Susanna Pershern / Submerged Resources Center/ National Park Service / public domain
By Melissa Gaskill
Two decades ago scientists and volunteers along the Virginia coast started tossing seagrass seeds into barren seaside lagoons. Disease and an intense hurricane had wiped out the plants in the 1930s, and no nearby meadows could serve as a naturally dispersing source of seeds to bring them back.
<p>The seeding effort eventually delivered more than 70 million seeds — and it paid off, creating some 9,000 acres of the underwater plants.</p>
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</div></blockquote></div><p>Now monitoring of these restored meadows reveals multiple benefits to their restoration, including substantial increases in fish and invertebrate abundance, improved water clarity, and significant trapping of carbon and nitrogen.</p><p>"Planting adult seagrass is very labor intensive, but we started looking at using seeds in the lab and found it was quite easy," said biologist Robert "JJ" Orth, lead author on a new <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/41/eabc6434" target="_blank">paper</a> about the project. "These areas have good water quality, are shallow and are near the ocean so they get bathed in cooler water — perfect conditions. It was a surprise how quickly it happened."</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDgwMzMxNy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MjU4MzU3NX0.r56VbB8AxUb2Q4G3uoSDAejRc-zg8bYudl3C8kV5saQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="6c88d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5909dc34f2c554d80a1f4b0ccefb3e5f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Restored seagrass beds in Virginia now provide habitat for hundreds of thousands of scallops. Bob Orth, Virginia Institute of Marine Science / CC BY 2.0
<p>The paper is part of a growing trend of evidence suggesting seagrass meadows can be easier to restore than other coastal habitats.</p><p>Successful seagrass-restoration methods include <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304377099000078?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">transplanting shoots</a>, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1061-2971.2004.00314.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mechanized planting</a> and, more recently, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17438-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">biodegradable mats</a>. Removing threats, proximity to donor seagrass beds, planting techniques, project size and site selection all play roles in a restoration effort's success.</p><p>Human assistance isn't always necessary, though. In areas where some beds remain, seagrass can even recover on its own when stressors are reduced or removed. For example, seagrass began to recover when Tampa Bay improved its water quality by reducing nitrogen loads from runoff by roughly 90%.</p><p>But more and more, seagrass meadows struggle to hang on.</p><p>The marine flowering plants have declined globally since the 1930s and currently disappear at a rate equivalent to a football field every 30 minutes, according to the <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/report/out-blue-value-seagrasses-environment-and-people" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">United Nations Environment Programme</a>. And research published in 2018 found the rate of decline is <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2018GB005941" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">accelerating</a> in many regions.</p><p>The causes of decline vary and overlap, depending on the region. They include thermal stress from climate change; human activities such as dredging, anchoring and coastal infrastructure; and intentional removal in tourist areas. In addition, increased runoff from land carries sediment that clouds the water, blocking sunlight the plants need for photosynthesis. Runoff can also carry contaminants and nutrients from fertilizer that disrupt habitats and cause algal blooms.</p><p>All that damage comes with a cost.</p>The Value of Seagrass
<p>As with ecosystems like rainforests and <a href="https://therevelator.org/mangroves-climate-change/" target="_blank">mangroves</a>, loss of seagrass increases carbon dioxide emissions. And that spells trouble not just for certain habitats but for the whole planet.</p><p>Although seagrass covers at most 0.2% of the seabed, it <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/seagrass-secret-weapon-fight-against-global-heating" target="_blank">accounts for 10%</a> of the ocean's capacity to store carbon and soils, and these meadows store carbon dioxide an estimated 30 times faster than most terrestrial forests. Slow decomposition rates in seagrass sediments contribute to their <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238506081_Assessing_the_capacity_of_seagrass_meadows_for_carbon_burial_Current_limitations_and_future_strategies" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">high carbon burial rates</a>. In Australia, according to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.15204" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">research</a> by scientists at Edith Cowan University, loss of seagrass meadows since the 1950s has increased carbon dioxide emissions by an amount equivalent to 5 million cars a year. The United Nations Environment Programme reports that a 29% decline in seagrass in Chesapeake Bay between 1991 and 2006 resulted in an estimated loss of up to 1.8 million tons of carbon.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDgwMzMxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MDk0NDAwOX0.ILZN1S7VzsMsdiF6usSunDgL0wYRlgtFEoLb5Hinwq4/img.jpg?width=980" id="3b37c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="06cc09d311c7b9b0d90ae063f04bbb5b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Eelgrass in the river delta at Prince William Sound, Alaska. Alaska ShoreZone Program NOAA / NMFS / AKFSC; Courtesy of Mandy Lindeberg / NOAA / NMFS / AKFSC
<p>Seagrasses also protect costal habitats. A healthy meadow slows wave energy, reduces erosion and lowers the risk of flooding. In Morro Bay, California, a 90% decline in the seagrass species known as eelgrass caused extensive erosion, according to a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272771420303528?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">paper</a> from researchers at California Polytechnic State University.</p><p>"Right away, we noticed big patterns in sediment loss or erosion," said lead author Ryan Walter. "Many studies have shown this on individual eelgrass beds, but very few studies looked at it on a systemwide scale."</p><p>In the tropics, seagrass's natural protection can reduce the need for expensive and often-environmentally unfriendly <a href="https://www.nioz.nl/en/news/zeegras-spaart-stranden-en-geld" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">beach nourishments</a> regularly conducted in tourism areas.</p><p>Seagrass ecosystems improve water quality and clarity, filtering particles out of the water column and preventing resuspension of sediment. This role could be even more important in the future. By producing oxygen through photosynthesis, meadows could help offset decreased oxygen levels caused by warmer water temperatures (oxygen is less soluble in warm than in cold water).</p><p>The meadows also provide vital habitat for a wide variety of marine life, including fish, sea turtles, birds, marine mammals such as manatees, invertebrates and algae. They provide nursery habitat for <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/32636/seagrass.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">roughly 20%</a> of the world's largest fisheries — an <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/seagrass-meadows-harbor-wildlife-for-centuries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">estimated 70%</a> of fish habitats in Florida alone.</p><p>Conversely, their disappearance can contribute to die-offs of marine life. The loss of more than 20 square miles of seagrass in Florida's Biscayne Bay may have helped set the stage for a widespread <a href="https://www.wlrn.org/2020-08-14/the-seagrass-died-that-may-have-triggered-a-widespread-fish-kill-in-biscayne-bay" target="_blank">fish kill</a> in summer 2020. Lack of grasses to produce oxygen left the basin more vulnerable when temperatures rose and oxygen levels dropped as a result, says Florida International University professor Piero Gardinali.</p>Damaged Systems, a Changing Climate
<p>Governments and conservationists around the world have already put a lot of effort into coastal restoration efforts. And that's helped some seagrass populations.</p><p>Where stressors remain, though, restoration grows more complicated. <a href="https://www.rug.nl/research/portal/en/publications/the-future-of-seagrass-ecosystem-services-in-a-changing-world(3a8c56db-7bed-4c9e-ac7f-c72453e2a102).html" target="_blank">Research</a> published this September found that only 37% of seagrass restorations have survived. Newly restored meadows remain vulnerable to the original stressors that depleted them, as well as to storms — and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis">climate change</a>.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDgwMzMyMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNzY3MTExM30.z7W72RvpB9iQMUIeVr7IA0G8dzqmtz19gLinEoTfBpA/img.jpg?width=980" id="9e386" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9d2aa1b4aba58ffe18d83acaa13f10f2" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Seagrass in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida. Alicia Wellman / Florida Fish and Wildlife / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
