A new species of bat has been identified in West Africa. MYOTIS NIMBAENSIS / BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL
In 2018, a team of researchers went to West Africa's Nimba Mountains in search of one critically endangered species of bat. Along the way, they ended up discovering another.
<p>The new bat species, <em>Myotis nimbaensis</em>, has an unusual orange and black coloring, and it was written up for the first time last Wednesday in <a href="http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/7249" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>American Museum Novitates</em></a>.</p><p>"In an age of extinction, a discovery like this offers a glimmer of hope," study coauthor and chief scientist at <a href="https://www.batcon.org/" target="_blank">Bat Conservation International</a> Winifred Frick told the <a href="https://www.amnh.org/about/press-center/bat-discovered-west-africa" target="_blank">American Museum of Natural History</a>. "It's a spectacular animal."</p>
<div id="78d2c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a6760c89eda21e1221babaa9939e75d3"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1349452120433553412" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">🚨 New research alert! A new species of a striking orange & black bat from the Nimba Mountains in West Africa has be… https://t.co/2dtGTa4lko</div> — American Museum of Natural History (@American Museum of Natural History)<a href="https://twitter.com/AMNH/statuses/1349452120433553412">1610569431.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Frick was part of a team of scientists from Bat Conservation International and the University of Maroua in Cameroon who were investigating natural caves and mining shafts in Guinea's Nimba Mountains. The mountains, which rise about one mile above sea level, are known as sky islands and are important <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity" target="_self">biodiversity</a> hotspots for species including bats.</p><p>One especially important bat species is the Lamotte's roundleaf bat, or <em>Hipposideros lamottei</em>, which lives only in the Nimba Mountains, and especially in abandoned mineshafts known as adits. But while trapping for the existing species, the scientists found something they did not expect.</p><p>"I looked in a net and there was just something interesting in there," Jon Flanders, director of endangered species intervention at Bat Conservation International, told <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/01/13/new-orange-bat/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=twitter" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>.</p>
<p>Flanders said he first saw the bat with his colleague Eric Moïse Bakwo Fils from the University of Maroua.</p><p>"Eric and I got back to camp and we independently started trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Finding a new species of specially colored bats is very rare. I was like, 'I'm pretty sure this is a new species'. We walked in the room in the morning and simultaneously said 'I think we've got a new species.' "</p><p>So the pair called up bat expert and American Museum of Natural History Curator Nancy Simmons for help.</p><p>"As soon as I looked at it, I agreed that it was something new," Simmons, who is also the paper's lead author, said in the museum press release.</p><p>Simmons confirmed her initial opinion with help from the Smithsonian and the British Museum of Natural History, she told The Washington Post.</p>
<div id="95b3b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bc43d84ce3edd0fa256e60e667833727"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1349785874356195330" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Newly discovered bat has already won 2021 Halloween #Bat #Nature #Science #Wildlife https://t.co/WE1Qt1TE73</div> — Cool Science Videos (@Cool Science Videos)<a href="https://twitter.com/GeoBeats/statuses/1349785874356195330">1610649004.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>There are more than 1,400 species of bats, and more than 20 new ones are added to the list every year, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/science/new-bat-species.html?auth=login-google" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>. But mostly, these discoveries are made in the lab by closely analyzing the DNA of similar-looking species previously thought to be the same.</p><p>"This sort of situation where experienced researchers went out in the field and caught an animal and held it in their hand and went, 'This is something we can't identify,' that's much more unusual," Simmons told The New York Times.</p><p>The new bat is likely already endangered, since it is only known to live in the Nimba Mountains. Researchers said the next step is to learn more about the species so that they can protect it more effectively.</p><p>Bakwo Fils also told The New York Times that he hoped the discovery would boost bat <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> in West Africa more generally. Bats are important pollinators, seed spreaders and pest eaters in the region, but superstition and their connection with Ebola has meant they are often harmed.</p><p>"This discovery is very important in terms of West Africa's bat biodiversity, because even if bats are a very important component of our ecosystems, they rarely receive attention," Bakwo Fils said.</p>
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New Zealand sea lions are an endangered species and one of the rarest species of sea lions in the world. Art Wolfe / Photodisc / Getty Images
One city in New Zealand knows what its priorities are.
Dunedin, the second largest city on New Zealand's South Island, has closed a popular road to protect a mother sea lion and her pup, The Guardian reported.
<p>"We've closed John Wilson Ocean Drive to vehicles for the next month to allow some special residents to use the road safely - a New Zealand sea lion and her pup have taken up residence at the golf course next door and are regularly crossing the road to get to the beach," the Dunedin City Council wrote in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DunedinCityCouncil/posts/3687384977973820" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook Post Monday</a>.</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="30b8c8ee5783728b66f03a8cd2d1ab14"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/DunedinCityCouncil/photos/a.226655984046754/3687384087973909/"></div></div>
<p>The council said that residents could still walk or ride bikes in the area, but should stay at least 20 meters (approximately 66 feet) away from the sea lions at all times and keep any dogs on a leash.</p><p>The mother sea lion, named Hiriwa, was first spotted on the Chisholm Links golf course about a week ago and is now nesting with her pup in a bush near the 13th hole, <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/434504/sea-lion-makes-itself-at-home-on-dunedin-golf-course" target="_blank">Radio New Zealand reported</a>.</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e202b1bbdd1c522d83b85cc7b36dba2c"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/ChisholmLinks/photos/pcb.3417932631666520/3417899185003198"></div></div>
<p>This is her fifth pup, Department of Conservation (DOC) coastal Otago <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity" target="_self">biodiversity</a> ranger Jim Fyfe said.<br></p><p>"She has come up John Wilson Drive and into the golf course to have her pup in some bushes there," he told Radio New Zealand.</p><p>Fyfe also told the <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/dunedin-road-temporarily-closed-for-sea-lion-and-pup/XMOZAJTUISN7OCIRS6H7OSGPHY/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New Zealand Herald</a> that the pup was born Thursday, Jan. 7 and immediately made its presence known by making lots of noise.</p><p>The mother and pup will now spend about a month nesting before heading out to sea, Fyfe explained. During that time, the mother will need to walk 500 meters (approximately 1,640 feet) to the beach each day to feed. On these journeys, she will think to avoid male sea lions, but she won't be thinking about cars, people or dogs. That is why the road closure is so important, Fyfe explained.</p>
<p>Local residents have responded favorably to the council's decision, The Guardian reported.</p><p>"Awesome! Love our little country in this way," one commenter wrote on Facebook.</p><p>The golf course has also welcomed its new residents.</p><p>"We're lucky to have marine mammals on our coastline and we need to share the space with them, as this is what makes our coastal Links and Dunedin's coastline so unique!" it wrote in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ChisholmLinks/posts/3417932631666520" target="_blank">Jan. 5 Facebook post</a>.</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9524a27c929e225c2fe012fe759f48b4"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/ChisholmLinks/photos/pcb.3417932631666520/3417892388337211/"></div></div>
<p>New Zealand sea lions are an <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species" target="_self">endangered species</a> and one of the rarest species of sea lions in the world, the city council noted. There are around 12,000 left in the world, according to DOC figures reported by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/new-zealand-sea-lions-road-closure-scli-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. Killing one can bring a penalty of up to two years in prison or a fine of up to $178,000.</p><p>Dunedin's 120,000 residents are used to road closures to protect <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a>, but usually these closures last for a day rather than a month, The Guardian explained. The city is also used to welcoming breeding sea lions since 1993, and their numbers in the city have increased since <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> efforts intensified.</p><p>Despite this, the overall breeding population of New Zealand sea lions is still falling. The main threats to the species are fishing, disease, human activity and lack of food.</p><p>Still, this is shaping up to be a good year for sea lions in Dunedin.</p><p>"This year we expect 20 sea lions around Dunedin to give birth. This is going to be a record number for us," Fyfe told Radio New Zealand. "New Zealand sea lions are a threatened species that is just recovering on the mainland coastline, so it's really good news."</p>
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
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FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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Scientists Warn Humanity in Denial of Looming 'Collapse of Civilization as We Know It'
13 January
Climate
bennymarty / iStock / Getty Images Plus
By Jessica Corbett
In an example to the rest of the scientific community and an effort to wake up people — particularly policymakers — worldwide, 17 scientists penned a comprehensive assessment of the current state of the planet and what the future could hold due to biodiversity loss, climate disruption, human consumption and population growth.
<p>"Ours is not a call to surrender — we aim to provide leaders with a realistic 'cold shower' of the state of the planet that is essential for planning to avoid a ghastly future," according to the perspective paper, co-authored by experts across Australia, Mexico, and the United States, and <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2020.615419/abstract" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">published</a> in the journal Frontiers in Conservation Science.</p>
<p>Co-author Paul R. Ehrlich of Stanford University's Center for Conservation Biology — who has raised alarm about overpopulation for <a href="https://climateone.org/audio/population-bomb-50-years-later-conversation-paul-ehrlich" target="_blank">decades</a> — told Common Dreams his colleagues "are all scared" about what's to come.</p><p>"Scientists have to learn to be communicators," said Ehrlich, citing James Hansen's warning about the consequences of "<a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0703220" target="_blank">scientific reticence.</a>" Hansen, a professor at Columbia University's Earth Institute and former director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/06/23/30th-anniversary-famous-climate-testimony-james-hansen-called-paul-revere-we" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">testified</a> to Congress about the climate crisis in 1988.</p><p>Ehrlich was straightforward about how "extremely dangerous things are" now and the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/06/04/existential-risk-climate-crisis-could-lead-civilizational-collapse-2050-warns-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">necessity</a> of a "World War II-type mobilization" to prevent predictions detailed in the paper: "a ghastly future of mass extinction, declining health, and climate-disruption upheavals (including looming massive migrations), and resource conflicts."</p><p>"What we are saying might not be popular, and indeed is frightening. But we need to be candid, accurate, and honest if humanity is to understand the enormity of the challenges we face in creating a sustainable future," said co-author Daniel T. Blumstein of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at the University of California, Los Angeles, in a statement about the paper.</p><p>"By scientists' telling it like it is, we hope to empower politicians to work to represent their citizen, not corporate, constituents," he said in an email to Common Dreams.</p><p>The paper, Ehrlich and Blumstein pointed out, comes in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic — which, <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to</a> Johns Hopkins University, has killed nearly two million people. Over the past year, the Co-19 crisis has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/06/03/jane-goodall-warns-humanity-will-be-finished-after-covid-19-without-ending-absolute" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">provoked</a> calls for humanity to end its destruction of the natural world to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/29/seismic-shift-worlds-approach-land-use-wildlife-and-climate-action-needed-avoid-new" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">prevent</a> future public health catastrophes.</p><p>"We're all seeing the shocks to our global systems now from Covid and the rise of authoritarian leaders," Blumstein said. "Because our current ways of life are ecologically unsustainable (we're living in an ecological Ponzi scheme), we fully anticipate more — and more deadly — pandemics in the future. We expect civil unrest, wars, and famines. We are all shaken by the likelihood of the collapse of civilization as we know it."</p>
<div id="25da8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bf8a63f9cc8cc4813996d6e1fbd213fa"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1349181889240854540" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">From extreme hurricanes to droughts to wildfires, the climate crisis killed 262 people and cost $95 billion last ye… https://t.co/RwowWVlBZ9</div> — Friends of the Earth (Action) (@Friends of the Earth (Action))<a href="https://twitter.com/foe_us/statuses/1349181889240854540">1610505003.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The new warning from scientists, Blumstein noted, cites over 150 other papers "documenting the diverse and shocking decline in biodiversity and planetary 'health' and their consequences." Among the cited sources is a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) report that in September <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/10/nature-unraveling-new-wwf-report-reveals-alarming-68-plummet-wildlife-populations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">revealed</a> an "average 68% decrease in population sizes of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish between 1970 and 2016."</p><p>"In the midst of a global pandemic, it is now more important than ever to take unprecedented and coordinated global action to halt and start to reverse the loss of biodiversity and wildlife populations across the globe by the end of the decade, and protect our future health and livelihoods," WWF International director general Marco Lambertini said at the time.</p><p>The co-authors — including William J. Ripple of Oregon State University, who last year led thousands of scientists in <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/05/warning-untold-human-suffering-over-11000-scientists-around-world-declare-climate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">declaring</a> a climate emergency and earlier this month led a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/07/one-year-after-declaring-climate-emergency-scientists-say-massive-scale-mobilization" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">call</a> for "a massive-scale mobilization to address the climate crisis" — echoed Lambertini's message while also underscoring the importance of increasing awareness about what's actually needed.</p><p>"Humanity is causing a rapid loss of biodiversity and, with it, Earth's ability to support complex life. But the mainstream is having difficulty grasping the magnitude of this loss, despite the steady erosion of the fabric of human civilization," the paper says.</p>
<div id="c7dd4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="309107b64c42fab5e69a1c0bace9d47b"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1347817383919022080" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Biodiversity is the thread of life on Earth.
