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Archive for January 30th, 2011
Florida frogs floated from Cuba
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 30th, 2011
Independent: Two species of invasive frog which are hopping their way through Florida probably got to the state by hitching a ride on floating debris from Cuba, according to a study published on Wednesday.
Amphibian experts have long wrangled over the origins of the greenhouse frog (Eleutherodactylus planirostris) and the Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis).
The two species are widespread across the Caribbean, but were first spotted in the Florida Keys - the island chain that starts at Florida's...
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Camera trap photos: big mammals survive in fragmented forest in Borneo
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 30th, 2011
Mongabay: Camera trap photos: big mammals survive in fragmented forest in Borneo
Clouded leopard female and her cub caught on camera trap in a corridor in the vicinity of DGFC. Photo courtesy of Sabah Wildlife Department, Danau Girang Field Centre and HUTAN.
Camera trap photos taken in the fragmented forest along the Kinabatangan River in Borneo have revealed a number of key mammal species surviving despite forest loss mostly due to expanding palm oil plantations. The photos are apart of a recent program...
Scientists to document impact of converting rainforest into oil palm plantations
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 30th, 2011
Mongabay: Scientists to document impact of converting rainforest into oil palm plantations
Oil palm and rainforest
Scientists have partnered with one of the world's largest palm oil producers to measure the impact of converting tropical forest into an oil palm plantation, reports Nature News.
The Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems project will monitor ecological changes--including biodiversity, erosion, soil quality, carbon dioxide emissions, and water pollution--in roughly 7,000 hectares of forest...
Birds vanishing in the Philippines
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 30th, 2011
Independent: The number of birds flying south to important wintering grounds in the Philippines has fallen sharply this year, with experts saying the dramatic demise of wetlands and hunting are to blame.
Despite some harsh, cold weather across the Eurasian landmass, some waterbirds that usually migrate in huge flocks to the tropical islands have been completely absent, said Philippine-based Danish ornithologist Arne Jensen.
"The flyway populations of several waterbird species are in constant and dramatic...
Melvyn Bragg: sale of Lake District forests is ‘vandalism’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 30th, 2011
Guardian: One of the nation's best-loved broadcasters, Lord Bragg, has given his support to the growing campaign to prevent the government sell-off of 30 forests and woodlands in the Lake District.
In a development that will raise the issue's profile and is likely to embarrass the coalition, Bragg has backed attempts to stop the proposal in its tracks. Born in Cumbria, he has used the area as the setting for several novels, and is now accusing Caroline Spelman, the secretary of state for the environment,...