Reports

A landmark study has been launched that may help ensure the migratory success and survival of North America’s fastest land animal—the pronghorn—in Grand Teton National Park and the southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The new study, to be conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Grand Teton National Park, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, will evaluate dynamics of this population as well as threats that may be faced by pronghorn as they travel the path to and from...

Brazil has announced a new plan to protect the Cerrado, a massive expanse of biologically diverse savannah that is under huge pressure from encroaching development by boosting spot checks and sustainable development. The Cerrado Plan will see US$200 million of federal money being invested over the next two years to protect the mixed woodland-savannah, which covers 21percent of Brazil’s landmass, an area about the size of Greenland. Numerous important tributaries of the Amazon River originate in...

Poachers targeting rich fishing grounds in the Andaman Islands are endangering the world’s most isolated tribe. More than a hundred iIllegal fishermen from Burma have been arrested in recent weeks. Fourteen were fishing off North Sentinel Island, home to the Sentinelese tribe, who attack anyone approaching their island. Members of the tribe killed two fishermen in 2006. Burmese and local Indian poachers also threaten the survival of the Jarawa tribe, who have only had contact with outsiders...

The BBC's Natural History Unit has discovered the world's highest living tigers during an expedition to the remote Himalayas in Bhutan. With only about 3,000 tigers left in the wild, the discovery is a breakthrough for tiger survival. Working with tiger conservationists and scientists the team, from BBC One's 'Lost Land Of The Tiger', filmed the tigers over 4,000 metres high up in the Himalayas. The footage is the first real evidence that tigers are resident and breeding at this altitude. The...

Two veterinarians, two safari operators, and a professional hunter are among nine people who were arrested Monday during a police raids in South Africa. Over 200 rhinos have been killed in the country this year. Dawie Groenewald, the wealthy driving force behind Out of Africa Adventurous Safaris in Polokwane, his wife, Sariette, and Tielman Erasmus, a professional hunter, are behind bars. They were arrested on Monday along with Dr Karel Toet and Dr Manie du Plessis, two veterinarians from...

About 2.57 billion urban dwellers in developing nations are vulnerable to high levels of risk fuelled by rapid urbanisation, poor local governance, population growth, poor health services and, in many instances, the rising tide of urban violence. The figures are from the World Disasters Report released by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Tuesday. A key finding of the report is that between one-third and one-half of the population of most cities in...

The example of Pune has been cited as a classic case study for making cities resilient by investing in and maintaining critical infrastructure that reduces risk, such as flood drainage, adjusted where needed to cope with climate change. The initiative was driven jointly by the elected municipal government, the municipal commissioner and Alert (active citizen groups), and involves many different city departments. It demonstrates that local governments can prepare for climate change by reducing...

The damage caused by the flash floods in Leh and Uttarakhand regions could have been minimised or even averted had their respective state governments put in place warning systems to alert citizens of impending disasters which were predicted by climate change reports. The IPCC fourth assessment report in early 2007 had warned of precisely such climate impacts. The Climate Revolution Initiative has released RTI replies filed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) environment...

Greenpeace activists Tuesday occupied an oil drilling ship anchored off Shetland Isles to push for a ban on deepwater drilling in the North Sea. Two members used boats to reach the 228-metre Stena Carron and attached themselves to its anchor chain. One of the Greenpeace protesters, Anais Schneider, said, "The Shetlands are so beautiful and an oil spill here could devastate this area and the North Sea. It's time to go beyond oil. Our addiction is harming the climate, the natural world and our...

Half of UK consumers have no idea that the paper and wood products they are buying may be contributing to the destruction of the world’s forests. But two-thirds believe authorities should commit to buying sustainable wood and paper products. The findings are from a survey carried out as part of WWF’s ‘What Wood You Choose?’ campaign. The two-year, EU-funded project, aims to help people make the right choices when buying wood-related products such as a new bed, flooring or paper for their printer...