🦠️🦩🐜🍄🌱🦧🌽🍂🥦🐦🌺🐇🐝🌴🦒🌿🐋🌏
Learn more about what #biodiversity is and why… https://t.co/I5kht3RYnj</div> — UN Biodiversity (@UN Biodiversity)<a href="https://twitter.com/UNBiodiversity/statuses/1347817383919022080">1610179680.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"In fact, the scale of the threats to the biosphere and all its lifeforms is so great that it is difficult to grasp for even well-informed experts," said lead author Corey Bradshaw of Australia's Flinders University in a statement. "The problem is compounded by ignorance and short-term self-interest, with the pursuit of wealth and political interests stymieing the action that is crucial for survival."</p><p>The paper explains that "while suggested solutions abound, the current scale of their implementation does not match the relentless progression of biodiversity loss and other existential threats tied to the continuous expansion of the human enterprise." According to its authors, "That we are already on the path of a sixth major extinction is now scientifically undeniable."</p><p>"With such a rapid, catastrophic loss of biodiversity, the ecosystem services it provides have also declined," the paper explains. Consequences include "reduced carbon sequestration, reduced pollination, soil degradation, poorer water and air quality, more frequent and intense flooding and fires, and compromised human health."</p><p>Highlighting estimates that the human population will near 10 billion by 2050, the scientists lay out how "large population size and continued growth are implicated in many societal problems," from food insecurity, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and an increased chance of pandemics, to crowding, joblessness, deteriorating infrastructure, and bad governance.</p><p>The paper also details the planetary impacts of dirty energy and carbon-intensive food production, and says that "while climate change demands a full exit from fossil fuel use well before 2050, pressures on the biosphere are likely to mount prior to decarbonization as humanity brings energy alternatives online."</p><p>A section on failed international goals declares that "stopping biodiversity loss is nowhere close to the top of any country's priorities, trailing far behind other concerns such as employment, healthcare, economic growth, or currency stability."</p><p>"The dangerous effects of climate change are much more evident to people than those of biodiversity loss, but society is still finding it difficult to deal with them effectively," the scientists note, while decrying "utterly inadequate" efforts by governments to even try to meet the targets of the landmark Paris climate agreement.</p><p>They further decry the recent rise of right-wing, anti-environment agendas in countries including Australia, Brazil, and the United States — which recently denied President Donald Trump a second term. Ehrlich expressed hope that President-elect Joe Biden will work to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/08/no-more-excuses-senate-majority-reclaimed-progressives-demand-bold-agenda-biden" target="_blank">deliver</a> on the climate promises he made as a candidate.</p><p>Biden's vow to rejoin the Paris agreement "is positive news," but "it is a minuscule gesture given the scale of the challenge," Ehrlich said in a statement.</p><p>The president-elect "is moving in the right direction," Ehrlich told Common Dreams, pointing to the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/23/alarming-red-flag-something-we-can-work-campaigners-respond-kerry-biden-climate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="">selection</a> of former Secretary of State John Kerry as his climate envoy. However, "the Paris goals are increasingly looking inadequate," and "Biden's political opportunities to do anything major may be greatly constrained," he added.</p>
<div id="0ea0e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="eb14cb1c288cecbbf85ec2be96b17c28"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1349123864245239811" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">What can Joe Biden do on climate change once he takes office?
@DashaBurns looks into what he can accomplish with e… https://t.co/wBn29Ms1UX</div> — NBC News NOW (@NBC News NOW)<a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNewsNow/statuses/1349123864245239811">1610491169.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Blumstein stressed that "recycling, using less plastic, eating less meat, taking public transportation, and flying less, while all important, will simply not create the rapid change we need now to save much of the Earth's biodiversity and our lives."</p><p>According to Blumstein, "We need rapid political change."</p><p>He urged voters to elect leaders who will end fossil fuel use as well as "eliminate perpetual economic growth and properly price externalities so that the environmental costs are built into the price of a product." He also emphasized the importance of access to education and reproductive control, and the need to rein in corporate lobbying and enact campaign finance reform so politicians serve citizens' needs.</p><p>"Ultimately," Blumstein added, "we must focus on making equity and well-being society's goals — not the constant accumulation of more junk."</p><p>In their paper, the UCLA scientist and his 16 co-authors "contend that only a realistic appreciation of the colossal challenges facing the international community might allow it to chart a less-ravaged future."</p><p>It is "incumbent on experts in any discipline that deals with the future of the biosphere and human well-being to eschew reticence, avoid sugar-coating the overwhelming challenges, ahead and 'tell it like it is,'" they conclude. "Anything else is misleading at best, or negligent and potentially lethal for the human enterprise at worst."</p><p><span></span><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/13/dire-assessment-scientists-warn-humanity-denial-looming-collapse-civilization-we" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>. </em></p>
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Mountain goats roam the streets of LLandudno on March 31, 2020 in Llandudno, Wales during the COVID-19 outbreak and quarantine measures. Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
By Marie Quinney and Gabriela Martinez
This article is part of The Davos Agenda.
During 2020, many of us saw images of deserted urban areas being reclaimed by animals and heard reports of carbon dioxide emissions plummeting as transportation ground to a halt. A new analysis shows that the U.S. had reached its lowest level of emissions in three decades.
<p>It would be easy to assume that COVID-19 allowed nature to thrive. However, we must not prematurely celebrate nature's comeback.</p><p>Far from downplaying glimmers of hope and beauty that were welcomed interruptions to an otherwise difficult year, acknowledging that these have little impact in the long run will serve us better to achieve meaningful progress.</p><p>The outlook on the coming decade may be bleak if we do not seize the narrowing window of opportunity that we have to make systemic changes. By doing this, we can both prevent similar crises in the future and create sustainable, healthy and equitable jobs, societies and economies. The pandemic made an unquestionably strong case for a shift towards a<a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/09/what-does-net-zero-emissions-mean-6-common-questions-answered" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/09/what-does-net-zero-emissions-mean-6-common-questions-answered" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">net-zero</a>,<a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Future_Of_Nature_And_Business_2020.pdf" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Future_Of_Nature_And_Business_2020.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">nature-positive</a> global economy and, thankfully, we have the knowledge and the tools to make it happen.</p>
<h3>Nature Bouncing Back?</h3><p>Amidst the tragedies of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy entering a global recession, you could be forgiven for thinking that it wasn't all bad news.</p><p>We were inundated with delightful images of previously unseen animals strolling through city streets. <a href="https://www.insider.com/shaggy-mountain-goats-welsh-town-lockdown-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mountain goats explored Welsh towns</a>,<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/22/animals-cities-coronavirus-lockdowns-deer-raccoons" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> </a><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/22/animals-cities-coronavirus-lockdowns-deer-raccoons" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deer were spotted congregating outside metro stations in Japan</a> and<a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20200403-pumas-in-santiago-wildlife-takes-to-cities-amid-coronavirus-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> </a><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20200403-pumas-in-santiago-wildlife-takes-to-cities-amid-coronavirus-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pumas took to the streets of Santiago, Chile</a>.</p><p>Many ecosystems also appeared to have been given time to regenerate, being temporarily spared humanity's polluted hand. The<a href="https://www.insider.com/venice-canals-clear-city-residents-self-isolate-prevent-coronavirus-spread-2020-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> </a><a href="https://www.insider.com/venice-canals-clear-city-residents-self-isolate-prevent-coronavirus-spread-2020-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">canals of Venice famously turned clear</a> and plants started to make a comeback in built-up areas such as<a href="https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/nature-reclaims-public-spaces-during-loc-idUSRTX7EJ1H" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> </a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/nature-reclaims-public-spaces-during-loc-idUSRTX7EJ1H" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">parks</a> and<a href="https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/nature-reclaims-public-spaces-during-loc-idUSRTX7EJ1H" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> </a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/nature-reclaims-public-spaces-during-loc-idUSRTX7EJ1H" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">city squares</a>.<br></p><p>Similarly, due to the slowdown of economic and social activities, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/08/covid-19-lockdowns-global-air-quality-india-london-uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">air quality</a> improved in many places around the world, including megacities including <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720326036" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Delhi</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/08/covid-19-lockdowns-global-air-quality-india-london-uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">London</a>, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51944780" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">New York</a> and various cities in <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-020-00963-y" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">China</a>. Global CO2 emissions and total nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions decreased by as much as 30% and, as car traffic plummeted and industrial production slowed down, the<a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/covid-19-coronavirus-greenhouse-gas-emissions-climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> reduction of greenhouse gas emissions</a> followed. It seemed that at least the atmosphere was benefiting from the global pandemic.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ0ODUzMy9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzQ5ODI0MX0.NaCx18e_NCBB5SnFxwxI7L_sZclIuFAR6YlnpIxl1eg/img.gif?width=980" id="902a5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="adef5c711181422b7e367aeb853ca9a7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="640" data-height="474" />
NO₂ levels in the air above India (U.S. date format). World Economic Forum
<p>Lockdowns also highlighted both a fundamental human need for nature and the divisions between those who had access to it and those who did not. For those with a balcony, view of nature or a garden, the lockdowns may not have felt as oppressive. People craved their own patch of green and marvelled at the sight of animals roaming around freely. Nature, we may have thought, was healing.</p><p>Sadly, however, the breather that nature appeared to get is not only temporary but is extremely localized. Other areas have not been having the same luck.</p>
<h3>Nature Loss and Climate Change on the Rise</h3><p>If not for COVID-19, the year 2020 would have been remembered for environmental disasters that continued despite scattered improvements. COVID-19 news domination was punctuated by reports of <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-exceeds-4-million-acres-burned-wildfires-2020-n1242078" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wildfires</a>,<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54433904" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> </a><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54433904" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">flooding</a>,<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-2020-atlantic-hurricane-season-was-a-record-breaker-and-its-raising-more-concerns-about-climate-change-150495" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> </a><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-2020-atlantic-hurricane-season-was-a-record-breaker-and-its-raising-more-concerns-about-climate-change-150495" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tropical storms</a> and the<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/19/highest-recorded-temperature-ever-death-valley" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> </a><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/19/highest-recorded-temperature-ever-death-valley" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">highest temperature ever recorded</a> on Earth.</p><p>As pollution levels decreased in many cities, the effects were countered by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972033059X" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">increased emissions from home activities</a>. Although nitrogen dioxide <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0883-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">declined sharply</a> in <a href="https://cen.acs.org/environment/atmospheric-chemistry/COVID-19-coronavirus-quarantines-cause/98/i11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Italy</a>, <a href="https://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/146362/airborne-nitrogen-dioxide-plummets-over-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">China</a> and <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/nitrogen-dioxide-concentrations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">New Zealand</a>, COVID-19 responses triggered the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972033059X" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">increase of global ozone concentrations</a>, which contributes to climate change.</p><p>Lockdowns in countries with high levels of biodiversity also restricted the ability of governments and communities to protect wildlife. Incidences of illegal poaching and deforestation increased in<a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/covid-19-lockdown-precipitates-deforestation-across-asia-and-south-america/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> </a><a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/covid-19-lockdown-precipitates-deforestation-across-asia-and-south-america/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">South America</a>,<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-deforestation-idUSL8N2BJ12Z" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> </a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-deforestation-idUSL8N2BJ12Z" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Asia</a> and<a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/poaching-deforestation-reportedly-on-the-rise-since-covid-19-lockdowns#:~:text=%E2%80%9CPoaching%20and%20deforestation%20are%20unfortunate,humans%20in%20the%20first%20place." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> </a><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/poaching-deforestation-reportedly-on-the-rise-since-covid-19-lockdowns#:~:text=%E2%80%9CPoaching%20and%20deforestation%20are%20unfortunate,humans%20in%20the%20first%20place." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Africa</a>. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-environment-idUSKCN21S1I1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deforestation</a> in the Brazilian Amazon increased by 30% in March 2020 compared to the previous year and <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/double-blow-to-colombian-amazon-and-indigenous-groups-from-armed-militants-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">forest fires</a> lit by land grabbers broke records in Colombia. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/illegal-fishing-philippines-2646162839.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self" rel="noopener">Illegal fishing</a> is also on the rise in many areas, with fishermen taking advantage of a drop in enforcement capacity.</p><p>COVID-19 has also halted the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-1275-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">nature-based tourism industry</a>. In many countries, communities relied on this as a source of income, in addition to these funds being used to protect nature. For countries like the <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/seychelles/overview#:~:text=Tourism%20accounts%20for%20approximately%2030,decline%20by%20more%20than%2050%25" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Seychelles</a> and <a href="https://data.adb.org/media/4411/download" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vanuatu</a>, tourism accounts for 30% and 45% of their GDP, respectively. The economic crisis may prevent such tourism from returning for quite some time, while conservation is unlikely to be perceived as a priority for government spending.</p><p>The improvements witnessed in biodiversity and emissions during the lockdowns are unlikely to remain, and the situation is on course to get worse than before the pandemic. For the climate, there is historical precedent for this. There were also <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17387-financial-crisis-may-have-been-good-for-the-climate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dips in emissions during the 2008 financial crisis</a>, yet emissions bounced back as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-climate-change.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">economies recovered</a>.</p><p>Today, experts are concerned that global emissions in 2021 <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/global-carbon-project-coronavirus-causes-record-fall-in-fossil-fuel-emissions-in-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">will rise beyond 2019 levels.</a> In addition, many countries have been <a href="https://in.boell.org/en/2020/11/24/environmental-regulation-and-post-covid-19-economic-recovery" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">loosening environmental regulations </a>and, in some countries, early recovery packages were targeted towards bailouts for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/09/revealed-covid-recovery-plans-threaten-global-climate-hopes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">oil and high-carbon infrastructure</a>.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ0ODU0OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NTg2NDYwNH0.9fcY_k1mLyDQDdv0FvUlonL0Z-lt7yYOocof6Tw2h4Q/img.png?width=980" id="bbe9a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="63b2896e84d3e53a93eee3818daa4aea" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1522" data-height="1012" />
Human activity is destroying our natural world. World Economic Forum Nature Risk Rising
<h3>Towards a Net-Zero, Nature-Positive Recovery</h3><p>While the lockdowns provided a glimpse of how life could be different for our planet, this will only be the case through decisive and deliberate action. It shouldn't take a pandemic, with devastating consequences on millions of lives, to let nature reappear and emissions drop. Rather than being good for the environment, COVID-19 only showed us how unsuitable our current socioeconomic systems are.</p><p><a href="https://www.vivideconomics.com/casestudy/greenness-for-stimulus-index/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Some stimulus packages</a> are acknowledging the importance of placing nature at the heart of our recovery, and in September world leaders<a href="https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/press_releases/?893466/Leaders-Pledge-for-Nature-World-leaders-commit-to-reversing-nature-loss-by-2030" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> </a><a href="https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/press_releases/?893466/Leaders-Pledge-for-Nature-World-leaders-commit-to-reversing-nature-loss-by-2030" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pledged to reverse nature loss</a> by 2030. However, on average, the pandemic is likely to reinforce negative environmental trends with stimulus packages in only <a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20201217092751-wk5b9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">seven of 25 major economies</a> estimated to have a net positive impact for the climate and nature.</p><p>As world leaders discussed stimulus and recovery packages to keep the economy afloat, milestone global meetings to decide how to address biodiversity loss and climate change had to be postponed to 2021. These are critical opportunities to reset our economies and societies for the better. Governments and businesses must focus on addressing some of the increasingly indefensible realities of our societies and economies that this pandemic has uncovered. For example, they must ensure that economic activity is regenerative, rather than destructive, to nature, that businesses reduce their carbon footprint, and that there are sustainable, equitable jobs.</p><p>As the World Economic Forum's recent reports have found, <a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Nature_Economy_Report_2020.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more than half of the world's GDP</a> is highly or moderately dependent on nature, and opting for a nature-positive economy in key sectors could create <a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Future_Of_Nature_And_Business_2020.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">395 million jobs by 2030</a>. We are likely to, therefore, pay a high price in the future for overlooking its importance in decisions made today.</p><p>Similarly, in the <a href="https://www.hacfornatureandpeople.org/" target="_blank">High Ambition Coalition</a>'s <a href="https://www.highambitioncoalition.org/statements/green-recovery-statement-2020" target="_blank"><em>Statement on Resilient Recovery</em></a>, it stressed the importance of aligning <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/coronavirus-tracking-how-the-worlds-green-recovery-plans-aim-to-cut-emissions?utm_campaign=Carbon%20Brief%20Daily%20Briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20newsletter" target="_blank">green measures</a> from stimulus packages with climate ambitions. The UN's 2020 <a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/green-pandemic-recovery-essential-close-climate-action-gap-un-report" target="_blank">Emission Gap Report</a> highlighted that recovery investments in climate action could cut up to 25% off the emissions projected for 2030. Countries need effective policies to <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1079602" target="_blank">support zero-emissions technologies and infrastructure, reduce fossil fuel subsidies, stop new coal plants and promote nature-based solutions</a>.</p>
<p>The pandemic transcended borders in more ways than one. We saw unprecedented levels of international cooperation, with information sharing and the deployment of <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-52431627" target="_blank">healthcare personnel</a> and <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20200410-donating-masks-and-shipping-gear-vietnam-promotes-its-own-coronavirus-diplomacy" target="_blank">equipment</a>. It also taught us that, when we work together, we can enact great change. This needs to be channelled into the fight against nature loss and climate change too.</p><p>COVID-19 offered many the chance to stop and reflect on the sort of world we belong to. If nothing else, the pandemic revealed that our economies are inherently vulnerable to shocks. Images of animals reclaiming once-bustling city streets, and a dip in greenhouse gas emissions were a relief during a time of such angst, but they are exceptions that are likely to be long forgotten unless we work towards a better future. Designing net-zero, nature-positive stimulus packages is key in preventing future outbreaks, improving economic and environmental stability and enabling people to live healthier, more fulfilling lives.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/davos-agenda-environment-net-zero-emissions-nature-positive-recovery/" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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An epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) on a reef in the South Pacific. Auscape / Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The future may be too hot for baby sharks, a study published Tuesday found.
<p><a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans">Oceans</a> are warming as a result of global <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a>, causing harm to aquatic ecosystems across the planet. In response, researchers from Australia's ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University and the University of Massachusetts asked: How will climate change affect species who rely on their environment to regulate their biological processes?</p><p>The researchers chose to study the epaulette shark to better understand how ectotherms, species that match their body temperatures to the environment's, will respond to climate change.</p>
<p>"The epaulette shark is known for its resilience to change, even to ocean acidification," Dr. Jodie Rummer, co-author of the study <a href="https://www.coralcoe.org.au/media-releases/future-too-warm-for-baby-sharks" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told the ARC Centre in a statement</a>.</p><p>Epaulette sharks are only found in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia and are often the subject of climate change studies because they thrive in captivity and are considered of little concern in the wild, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-79953-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the study reported</a>. "So, if this species can't cope with warming waters then how will other, less tolerant species fare?" <a href="https://www.coralcoe.org.au/media-releases/future-too-warm-for-baby-sharks" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rummer asked</a>.</p><p>The scientists examined how 27 epaulette shark embryos grew and developed in average summer temperatures, 27 degrees Celsius, and temperatures predicted for the middle and end of the century, 31 degrees Celsius.</p><p>"The hotter the conditions, the faster everything happened, which could be a problem for the sharks," Carolyn Wheeler, lead author of the study, <a href="https://www.coralcoe.org.au/media-releases/future-too-warm-for-baby-sharks" target="_blank">said</a>.</p>
<p>In hotter temperatures "the creatures hatched earlier, were born smaller, and needed to feed straight away, but lacked energy," <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/12/australia/baby-shark-climate-intl-scli-scn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>, and emerged from their egg cases after 100 days, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/12/baby-sharks-emerge-from-egg-cases-earlier-and-weaker-in-oceans-warmed-by-climate-crisis" target="_blank">The Guardian added</a>. But in the normal temperatures, the sharks emerged from the egg cases after 125 days.</p><p>Sharks could respond to warming temperatures in three likely ways, Rummer said, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/12/baby-sharks-emerge-from-egg-cases-earlier-and-weaker-in-oceans-warmed-by-climate-crisis" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>. The first case is the sharks find colder temperatures, but only if they find the right habitat.</p><p>The second is the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sharks">sharks</a> could genetically adapt to warmer temperatures. But this is improbable because the sharks like the epaulette grow slowly and reproduce at low rates compared to other fishes, the ARC Centre wrote in a <a href="https://www.coralcoe.org.au/media-releases/future-too-warm-for-baby-sharks" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">statement</a>.</p><p>And the last case would be for the sharks to "disappear off the planet," Rummer told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/12/baby-sharks-emerge-from-egg-cases-earlier-and-weaker-in-oceans-warmed-by-climate-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Guardian</a>.</p>
<p>Since 1910, the Great Barrier Reef has warmed by 0.8 degrees Celsius. This warming impacts more than a species' biological processes, according to <a href="https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/our-work/threats-to-the-reef/climate-change/sea-temperature#:~:text=Sea%20surface%20temperatures%20in%20the,Celsius%20in%20the%20same%20period." target="_blank">Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority</a>, impacting a fish's swimming abilities and behavior.</p><p>Why does this matter?</p><p>"When sharks change their behaviour it affects the whole ecosystem," <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-will-sharks-respond-to-climate-change-it-might-depend-on-where-they-grew-up-150460" target="_blank">The Conversation reported</a> in an article that analyzed how the Port Jackson shark, a bullhead shark living in Southern Australia, responds to climate change.</p><p>Generally the top of the food chain, sharks play a critical role in ecosystem management.</p><p>"Port Jackson sharks, for example, are predators of urchins, and urchins feed on kelp forests — a rich habitat for hundreds of marine species. If the number of sharks decline in a region and the number of urchins increase, then it could lead to the loss of kelp forests," <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-will-sharks-respond-to-climate-change-it-might-depend-on-where-they-grew-up-150460" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Conversation reported</a>.</p><p>Similarly, "Sharks are important as predators because they take out the weak and injured and keep the integrity of the population strong," Rummer told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/12/baby-sharks-emerge-from-egg-cases-earlier-and-weaker-in-oceans-warmed-by-climate-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Guardian</a>.</p>
<p>The future of healthy ecosystems for baby sharks and other marine species seems grim. So what can be done?</p><p>Research on how individual species are impacted by climate change is a step in the right direction, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-will-sharks-respond-to-climate-change-it-might-depend-on-where-they-grew-up-150460" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> wrote, which can determine unknown resilience within species and highlight new populations at great risk.</p><p>Emphasizing "the importance of curbing our reliance on fossil fuels because climate change is affecting even the toughest little sharks," should come next, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/12/baby-sharks-emerge-from-egg-cases-earlier-and-weaker-in-oceans-warmed-by-climate-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rummer remarked</a>. "Our future ecosystems depend us taking urgent action to limit climate change," <a href="https://www.coralcoe.org.au/media-releases/future-too-warm-for-baby-sharks" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">she added</a>.</p>
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Many insect populations are dropping about one to two percent a year. Raung Binaia / Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
A collection of new scientific papers authored by 56 experts from around the world reiterates rising concerns about bug declines and urges people and governments to take urgent action to address a biodiversity crisis dubbed the "insect apocalypse."