<p>In Chesapeake Bay a cold-water species of seagrass is currently hitting its heat limit, especially in summer, according to Alexander Challen Hyman of University of Florida's School of Natural Resources and Environment. As waters continue to warm due to climate change, the species likely will disappear there.</p><p>Climate-driven sea-level rise complicates the problem as well. Seagrasses thrive at specific depths — too shallow and they dry out or are eaten, too deep and there isn't enough light for photosynthesis.</p>But There’s Good News, Too
<p>Luckily, left to its own devices, a seagrass meadow can flourish for hundreds of years, according to a <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2019.1861" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">paper</a> published last year by Hyman and other researchers from the University of Florida. The researchers arrived at their conclusion by looking at shells of living mollusks and fossil shells to estimate the ages of meadows in Florida's Big Bend region on the Gulf Coast.</p><p>That area has extensive, relatively pristine seagrass meadows. "Our motivation was to understand the past history of these systems, and shells store a lot of history," said co-author Michal Kowalewski.</p><p>A high degree of similarity between living and dead shells indicates a stable area, while a mismatch suggests an area shifted from seagrass to barren sand. The researchers found that long-term accumulations of shells resembled living ones, suggesting that the seagrass habitats have been stable over time.</p><p>That stability allows biodiversity to thrive, creating conditions where specialist species can survive and flourish, according to Hyman.</p><p>Discovering the long-term stability of seagrass meadows has implications for choosing restoration sites, Kowalewski notes.</p><p>"There must be reasons they thrive in one place, while a mile away they don't and fossil data says they probably never did," he said. "If we remove a seagrass patch, we cannot hope to plant it somewhere else. It's not just the seagrass that is special. The location at which it's found is special, too."</p><p>A better approach is conserving these habitats in the first place, but we're not doing enough of that right now. The UN reports that marine protected areas safeguard just 26% of recorded seagrass meadows, compared with 40% of coral reefs and 43% of mangroves.</p><div id="0e43d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5dd416de57a6668bb7b310f46cb45a94"><blockquote class="instagram-media"
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</div></blockquote></div><p>In the meantime, small actions can make a big difference — such as fertilizer ordinances, for example, Gardinali suggested.</p><p>"Nitrogen and phosphorus are the problem," he said. "It's an easy first step. We can change the way we do small things, one at a time."</p><p>Everything we do at this point will help, not only seagrass but everything that depends on it.</p><p>"These habitats are so vital," Hyman says. "Putting aside erosion control and all these benefits people might not find as important, they harbor juvenile stages of all these marine species we like to eat — blue crabs, for example. From that standpoint alone, seagrass provides countless benefits to the economy."</p><p>Those benefits have mostly gone ignored in favor of more visible, charismatic land-based habitats. That needs to change, the experts say.</p><p>"What the trees in the Amazon rainforest provide for that system is what eelgrass provides in estuarine systems," said Walter. "So many ecosystem services, beyond just being a beautiful grass."</p><p>One that, if we let it, will provide those services for hundreds of years.</p><p><em><a href="https://therevelator.org/author/gaskill/" target="_blank">Melissa Gaskill</a> is a freelance science writer based in Austin whose work has appeared in Scientific American, Mental Floss, Newsweek, Alert Diver and many other publications. She is the co-author of A Worldwide Travel Guide to Sea Turtles and author of Pandas to Penguins: Ethical Encounters with Animals at Risk.</em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/seagrass-climate-change/" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>. </em></p>
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A monarch butterfly caterpillar munches on a milkweed plant. AttaBoyLuther / Getty Images
Humans aren't the only animals that get "hangry" when deprived of a meal.
<p>A new study published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(20)30988-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">iScience Thursday</a> found that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/monarch-butterflies" target="_self">monarch butterfly</a> caterpillars (<em>Danaus plexippus</em>) will aggressively push each other out of the way when food gets scarce.</p><p>"The less food that is present, the higher their level of aggression," study coauthor Elizabeth Brown of Florida Atlantic University told <a href="https://institutions.newscientist.com/article/2260172-very-hangry-caterpillars-could-help-reveal-genetic-basis-of-aggression/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New Scientist</a>.</p><p>The idea for the study was born when the wife of fellow Florida Atlantic University researcher Alex Keene saw two monarch caterpillars fighting over a milkweed plant in the couple's garden, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/science/hungry-caterpillars-angry.html?campaign_id=51&emc=edit_NN_p_20201120&instance_id=24292&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=88631294&section=whatElse&segment_id=45014&te=1&user_id=d8eb7cee9d3c5ab39515239b6ec54d19" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>.</p>
<p>"I decided to investigate monarch caterpillars because I was intrigued by their combative behavior, which I observed first-hand in my own garden," Keene explained in a <a href="http://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/aggressive-monarch-caterpillars.php" target="_blank">Florida Atlantic University press release</a>. "They are large and easily recognizable compared to many other <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/insects" target="_self">insects</a>. These are charismatic animals that everyone loves, and there's a growing appreciation for their potential to tell us about how the brain controls behavior."</p><p>The researchers gave the caterpillars three different amounts of food, New Scientist reported. The less milkweed the caterpillars received, the more aggressive they became. The caterpillars who were larger and closer to metamorphosis were the most aggressive, probably because they required more energy, Brown said.</p><p>Caterpillar aggression looked like a "combination of boxing and 'bumper' cars," the press release detailed, with caterpillars head butting or knocking other caterpillars away from the food.</p>
<p>"I went to grad school with a guy who played rugby in college," Keene told The New York Times. "A flying head butt is a fair assessment."</p><p>The attacked caterpillar would then shuffle away from the food, defeated. This is a big problem for the losing caterpillar, since monarch caterpillars essentially eat non-stop from hatching to forming a cocoon.</p><p>The researchers hope to build on this study to learn more about the genetic drivers of aggressive behavior.</p><p>"There's a lot we could learn about more complex animals from this ecologically relevant insect model," Keene told New Scientist.</p>
<p>The research could also have <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> implications. Monarch caterpillars mainly dine on milkweed: They can strip an entire plant in two weeks and, when they are at their largest, consume a leaf in less than five minutes, the press release noted. But this dependence on milkweed has made the species vulnerable. The number of monarch butterflies has decreased in the U.S. over the last 20 years, according to the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/savethemonarch/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</a>, and one factor is the use of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pesticides" target="_self">pesticides</a> that harm milkweed. <br></p><p>"It's interesting to think about how this would potentially impact the survival of these caterpillars, when they're crowded onto plants," University of Michigan monarch biologist D. André Green, who was not part of the study, told The New York Times. "The amount of milkweed is decreasing. This may become a bigger issue."</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. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<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" /><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" /><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>
$35
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" /><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" /><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" /><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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The island of Tristan da Cunha. VictoriaJStokes / iStock / Getty Images Plus
In the South Atlantic Ocean, a tiny island of 250 people has made a significant contribution to global marine conservation by protecting a huge swath of ocean under its control.
