14.

Another wild idea to tackle ferals of Oz

The Daily Telegraph February 2, 2012 HERDS of elephants roaming through the outback grazing on foreign grass, Komodo dragons in the bush feasting on feral pigs and the occasional rhinoceros roaming in the wild. It might be a different picture from kangaroos and dingos, but the controversial scheme has been put by Australian scientist David Bowman as a way of controlling the increasing problem of introduced plants and animals. In the wild, the rhinos and elephants would eat tonnes of feral grass each day. Komodo dragons would end the need for expensive shooting or poisoning programs to deal with destructive pests such as pigs and goats. Professor Bowman, head of environmental change biology at the School for Plant Science at the University of Tasmania, is a passionate advocate of using different thinking to deal with environmental challenges. "We must introduce and manage predators to control the feral animals, and herbivore species to graze the flammable grasses," Prof Bowman said. He said a major source of fuel for bushfires in the monsoon tropics is gamba grass, a giant African grass that has invaded the northern savanna. "It is too big for Australia's marsupial grazers - kangaroos - and for cattle and buffalo, the largest feral mammals," Prof Bowman said. "But gamba grass is a great meal for elephants or rhinoceros. The idea of introducing elephants may seem absurd, but the only other methods likely to control gamba grass involve using chemicals or physically clearing the land, which would destroy the habitat. "Using mega-herbivores may ultimately be more practical and cost-effective, and it would help to conserve animals that are currently threatened by poaching in their native environment." Elephants can spend up to 16 hours a day feeding and can eat between 150kg and 300kg of vegetation each day. Prof Bowman said a mass extinction event in Australia about 50,000 years ago had stripped the land of large predators that would have later preyed on introduced animals like pigs, goats and foxes. "We could introduce predators such as the komodo dragon, which would fill the niche of the giant lizards that once thrived in Australia," he said, at the same time acknowledging that the giant lizards would be a threat to humans and lifestock. He said if the komodos proved too dangerous, dingo numbers could be increased, rather than culled. Prof Bowman's controversial feral pest management ideas, contained in an essay for

the prestigious international science journal Nature, generated a mixed reaction among other Australian experts. Most said Australia already had enough feral animals to deal with and that introduced elephants could do immense damage to trees, a major part of their diet, as well as eating gamba grass.

Comment: I think this is a great idea. Australias already a cocktail of invasive species, and komodo dragons, rhinos are endangered. Australia is likely more safe for these creatures, too and theyd face less poaching threats. I wonder if Komodo dragons would eat cane toads?

15. Sea cucumber poo to save Great Barrier Reef

Australian Geographic January 30, 2012 Sea cucumbers and their feces could save coral reefs from the impacts of climate change, say experts. SCIENTISTS AT ONE TREE ISLAND, the University of Sydney's research station on the Great Barrier Reef, say sea cucumbers could reduce ocean acidification affecting coral growth. The experts argue that we need to think more carefully about commercially harvesting these animals that could help mitigate the impacts of climate change. "When they ingest sand, the natural digestive processes in the sea cucumber's gut increases the pH levels of the water on the reef where they defecate," says One Tree Island deputy director, Professor Maria Byrne. This works to counter the negative effects of ocean acidification, which is caused by carbon dioxide pollution dissolving in sea water. One of the by-products when sea cucumbers digest sand is also calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which is a key component of coral. "To survive, coral reefs must accumulate CaCO3at a rate greater than or equal to the CaCO3 that is eroded from the reef [by ocean acidification]," Maria says. "The research at One Tree Island showed that in a healthy reef, dissolution of calcium carbonate sediment by sea cucumbers and other bioeroders appears to be an important component of the natural calcium carbonate turnover." The ammonia waste produced when sea cucumbers digest sand also serves to fertilise the surrounding area, providing nutrients for coral growth. Sea cucumbers are among the largest invertebrates found on tropical reefs. Some 30 species are commercially harvested by the fishery industry along the Great Barrier Reef and throughout the tropics. Given this Maria says, "we urgently need to understand the impact of removing sea cucumbers and other invertebrates on reef health and resilience at a time when reefs face an uncertain future."

Comment: Cool concept, and maybe something to consider producing

using aquaculture? Never knew these things were purposely-harvested need to look up whether or not theyre used for food or something else.