<p>"The Global Decline of Insects in the Anthropocene Special Feature," which includes an introduction and 11 papers, was <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2" target="_blank">published</a> Monday in <em>Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences </em>alongside a related <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2018499117?cct=1971&utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term=&utm_content=d49b5d78-dfea-425d-8d99-f95f495689b0&utm_campaign=General" target="_blank">news article</a>. "Nature is under siege," the scientists warn. "Insects are suffering from 'death by a thousand cuts.'"</p><p>The set of studies—resulting from a symposium in St. Louis—comes as the body of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/10/31/scientists-demand-paradigm-shift-after-study-shows-frightening-decline-insects-and" target="_blank">research</a> on insect declines has grown in recent years, leading to major assessments published in <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/02/11/scientists-warn-crashing-insect-population-puts-planets-ecosystems-and-survival" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">February 2019</a> and <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/04/24/silent-spring-already-here-global-study-shows-nearly-25-drop-insect-population-over" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">April 2020</a>, as well as a roadmap released last January by 73 scientists detailing how to battle the "<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/10/16/one-most-disturbing-articles-i-have-ever-read-scientist-says-study-detailing-climate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bugpocalypse</a>."</p><p>As the new package and below graphic explain, human stressors that experts have tied to bug declines include agricultural practices; chemical, light, and sound pollution; invasive species; land-use changes; nitrification; pesticides; and urbanization.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ0Nzg4MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MjU4Mzc1M30.SfW19m8NIPrOnLJMrfeow-Dc0Gg5HCtOJomKNKQTcus/img.jpg?width=980" id="9d15c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="79a38f28357675d0e52174af52405a53" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1024" data-height="1200" />
<p>Emphasizing the consequences of such declines, University of Connecticut entomologist David Wagner, the package's lead author, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-climate-change-insects-light-pollution-invasive-species-99f9dc72a8d805b971ec6d8119b61191" target="_blank">told</a> the<em> Associated Press</em> that insects "are absolutely the fabric by which Mother Nature and the tree of life are built."</p><p>According to Wagner, many insect populations are dropping about 1-2% per year. As he <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/11/insect-populations-suffering-death-1000-cuts-scientists" target="_blank">put it</a> to <em>The Guardian</em>: "You're losing 10-20% of your animals over a single decade and that is just absolutely frightening. You're tearing apart the tapestry of life."</p><p>While most causes of declines are well known, "there's one really big unknown and that's climate change—that's the one that really scares me the most," he said, warning the crisis could be causing "extinctions at a rate that we haven't seen before."</p>
<div id="67670" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2add96a1182c6b83fbefa0277f400e7a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1348728501617242113" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Insect populations suffering death by 1,000 cuts, say scientists
- ‘Frightening’ global decline is ‘tearing apar… https://t.co/iyKLoyUz4i</div> — Damian Carrington (@Damian Carrington)<a href="https://twitter.com/dpcarrington/statuses/1348728501617242113">1610396907.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Roel van Klink of the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research told <em>The Guardian</em> that "the most important thing we learn [from these new studies] is the complexity behind insect declines. No single quick fix is going to solve this problem."</p><p>"There are certainly places where insect abundances are dropping strongly, but not everywhere," he said. "This is a reason for hope, because it can help us understand what we can do to help them. They can bounce back really fast when the conditions improve."</p><p>The package's introduction points out that while much recent research and resulting news coverage focused on drops in bug populations, "four papers in this special issue note instances of insect lineages that have not changed or have increased in abundance."</p><p>"Many moth species in Great Britain have demonstrably expanded in range or population size," the paper notes. "Numerous temperate insects, presumably limited by winter temperatures, have increased in abundance and range, in response to warmer global temperatures."</p><p>Pollinators such as the western honey bee in North America, "may well thrive due to their associations with humans," the introduction adds. "Increasing abundances of freshwater insects have been attributed to clean water legislation, in both Europe and North America."</p>
<div id="ae8c1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bd3851a49d82d28477ad5b58cb639d29"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1348963720907681792" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">As @dharnanoor points out in this article, too many bugs (thanks to #climatechange) can be a problem too--natural s… https://t.co/5ZNDwWhX80</div> — erin sikorsky (@erin sikorsky)<a href="https://twitter.com/ErinSikorsky/statuses/1348963720907681792">1610452988.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>In addition to the introduction, titled "<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2023989118#sec-1" target="_blank">Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts</a>," the package includes seven perspectives:</p><ul><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002548117" target="_blank">Agricultural intensification and climate change are rapidly decreasing insect biodiversity</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002546117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">To us insectometers, it is clear that insect decline in our Costa Rican tropics is real, so let's be kind to the survivors</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002543117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Insects and recent climate change</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002551117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The decline of butterflies in Europe: Problems, significance, and possible solutions</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002549117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A window to the world of global insect declines: Moth biodiversity trends are complex and heterogeneous</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002545117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deep learning and computer vision will transform entomology</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002552117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">No buzz for bees: Media coverage of pollinator decline</a>"</li></ul><p>The body of work also includes three separate research articles:</p><ul><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002556117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arthropods are not declining but are responsive to disturbance in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002554117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Insect biomass decline scaled to species diversity: General patterns derived from a hoverfly community</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002557117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nonlinear trends in abundance and diversity and complex responses to climate change in Arctic arthropods</a>"</li></ul>
<p>The final piece is an opinion laying out "<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002547117" target="_blank">eight simple actions that individuals can take to save insects from global declines</a>," which features five actions to create "more and better insect-friendly habitats, the loss of which is likely a leading cause of insect declines," and three that aim to adjust public attitudes.</p><p>As Dharna Noor <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/12-new-studies-show-how-close-insects-are-to-extinction-1846035863" target="_blank">wrote</a> in her coverage for <em>Earther</em>: "I do not like bugs. Creepy, many-legged things make my skin crawl. But as unpleasant as they are, insects are absolutely crucial for our world's ecosystems to function, and sadly, new research shows that the creatures populations are on the verge of collapse."</p><p>To boost awareness and appreciation of insects, the scientists suggest countering negative perceptions, pushing for conservation efforts, and getting involved in local political advocacy. On the habitat improvement front, they recommend converting lawns into diverse natural habitats, growing native plants, cutting pesticide use, limiting light pollution, and lessening soap runoff from washing vehicles and building exteriors as well as the use of driveway sealants and de-icing salts.</p><p>"Avoiding some behaviors or adopting others will contribute both directly and indirectly to insect conservation," the scientists note. "Further, taking actions that address issues such as climate change can synergistically promote insect diversity. Climate change is increasingly recognized as a primary factor driving local and regional plant and animal extinctions."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/12/nature-under-siege-scientists-sound-alarm-about-insect-apocalypse" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A pika in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. Ed Reschke / Stone / Getty Images
By Andrew Smith
Climate change is harming many special places and iconic species around our planet, from Glacier National Park's disappearing glaciers to California redwoods scorched by wildfires. But for the animal I study, the American pika (Ochotona princeps), there's actually some good news: It's not as threatened by climate change as many studies have warned.