<p>To reach Tristan da Cunha, a UK overseas territory, one must make a seven-day boat trip from South Africa, reported <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2020/11/tristan-da-cunha-atlantic-marine-protection-zone/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">National Geographic</a>. The island chain recently announced that 700,000 square kilometers (270,271 square miles), or 90% of its territorial waters, will be designated as a large marine protected area (MPA) to safeguard the area's rich <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity">biodiversity</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species" target="_self">endangered animals</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/13/tiny-atlantic-island-takes-giant-leap-towards-protecting-worlds-oceans" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported. At that size, it will be three times the size of Britain, the largest marine sanctuary in the Atlantic and the fourth largest in the world, providing refuge to sevengill sharks, whales and seals, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tristan-da-cunha-rockhopper-penguins-39c5e5d74120972e871327b04f823114" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AP News</a> continued.</p>
<p>The new wildlife refuge will be a "no-take" zone, baning bottom-trawling fishing, deep-sea mining and other harmful and extractive harvesting from its waters, National Geographic reported. This will also protect the foraging grounds of tens of millions of seabirds that roost on the island, such as endangered Tristan and yellow-nosed albatross, Atlantic petrel and rockhopper penguins. Critically, these protections will bolster the small Tristan Rock Lobster commercial fishery outside the sanctuary, which is the territory's most important source of income, AP News reported. This luxury crayfish is sold to the U.S., Europe, Japan and China.</p><p>Experts believe that MPAs are a "silver bullet for conservation," <a href="https://earth.org/tristan-da-cunha-marine-protected-area/" target="_blank">Earth.org</a> noted. The <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/expanding-marine-protected-areas-mpa-sustainability-conservation/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">World Economic Forum (WEF)</a> found that MPAs worldwide protect food supplies by leading to larger catch yields through "spillover," where fish from protected areas reproduce and enter fishing hotspots in greater abundance. Expanding the current network of protected areas by just 5% could boost global fish catch by at least 20%, the WEF asserted.</p>
<p>The protected area will join the UK's <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-blue-belt-programme" target="_blank">Blue Belt Programme</a>, which has funded 27 million pounds ($35.5 million) to promote marine conservation in UK overseas territories, AP News reported. The initiative has protected 11.1 million square kilometers (4.3 million square miles) of marine environment, or 1% of the world's oceans, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, the report added.</p><p>The program continues to inch closer to the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/un-biodiversity-sixth-mass-extinction-2644807009.html?rebelltitem=1" target="_self">global target of protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030</a>. Scientists believe that this is the minimum required percentage of protected habitat to preserve <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity" target="_self">biodiversity</a> and safeguard ecosystems and their functions. According to National Geographic, roughly 8% of the world's oceans are currently designated as MPAs, but only 2.6% are totally off limits to fishing.</p><p>Johnson said, "We need collective global action if we are to bequeath a world that is every bit as wonderful and magnificent as the one we inherited," reported The Guardian.</p><p>According to Earth.org, the UK holds a duty to protect wildlife found in all its territories and will take charge of monitoring and enforcement within the new MPA. This is especially important because the nearest habitation, Saint Helena, is 2,400 km away. Through the Blue Belt Programme, Tristan da Cunha will receive more resources to patrol for illegal fishing activity. Earth.org reported.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-bertarelli-ocean-legacy" target="_blank">Pew Bertarelli project</a>, which promotes the creation of marine reserves around the world, also committed to help the archipelago protect its waters with technology that uses real-time data to evaluate ocean conditions and human activity such as fishing, AP News reported. The project is a joint venture of the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Bertarelli Foundation.</p><p>"This small community is responsible for one of the biggest conservation achievements of 2020," Beccy Speight, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) told AP News. "This will protect one of the most pristine marine environments on the planet."</p><p>James Glass, the territory's chief islander, said in a statement, "Our life on Tristan da Cunha has always been based around our relationship with the sea, and that continues today. That's why we're fully protecting 90% of our waters, and we're proud that we can play a key role in preserving the health of the oceans," reported AP News.</p><p>While the British government lauded the effort and called on other governments to take similar action to meet the ambitious 30%, some critics were not impressed. They noted the hypocrisy of encouraging others to act when the UK allows bottom-trawling in all but two of its domestic offshore MPAs, in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/09/revealed-97-of-uk-offshore-marine-parks-subject-to-destructive-fishing" target="_blank">another Guardian</a> article.</p><p>Jonathan Hall, head of UK overseas territory unit at the RSPB, told Earth.org, "We should also be looking at protecting UK waters. The contrast is stark. We have this small community that is showing leadership in protecting their waters, but there have been lots of examples this year where more effective management of our existing protected areas is needed."</p>
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A black rhino in Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Mikael Drackner / Moment / Getty Images
By Richard Thomas
Joseph Biden was elected to office as the world continues to struggle with a global pandemic that has killed more than a million people and wreaked devastating economic havoc. The pandemic has highlighted how humankind's abuse of our planet and the irreversible loss of the biodiversity and ecosystem services upon which we all rely for our very existence simply can't go on.
<p>I work for <a href="https://www.traffic.org/" target="_blank">TRAFFIC</a>, a nongovernmental organization addressing issues related to wildlife trade, and the COVID pandemic has thrust this topic into the limelight. While we fully acknowledge and appreciate support received under previous administrations, it's clear that the world has underestimated the importance and potential impacts of failing to manage wildlife trade in a way that's legal, sustainable and, critically, includes measures to mitigate against the risk of zoonotic-disease spillover events.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc4ODcyNy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzOTA3NDU5OH0.NL7wbROAyi1nTbXopeJyKo6Sk7BXm88CBlzjVtqNYWc/img.jpg?width=980" id="921d9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="44d0625aef9d48fb6c51463ed13d3634" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Centers for Disease Control staff inspect bushmeat being imported into the U.S. CDC
<p>How do we move forward? First, I would argue that allocating resources to understanding the risks associated with trade in animals — from any source — and how to lessen the danger of disease spillover events is a wise investment. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, USAID gave the go-ahead to activities under a second phase of a Wildlife Trafficking Response, Assessment and Priority Setting (Wildlife TRAPS) Project implemented by TRAFFIC, with a renewed zoonotic disease risk focus. TRAFFIC will endeavor to ensure it's money well spent.</p><p>Meanwhile welcome global attention has been paid to addressing the wildlife crime that undermines society and threatens the future of many of the world's wild plants and animals. But we're still not there in curbing these crimes. More resources will help get us over the line.</p><p>These include better equipment, training and working conditions for the rangers on the front lines; enhanced use of wildlife forensics; training of detector dogs; and even access to skilled translators to assist enforcement agencies with interpreting transactions involving foreign nationals. We also need to see renewed efforts by governments, helped by nongovernmental organizations and others, to reduce the consumer demand that fuels such trade.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc4ODcyOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDE0MjAwOH0.ApfXBIoKeOYb-BWrVpjD4drHARMCQCHkws9uG8lQTJY/img.jpg?width=980" id="77dd0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="622b956c2f412021bd4807d6909cabfc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Rangers on patrol in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Bernard DuPont / CC BY-SA 2.0
<p>Finally, the Biden era must go down in history as the turning point when world governments came together in a united front to address the conservation crisis and start down the long road to repair. Next year the delayed <a href="https://www.cbd.int/cop/" target="_blank">15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity</a> will take place, when world governments will finalize the goals and policies of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework that will guide humankind to a biodiverse and sustainable future. The current draft of the Framework features, for the first time, a target on wildlife trade. It calls on governments to ensure that the harvesting, trade and use of wild species of fauna and flora are legal, at sustainable levels, and safe by 2030. It would be entirely appropriate if the Biden administration were at center stage throughout the negotiations. Given the role of the United States on the world stage, if Biden takes strong action, other countries will doubtless follow his lead.</p><p>Already the U.S. intention to rejoin the Paris Climate agreement has been a major symbolic step, signaling the country's aim to be at the forefront of global efforts to begin the healing process. Make no mistake: Building a green future is an enormous opportunity for businesses in the United States and beyond to meet the challenges of, and profit from, achieving the goal of a zero-carbon economy. Biden's policies should encourage achievement of that goal on every level. The future is bright, but only if it's green.</p><p>With the world's climate, forests and other natural resources under ever-increasing pressure, there has never been a more urgent need for the robust guidance, sound policies and strong leadership needed to protect our planet. The next four years could be the make-or-break moment.</p><p><em>The opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of</em> The Revelator, <em>the Center for Biological Diversity or their employees.</em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/biden-leadership-wildlife-crime/" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A giant Galápagos tortoise inspired biologist Linda Cayot's career conserving the Galápagos Islands. Arturo de Frias Marques / Wikipedia / CC by 3.0
By Jane Braxton Little
Linda J. Cayot's scientific focus for the day was a male giant tortoise, part of her dissertation research on the ecology of these iconic Galápagos reptiles. When her study animal lumbered into a swirling torrent of muddy El Niño waters, the intrepid scientist jumped in, too. Together they banged against rocks, his carapace and her daypack catching on tree branches as they thumped in tandem down the river to the lowlands of Santa Cruz Island.
