tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/endangered-species-3754/articlesEndangered species – The Conversation2024-03-19T03:17:31Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2257902024-03-19T03:17:31Z2024-03-19T03:17:31ZThe government wants to fast-track approvals of large infrastructure projects – that’s bad news for NZ’s biodiversity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582659/original/file-20240318-20-iz8kas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=41%2C95%2C3938%2C1981&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images/Gerald Corsi </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to be of national or regional significance.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/document/54SCENV_SCF_083F0A7B-F182-41D5-0897-08DC3E31559C/fast-track-approvals-bill">Fast-track Approvals Bill</a>, introduced under urgency on March 7, would <a href="https://www.bellgully.com/insights/government-s-fast-track-approvals-bill-released-under-100-day-plan/">take precedence over several current environmental laws</a> and give ministers the power to skirt existing approval processes.</p>
<p>Leaders of ten scientific societies that conduct biodiversity research in Aotearoa New Zealand, representing thousands of members (ourselves included), have called on the government to <a href="https://newzealandecology.org/open-letter-coalition-government-scientific-societies-13-march-2024">slow down the pace of reform</a>. </p>
<p>They warn that <a href="https://www.bellgully.com/insights/government-s-fast-track-approvals-bill-released-under-100-day-plan/">decision-making criteria are weighted towards
development</a>, not environmental protection or sustainable resource use, and undermine New Zealand’s obligations to protect the country’s unique and threatened biodiversity.</p>
<p>New Zealand’s economy relies on the environment in many ways. One study <a href="https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/assets/Publications/Ecosystem-services-in-New-Zealand/3_2_Patterson.pdf">estimated</a> New Zealand’s land-based ecosystem services contributed NZ$57 billion to human welfare in 2012 (27% of the country’s GDP). This includes services such as <a href="http://www.mwpress.co.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/77057/2_11_Newstrom.pdf">crop pollination by insects</a>, erosion control by plants and flood regulation by wetlands. </p>
<p>The fast-track bill requires expert panels to provide recommendations to the relevant ministers within six months of a project being referred to them. This time frame is wholly unsuitable to making <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195925513001108?casa_token=1abt1A-X3y0AAAAA:zjrU7aX-Mh1FDQfdP0XfQLYzE268A9qBb64jfjnJ6jX8MvSsORW28sAc6t1DcRGAc7pEqDnxvQ">proper assessments</a> of environmental impacts, including those on plants and animals, as surveys will likely be conducted at <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2404742">inappropriate times of the year</a>.</p>
<h2>No time for on-site ecological assessments</h2>
<p>A key requirement of assessing impacts on biodiversity is to undertake <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07349165.1995.9726099">new ecological surveys</a> of the project site and surrounds. Such surveys identify the threatened species and ecosystems found on the site, catalogue where they are found and estimate their population numbers. </p>
<p>This information is then used to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07349165.1995.9726099">determine</a> how those species and ecosystems could be affected, and whether the project could be modified to avoid or mitigate these impacts.</p>
<p>There are currently no directions in the bill for the expert panel to commission new ecological surveys. However, even if panels could do this, the six-month time frame precludes robust ecological surveys.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/without-a-better-plan-new-zealand-risks-sleepwalking-into-a-biodiversity-extinction-crisis-182279">Without a better plan, New Zealand risks sleepwalking into a biodiversity extinction crisis</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Thorough ecological assessments involve conducting surveys at multiple times throughout the year because certain species will only be present during particular seasons. </p>
<p>For instance, <a href="https://www.doc.govt.nz/get-involved/apply-for-permits/interacting-with-wildlife/applying-to-develop-land-with-native-lizards-and-frog-species/">reptiles, frogs</a>, <a href="https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/3551">invertebrates</a> and <a href="https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/sap232.pdf">migratory species of birds</a> are usually only detectable during warmer times of the year. Surveys for them during winter are unlikely to find these species. </p>
<p>Even certain plants, such as <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2008.01869.x">orchids</a> that can lie dormant underground as a tuber, have life cycles that make them difficult to detect. Many grasses are <a href="https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/AusGrass/key/AusGrass/Media/Html/Guide/bestpractice.htm">best identified</a> when they are in flower.</p>
<p>In many cases, restricting consenting to just six months means expert panels would have to make their assessments based only on existing ecological information. This is known as a “desktop assessment”.</p>