16. Pythons Eating Through Everglades Mammals at Astonishing Rate?

National Geographic Daily News January 30, 2012 Dramatic declines of everything from rabbits to bobcats documented. From rabbits to deer to even bobcats, invasive Burmese pythons appear to be eating through the Everglades' supply of mammals, new research shows. Since the giant constrictors took hold in Florida in 2000, many previously common mammals have plummeted in numberand some, such as cottontail rabbits, may be totally gone from some areas. Scientists already knew from dissecting the snakes that they prey on a wide range of species within Everglades National Park. (See a picture of a Burmese python that exploded eating an American alligator in the Everglades.) Also popular as pets, Burmese pythons are one of nine species of constrictor snakes, numbering about a million individuals, that have been imported into the United States over the past three decades, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Many of these animals, which can grow to lengths of 20 feet (6 meters) have either escaped or been dumped into the wild. But this is "the first study to show that pythons are having impacts on prey populationsand unfortunately those impacts appear to be pretty dramatic," said study leader Michael Dorcas, a herpetologist at Davidson College in North Carolina. "We started the study after we realized, Man, we're not seeing a lot of these animals around anymore," Dorcas said. But "when we did the calculations, we were pretty astonished." Burmese Pythons Causing "Severe Declines"? For the study, Dorcas and colleagues conducted nighttime surveys of live and dead animals on roads between 2003 and 2011. Such numbers provide estimates of how many animals of a certain species are present in a given area. The scientists compared these data with similar surveys conducted in 1996 and 1997. Before 2000 it was common to see mammals such as rabbits, red foxes, gray foxes, Virginia opossums, raccoons, and white-tailed deer on roadways after dark, the team says. But the 2003 to 2011 surveyswhich covered a total of nearly 35,400 miles (57,000) kilometers of roadrevealed "severe declines" in mammal sightings, according to the study, published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Raccoon observations dropped by 99.3 percent, opossum by 98.9 percent, and bobcat by 87.5 percent. The scientists saw no rabbits or foxes at all during their surveys. Also worrisome is what could be happening to species that were already rareand thus more difficult to research, Dorcas noted. For instance, it's unknown whether the snakes are putting the squeeze on the Florida panther, a subspecies of cougar deemed endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. But "it's not unreasonable to assume that a really large python could consume a Florida panther," he saidthe snakes are known to eat leopards in Southeast Asia. Impact of Everglades Mammal Decline Unknown It's difficult to predict how the decline in mammal populations will affect the Everglades, Dorcas said. But some species may even benefit from the python's big appetite, he said. For example, turtle numbers are often kept down by raccoons, which eat the reptiles' eggs. Without as many raccoons, "we may be knee-deep in turtles in 20 years," he quipped. Whit Gibbons is a professor emeritus of ecology and head of outreach for the Savannah River Ecology Lab at the University of Georgia. "My bet is that some of the mammals that have been affected will partially recover by managing to adapt or adjust," said Gibbons, who wasn't involved with the study. "It's unlikely," he added, "that raccoons are going to go extinct in Florida." But as long as pythons are there, the mammals won't bounce back to their former levels, he said. Meanwhile, some groups are mounting efforts to stem the spread of the Burmese python. The Nature Conservancy's "Python Patrol," for example, works to prevent the reptile from moving into the Florida Keys. And on January 17 the U.S. Department of the Interior announced a new law banning importation and interstate transport of four species of invasive snakes, including the Burmese python. "We have taken strong action to battle the spread of the Burmese python and other nonnative species that threaten the Everglades and other areas across the United States," Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said in a statement. "There's no single solution to this conservation challenge, but banning the importation and interstate transport of these invasive snakes is a critical step." Pythons' Invasion an Opportunity? The University of Georgia's Gibbons sees the snakes' invasion as a chance for scientists to track what happens to the Everglades. Though the ecosystem "may not collapse, it will likely change," he said. "That change would be very worthwhile to monitor from a scientific standpoint. "Maybe next time we could prevent changes we don't want to happen."

Comment: Surely they must have better ways of estimating mammal populations than counting road kill. I cant believe the cottontail rabbits may be gone in some areas. Maybe its other mammals eating them

since pythons are eating their main food sources I dont think the pythons are to blame for everything.

17. Searching for Snares in China

Wildlife Conservation Society January 31, 2012 During a recent 6-day search in Chinas northeastern province of Heilongjiang, a group of 59 volunteers set out into the woods, braving deep snow and frigid temperatures. Their mission: Clear illegal wildlife snares, often perilous to critically endangered Amur (Siberian) tigers. The volunteers, who included doctors, computer engineers, public servants and college students, worked alongside WCS staff as part of an ongoing conservation effort. Together, they removed 162 illegal wire snares. Though generally set to catch animals like rabbits and roe deer, the snares have been known to catch tigers. Last October, one of the big cats was found dead in a snare near the city of Mishan in Heilongjiang Province. It's heartening to see a new generation of environmentally committed young Chinese willing and able to volunteer their time to do something challenging but important for their country's natural heritage, said Joe Walston, WCS Director of Asia Programs. Tigers need our help whether its from grassroots efforts like these or governments putting more funding toward enforcement. The snare removal campaign was organized by WCS, Harbin Newspaper Company, the Forestry Department of Heilongjiang Province, and the Forestry Industry Bureau of Heilongjiang Province. Amur tigers exist in very low numbers in China. Several hundred do remain in the nearby Russian Far East, however, giving conservationists hope as the cats venture across the border in increasing number. This region is critically important in stemming the poaching and illegal trade of tiger parts. Several U.S. government agencies have played a vital role in supporting those efforts, including the U.S. State Department, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Latest reports by WCS suggest that fewer than 3,500 tigers remain in the wild; 1,000 are breeding females.

Comment: The states shouldnt be funding tiger conservation in my opinion they have enough problems on their own turf. Its very interesting to see volunteers from so many backgrounds pitching in to help save their local wildlife.