<p>I have <a href="https://isearch.asu.edu/profile/9963" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">studied pikas</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/pika" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">small cousins of rabbits</a>, for over 50 years and never tire of watching them. These tailless, egg-shaped balls of fluff live primarily in cool mountainous environments in piles of broken rock, called talus.</p><p>During summer, observers can see pikas industriously gathering caches of grass and leaves into haypiles that will serve as their food supply through the winter. Their light brown coats blend well with their surroundings, so they are easiest to spot when they perch on prominent rocks and call to alert other pikas of their presence.</p>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/147811494" width="100%" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="908ba15c35ec026c2335f716f20f9c5a"></iframe>
<p>When fellow hikers see me observing pikas in California's Sierra Nevada, they often tell me they have read that these animals are going extinct. I have collected a stack of <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/american-pika-protection-climate-change_n_580f2f63e4b0a03911ee8c9e?guccounter=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">press releases that say exactly that</a>. But based on my recent research and a comprehensive review of over 100 peer-reviewed studies, I believe that this interpretation is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyaa110" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">misleading</a>.</p>
<h2>Constrained by Climate</h2><p>As I showed in my early research, pikas' biology suggests that they are likely to be affected by a warming climate. Most important, their normal body temperature is high, and this puts them <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/1935464" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">at risk of overheating when active in warm environments</a>. When temperatures are warm, pikas retreat into the much cooler depths of their talus habitat.</p><p>Temperature also plays a role in pikas' <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/1940361" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ability to move from place to place</a>. Warm weather inhibits their movements, while cooler temperatures allow them to more freely colonize new habitats.</p><p>A little ancient history is instructive here. Pikas originally came to North America from Asia and spread across the continent some five million years ago, during colder times. Their remains have been found in caves in the Appalachian Mountains and in the Mojave Desert – sites where pikas no longer live.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTI2OTEwOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MzE0MTEyNH0.Zlvmgr7fSH0V-47Y3lHiD1ygJACN_F-9_CJcTVNl_wY/img.jpg?width=980" id="e0694" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e670a2aadbcf0a478ffe6022abf5d6e3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="1200" />
American pikas live mainly in alpine and subalpine mountain areas extending south from central British Columbia and Alberta into the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico and the Sierra Nevada of California. Andrew Smith, CC BY-ND
<p>As the world's climate warmed, pika populations retreated to the high mountains of the western U.S. and Canada. Today they occupy most of the available talus habitat in these areas – evidence that challenges the pikas-on-the-brink narrative.</p><p>For example, in recent surveys, pikas were found at 98% of 109 suitable sites in Colorado, and at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1657/1938-4246-42.1.76" target="_blank">98% of 329 sites in the central Sierra Nevada</a>. One study of historic pika sites across California's Lassen, Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks found no evidence that pikas were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1857" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">moving to new sites or higher altitudes due to climate change</a>.</p>
<h2>Pikas in Warm Environments</h2><p>In contrast, most sites where researchers believe that pikas have disappeared are small, isolated and often compromised by human activities, such as grazing by livestock. These sites generally are lower and warmer than sites in pikas' core range.</p><p>Many of these areas are in the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/grba/planyourvisit/the-great-basin.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Basin</a> – a large desert region spanning most of Nevada and parts of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon and California. A series of studies on a small number of marginal Great Basin sites formerly occupied by pikas has disproportionately contributed to the narrative that pikas are likely to become endangered.</p><p>To <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2018.1436296" target="_blank">investigate the big picture</a> across this region, I worked with state and federal officials on a 2017 study that identified 3,250 site records of pika habitat. Pikas were present at 2,378 sites, not found at 89 sites where they had been seen as recently as 2005, and absent from 774 sites that contained only old signs of pika occupancy.</p><p>The extirpated and old sites had the same temperature and precipitation ranges as sites where pikas still were present. This suggests that non-climatic factors may have caused pikas' disappearance from the vacant sites.</p>
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Pikas have disappeared from some parts of the Great Basin, but climate change may not have been the cause. Kmusser / Wikipedia, CC BY-S
<p>Pikas are still present in other remarkably hot places, such as the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyv040" target="_blank">ghost town of Bodie, California</a>, the nearby <a href="https://doi.org/10.3398/064.076.0408" target="_blank">Mono Craters</a> and Idaho's <a href="https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol80/iss1/6" target="_blank">Craters of the Moon National Monument</a>. At these sites, pikas retreat into the cool nooks of their talus habitat during the warmest part of the day and often forage at night.</p><p>In my research, I also found that pikas were much less active and uttered far fewer calls at these low-altitude sites compared with high-elevation pika populations. At low-elevation sites, pikas consumed a diverse diet of Great Basin plants, such as big sagebrush and bitterbrush, that was markedly different from the plants they ate at high-elevation sites. Some even failed to construct their characteristic large haypiles.</p><p>Another atypical pika population lives near sea level in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge. Here, too, they have adapted well to a very different habitat, surviving year-round on a diet that consists mainly of moss. They defend the smallest territories of any pika, and when it gets hot, they simply move off the talus and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2016.01.009" target="_blank">hang out in the shade of the nearby forest</a>.</p>
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<h2>A Future for Pikas</h2><p>Based on my review of dozens of studies, pika populations appear to be secure in their core range – the mountains of western North America that have large and fairly well-connected talus habitat. In these areas they can move from one habitat patch to another without having to pass through areas that are dangerously warm for them.</p><p>The fact that pikas have also adapted to a number of marginal, hot environments suggests to me that they are more resilient to climate change than many past studies have concluded. Most species exhibit losses near the edges of their geographical ranges, simply because individual animals in those zones are living in conditions that are less than ideal for them. This does not mean that they are going extinct.</p><p>Climate change is the most critical issue facing the world today, so it is particularly important that scientists communicate accurately about it to the public. In my view, the fact that pikas are coping and altering their behaviors in response to changing conditions is encouraging news for future naturalists setting out to observe one of nature's most charismatic mammals.</p>
<p>
<em>Andrew Smith is a professor emeritus of life sciences at Arizona State University.</em><br/>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: Andrew Smith does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond his academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/pikas-are-adapting-to-climate-change-remarkably-well-contrary-to-many-predictions-150726" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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A crocodile jumps in the Adelaide River, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. "Amateur photographer'"/ Moment / Getty Images
By Max Stockdale
One of the most enduring tropes about crocodiles is to describe them as "living fossils." They are cold, slow moving and scaly, so they look like how one might picture a dinosaur. Like many clichés, there is an element of truth to this comparison. The crocodiles from 200 million years ago look surprisingly like the ones we know today.
<p>But why have the modern crocodilians, including crocodiles, alligators and caimans, changed so little over such an immense span of time? <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-020-01561-5" target="_blank">In new research</a>, published today, we have attempted to answer this question using advanced evolutionary modeling.</p><p>Relatives of crocodiles have been around for an extraordinary length of time, their <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1671/0272-4634%282002%29022%5B0593%3ACVANCF%5D2.0.CO%3B2" target="_blank">fossil remains</a> having been found in rocks from the early Jurassic period, around 200 million years old. Stranger still, these crocodiles from the age of the dinosaurs often look surprisingly like the crocodilians of today. All modern forms have long snouts, powerful tails, armoured skins and a sprawling gait, and many fossil forms are extremely similar.</p>
<p>This lack of change over such a long time is highly unusual, especially considering the immense diversity of modern animals that has accumulated in a much shorter time interval.<br></p><p>For example, the true birds first appear in the fossil record <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00114-003-0416-5" target="_blank">many millions of years after</a> the first crocodiles, yet today they number around <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-019-1078-9" target="_blank">10,000 species</a>, ranging from hummingbirds to ostriches. The crocodilians have <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/pala.12419" target="_blank">only 25 species</a>, and besides some variation in the shape of their skull they all look fairly similar.<br><br>However, this lack of modern diversity is deceptive, and there are many more exotic and unfamiliar crocodilian relatives known in the fossil record. This has included <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-71975-y" target="_blank">fast runners</a>, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-abstract/189/2/483/5588829" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ocean-going swimmers</a>, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1671/039.029.0409" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">burrowers</a>, <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2005.3426" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bipeds</a> and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.532674" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">herbivores</a>.</p>
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The Philippine crocodile is one of 24 species of crocodilian alive today. Wikimedia, CC BY 3.0
<p>We developed an evolutionary model for our analysis by comparing body size data from crocodile fossils. This data, combined with the evolutionary relationships between each species, enabled us to calculate the trajectory of body size evolution through time. We could then calibrate this trajectory with the dates of the fossils, giving us a measure of body size change per unit time – their evolutionary rate.<br></p><p>These calculations yielded a measure of evolutionary rate for each species in our study, and the distribution of these rates revealed a new insight into how the crocodiles evolved. The majority of the species we looked at were only evolving very slowly, with a handful of species evolving more quickly. The more rapidly evolving species didn't appear independently, instead tending to emerge together when the climate was warmer.<br></p>
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Unfamiliar crocodiles from prehistory. Author provided
<h2>Stop-Start Evolution</h2><p>This pattern of low evolutionary rates interrupted by occasional bursts of activity is known as "punctuated equilibrium." This is what we would expect to see in cases where evolution is being driven by external factors like mass extinctions or climate change, rather than intrinsic forces like sexual selection or the arms race between predators and prey. Punctuated equilibrium means that organisms will find an optimum state and remain in that state, until the environment forces them to adapt to new conditions. This results in a stop-start pattern.</p><p>It is not clear why some animals follow this model of punctuated equilibrium and others do not. There might be a few different factors at play. Modern crocodilians are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2020.08.003" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">not able to control their body temperature</a>, so they may be more sensitive to changes in the climate than perhaps a mammal or a bird would be.</p><p>Conversely, modern crocodilians are <a href="https://www.rswa.org.au/publications/Journal/94(2)/Semeniuketal.pp.407-416.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">able to survive without eating</a> for very long periods, making them more resilient in times of hardship. This punctuated equilibrium model is certainly not peculiar to crocodiles, and a promising avenue of research would be to try and detect it in other groups of similar antiquity, such as turtles.</p>
<p>Our research strongly suggests crocodilians have remained unchanged for such a very long time because they have landed upon an equilibrium state that does not require them to change often. When crocodilian evolution does happen at pace, it is likely that this is because the environment has changed and has forced them to adapt. This may also explain why the crocodilians' more unusual kin became extinct.</p><p>Temperature does seem to have been important, but there is plenty of scope for other environmental factors to have played a role. The next step for us will be to examine how rates of body size evolution interact with variables other than temperature, like rainfall or sea level. We would also like to find out if characteristics other than body size follow this same pattern of punctuated equilibrium, for example skull shape.</p>
<p>
<em>Max Stockdale is a teaching associate in vertebrate macroevolution and palaeoecology at the University of Bristol.</em><br/>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: Max Stockdale receives funding from the Natural Environment Research Council.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/crocodiles-today-look-the-same-as-they-did-200-million-years-ago-our-study-explains-why-152635" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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Fires, deforestation, logging and mining threaten the integrity of the Amazon rainforest. Ria Sopala / Pixabay
The future of the world's largest rainforest looks bleak. A new report for Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development concluded that the Amazon rainforest will collapse and largely become a dry, shrubby plain by 2064. Development, deforestation and the climate crisis are to blame, study author and University of Florida geologist Robert Toovey Walker found, UPI reported.