<p>While a useful first step, these are not a replacement for on-the-ground surveys. This is particularly the case in New Zealand, where we have limited data on many species and for many parts of the country. For example, we don’t have sufficient data on most of New Zealand’s <a href="https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/nztcs35entire-feb2024.pdf">reptiles</a>. </p>
<h2>Evidence-based decisions are critical</h2>
<p>Apart from the proposed fast-tracking of resource consents, the government has already repealed the <a href="https://environment.govt.nz/acts-and-regulations/acts/natural-and-built-environment-act-2023/">Natural and Built Environment Act</a> and the <a href="https://environment.govt.nz/acts-and-regulations/acts/spatial-planning-act-2023/">Spatial Planning Act</a>. Both were enacted only last year as part of a new resource management regime. </p>
<p>The government also plans to replace the <a href="https://environment.govt.nz/publications/national-policy-statement-for-freshwater-management-2020-amended-january-2024/">National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management</a>, which provides direction to local authorities on how to manage activities that affect the health of lakes and rivers.</p>
<p>None of the recent and proposed changes to environmental legislation are responsive to the dual biodiversity and climate crises. They are also inconsistent with the government’s own <a href="https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/350118150/national-act-coalition-agreement-full">stated goal</a> of evidence-based decision making. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/restoring-ecosystems-to-boost-biodiversity-is-an-urgent-priority-our-eco-index-can-guide-the-way-217092">Restoring ecosystems to boost biodiversity is an urgent priority – our ‘Eco-index’ can guide the way</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>New Zealand’s plants, animals, fungi and ecosystems are <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/35002501">globally unique</a>. They underpin key economic sectors, especially primary production and tourism. But they are also threatened with extinction. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/extinction-threat-to-indigenous-species/">More than 75%</a> of New Zealand’s native species of reptile, bird, bat and freshwater fish are either threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened. </p>
<p>New Zealand has international obligations to conserve biodiversity under the <a href="https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile?country=nz">Convention on Biological Diversity</a>, which was signed in 1993. In 2022, New Zealand joined almost 200 member nations in adopting the <a href="https://www.cbd.int/gbf">Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework</a>, which commits countries to protect 30% of land and ocean globally by 2030. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/despite-its-green-image-nz-has-worlds-highest-proportion-of-species-at-risk-116063">Despite its green image, NZ has world's highest proportion of species at risk</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Much of New Zealand’s most at-risk indigenous biodiversity is <a href="https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/3235.pdf">found on private land</a> and may be subject to detrimental impacts from land use and development pressures. </p>
<p>The fast-tracking agenda threatens to undermine New Zealand’s progress on biodiversity protection and other key environmental issues. It erodes rather than sustains the natural capital on which the economy depends. </p>
<p>New Zealand’s scientific societies are urging the coalition government to allow adequate time for appropriate parliamentary select committee processes and thorough public consultation on the bill. </p>
<p>They call for a comprehensive legislative and policy framework, centred on the protection of environmental values and sustainable resource management, to ensure development occurs in ways that don’t further degrade natural capital.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The authors thank Dr Fleur Maseyk for her comments and discussions on this piece.</em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225790/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Curran receives funding from the New Zealand Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Fire and Emergency New Zealand, the Hellaby Grasslands Trust, Marlborough District Council, Brian Mason Scientific and Technical Trust, and the Lincoln University Argyle Trust. Tim is the Submissions Coordinator and a past President of the New Zealand Ecological Society, and coordinated and helped draft the open letter to the government referred to in this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jo Monks receives funding from the New Zealand Department of Conservation and Auckland Zoological Park. She is Vice President of the New Zealand Ecological Society and a council member of the Society for Research on Amphibians and Reptiles in New Zealand. Jo is a previous employee of the New Zealand Department of Conservation. Jo signed the open letter to government referred to in this article on behalf of the New Zealand Ecological Society.</span></em></p>New Zealand’s plants and animals are globally unique and underpin primary production and tourism. The government’s fast-tracking proposal threatens to erode the natural capital the economy relies on.Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New ZealandJo Monks, Lecturer in Ecology, University of OtagoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2252682024-03-18T19:21:15Z2024-03-18T19:21:15ZOn a climate rollercoaster: how Australia’s environment fared in the world’s hottest year<p>Global climate <a href="https://wmo.int/media/news/wmo-confirms-2023-smashes-global-temperature-record">records were shattered</a> in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year and numerous weather disasters occurred as climate change reared its head. </p>