<p>Cayot's epic 1983 journey launched a 40-year career devoted to conserving the <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Galápagos Islands</a>. She supervised giant tortoise and land iguana breeding programs; organized campaigns to eradicate invasive species; and coordinated repatriation of tortoises to their native islands. When she began working in the Galápagos, the islands' giant tortoise populations were down to less than 10% of their historic abundance. They've grown since then, bolstered by programs she helped put in place.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc3ODAyOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNjk2NDQxOH0.XWgznIUQpwPGqR_MSu-IVrWMMMeWhPhV4A5D3uDUXYY/img.jpg?width=980" id="4e12f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e577060e7e16114aa15a5e52c70e4130" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Cayot studied Galápagos giant tortoises on many islands during her 40-year career. This 1982 photo is from Pinzon Island. (© Theresa Kineke Brooks, used with permission)
<p>The goal remains to restore tortoise populations to their historic numbers and distribution. At the current rate, that might be achieved within two centuries.</p><p>For Cayot, who thinks of conservation in terms of <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/10/aeon-deep-time/505922/" target="_blank">deep time</a>, it's the trajectory that's critical.</p><p>She <a href="https://www.galapagos.org/blog/linda-cayot-retirement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">retired</a> early this year and has just completed co-writing and editing <a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/galapagos-giant-tortoises/gibbs/978-0-12-817554-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Galápagos Giant Tortoises</em></a><em>, </em>a synthesis of knowledge of these island endemics, including the 60-year history of their conservation. Cayot was honored in October with the <a href="https://turtlesurvival.org/2020-symposium/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Prichard Turtle Conservation Award for Lifetime Achievement</a>.</p><p>Cayot is a visionary with a practical, one-step-at-a-time approach. If she hadn't fallen in love with Galápagos, she says, she would have been conserving species somewhere else.</p><p>When I asked her about the lessons she's learned from a lifetime of conservation, it came as no surprise that her succinct responses made little mention of tortoises or the Galápagos. Instead she focused on universal elements that speak to the human element of conservation.</p>
Respectful Relationships: Value Everyone’s Input
<p>"You accomplish much more conservation by having good relationships with everyone," says Linda Cayot.</p><p>As a scientist Cayot worked with <a href="https://www.galapagos.gob.ec/en/national-park/" target="_blank">Galápagos National Park Directorate</a> rangers who were fresh out of high school, as well as some of the world's leading herpetologists and geneticists. She sought out people with the tools and ability to solve problems, regardless of their credentials.</p><p>Wacho Tapia is among of them. When he was a 17-year-old Galapagoan volunteer Cayot recognized his passion for giant tortoises and determination to save them. Now director of Galápagos Conservancy's <a href="https://www.galapagos.org/conservation/our-work/tortoise-restoration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative</a>, Tapia's years of working with Cayot ensure continuity in the tortoise restoration projects she initiated.</p><p>The respect Cayot demonstrated throughout her career is reflected in a small incident on Pinta Island. She asked <a href="https://www.houstonzoo.org/blog/houston-zoo-chief-veterinarian-helps-restore-giant-tortoise-population-in-galapagos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Joe Flanagan</a>, an American collaborator and chief veterinarian at the Houston Zoo, to document the repatriation of tortoises by photographing the park rangers carrying them to their release sites. One after another refused to be photographed. But when he said the photos were for Cayot, each ranger agreed. Some even primped.</p><p>"Linda recognizes that most conservation problems are caused by people, but she strongly believes that people are also the solution," Flanagan says.</p>Long-term Vision: Conservation Happens Slowly
<p>"Projects can take 50 years," says Cayot. "That's a hell of a long time! But those are the projects that push conservation forward."</p><p>Cayot has always maintained a long-term vision. But working in the Galápagos honed it from years to decades and centuries.</p><p>The successful projects she worked on included repatriating tortoises to Española, the southernmost island. In the 1960s park rangers found just 14 tortoises there.</p><p>They took them to the <a href="https://www.galapagos.org/conservation/our-work/tortoise-restoration/tortoise-breeding-and-rearing-programs/" target="_blank">Santa Cruz breeding center</a>, added a male from the San Diego Zoo, and launched a breeding program Cayot later supervised. When young tortoises born at the center were old enough to survive out of captivity, they were released on the island of their ancestors.</p><p>In June Galápagos Park marked the successful conclusion of the <a href="https://www.galapagos.org/newsroom/espanola-tortoises-return-home-following-closure-of-successful-breeding-program/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">project</a> by returning the original tortoises to Española — 55 years after removing them — to join their progeny and the offspring they in turn had produced.</p><p>Cayot also had a central role in eradicating <a href="https://www.galapagos.org/conservation/our-work/ecosystem-restoration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">invasive species</a> from the islands. When she first arrived in Galápagos, the southern rim of <a href="https://www.galapagos.org/about_galapagos/about-galapagos/the-islands/isabela/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alcedo Volcano</a> was covered with <em>Zanthoxylum</em> trees. By the early 1990s, invasive goats were destroying the forest, a critical area for giant tortoises. Cayot coordinated <a href="https://www.galapagos.org/conservation/our-work/ecosystem-restoration/project-isabela/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Project Isabela</a>, the largest invasive species eradication ever attempted anywhere.</p><p>It took nearly a decade. Today the vegetation is slowly regenerating. Full restoration will take decades more, but that's not a problem in her mind: Cayot views Galápagos conservation in 100-year increments.</p><p>"I worked on the everyday details of Project Isabela, but I was thinking ahead to a century and beyond," she says.</p>Serendipity: Learn From Surprises
<p>"Don't worry if it takes a long time," says Cayot. "Emerging knowledge may result in significant changes and greater success in the end."</p><p>In 1972 <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/6/120625-lonesome-george-tortoise-last-extinct-galapagos-science-animals/" target="_blank">Lonesome George</a>, the last Pinta Island tortoise, was taken to a Santa Cruz Island pen for his protection. Scientists later decided to return tortoises to Pinta, where the habitat was declining without them. Although they would not be the endemic Pinta species, they would still disperse native plant seeds and modify habitat to help other animals and plants thrive, scientists reasoned.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc3ODA1OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyODcwNDQxMH0.MpR9xjgJl8_DJmv_59gU3bNy0Zt3gYrHl19xX0wonbo/img.jpg?width=980" id="79af7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6386ce9d297025bec60c1d78f7807d38" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Lonesome George in 2008. Photo: Arturo de Frias Marques (CC BY-SA 3.0)
<p>But the herpetologists working on Galápagos tortoise conservation disagreed, and breeding tortoises were never moved to Pinta.</p><p>It ended up being a fortuitous delay. Soon <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/12/150812-Galapagos-lonesome-george-tortoise-extinct/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">expeditions</a> to <a href="https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/wolf.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wolf Volcano</a>, a remote island where a variety of tortoise species roamed, discovered living tortoises with mixed ancestry, including the Pinta tortoise. That sparked hope that scientists might eventually find others more closely related to Lonesome George — a better option for release on Pinta.</p><p>For now, though, this northernmost island remains without the tortoises that evolved there. And that may be for the best.</p><p>"We don't know everything," says Cayot. "The more knowledge we get the more carefully we can find the right tortoises for that island."</p>
Collaboration: One Solution From Many Agendas
<p>"You can see the excitement growing when you come up with solutions no one had thought of before," says Cayot.</p><p>When Cayot began coordinating Project Isabela, she knew it would only succeed if Galápagos Park Directorate and <a href="https://www.darwinfoundation.org/en/about/cdrs" target="_blank">Charles Darwin Research Station</a> worked together.</p><p>Because they'd never officially co-run a project, Cayot spent an evening sewing. She took a park hat and a station hat — each of which bore an image of a tortoise — cut them both in half and stitched them back together, making the bisected embroidered tortoise whole again. Cayot wore that hat when she gave talks, pulling it on if discussions became contentious.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc3ODA2Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzOTAyOTA4Mn0.HX9Qm52dhoRlOkFbR5q_DRazV193nT66ypWVriF8l6I/img.jpg?width=980" id="ae0d8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6bd384586c49e7d64583ea3265436359" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Linda Cayot made this hat out of a Galápagos Park cap and a Charles Darwin Research Station cap to symbolize and promote the cooperation required for the projects they shared. (© Jane Braxton Little, used with permission)
<p>The grand plan to restore giant tortoises to their historic numbers and distribution included an international workshop in 2012 that she facilitated. Scientists and rangers were beginning to design expeditions to Wolf Volcano. The geneticists focused on finding animals with genetic material from two extinct species and breeding them, a process that would involve multiple generations and take at least 100 years. Conservationists also wanted to find the highest genetic matches possible, but their priority was getting tortoises onto the islands, where they're key to habitat restoration; they couldn't wait a century.</p><p>These differences challenged geneticists and conservationists alike to be creative. The solution they adopted is the basis for an <a href="https://www.galapagos.org/blog/gtri-tortoise-center-review/" target="_blank">ambitious plan</a> to revive extinct species and restore island ecosystems. They're using the knowledge of the geneticists to select the best animals to breed in captivity. Those with lesser genetic material will be released to the islands of their ancestors, satisfying the conservationists' goal.</p><p>"With everyone willing to think outside the box, we ended up with novel solutions, ones that we all liked better than our own individual plans," Cayot says. "That can only happen when everyone values each other's input and respects each other's knowledge."</p>
<p><a href="https://therevelator.org/author/jblittle/" target="_blank"><em>Jane Braxton Little </em></a><em>is an award-winning independent journalist who writes about science and the environment for publications that include The Atlantic, Audubon, Bay Nature, Discover, and Scientific American. Little is based in rural Plumas County, where she arrived years ago fresh out of Harvard graduate school for a summer that has yet to end.</em></p><p><em><a href="http://twitter.com/JBraxtonLittle" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/JBraxtonLittle<br/></a></em><em><em><a href="https://www.janebraxtonlittle.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.janebraxtonlittle.com/</a></em></em></p><p><em><em><a href="https://www.janebraxtonlittle.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a></em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://therevelator.org/cayot-lessons-conservation/" target="_blank">The Revelator.</a></em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2648893022#/" target="_self"></a></p>
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The Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site vulnerable to sea level rise. Ian.CuiYi / Moment / Getty Images
By Erin Seekamp
With global travel curtailed during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are finding comfort in planning future trips. But imagine that you finally arrive in Venice and the "floating city" is flooded. Would you stay anyway, walking through St. Mark's Square on makeshift catwalks or elevated wooden passages – even if you couldn't enter the Basilica or the Doge's Palace? Or would you leave and hope to visit sometime in the future?