<p>Walker reviewed recent research, offering that heavy development in Amazonian nations depleted the forest and threatens to push it over the edge towards destruction.</p><p>By nature of being a rainforest, the canopy creates its own precipitation. The local environment and inhabitants rely on the freshwater created therein for survival. The ecosystem can recover from smaller, periodic droughts but longer and more severe events are already diminishing the forest's long-term resilience, <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/amazon-rainforest-will-be-decimated-by-2064-professor-claims" target="_blank">Interesting Engineering</a> reported.</p>
<p>Longer dry seasons, which the rainforest is already experiencing and which are exacerbated by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation" target="_self">deforestation</a> and the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>, prevent rainforest canopies from recovering from fires. Flammable grasses and shrubs "permanently invade" and take over the landscape; the tropical rainforest dries out and transforms into a tropical savanna, the study found.</p><p>"A forest cannot survive if its canopy needs more than 4 years to recover from a yearly [drought] event," Walker wrote in the report. "Southern Amazonia can expect to reach a tipping point sometime before 2064 at the current rate of dry-season lengthening."</p>
<p>Earlier this year, a different study found that the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/amazon-ecosystem-collapse-2645458118.html" target="_self">Amazon ecosystem could collapse in less than 50 years</a> with deforestation being the primary culprit. According to UPI, Walker's latest review shaved five years off from that estimate and gave the most specific date of ecosystem demise ever provided, citing the same reason.</p><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/amazon-rainforest-fire-brazil-2646869688.html" target="_self">Fire</a>, deforestation and logging are leading causes of tree loss. Industrial-scale cattle ranching and soybean production, in particular, drive the latter. Additionally, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/amazon-brazil-gold-mining-2645732733.html" target="_self">illegal gold mining is laying the forest bare and polluting rivers</a>.</p>
<p><br>Brazil's President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/jair-bolsonaro" target="_self">Jair Bolsonaro</a> has been criticized for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/brazil-bolsonaro-bill-open-indigenous-land-2645088985.html" target="_self">opening the forest to exploitation</a> and inciting forest destruction. Under Bolsonaro, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/amazon-deforestation-bolsonaro-2649115946.html" target="_self">Amazon deforestation skyrocketed to a 12-year high</a>, and activists warned that he <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/brazil-amazon-deforestation-coronavirus-2645950493.html" target="_self">used the pandemic as a smokescreen</a> to undermine protections for the rainforest. Walker criticized Bolsonaro's administration for "appear[ing] intent on scrapping all remaining restraints on the unfettered exploitation of Amazonia's natural resources."</p><p>Walker also estimated that the Amazon has shrunk by about 20% since intense development began and that the dry season has already lengthened in the south by an additional 6.5 days per decade, UPI reported.</p>
<p>The study's models predict that once deforestation reaches 30-50% in southern Amazonia, rainfall in the west will decrease by up to 40%, cementing the deterioration in that environment from lush, tropical forest to arid, open savanna, <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/new-report-predicts-southern-amazon-rainforest-is-heading-for-collapse-by-2064" target="_blank">Science Alert</a> reported.</p><p>"The best way to think of the forest ecosystem is that it's a pump," Walker told UPI. "The forest recycles moisture, which supports regional rainfall. If you continue to destroy the forest, the rainfall amount drops... and eventually, you wreck the pump."</p><p>As the forest transforms into a grassland, all the benefits of the massive ecosystem will also disappear and a "multidimensional catastrophe" will ensue, Walker wrote in the study.</p>
<p>Primarily, water security will evaporate for over 35 million people living in the region, Science Alert continued. The entire continent's dependency upon Amazonia for freshwater "means that the magnitude of the catastrophe will be worse than heretofore imagined," Walker noted in the study.</p><p>Additionally, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/brazil-amazon-wildlife-criminal-networks-2646841421.html" target="_self">many plants and animals in the biodiverse ecosystem will be driven to extinction</a>. Among those could lie new medical discoveries and foods, UPI noted. Timber and other precious resources will also disappear.</p><p>Finally and perhaps most alarmingly, according to Science Alert, the forest could lose its ability to store the world's excess carbon which helps to regulate the climate and planetary temperature. In fact, some predict the world's largest forest will flip from a sink to a source around 2035, the report said.</p><p>Walker concluded that it was "doubtful" that the Amazon forest could remain resilient into the future given the layers of threats facing it.</p>
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Cloud of Flying-foxes in riparian monsoon forest on escarpment of central range. Broadmere Station, western Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory, Australia. Auscape / Universal Images Group / Getty Images
By Georgina Kenyon
Earlier this year, the term "bat tornado" started appearing in the Australian and international media. It all started with a BBC report from the town of Ingham in the northeastern state of Queensland, where the population of flying fox bats had apparently "exploded" over the last two years, leaving residents fed up with their noise and smell.
<p>And Ingham residents are not the only ones. Complaints are also coming from other Australian towns that have long played host to large <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/convincing-australians-that-bats-arent-so-bad/a-18525040" target="_blank">flying fox</a> "camps." </p><p>"It looks like a thunderstorm is coming when they fly over, thousands of these winged <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/fruit-bats-on-the-move/a-37295373" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flying foxes</a> arriving at dusk, just one after the other," said Justine Taylor, a retail worker who lives near the town of Grafton, New South Wales, which can host more than 100,000 flying foxes at a time. </p>
<p>The sound can be overwhelming. As can the stench from their urine. And flying foxes can also carry the rabies-like Australian bat lyssavirus, and Hendra virus.</p><p>The Australian Department of Health insists there is negligible health risk to humans from any bat. But the idea that they are carriers of disease hasn't helped their image. </p><p>"I used to dread them, hoping they would roost in someone else's garden," said Taylor. "They'd screech and chatter, you just couldn't sleep. Even in the day, if you were by the river, you'd hear them." </p>
Travelers in Search of Wood and Water
<p>The Australian mainland has four species of flying fox — also known as <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/zambia-incredible-flight-of-the-fruit-bats/a-36825859" target="_blank">fruit bats</a> — two of which are listed as nationally protected species. Some can reach a wingspan of 1.5 meters.</p><p>Flying fox camps have been likened to railway stations, where crowds of the animals come and go each day. They may travel up to 50 kilometers (30 miles) in a single night, and 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) seasonally, depending on food availability. </p><p>They also need a good source of water, drinking small amounts frequently to stay hydrated without weighing themselves down in flight. Susan Island, located in the middle of the Clarence River that runs through the city of Grafton, has become an ideal congregation spot. </p><p>But climate change and deforestation are making their movements less predictable. As their habitat is lost or water sources dry up, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/australia-heat-wave-brain-frying-bats/a-42078045" target="_blank">they seek refuge</a> in urban or suburban areas. "They're being forced into areas they would not normally be," said Tim Pearson, an ecologist and chair of the NGO Sydney Bats. </p><p>And while some Australian towns may be seeing an influx of flying foxes, nationally, their numbers have dropped significantly. </p>Perishing in the Heat
<p>Extreme temperatures over recent years have wiped out thousands — sometimes even tens of thousands — of animals at a time, with media reports showing heaps of corpses where they have fallen from trees suffering extreme heat stress.</p><p>Australia experienced the hottest November on record this year, with temperatures reaching the mid-40 degrees Celsius in some regions.</p><p>And bats are more exposed to heat in towns and suburbs where they don't have the protection of thick forest. </p><p>"This latest catastrophe to befall some of Australia's largest bat species is a symptom of a much larger problem — Australia's deforestation crisis," said Matt Brennan, head of Tasmania-based Wilderness Society. "Eastern Australia is now a designated global deforestation hotspot, alongside places like the Amazon, the Congo and Borneo." </p>Extending a Helping Hand
<p>Some towns are trying to help them. Yarra City council in Melbourne has installed sprinkler systems where flying foxes come to breed in huge colonies on the Yarra River, to try and keep them cool. </p><p>And along the Parramatta River in Sydney, the New South Wales state government has helped fund a project to plant trees to provide the bats with more habitat and shade.</p><p>However, these well-intentioned interventions don't always hit the mark. Pearson says sprinklers can startle heat-exhausted animals, increasing their stress levels. And ultimately, making urban environments more hospitable to bats is no substitute for preserving the forests where they are naturally at home.</p><p>"You can plant trees to give the flying foxes more habitat, but the real problem is climate change and ongoing deforestation," said Pearson. </p>Bats Need Forests, and Forests Need Bats
<p>While flying foxes suffer from loss of trees, loss of fruit bats is, in turn, bad news for trees. As flying foxes pop their heads into flowers to feed on nectar, or consume fruit and excrete the seeds, they help eucalypts, melaleucas, banksias and many species of rainforest trees and vines, to reproduce.</p><p>Pearson warns that if we don't address climate change and halt deforestation, Australia's flying fox numbers will fall so low within the next few decades, they will no longer be able perform this vital role.</p><p>"I think they will survive in some pockets along the coast where there is food and water," he said, "but they will not be acting as the pollinators and seed dispersers that are so necessary for our forests to survive." </p>Learning to Love Our Winged Neighbors
<p>Pearson is among the flying fox's fiercest defenders. He's studying their vocalizations and says the din their human neighbors complain about is actually the highly developed communication of an intelligent and intensely social species. </p><p>He wants the public to stop seeing them as disease-carrying invaders and start appreciating fruit bats for the extraordinary animals they are: "It's through educating people, raising awareness about how important these flying foxes are for ecosystem health that we may be able to save them."</p><p>In Grafton, spectators now sometimes gather to watch them on their nightly search for food. </p><p>"When I realized people were coming from around Australia just to see the bats here out of curiosity, I started to find out more about them, appreciate them," said Taylor. "People actually row out to the island to see them!" </p><p>"I guess the bats are kind of funky," she admits.</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/flying-foxes-australias-love-hate-relationship-with-fruit-bats/a-55949095" target="_blank">Deutsche Welle</a>.</em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2649780401#/" target="_self"></a></p>From Your Site Articles
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A baby Sumatran rhino. Rhett A. Butler / Mongabay
By Malavika Vyawahare
Humans are driving species to extinction 1,000 times faster than what is considered natural. Now, new research underscores the extent of the planet's impoverishment.