<p>How did Australia’s environment fare against this onslaught? In short, 2023 was a year of opposites.</p>
<p>For the past nine years, we have trawled through huge volumes of data collected by satellites, measurement stations and surveys by individuals and agencies. We include data on global change, oceans, people, weather, water, soils, vegetation, fire and biodiversity. </p>
<p>Each year, we analyse those data, summarising them in an <a href="https://bit.ly/ausenv2023">annual report</a> that includes an overall Environmental Condition Score and <a href="https://ausenv.online/aer/scorecards/">regional scorecards</a>. These scores provide a relative measure of conditions for agriculture and ecosystems. Scores declined across the country, except in the Northern Territory, but were still relatively good.</p>
<p>However, the updated <a href="https://tsx.org.au/">Threatened Species Index</a> shows the abundance of listed bird, mammal and plant species has continued to decline at a rate of about 3% a year since the turn of the century.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Environmental condition indicators for 2023, showing the changes from 2000–2022 average values. Such differences can be part of a long-term trend or within normal variability.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.wenfo.org/aer/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2023_Australias_Environment_Report-1.pdf">Australia's Environment 2023 Report.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-2023s-record-heat-worsened-droughts-floods-and-bushfires-around-the-world-220836">How 2023's record heat worsened droughts, floods and bushfires around the world</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Riding a climate rollercoaster in 2023</h2>
<p>Worldwide, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-2023s-record-heat-worsened-droughts-floods-and-bushfires-around-the-world-220836">77 countries broke temperature records</a>. Australia was not one of them. Our annual average temperature was 0.53°C below the horror year 2019. Temperatures in the seas around us were below the records of 2022. </p>
<p>Even so, 2023 was among Australia’s eight warmest years in both cases. All eight came after 2005.</p>
<p>However, those numbers are averaged over the year. Dig a bit deeper and it becomes clear 2023 was a climate rollercoaster.</p>
<p>The year started as wet as the previous year ended, but dry and unseasonably warm weather set in from May to October. Soils and wetlands across much of the country started drying rapidly. In the eastern states, the fire season started as early as August. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, there was generally still enough water to support good vegetation growth throughout the unusually warm and sunny winter months.</p>
<p>Fears of a severe fire season were not realised as El Niño’s influence waned in November and rainfall returned, in part due to the warm oceans. Combined with relatively high temperatures, it made for a hot and humid summer. A tropical cyclone and several severe storms caused flooding in Queensland and Victoria in December. </p>
<p>As always, there were regional differences. Northern Australia experienced the best rainfall and growth conditions in several years. This contributed to more grass fires than average during the dry season. On the other hand, the rain did not return to Western Australia and Tasmania, which ended the year dry.</p>
<h2>So how did scores change?</h2>
<p>Every year we calculate an Environmental Condition Score that combines weather, water and vegetation data.</p>
<p>The national score was 7.5 (out of 10). That was 1.2 points lower than for 2022, but still the second-highest score since 2011. </p>
<p>Scores declined across the country except for the Northern Territory, which chalked up a score of 8.8 thanks to a strong monsoon season. With signs of drought developing in parts of Western Australia, it had the lowest score of 5.5.</p>
<p>The Environmental Condition Score reflects environmental conditions, but does not measure the long-term health of natural ecosystems and biodiversity. </p>
<p>Firstly, it relates only to the land and not our oceans. Marine heatwaves damaged ecosystems along the eastern coast. Surveys in the first half of 2023 suggested the recovery of the Great Barrier Reef plateaued. </p>
<p>However, a cyclone and rising ocean temperatures occurred later in the year. In early 2024, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-great-barrier-reefs-latest-bout-of-bleaching-is-the-fifth-in-eight-summers-the-corals-now-have-almost-no-reprieve-225348">another mass coral bleaching event</a> developed. </p>