<p>The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/" target="_blank">reported</a> that over the next 30 years flooding in Venice will increase. With the Adriatic Sea rising a few millimeters each year, severe flooding that once happened every 100 years is predicted to happen every six years by 2050, and every five months by 2100.</p><p><a href="http://www.veniceinperil.org/pdf/The-Science-of-Saving-Venice.pdf" target="_blank">Venice</a> is just one example of the challenges of preserving iconic landmarks that are threatened by the effects of climate change, such as rising seas and recurrent, intensifying droughts, storms and wildfires. In my research as a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=foTLj_oAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social scientist</a>, I help heritage managers make tough decisions prioritizing which sites to save when funds, time or both are limited.</p><p>That includes planning for threatened <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Heritage sites</a> designated as cultural or natural treasures by the <a href="https://en.unesco.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization</a>. Many U.S. national parks <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">are also at risk</a>. And as I see it, success will require new thinking about what preservation means.</p>
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<h2>Ways of Adapting</h2><p>Across the globe, innumerable cultural sites face <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06645-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">storm-related flooding, erosion and inundation from rising seas</a>. They include many in the U.S., such as <a href="https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/a-short-history-of-jamestown.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jamestown Island in Virginia</a>, <a href="https://www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">New York's Statue of Liberty</a> and <a href="https://www.nps.gov/places/charleston-sc.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Charleston, South Carolina's Historic District</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.icomos.org/en/about-icomos/mission-and-vision/mission-and-vision" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Experts in cultural preservation worldwide</a> agree that it is <a href="https://indd.adobe.com/view/a9a551e3-3b23-4127-99fd-a7a80d91a29e" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">impossible to protect all of these places</a> forever. Many would require constant restoration. Others will need defenses like sea walls and flood gates – but those defenses might not be effective for long.</p><p>Some sites could be protected in ways that visibly alter them – for example, elevating or moving buildings, or allowing them to be damaged or removed from the landscape. Such steps go beyond restoration, which can conflict with mandates to preserve sites and structures in perpetuity.</p>
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<h2>Saving Historic North Carolina Buildings</h2><p>An early test of this approach occurred in 1999, when relentless erosion of the North Carolina shoreline forced the National Park Service to move the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/chls.htm#:%7E:text=In%201999%2C%20after%20years%20of,original%20distance%20from%20the%20sea" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters</a> about a half-mile inland. Relocating these mid-19th-century structures cost $US11.8 million and sparked debate about how to deal with other imperiled historic buildings.</p><p>In 2015, managers at North Carolina's <a href="https://www.nps.gov/calo/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cape Lookout National Seashore</a> realized that buildings in Portsmouth Village and Cape Lookout Village, two maritime historic districts on barrier islands, were endangered by storm-related flooding and rising seas. Portsmouth Village, which dates to 1753, served as a thriving port town during colonial settlement, while Cape Lookout Village provided navigational support with construction of a lighthouse in 1812 that was replaced in 1859.</p><p>These buildings are listed on the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Register of Historic Places</a>, which requires managers to preserve them in perpetuity. But officials were uncertain about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.07.052" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">which historic buildings to save first</a>. They also had to identify a strategy, such as moving or even removing buildings, that would maximize the significance preserved across the park's landscape.</p><p>I developed a process to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2017.08.006" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">quantify the relative significance of historic buildings</a> to help them. Our team then created a planning tool to help National Park Service managers make <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/culturalresourcesstrategy.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cost-effective decisions</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.02.011" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Our model</a> compiles data on each building's significance and vulnerability. It evaluates adaptation costs, such as elevating or relocating buildings, given available funding, and charts possible strategies over a 30-year period.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc3ODE4NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNjkzMDk2M30.D4QE8Sc17hy0ULwo2EA7s2xr8WZf6cDcizdCC_bhw3o/img.jpg?width=980" id="15efe" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="115be23538ecafbf1ed5c2b6d1330a30" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
In 1999 the National Park Service moved the historic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse 2,900 feet inland (new site at lower right in photo) to protect it from shoreline erosion. Mike Booher / NPS
<p>When we tested the model on 17 flood-prone Cape Lookout buildings, we found that the best strategies were elevating them in place or moving them to higher ground and then elevating them. However, interviews with local people revealed that changing the location or the look of these buildings <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage1020015" target="_blank">upset some former residents and their descendants</a>.</p><p>Many people we talked to held deep connections to these places that were part of their personal, family and community identities. Surprisingly, some said they would rather lose some of these buildings than alter them. Other stakeholders – including members of partner organizations and park visitors – had <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2020.105180" target="_blank">different opinions</a> on what should be done.</p><p>After <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL052019_Dorian.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hurricane Dorian</a> severely damaged Portsmouth Village in 2019, park managers made the hard decision to dismantle and remove some of the buildings while restoring others. But an important question remains: What should be done at other highly vulnerable locations?</p>
<h2>Climate-Challenged World Heritage Sites</h2><p>These findings inspired me to explore global, <a href="https://www.iccrom.org/section/people-and-heritage/people-centred-approaches" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">people-centered</a> approaches to preservation and the <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/compendium/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">international policies</a> governing them.</p><p>Climate change <a href="https://en.unesco.org/fieldoffice/ramallah/tangible-cultural-heritage" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">threatens</a> many <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Heritage sites</a>. Some are archaeological sites, like Peru's <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/366/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chan Chan</a>, the largest adobe city on Earth, and the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/meve/learn/historyculture/cliff_dwellings_home.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings</a> in Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park. Entire cities – including Venice – and historic buildings such as Australia's <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/166/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sydney Opera House</a> are also in harm's way.</p><p>Current <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/158/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">policy recommendations</a> focus on restoration or defenses, and oppose physical change. In fact, the only process that exists is to add sites undergoing physical change to the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger. However, adding a site to the "danger" list is <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43652726" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">politically undesirable</a> because it can generate bad press, reduce tourism revenue and deter funders from supporting rescue efforts.</p>
<div id="5fdaa" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1c377ac183eacd1fea35742acaef1cea"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1323040885026816008" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">"...a new online exhibition that envisions how the National Mall Tidal Basin can evolve, adapt, and thrive while bu… https://t.co/x7QFCGPRqV</div> — Saving Places (@Saving Places)<a href="https://twitter.com/SavingPlaces/statuses/1323040885026816008">1604272502.0</a></blockquote></div>
<h2>The Need to Transform</h2><p>My research calls for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-020-02812-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a more proactive approach</a>, including preemptive efforts to prevent damage. I see a need for a new category: "World Heritage Sites in Climatic Transformation."</p><p>This approach draws on <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26268226" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the ecological concept of resilience</a>, which is essentially the ability to survive by changing and adapting. It would allow managers to repair, adapt or even transform vulnerable places. This new classification would place communities at the center of the <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/496/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">planning process</a> and create a searchable database of climate impacts and interventions.</p><p>Transforming heritage sites may be controversial, but the clock is ticking. Researching, designing and constructing defenses takes time. For example, floodgates installed to protect Venice are being tested <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/15/venice-controversial-barriers-prevent-flooding-for-second-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a decade later than planned</a>.</p><p>In my view, saving cultural and historic sites from climate change will require a new approach to heritage preservation that includes transformation. Now is the time to think creatively, with input from people whose heritages are represented in these places, to discover new pathways to protecting them.</p>
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<em>Erin Seekamp is a professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at North Carolina State University.</em>
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<em>Disclosure statement: Erin Seekamp receives funding from the U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service and the U.S. Department of Interior, Geological Survey.</em>
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<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/preserving-cultural-and-historic-treasures-in-a-changing-climate-may-mean-transforming-them-145214" target="_blank">The Conversation</a></em><em>.</em>
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A Popa langur. Photo credit: ©Thaung Win
A new species of primate has been discovered in Myanmar, and it is already extremely endangered.