<p>Extinctions don't just rob the planet of species but also of functional and phylogenetic diversity, the authors of a paper<em> </em><u><a href="https://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1921849118" target="_blank">published</a></u> in the <em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</em> argue. "They are much newer ideas than species richness, so not as much exploration has been done about patterns of decline in these two metrics, particularly globally," said Jedediah Brodie, first author of the study and conservation biologist at the University of Montana.</p><p>For example, rhinos loom large in public imagination but are, in fact, marching into oblivion. The Bornean rhinoceros (<em>Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni</em>), a subspecies of the Sumatran rhinoceros, has <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/11/malaysias-last-sumatran-rhino-dies-leaving-indonesia-as-the-final-refuge/" target="_blank">gone extinct</a> in Malaysia. "It is such a tragedy because it's an iconic and culturally important species," Brodie said, "but also because they are super important both functionally and phylogenetically."</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTI2MTk0My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MzY0NTc0MX0.qiQst_7HsVMVBDKuzWiV6fj47nzqJaiDVadD5ueGXog/img.jpg?width=980" id="c99af" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a44198ac04d55665e5bf8ea7c8bccea0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="800" />
A baby African elephant at Kruger National Park. Rhett A. Butler
<p>Harvesting animals for subsistence or sale is the greatest threat to land-dwelling mammals, the new study found. About 15% of people in the world depend on wild animals, particularly vertebrates, for food. But hunting, illegal and legal, also feeds the global supply chain for wildlife and wildlife parts.</p><p>Rhino populations plummeted in the second half of the 20th century; they are heavily poached for their horns, and their ranges have shrunk dramatically over the decades. Of the five existing rhino species, three are critically <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species">endangered</a>.</p><p>The study focused on terrestrial mammals, one of the most extensively studied groups. They used the IUCN Red List, the most widely cited and comprehensive compilation of endangered species and the threats they face.</p><p>By removing animals from their habitats, humans also remove them from ecosystems in which they evolved and play critical roles. To gauge the consequences is not a simple calculus.</p><p>"Say there are twenty species of grazing animals and only two species of seed-eating animals. If two species of the grazers go extinct, that doesn't have that much impact on the functional diversity because there are still eighteen grazers left," Brodie said. "But if the two species of seed-eating animals go extinct, it has a huge impact on functional diversity because all of a sudden you've lost this entire ecological function."</p><p>In both cases, Brodie said, the species richness would decrease by two, but the effects would be very different.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTI2MTk0NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MDQ1ODU3M30.gCb7rq19DrDh5HnMQWy_7Us4VRf6kFPkban7J-xWpkw/img.jpg?width=980" id="727b3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fb4e5de4d7061bab9d282e491c816047" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="768" data-height="496" />
A Bornean rhino. Jeremy Hance and Tiffany Roufs / Mongabay
<p>Despite their fearsome reputation and bulk, rhinos, some of which can weigh as much as two cars, are herbivores. Bornean rhinos are one of the few large-bodied frugivores and herbivores on Borneo, an island shared between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. It is also home to another herbivore, the island's famous pygmy elephants. However, rhinos eat different plants than the elephants, so losing them would alter plant seed dispersal and plant evolution.</p><p>The research shows that extinctions driven by human activities lead to a more significant decline in functional diversity than if species were randomly going extinct.</p><p>"Some species groups are very vulnerable. Be an antelope, and people want to eat you. Be a parrot, and people want you as a pet. Live only on Cuba — as a subfamily of mammals does — and you're in trouble," said Stuart Leonard Pimm, an ecologist and leading authority on the extinction crisis, who was not involved in the recent study. "This leads to a disproportionate loss of ecological function as human actions drive species to extinction."</p>
<p>The disappearance of species doesn't just wipe away entire ecological functions. It also leads to the irredeemable loss of evolutionary history. Millions of years of evolution are encoded into species that coexist with humans today; to lose them is to lose that biological heritage.</p><p>The disappearance of the remaining five rhino species would sever an entire evolutionary lineage, the <em>Rhinocerotidae</em> family that arose about 40 million years ago, from the tree of life.</p><p>"They are the last remnants of what was a hugely diverse and amazing family found all across the world in the not too distant past," Brodie said of <em>Rhinocerotidae</em>, <a href="https://research.amnh.org/paleontology/perissodactyl/evolution/groups/rhinocerotidae" target="_blank">which counts more than 40 extinct</a> species.</p><p>But conservationists warn that it is not just wholesale extinctions that we should be worried about, but also disappearing populations — what Brodie and his co-authors call "biotic annihilation." Only one in every 10 dramatic declines in populations results in extinctions, but those losses have repercussions for ecosystems which experience them.</p><p>"Species extinction is an endpoint, and it's a really, really, bad endpoint. Before that happens, species will start to go extinct in individual countries first," Brodie said. "The focus on population decline is really important because it's in some ways a better illustrator of the magnitude of the extinction crisis."</p>
<p>Their research maps out the relationship between species richness and functional and phylogenetic loss for individual countries to aid national-level policymaking.</p><p>The work shows that habitat destruction results in more functional diversity loss in Indonesia, Argentina and Venezuela. "This suggests that instead of focusing on harvest management and human diets, conservation actions in these areas might be better directed toward protected areas and land use policy to best conserve this component of biodiversity," the researchers write.</p><p>The study also found that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a> is emerging as a major driver of biodiversity loss. What remains to be seen is how these relationships pan out for other animal groups, like reptiles, amphibians and birds.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/01/study-warns-of-biotic-annihilation-driven-by-hunting-habitat-destruction/" target="_blank">Mongabay</a></em><em>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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The red handfish, a relative of the extinct smooth handfish. Thor Carter / CSIRO Marine Research / CC BY 3.0
By John R. Platt
A few months ago a group of scientists warned about the rise of "extinction denial," an effort much like climate denial to mischaracterize the extinction crisis and suggest that human activity isn't really having a damaging effect on ecosystems and the whole planet.
<p>That damaging effect is, in reality, impossible to deny.</p><p>This past year scientists and conservation organizations declared that a long list of species may have gone extinct, including dozens of frogs, orchids and fish. Most of these species haven't been seen in decades, despite frequent and regular expeditions to find out if they still exist. The causes of these extinctions range from diseases to invasive species to habitat loss, but most boil down to human behavior.</p><p>Of course, proving a negative is always hard, and scientists are <a href="https://therevelator.org/extinction-time/" target="_blank">often cautious about declaring species truly lost</a>. Do it too soon, they warn, and the last conservation efforts necessary to save a species could evaporate, a problem known as the Romeo and Juliet Effect. Because of that, and because many of these species live in hard-to-survey regions, many of the announcements this past year declared species <em>possibly</em> or <em>probably</em> lost, a sign that hope springs eternal.</p>
<p>And there's reason for that hope: When we devote energy and resources to saving species, it often works. A study published in 2019 found that conservation efforts have <a href="https://www.birdlife.org/worldwide/news/new-study-conservation-action-has-reduced-bird-extinction-rates-40" target="_blank">reduced bird extinction rates by 40%</a>. Another recent paper found that conservation actions have <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.12762" target="_blank">prevented dozens of bird and mammal extinctions</a> over just the past few decades. The new paper warns that many of the species remain critically endangered, or could still go extinct, but we can at least stop the bleeding.</p><p>And sometimes we can do better than that. This year the IUCN — the organization that tracks the extinction risk of species around the world — <a href="https://www.iucn.org/news/species/202012/european-bison-recovering-31-species-declared-extinct-iucn-red-list" target="_blank">announced</a> several conservation victories, including the previously critically endangered Oaxaca treefrog (<em>Sarcohyla celata</em>), which is now considered "near threatened" due to protective actions taken by the people who live near it.</p><p>"We can turn things around. We don't just have to sit there and cry," says conservation scientist Stuart Pimm, founder of the organization Saving Nature.</p><p>But at the same time, we need to recognize what we've lost, or potentially lost. We can mourn them and vow to prevent as many others as possible from joining their ranks.</p><p>With that in mind, here are the species that scientists and the conservation community declared lost in 2020, culled from media reports, scientific papers, the IUCN Red List and my own reporting.</p>
<p><strong></strong><a href="https://therevelator.org/orchids-extinct-bangladesh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>32 orchid species in Bangladesh</strong></a> — One of the first papers of 2020 to report any extinctions announced the probable loss of 17% of Bangladesh's 187 known orchid species. Some of these still exist in other countries, but even regional extinctions (or extirpations, as they're called) tell us that we've taken a toll on our ecological habitats. A similar paper published just days later suggested that <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/inferring-the-extinction-of-species-known-only-from-a-single-specimen/446C333A40039167E16065F2A12E8B37" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">nine more orchid species from Madagascar</a> may have also gone extinct.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTI2MTAxMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2ODgxNzQyMn0.tJZLpHZcVYq6Z9KtR08RWSxtsr-gkFp-vnF4qg5k0z4/img.jpg?width=980" id="2862b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ef8218d21aad0543b43a1bea3a5d0536" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1024" data-height="576" />
19th-century drawings of orchid species recently declared extinct in Bangladesh.
<p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/123423283/123424374" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Smooth handfish (<em>Sympterichthys unipennis</em>)</a></strong><strong> </strong>— One of the few extinctions of 2020 that received much <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/smooth-handfish-extinction-marks-a-sad-milestone/" target="_blank">media attention</a>, and it's easy to see why. Handfish are an unusual group of species whose front fins look somewhat like human appendages, which they use to walk around the ocean floor. The smooth species, which hasn't been seen since 1802, lived off the coast of Tasmania and was probably common when it was first collected by naturalists. Bottom fishing, pollution, habitat destruction, bycatch and other threats are all listed as among the probable reasons for its extinction. Even though the local fishery collapsed more than 50 years ago, the remaining handfish species are still critically endangered, so this extinction should serve as an important wake-up call to save them.</p><p><a href="https://therevelator.org/plant-species-extinct-america/" target="_blank"><strong>65 North American plants</strong></a> — This past year researchers set out to determine how many plants in the continental United States had been lost. They catalogued 65, including five small trees, eight shrubs, 37 perennial herbs and 15 annual herbs. Some of these had been reported before, but for most this is the first time they've been declared extinct. The list includes <a href="https://therevelator.org/extinction-hotspot-appalachia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Marshallia grandiflora</em></a>, a large flowing plant from the American Southeast that was declared its own species this past year. Too bad it was last seen in 1919 (and has been confused with other species for even longer).</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTI2MTAyMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MzMzNDgzMX0.pD6u8m-1Oix9-ZrfxzUXRz8xGCqFlk58X9BpY9fYfjM/img.jpg?width=980" id="89637" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4f72d3ab355d44905ae9a6384538bf47" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1024" data-height="576" />
The original Marshallia grandiflora holotype. Smithsonian NMNH / Creative Commons
<p><strong></strong><strong>22 frog species</strong> — The IUCN this year declared nearly two dozen long-unseen Central and South American frog species as "critically endangered (possibly extinct)" — victims of the amphibian-killing <a href="https://therevelator.org/extinct-frogs-golden-goose/" target="_blank">chytrid fungus</a>. They include the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/56423/109538689" target="_blank">Aragua robber frog (<em>Pristimantis anotis</em>)</a>, which hasn't been observed in 46 years, and the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/54542/109529302" target="_blank">Piñango stubfoot toad (<em>Atelopus pinangoi</em>)</a>, which mostly disappeared in the 1980s. A single juvenile toad observed in 2008 leads scientists to say this species "is either possibly extinct or if there is still an extant population, that it is very small (<50 mature individuals)."</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/54498/54340769" target="_blank">Chiriqui harlequin frog (<em>Atelopus chiriquiensis</em>)</a> and <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/55201/54344718" target="_blank">splendid poison frog (<em>Oophaga speciosa</em>)</a> </strong>— Last seen in 1996 and 1992, these frogs from Costa Rica and Panama fell victim to the chytrid fungus and were declared extinct in December.</p><p><strong><a href="https://phys.org/news/2020-09-mite-extinctions-natural.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">15% of mite species</a> </strong>— This requires a lot more research, but a paper published this past August announced "evidence of widespread mite extinctions" since the year 2000 following similar disappearances of plants and vertebrates. Mites may not look or sound important, but they play key roles in their native ecosystems. If 15% of the world's 1.25 million mite species have been lost, we're talking more than 8,300 extinctions — a number the researchers predict will continue to rise.</p><p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ibi.12839" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Simeulue Hill mynas</strong></a> — An alarming paper called this an "extinction-in-process" of a previously undescribed bird that probably went extinct in the wild in the past two to three years due to overcollection for the songbird trade. A few may still exist in captivity — for now.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>17 freshwater fish from Lake Lanao, Mindanao, the Philippines </strong>— A combination of predatory invasive species, overharvesting and destructing fishing methods (such as dynamite fishing) wiped these lost species out. The IUCN this year listed 15 of the species as "extinct" following extensive searches and surveys; the remaining two as "critically endangered (possibly extinct)." The predators, by the way, are still doing just fine. Here are the 15 extinct species:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18888/90996412" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes disa</em></a> — last seen in 1964.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15634/90997535" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes truncatulus</em></a> – last seen in 1973.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/4135/90997158" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes pachycheilus</em></a> – last seen in 1964.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15633/90997194" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes palaemophagus</em></a> – last seen in 1975.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18882/90996027" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes amarus</em></a> – Last seen in 1982.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18904/90997073" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes manalak</em></a> – Once a commercially valuable fish, last seen in 1977.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18886/90996370#assessment-information" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes clemensi</em></a> – last seen in 1975.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18889/90996574" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes flavifuscus</em></a> – last seen in 1964.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18891/90996925" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes katolo</em></a> – last seen in 1977.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/20687/90997252" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes palata</em></a> – last seen in 1964.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18884/90996105" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes baoulan</em></a> — last seen in 1991.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18890/90996625" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes herrei</em></a> — last seen in 1974, when just 40 pounds' worth of fish were caught.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18892/90996974" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes lanaoensis</em></a> — last seen in 1964.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/12751/90997332" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes resimus</em></a> — last seen in 1964.</li><li><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18901/90997500" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Barbodes tras</em></a> — last seen in 1976.</li></ul><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTI2MTA2Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMDg3Njg3M30.XLY38NFYhCjUPIJsZtRbrDzsKU8K__LTtlzc_9KvuXo/img.jpg?width=980" id="3c40e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="802d2acf447e6d0a50e10dfec771c393" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="989" data-height="882" />
Some of the extinct species from Lake Lanao. Photo © Armi G. Torres courtesy IUCN.