<p>Secondly, the score does not capture important processes affecting our many threatened species. Among the greatest dangers are invasive pests and diseases, habitat destruction and damage from severe weather events such as heatwaves and megafires.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-ecosystems-unprecedented-climates-more-australian-species-than-ever-are-struggling-to-survive-222375">New ecosystems, unprecedented climates: more Australian species than ever are struggling to survive</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Threatened species’ declines continued</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://tsx.org.au/">Threatened Species Index</a> captures data from long-term threatened species monitoring. The index is updated annually with a three-year lag, largely due to delays in data processing and sharing. This means the 2023 index includes data up to 2020.</p>
<p>The index showed an unrelenting decline of about 3% in the abundance of Australia’s threatened bird, mammal and plant species each year. This amounts to an overall decline of 61% from 2000 to 2020.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Line graph of Threatened Species Index" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Threatened Species Index showing the abundance of different categories of species listed under the EPBC Act relative to 2000.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.wenfo.org/aer/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2023_Australias_Environment_Report-1.pdf">Australia's Environment 2023 Report</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The index for birds in 2023 revealed declines were most severe for terrestrial birds (62%), followed by migratory shorebirds (47%) and marine birds (24%).</p>
<p>A record 130 species were added to Australia’s <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/threatened/nominations">threatened species lists</a> in 2023. That’s many more than the annual average of 29 species over previous years. The 2019–2020 <a href="https://theconversation.com/200-experts-dissected-the-black-summer-bushfires-in-unprecedented-detail-here-are-6-lessons-to-heed-198989">Black Summer bushfires</a> had direct impacts on half the newly listed species.</p>
<h2>Population boom adds to pressures</h2>
<p>Australia’s population passed <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/population-clock-pyramid">27 million</a> in 2023, a stunning increase of 8 million, or 41%, since 2000. Those extra people all needed living space, food, electricity and transport. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/our-population-is-expected-to-double-in-80-years-we-asked-australians-where-they-want-all-these-people-to-live-176889">Our population is expected to double in 80 years. We asked Australians where they want all these people to live</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/climate-change/publications/australias-emissions-projections-2023">have risen by 18% since 2000</a>. Despite small declines in the previous four years, emissions increased again in 2023, mostly due to air travel rebounding after COVID-19. </p>
<p>Our emissions per person are the <a href="https://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/report_2023">tenth-highest in the world</a> and more than three times those of the average global citizen. The main reasons are our coal-fired power stations, <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-passenger-vehicle-emission-rates-are-50-higher-than-the-rest-of-the-world-and-its-getting-worse-222398">inefficient road vehicles</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/11/how-many-cattle-are-there-in-australia-we-may-be-out-by-10-million">large cattle herd</a>.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, there are reasons to be optimistic. Many other countries have dramatically <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/co2-gdp-decoupling">reduced emissions without compromising economic growth</a> or quality of life. All we have to do is to finally follow their lead.</p>
<p>Our governments have an obvious role to play, but we can do a lot as individuals. We can even save money, by switching to renewable energy and electric vehicles and by eating less beef.</p>
<p>Changing our behaviour will not stop climate change in its tracks, but will slow it down over the next decades and ultimately reverse it. We cannot reverse or even stop all damage to our environment, but we can certainly do much better.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-australias-net-zero-transition-threatens-to-stall-rooftop-solar-could-help-provide-the-power-we-need-220050">As Australia's net zero transition threatens to stall, rooftop solar could help provide the power we need</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225268/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Australia’s Environment is produced by the ANU Fenner School for Environment & Society and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), an NCRIS-enabled National Research Infrastructure. Albert Van Dijk receives or has previously received funding from several government-funded agencies, grant schemes and programmes.