<p>In a study published in <a href="http://www.zoores.ac.cn/en/article/doi/10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2020.254" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Zoological Research</a>, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/scientists" target="_self">scientists</a> described the species for the first time. The Popa langur (<em>Trachypithecus popa</em>) is a type of langur, or leaf-eating monkey, with a black face and white circles around the eyes, according to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54894681" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BBC News</a>. But there are only 200 to 250 of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/animals/" target="_self">animals</a> left in the wild, and they live in four isolated populations.</p><p>"Sadly this is a bittersweet discovery due to the limited number of individuals left in the wild and fragmented populations," Roberto Portela Miguez, a study coauthor and the senior curator at the London Natural History Museum, said, as <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/10/asia/myanmar-new-primate-species-intl-hnk-scli-scn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>.</p>
<p>The Popa langur was discovered in a surprising way, according to an AFP article published in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/11/popa-scoop-100-year-old-monkey-faeces-reveals-new-species-in-myanmar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>. A genetic analysis of a more-than 100 year old specimen held at London's Natural History Museum revealed that it was a distinct species. The museum specimen matched more recent bones gathered in the field in Myanmar. The monkeys were filmed for the first time in 2018.</p>
<div id="4c1c6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fb27e84516d1306d78d71f1ca35ac275"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1326451307394310149" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The Museum's collections have helped to reveal that a monkey living on the side of an extinct volcano in Myanmar is… https://t.co/ZWM0DXGl7l</div> — Natural History Museum (@Natural History Museum)<a href="https://twitter.com/NHM_London/statuses/1326451307394310149">1605085610.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"Monkeys are one of the most iconic groups of mammals, and these specimens have been in the collections for over a hundred years," Miguez said in a <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2020/november/new-species-of-monkey-is-already-critically-endangered.html?utm_source=tw-link-post-20201111-jd&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=news" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">museum press release</a>. "But we didn't have the tools or the expertise to do this work before. It is thanks to this collaboration with multiple international colleagues and latest sequencing techniques that we manage to bring this species to light."</p><p>The research was a collaboration between the museum, <a href="https://www.fauna-flora.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Flora & Fauna International</a>, and the German Primate Centre.</p><p>There are more than 20 species of langur in the world, according to AFP, and several are already endangered. The Popa langur takes its name from Myanmar's Mount Popa, a pilgrimage site that is home to the species' largest population, CNN reported. That population has more than 100 individuals.</p>
<div id="3b7d7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1fa053dca32789afd4b719c44a7df883"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1326454691945918465" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Alarmingly, this newly described langur is already staring extinction in the face.
The biggest population (around… https://t.co/Aqe1ECIAQb</div> — Fauna & Flora Int. (@Fauna & Flora Int.)<a href="https://twitter.com/FaunaFloraInt/statuses/1326454691945918465">1605086417.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Luckily, Mount Popa is already home to a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a> sanctuary, but Miguez said that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hunting" target="_self">hunting</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation" target="_self">deforestation</a> still occur there.</p><p>Overall, habitat loss is the greatest threat to the new species, which once lived throughout Myanmar.</p><p>"Hunting is a big problem but the bigger threat is the habitat is almost gone and it is reduced, fragmented and isolated due to human encroachment, " Christian Roos of the German Primate Centre told BBC News.</p><p>However, the scientists said that the discovery of the new species will help with its <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a>.</p><p>"The hope is that by giving this species the scientific status and notoriety it merits, there will be even more concerted efforts in protecting this area and the few other remaining populations," Miguez said in the museum release. "At least whatever decisions are made in the future when it comes to things like how the parks are managed, those [will] be from a more informed point of view as we now know of the distinctiveness of the population of langurs that is actually there."</p>
<p>Past history gives reason for hope, <a href="https://www.fauna-flora.org/news/new-primate-species-discovered-myanmar-monkey-mystery-unravels?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=news" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Flora & Fauna International pointed out</a>. A decade ago, the organization discovered the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey and realized there were only 260 to 330 of the animals left. But they worked with the Myanmar government and local communities to help the species. The Myanmar government just declared its mountain forest habitat a protected area this year.</p><p>"It is hoped that by engaging with communities, and with business interests whose areas of operation overlap with the Popa langur's limestone habitat, we will pave the way for appropriate action to protect this particular primate in perpetuity," the conservation organization wrote.</p>
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Now that the campaign season is over, what do we do with all those political yard signs? Trash them? Keep them for memories' sake? Florida beekeeper Alma Johnson has a better idea: donate them to help keep her honeybee hives warm.
<p>"I saw the politician signs and I said, 'What a great opportunity,'" Johnson told <a href="https://www.fox13news.com/news/sarasota-beekeeper-upcycling-political-signs-for-sweet-purpose" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fox 13</a>. "I'd rather use those than having to go buy corrugated plastic from Home Depot and add more to the landfill too."</p><p>Johnson told <a href="https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2020/11/09/still-have-political-signs--here-s-how-you-can-help-save-the-bees" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bay News 9</a>, "These signs are the perfect size to keep <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/bees" target="_self">bees</a> warm, and ward off pests."</p><p>The apiarist, who owns <a href="https://www.sarasotahoney.com/" target="_blank">Sarasota Honey Company</a>, upcycles corrugated <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastics" target="_self">plastic</a> signs to keep hives at their ideal constant 98 degree temperature, reported <a href="https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/news-and-profiles/2020/11/recycle-political-signs-help-honeybees" target="_blank">Sarasota Magazine</a>. Signs placed at the base of beehives help with ventilation, control humidity, and act as a shield against cool night drafts that can chill the queen bee and babies.</p>
<p>Unlike a solid wood board, corrugated plastic also prevents fungal infections, Johnson told the magazine.</p><p>Foam boards also don't upcycle for bees well because it's the spaces in the plastic signs that provide the best, chemical-free pest protection, she told Fox 13. Johnson cuts the plastic signs into squares and seals the bottom on one side. The little corrugated holes are filled with oil and apple cider vinegar to act as a natural trap for pests that threaten the bees like hive killing beetles and mites, the bee keeper explained.</p><p>"They don't care if it's a Trump sign or a Biden sign. They hold no loyalty to any party," she joked to Fox 13.</p>
<p>The Sarasota Honey Company plans to distribute the campaign signs to other neighboring beekeepers to help keep their bees safe as well, <a href="https://www.mysuncoast.com/2020/11/07/suncoast-business-has-sweet-use-unwanted-campaign-signs/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ABC 7</a> reported. Other bee farms in the Tampa Bay area are mimicking Johnson's idea and collecting and distributing political signs through local beekeepers associations, reported <a href="https://www.cltampa.com/news-views/local-news/article/21146204/tampa-bay-beekeepers-can-use-your-old-political-signs-to-save-the-bees" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CL Tampa</a>.</p><p>"It is a way of bringing people together and guess what, the byproduct of that coming together is a sweet life, honey," said Johnson, reported <a href="https://www.wfla.com/news/sarasota-county/sarasota-woman-recycles-old-political-signs-to-keep-bees-warm-in-wintertime/amp/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WFLA</a> reported.</p>
<p>In St. Louis, MO, a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/recycling" target="_self">recycling</a> working group is tackling the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastic-pollution" target="_self">plastic pollution</a> problem in a different way. They are encouraging people to recycle corrugated political signs as well as yard signs used to congratulate graduates, St. Louis Public Radio reported.</p><p>"We don't want to send that stuff to a landfill if there's still useful life remaining in a material," recycling group member Jean Ponzi told the Public Radio.</p><p>The group has coordinated efforts because current recycling systems are not equipped to handle the material even though it is valuable to recyclers, she said in the report.</p><p>In Grand Rapids, MI, the local democratic party office collected signs for local candidates in case they want to reuse them to run again, reported <a href="https://www.wzzm13.com/article/tech/science/environment/how-to-recycle-political-signs/69-9e3a06c8-8af0-4c96-bcbc-ee68947fd2c7" target="_blank">ABC 13</a>. <a href="https://www.recyclebycity.com/chicago/brief/3-ways-to-reuse-or-recycle-yard-signs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Recycle by City: Chicago</a> suggested a few alternative uses such as painting over them for personalized celebratory signs and upcycling them into durable storage options because no local recycler would take the signs.</p>
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Asian short-clawed otters. wrangel / iStock / Getty Images Plus
The Asian short-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) is the world's smallest otter, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). But what they lack in size, they make up for in brain power.
