads are now facing a new threat - fungus introduced from captive bred toads...
ion is currently unknown...
September 21st 2008 22:50
Scientists are planning to use satellite technology to monitor endangered kangaroo rats in California.
Giant kangaroo rats occur in the San Joaquin Valley and, due to land change for agriculture, have been forced up the hills and now occupy less than 10% of their historical range
[ Click here to read more ]
September 18th 2008 02:54
Species such as the duiker would be harvested sustainably as part of the proposed 'bushmeat' program
A report just out from the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) proposes that rather than banning bushmeat hunting, it should be regulated. CIFOR propose that hunting of common species with a high reproductive rate should be allowed.
The report also warns that if current levels of bushmeat hunting continue, some species could be extinct in less than 50 years (and that' s not taking into account the effects of habitat loss and global warming
[ Click here to read more ]
September 16th 2008 22:26
A new study, published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution, shows that when primary rainforest is converted to palm oil plantation, 80% of species are lost.
In terms of biodiversity, oil plantation fared worse than degraded forest and even rubber and cocoa plantation
[ Click here to read more ]
September 15th 2008 01:02
All Australians know cane toads are bad news...apart from being as ugly as a bowl of a**holes (not their fault, i know) they are responsible for the death of many native predators, including frog eating snakes, birds and quolls.
But new research, just published in the journal Biological Conservation, shows that by far the biggest victims of cane toads are actually other native frog species
[ Click here to read more ]
September 12th 2008 00:15
Well, this one is close to my heart - i apologise for yet another 'lost animal found' post, but since my co-workers found this one, i can't help it!
A number of rare, endemic rainforest frogs in Australia have been missing, presumed extinct, since the early 1990's. These declines are thought to be due to the chytrid fungus, and also habitat loss
[ Click here to read more ]
September 11th 2008 06:31
A new study, which is currently in press at the journal Climate Change, calculates that if major cities worldwide painted gave roofs a coat of whitewash, it could cut carbon dioxide emissions by a massive 44 gigatonnes...that's more than we emit in total in a year...
The math is just confirming something we all know - white reflects sunlight. That means that a home with a white roof is likely to use less air conditioning as the roof reflects solar radiation
[ Click here to read more ]
September 10th 2008 23:45
The Okapi, a rare, striped giraffe-like mammal, hasn't been seen in any African wildlife park for more than 50 years.
But researchers using camera traps in the African Democratic Republic of Congo have new photo's which show the okapi have survived in the forests
[ Click here to read more ]
|
|
|
Comments (1)
Add Comments
Read More
Comment by Joanne Isaac
on Hypocrites Unite!!!!
For example, to the general public 'greenies' include anything from animal right supporters, to conservationists, to more general 'environmentalists'.
Not only do some of these groups not have a 'green' agenda (for example - animal rights - although by default being a vegan or veggie makes you green i suppose!?), but when the groups come into conflict (for example over exotic predator eradication plans) then it can generally reflect badly on the whole environmental movement....
Anyway - sorry, i digress, and i haven't answered your question....i don't think anyone can be 'perfect' - merely by existing on the planet we are all contributing in some way to climate change, depletion of resources...etc. Even if we live in a log cabin in the middle of woop woop...
As long as you do the best you can, to the best of your ability, and don't feel a hypocrite within yourself - then your doing pretty good, i say!
Nice birdy pic!
Jo