<p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/17365/22123157" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bonin pipistrelle (<em>Pipistrellus sturdeei</em>)</a></strong><strong> </strong>— Scientists only recorded this Japanese bat one time, back in the 19th century. The IUCN listed it as "data deficient" from 2006 to 2020, a period during which its taxonomy was under debate, but a paper published in March <a href="https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4755.1.8" target="_blank">settled that issue</a>, and the latest Red List update placed the species in the the extinct category. The Japanese government itself has listed the bat as extinct since 2014.<strong></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/44792108/44798207" target="_blank"><em>Pseudoyersinia brevipennis</em></a> </strong>— This praying mantis from France hasn't been seen since 1860. Its declared extinction comes after some extended (and still unresolved) debate over its validity as a unique species.</p><p><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/123986030/123986038" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Agave lurida</strong></em></a> — Last seen in Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2001, this succulent was finally declared extinct in the wild this year after numerous expeditions searching for remaining plants. As the IUCN Red List notes, "There are only a few specimens left in <em>ex-situ</em> collections, which is a concern for the extinction of the species in the near future."</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/136808736/137376234" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Falso Maguey Grande (<em>Furcraea macdougallii</em>)</a> </strong>— Another Oaxacan succulent that's extinct in the wild but still exists in cultivated form (you can buy these cacti online today for as little as $15). Last seen growing naturally in 1973, the plant's main habitat was degraded in 1953 to make way for agave plantations for mezcal production. Wildfires may have also played a role, but the species' limited distribution also made it easier to kill it off: "The restricted range of the species also made it very vulnerable to small local disturbances, and hence the last few individuals were easily destroyed," according to the IUCN.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/140416589/140416594" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Eriocaulon inundatum</em></a> </strong>— Last scientifically collected in Senegal in 1943, this pipewort's only know habitat has since been destroyed by salt mining.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/113204000/113309830" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Persoonia laxa</em></a> </strong>— This shrub from New South Wales, Australia, was collected just two times — in 1907 and 1908 — in habitats that have since become "highly urbanized." The NSW government still lists it as "<a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedSpeciesApp/profile.aspx?id=20230" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">presumed extinct</a>," but the IUCN placed it fully in the "extinct" category in 2020.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/147088627/149821996" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nazareno (<em>Monteverdia lineata</em>)</a> </strong>— Scientific papers declared this Cuban flowing plant species extinct in 2010 and 2015, although it wasn't catalogued in the IUCN Red List until this year. It grew in a habitat now severely degraded by agriculture and livestock farming.<strong></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/113168368/185558142" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wynberg conebush<em> (Leucadendron grandiflorum)</em></a> </strong>— This South African plant hasn't been seen in more than 200 years and was long considered the <a href="https://wynbergresidents.wordpress.com/2016/12/01/remembering-a-lost-wynberg-flower/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">earliest documented extinction from that country</a>, although it only made it to the IUCN Red List recently. Its sole habitat "was the location of the earliest colonial farms," including vineyards.</p><p><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/113166006/185559739" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Wolseley conebush (<em>Leucadendron spirale</em>)</strong></a> — Another South African plant, this one last seen in 1933 and since extensively sought after, including high <a href="https://www.proteaatlas.org.za/ldspir.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rewards</a> for its rediscovery. The IUCN says the cause of its extinction is unknown "but is likely the result of habitat loss to crop cultivation, alien plant invasion and afforestation." Oh yeah, and it probably didn't help that in 1809 a scientist wrote that the species possessed "<a href="https://www.ispotnature.org/communities/southern-africa/view/observation/545420/the-ugly-duckling-conebush-wolseley-conebush" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">little beauty</a>" and discouraged it from further collection.</p><p><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/169838762/169838772" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Schizothorax saltans</strong></em></a> — This fish from Kazakhstan was last seen in 1953, around the time the rivers feeding its lake habitats were drained for irrigation. The IUCN did not assess the species before this past year.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/190888/1960457" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Alphonsea hortensis</em></a> </strong>— Declared "extinct in the wild" this year after no observations since 1969, the last specimens of this Sri Lankan tree species now grow at Peradeniya Royal Botanic Garden.</p><p><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15006/22009211" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Lord Howe long-eared bat (<em>Nyctophilus howensis</em>)</strong></a> — This island species is known from a single skull discovered in 1972. Conservationists held out hope that it still existed following several possible sightings, but those hopes have now been dashed.</p><p><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/126612397/126613386" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Deppea splendens</strong></em></a> — This IUCN declared this beautiful plant species "extinct in the wild" this year. All living specimens exist only because botanist Dennis Breedlove, who discovered the species in 1973, collected seeds before the plant's sole habitat in Mexico was <a href="https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=2209" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">plowed over</a> to make way for farmland. Now known as a "holy grail" for some gardeners, cultivated plants descended from Breedlove's seeds can be purchased online for as little as $16.95.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/54549/54358350" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pass stubfoot toad (<em>Atelopus senex</em>)</a> </strong>— Another Costa Rican chytrid victim, last seen in 1986.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/56782/54369332#threats" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Craugastor myllomyllon</em></a> </strong>— A Guatemalan frog that never had a common name and hasn't been seen since 1978 (although it wasn't declared a species until 2000). Unlike the other frogs on this year's list, this one disappeared before the chytrid fungus arrived; it was likely wiped out when agriculture destroyed its only habitat.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/44791445/170111359" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Spined dwarf mantis (<em>Ameles fasciipennis</em>)</a> </strong>— This Italian praying mantis was only scientifically collected once, in or around 1871, and never seen again. The IUCN says the genus's taxonomy is "rather confusing and further analysis need to be done to confirm the validity of this species." Here's what we do know, though: There are none to be found today, despite extensive surveys.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/140414966/140414986" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Scleria chevalieri</em></a> </strong>— This Senagalese plant, last seen in 1929, once grew in swamps that have since been drained to irrigate local gardens.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/33562/83804687" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hawai'i yellowwood (<em>Ochrosia kilaueaensis</em>)</a> </strong>— This tree hasn't been seen since 1927. Its rainforest habitat has been severely degraded by invasive plants and goats, as well as fires. It's currently listed as <a href="https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/5248" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">endangered</a> under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, but the IUCN declared it extinct this past year.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/38690/87708976#threats" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Roystonea stellate</em></a> </strong>— Scientists only collected this Cuban palm tree a single time, back in 1939. Several searches have failed to uncover evidence of its continued existence, probably due to conversion of its only habitats to coffee plantations.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/59376/54381158" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jalpa false brook salamander (<em>Pseudoeurycea exspectata</em>)</a> </strong>— Small farms, cattle grazing and logging appear to have wiped out this once-common Guatemalan amphibian, last seen in 1976. At least 16 surveys since 1985 did not find any evidence of the species' continued existence.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/126612753/126613426#assessment-information" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Faramea chiapensis</em></a> </strong>— Only collected once in 1953, this Mexican plant lost its cloud-forest habitat to colonialism and deforestation.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/31679/149812995" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Euchorium cubense</em></a> </strong>— Last seen in 1924, this Cuban flowing plant — the only member of its genus — has long been assumed lost. The IUCN characterized it as extinct in 2020 along with <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/35254/149816104#assessment-information" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Banara wilsonii</em></a>, another Cuban plant last seen in 1938 before its habitat was cleared for a sugarcane plantation.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/110097724/110113066#text-fields" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Aloe silicicola</em></a> </strong>— Last seen in 1920, this plant from the mountains of Madagascar enters the IUCN Red List as "extinct in the wild" due to a vague reference that it still exists in a botanical garden. Its previous habitat has been the site of frequent fires.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/157719927/89815479" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Chitala lopis</em></a> </strong>— A large fish from the island of Java, this species hasn't been seen since 1851 (although many online sources use this taxonomic name for other "featherback" fish species that still exist). It was probably wiped out by a wide range of habitat-degrading factors, including pollution, unsustainable fishing and near-complete deforestation around nearby rivers.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/140416686/140416698" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Eriocaulon jordanii</em></a> </strong>— This grass species formerly occurred in two known sites in coastal Sierra Leone, where its previous habitats were converted to rice fields in the 1950s.</p><p><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/152357598/154696297" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Amomum sumatranum</strong></em></a> — A relative of cardamom, this plant from Sumatra was only scientifically collected once, back in 1921, and the forest where that sample originated has now been completely developed. The IUCN says one remaining cultivated population exists, so they've declared it "extinct in the wild."</p><p><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/115696622/115696628" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Lost shark (<em>Carcharhinus obsoletus</em>)</strong></a> — This species makes its second annual appearance on this list. Scientists <a href="https://therevelator.org/lost-shark/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">described this species in 2019</a> after examining decades-old specimens, noting that it hadn't been observed since the 1930s. This year the IUCN added the species to the Red List and declared it "critically endangered (possibly extinct)."</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTI2MTEwMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MjE3MTkyMn0.Tm2BAY1LuWPDBgvHrdArhWA0Ah_XF7MMZfKUxEgvDxE/img.jpg?width=980" id="2d633" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="01f5eea468a9a3ea17dd3b3ef92aeb96" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1920" data-height="1080" />
"Lost shark." Photo: PLOS One
<p><strong><em><a href="https://bioone.org/journals/the-bryologist/volume-123/issue-4/0007-2745-123.4.657/----Custom-HTML----iCora/10.1639/0007-2745-123.4.657.short?tab=ArticleLink" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cora timucua</a></em></strong><strong> </strong>— This lichen from Florida was just identified from historical collections through DNA barcoding. Unfortunately no new samples have been collected since the turn of the 19th century. The scientists who named the species this past December call it "potentially extinct" but suggest it be listed as critically endangered in case it still hangs on in remote parts of the highly developed state. They caution, however, that it hasn't turned up in any recent surveys.</p><p><strong><a href="https://allafrica.com/stories/202004190028.html?fbclid=IwAR33mKWioEaLjHXIBdJqOyB40tp90UA-DEi69IecBTMQ8SQUyt1fEOCGf4g" target="_blank">Dama gazelle (<em>Nanger dama</em>) in Tunisia</a> </strong>— This critically endangered species still hangs on in a few other countries, and in captivity, but the death of the last individual in Tunisia marked one more country in which the gazelle has now been extirpated and serves as a stark reminder to keep the rest from fading away.</p><p><em><a href="https://therevelator.org/author/john/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">John R. Platt</a> is the editor of The Revelator. An award-winning environmental journalist, his work has appeared in Scientific American, Audubon, Motherboard, and numerous other magazines and publications. His "Extinction Countdown" column has run continuously since 2004 and has covered news and science related to more than 1,000 endangered species. He is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and the National Association of Science Writers. John lives on the outskirts of Portland, Ore., where he finds himself surrounded by animals and cartoonists.</em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/species-extinct-2020" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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