<p>The approximately three-foot long otters can learn from each other, and show the capacity for long-term memory, a new study published Wednesday by <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.201215" target="_blank">The Royal Society found</a>.</p><p>"Our study is the first to show evidence of social learning and long-term memory in Asian short-clawed otters – which may be good news in terms of their adaptability and future survival," lead author Alex Saliveros, who works from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/cornwall/research/facilitiesandcentres/cec/" target="_blank">Centre for Ecology and Conservation</a> at the University of Exeter's Cornwall campus, said in a <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/title_825233_en.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">press release</a>.</p>
<div id="82594" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a9cbb9aae32c001632a5ce3b79cffcec"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1326453583924121600" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Researchers have found that #otters learn from each other when solving puzzles. They gave groups of otters puzzles… https://t.co/4MzsT67ZF5</div> — University of Exeter (@University of Exeter)<a href="https://twitter.com/UniofExeter/statuses/1326453583924121600">1605086153.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>To test the otters' learning abilities, the researchers provided the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/animals/" target="_self">animals</a> with different transparent containers filled with meatballs. To access the snacks, the otters had to learn how to twist or pull a lid or handle.</p><p>The researchers discovered that once one otter figured out how to open the container, their friends were also more likely to solve the puzzle. This is evidence of what the researchers call "social learning."</p><p>The <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/scientists" target="_self">scientists</a> also tested the otters' long term memory by giving them access to the same puzzles after a several-month gap. The otters were able to get into the food 69 percent faster than when they first encountered the containers. This is evidence that the otters have long-term memory.</p>
<p>The findings don't just teach scientists more about a unique animal species. They also may help them to save them. The otters, who are found in South and Southeast Asia from the Himalaya foothills of India to Indonesia and the Philippines, are considered vulnerable by the IUCN and their population is in decline. The primary forces driving this decline are <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation" target="_self">deforestation</a>, the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/overfishing" target="_self">overfishing</a> of their prey and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/agriculture" target="_self">agriculture</a>, including the use of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pesticides" target="_self">pesticides</a> that poisons the waters they fish in.</p><p>"Asian short-clawed otters are declining in the wild, partly due to overfishing and pollution affecting the crustaceans and small fish they feed on," Saliveros said in the press release. "With that in mind, we wanted to understand more about how they learn and remember information about new food sources. Being able to catch new prey in new ways, and to pass on that knowledge, could be important in terms of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a>."</p>
<p>The research builds on an a <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.170489" target="_blank">2017 study</a> from the University of Exeter, which found that smooth-coated otters could learn to open food puzzles by copying each other. However, that study found no evidence of that Asian short-clawed otters learned from each other.</p><p>"Now that we know Asian short-clawed otters do so as well, we can start investigating how we might transmit critical survival information regarding new foods and predators through wild otter groups more generally," senior author Dr. Neeltje Boogert, who was involved with both studies, said in the press release.</p>
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Endangered orangutans have long been losing habitat due to deforestation turning their rainforest island ranges into large-scale palm oil plantations. BAY ISMOYO / AFP via Getty Images
By Carly Nairn
Climate change and global food demand could drive a startling loss of up to 23 percent of all natural habitat ranges in the next 80 years, according to new findings published in Nature Communications.
<p>Habitat loss could accelerate to a level that brings about rapid extinctions of already vulnerable species. Shrinking ranges for mammals, amphibians and birds already account for an 18 percent loss of previous natural ranges, the study found, with a jump expected to reach 23 percent by this century's end.</p><p>Global food demand currently fuels agricultural sectors to increase land use, moving into habitats previously untouched. What results — <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation">deforestation</a> — leaves more carbon dioxide in the air, increasing greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change. In the U.S. alone, agriculture-related emissions measure <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/natural-resources-environment/climate-change/#:~:text=Agriculture%20and%20forestry%20together%20are,largest%20contributor%20to%20climate%20change." target="_blank">11.6 percent</a> of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, which include carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.</p>
<p>Deforestation and <a href="https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Threats-to-Wildlife/Habitat-Loss" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">habitat loss</a> also harms the natural cycles of ecosystems, affecting all stages of animal life from reproduction, to migration, to mating. For most species, survivability depends on geographic range. The study, which analyzed changes in the different habitats of 16,919 species from 1700 onward, found that with the increase in habitat destruction due to agriculture and climate change, more species will die sooner than previously expected.</p><p>"The tropics are biodiversity hotspots with lots of small-range species. If one hectare of tropical forest is converted to agricultural land, a lot more species lose larger proportions of their home than in places like Europe," said Dr. Robert Beyer of the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology, one of the authors of the study.</p>
<p>In many ways, the conclusion is already playing out in real time. Endangered orangutans have long been a noteworthy species dwindling in population due to their rainforest island ranges in Borneo and Sumatra in Southeast Asia transforming into large-scale <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/orangutans-are-hanging-on-in-the-same-palm-oil-plantations-that-displace-them/" target="_blank">palm oil plantations</a>. Farming and charcoal production have moved certain species of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/26/science/madagascar-lemurs-climate-change.html" target="_blank">lemur</a> — Madagascar's signature primate — into private reserves. And Amazon jaguars are increasingly difficult to spot as their <a href="https://psmag.com/environment/deforestation-is-threatening-jaguars" target="_blank">ranges</a> are cut into to ranch cattle.</p><p>"Whether these past trends in habitat range losses will reverse, continue, or accelerate will depend on future global carbon emissions and societal choices in the coming years and decades," study leader Andrea Manica, a professor at the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology, explained.</p><p>The report is one more substantiated piece of evidence to push for the reversal of the current conversion of natural habitat to land used for resources.</p><p>"It all depends on what we do next," Manica concluded. </p>
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A gray wolf at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado in 2007. Andy Cross / The Denver Post via Getty Images
The voters of Colorado have made history by electing to reintroduce gray wolves to the state.
<p>The opponents of Proposition 114, as the measure was called, conceded Thursday, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/11/colorado-approves-gray-wolf-reintroduction/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">National Geographic reported</a>. As of that afternoon, the plan to reintroduce wolves had 1,495,523 votes for and 1,475,235 against with 90 percent of the votes counted. However, the remaining 10 percent were all from pro-wolf areas.</p><p>The proposition's victory marks the first time the decision to reintroduce an <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/animals/" target="_self">animal</a> species has been made at the ballot box. It also comes exactly one week after the Trump administration <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-administration-gray-wolves-protection-2648559353.html" target="_self">announced</a> it would remove <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species-act" target="_self">Endangered Species Act</a> protections for gray wolves in the lower 48 states.</p>
<p>"This is a great victory for wolves coming on the heels of Trump's illegal action to remove federal protection, and it will help restore the natural balance in Colorado's Rocky Mountains," <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Center for Biological Diversity</a> (CBD) senior <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> advocate Michael Robinson said in a press release. "The people of the Colorado have helped turn the page on a brutal chapter of our history that saw wolves exterminated across the West."</p>
<div id="2d6e9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a33ea4499054a4921f3a6a6987336985"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1324452705558056962" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">WE DID IT! Together, our pack has passed Prop 114 to bring the gray wolf home to Colorado and restore our natural b… https://t.co/bAhoQ7ZNfj</div> — Vote YES on 114 - #RestoreTheHowl (@Vote YES on 114 - #RestoreTheHowl)<a href="https://twitter.com/RockyMtnWolf/statuses/1324452705558056962">1604609106.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Gray wolves once roamed across most of the U.S., but hunting and trapping almost drove them to extinction by the start of the twentieth century, National Geographic pointed out. Colorado became the first Rocky Mountain state to put a bounty on wolves in 1869, and the last wolf in the state was killed in 1945, according to the CBD.</p><p>Wolves were granted Endangered Species Act protections in the 1970s and were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and Idaho in 1995 and 1996, according to National Geographic. From there, they have spread to Montana, Washington State, Oregon and northern California. However, they have not recovered their historic range and remain missing from states like Maine, Utah and Colorado, which is one reason why scientists argued the Trump administration's decision to delist wolves was premature.</p><p>Now, the wolves are coming back to Colorado. Proposition 114 tasks Colorado Parks and Wildlife with making a plan to reintroduce wolves to the area west of the Continental Divide no later than Dec. 31, 2023, according to the CBD.</p>
<p>Supporters of wolf reintroduction argue that wolves play an important role in Western ecosystems, National Geographic pointed out. They help to manage deer and elk populations, boost smaller predators like foxes by competing with and killing coyotes and provide food for scavengers including wolverines and bears.</p><p>"Wolves evolved in the western United States for hundreds of thousands of years with their prey," former state biologist and environmental advocate Gary Skiba told <a href="https://www.cpr.org/2020/09/29/should-wolves-be-brought-back-to-colorado-a-rancher-and-a-biologist-have-their-say/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Colorado Public Radio</a>. "As a result of that, we've seen improved environmental conditions, at least partly because of wolves in Yellowstone. I won't say entirely, but partly. We won't probably see the same thing exactly in Colorado, but wolves were part of how the ecosystems function. We think we need to have that back."</p><p>The opposition to the measure has been led by farmers, ranchers and hunters who are worried about the impact of wolves on livestock and game, <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/11/05/colorado-voters-approve-gray-wolf-reintroducton/" target="_blank">The Colorado Sun explained</a>. Since Proposition 114 had more support in urban areas of Colorado, its opponents argued that the people voting for it were not the ones who would have to live with the new neighbors.</p>
<p>"All along, our opposition campaign was led by those who would be directly impacted by this measure, including real Coloradans, sportsmen, farmers and ranchers, outdoor enthusiasts, and more," Patrick Pratt, the spokesman of the anti-reintroduction group Coloradans Protecting Wildlife, said in a statement reported by The Colorado Sun.</p><p>But Rob Edward of the pro-reintroduction Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund said the divide was not so clear cut. He pointed to five counties on the Wester Slope, where wolves will be introduced, who voted for the measure.</p><p>"We would not be having this conversation today had it not been for people on the Western Slope voting for wolves," he told The Colorado Sun.</p>
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Asian elephants have been added to a list of species that need migratory protection. Steve Evans / Wikimedia Commons / CC by 2.0
By Karin Jäger
"They begin on a fall night, preferring the light of a full moon … Driven by the currents, they're pulled to the mouth of the river and out into the ocean," writes the WWF, rather poetically, of the European eel's long journey from the rivers of Central Europe to the far reaches of the Atlantic Ocean.
<p>Slithering eels don't usually conjure up such lyrical language. But the creature's life journey does have something of an epic quality.</p><p>Some 8000 kilometers (4971 miles) from its start point, the European eel meets up with its American counterpart in the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic, just east of Florida.</p><p>There they lay eggs and die. Their offspring then begin journeys that can take years back to the rivers from which their parents came. </p><p>But like any story, the eel's tale has its share of tragedy.</p><p>Many don't survive the strenuous journey. Hydropower turbines finish off many, while others fall victim to overfishing, perish in polluted rivers or waste away from parasitic infections. In the last 40 years, Europe's eel population has decreased by 98%.</p>
Think Beyond Borders to Protect Species
<p>When an animal crosses so many territories, how can it be protected? That's where the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS), sometimes known as the Bonn Convention, comes in. Every three years, the European Union and an additional 129 countries signed up to the CMS meet to discuss cross-border measures to protect eels and other animals on the move.</p><p>In February 2020, the convention met in Gandhinagar, India, where 10 migratory species, including the Asian elephant, jaguar and the oceanic whitetip shark, were added to the international wildlife treaty for the first time.</p><p>Nature's travelers face specific challenges, particularly as humans encroach more on animal habitat and carve up the landscape with roads and settlements, say experts. Wildlife needs to be taken into consideration at the planning stages of such infrastructure projects.</p><p>"Improving connections between habitats is important if we want to stop or even reverse extinctions," said Arnulf Köhncke, an ecologist with conservation group WWF. "You need to look at where an area cuts through as few migration routes and habitats as possible and plan and implement corresponding, cross-border (wildlife migration) corridors."</p><p>Such planning also requires cooperation between states.</p><p>Several bilateral agreements to protect migratory species already exist within the framework of the Bonn Convention. For instance, Chile and Argentina have committed to saving the endangered south Andean deer, which moves up and down the South American Andes, crossing through both countries as it does.</p>Unprecedented Global Biodiversity Loss
<p>Not all animals move across borders of their own accord. International trade in animals also requires international protection efforts. In the case of the eel, considered a delicacy from Europe to Asia, criminals smuggle young European "glass eels" in and out of countries, although international trade is strictly regulated under CITES, an international treaty governing trade in wildlife.</p><p>The trade is in animals caught in the wild. Breeding eels in captivity has so far proved impossible because of their complicated life cycle, which until recently, scientists still knew little about.</p><p>It's a lucrative gig and one that is driving down eel numbers. Although, the trade is regulated, enforcement is often lacking. People should avoid eating the animals, according to WWF. And we should avoid consuming too much fish and meat in general to halt species loss, says the conservation group.</p><p>Veronika Lenarz, who works with the secretariat of the Bonn Convention, agrees. But several major countries, like the USA, Russia and China, aren't party to the convention, while Japan refuses to sign up because of its whaling industry.</p><p>"We are in a crisis that threatens global biodiversity," said Lenarz.</p><p>In a major assessment of the world's wildlife published in September 2020, the UN warned of "unprecedented biodiversity loss" and said the global community had failed to fully achieve any of the 20 biodiversity targets set by the international organization 10 years ago.</p><p>While migratory animals are also impacted, not enough is known about many of the species to gauge to what extent. Researchers estimate there could be anywhere between 5,000 to 10,000 migratory species, ranging from storks and butterflies, to dolphins and wolves.</p>Climate Change: An Ever-Present Threat
<p>Regions in which the climate is changing most rapidly and on a large scale present a particular danger for migratory species. The animals, following a deeply embedded evolutionary instinct, will search for seasonal habitats in search of food and shelter. However, food is increasingly scarce in these places due to climate change.</p><p>Some animals are adapting. Compared to 20 years ago, fewer migratory birds are flying to their wintering grounds. But because these nomads are dependent on the many different habitats they use as resting points on their journeys, they are more vulnerable than their settled counterparts. By staying put, they're also in increased competition for scarce winter food supplies.</p><p>And while animals can adapt, not many can keep up with the pace of climate change.</p><p>"Reports from the UN climate group IPCC show that only a few species can move with the speed of climate change. And often alternative habitats are already occupied by humans," said Köhncke from the WWF.</p><p>The climate crisis and species loss shouldn't be viewed as unrelated issues, because both are damaging to the planet, added Köhncke.</p><p>"Migratory species help to maintain life on Earth. They contribute to the structure and functions of ecosystems as pollinators and seed dispersers, deliver food to other animals and regulate the number of species," said Köhncke. </p>Creating Conditions to Thrive
<p>Ensuring the conditions for the survival of these species should be considered when planning measures for dealing with the consequences of climate change, he added, referring to the WWF study "Wildlife in a Warming World."</p><p>Published in 2018, the study found that around 50% of species in some of the world's key natural regions, such as the Amazon, could disappear if climate change continues unabated.</p><p>Reindeer for instance, some of which migrate in the northern hemisphere, are no longer able to find enough food. Usually in winter, the animals clear snow with their hooves to uncover the lichens and moss they feed on. But temperatures now vary wildly, causing snow to melt or fall as rain instead. When the ground cools again, ice forms and the reindeer cannot get to their grub. </p>Simple Solutions to Protect Endangered Species
<p>Looking to the example of Mexico, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has shown protecting endangered migratory species doesn't have to be complicated.</p><p>Industrial farming has contributed to the jaguar's habitat shrinking by 50% in South and Central America in the last century. As a result, they began roaming near villages looking for food and attacking villagers' dogs. People retaliated by killing them. The IFAW hired community members to build dog houses, meaning the canines are no longer out roaming at night when they could run into big cat predators.</p><p>However, with the global conservation failures of the past decade looming, all eyes will be on the UN Biodiversity Conference scheduled to take place in China in 2021 and whether it can pull off a plan for protecting migratory and non-migratory animals like.</p>From Your Site Articles
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