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tayla Lawrie is a current employee of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), funded by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shoshana Rapley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Conditions deteriorated in 2023 but were stlil relatively good for ecosystems and agriculture. Unfortunately, the alarming decline of threatened species continued.Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National UniversityShoshana Rapley, Research Assistant, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National UniversityTayla Lawrie, Project Manager, Threatened Species Index, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2195982024-03-14T19:25:08Z2024-03-14T19:25:08ZMeet the kowari: a pint-sized predator on the fast track to extinction<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581179/original/file-20240312-24-tb4sa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ariana Ananda</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia is home to <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/7010/">more than 350 species</a> of native mammals, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1417301112">87% of which are found nowhere else on Earth</a>. But with 39 of these species <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicthreatenedlist.pl">already extinct</a> and a further <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicthreatenedlist.pl">110 listed as threatened</a>, there’s every chance many will vanish before you even knew they existed. So here’s one we think you simply must know (and save), before it’s too late. </p>
<p>The charismatic <a href="https://teamkowari.com.au/kowari/">kowari</a> is a small carnivorous marsupial. It was once common inland but is now found only in the remote deserts of southwest Queensland and northeastern South Australia, in less than 20% of its former range. </p>
<p>This pint-sized predator fits in the palm of your hand. Its bright eyes, bushy tail and big personality make it the perfect poster child for the Australian outback. But with just 1,200 kowari left in the wild, the federal government upgraded its conservation status in November from <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=329">vulnerable to endangered</a>. </p>
<p>Reversing the decline of the kowari is within our grasp. But we need public support and political will to achieve this. It requires limiting grazing of cattle and sheep, while keeping feral cat numbers under control. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WVAmYlHoqs4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Introducing the kowari (Arid Recovery)</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/threatened-species-recover-in-fenced-safe-havens-but-their-safety-is-only-temporary-200548">Threatened species recover in fenced safe havens. But their safety is only temporary</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Meet the kowari</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://teamkowari.com.au/kowari/">kowari</a> (<em>Dasyuroides byrnei</em>) is a skilled hunter that stalks mice, tarantulas, moths, scorpions and even birds. Alert and efficient, they attack their prey voraciously.</p>
<p>Formerly known as the brushy-tailed marsupial rat, or Byrne’s crest-tailed marsupial rat, the kowari is more closely related to Tasmanian Devil and quolls. </p>
<p>The Wangkangurru Yarluyandi People use the name kowari, while the Dieri and Ngameni peoples use the similar-sounding name kariri.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581171/original/file-20240312-18-mlrrfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Closeup of the gibber plain showing areas of flat interlocking red pebbles" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581171/original/file-20240312-18-mlrrfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581171/original/file-20240312-18-mlrrfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581171/original/file-20240312-18-mlrrfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581171/original/file-20240312-18-mlrrfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581171/original/file-20240312-18-mlrrfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581171/original/file-20240312-18-mlrrfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581171/original/file-20240312-18-mlrrfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The red stony gibber plains could be mistaken for the surface of Mars.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Katherine Moseby</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Kowaris live in stony deserts. They mainly inhabit remote treeless “gibber” plains. These areas of flat, interlocking red pebbles form vast pavements that could be mistaken for the surface of Mars. </p>
<p>In the outback, where temperatures can exceed 50°C, kowaris beat the heat by sheltering in burrows dug into sand mounds. At night they emerge to race across the plains, their head and distinctive brushy tail held high, pausing regularly to scan for predators and prey. </p>
<p>During chilly winter days, kowaris slow their metabolism to conserve energy. They go into a state of <a href="https://theconversation.com/torpor-a-neat-survival-trick-once-thought-rare-in-australian-animals-is-actually-widespread-146409">torpor</a>, which is a daily version of hibernation. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/torpor-a-neat-survival-trick-once-thought-rare-in-australian-animals-is-actually-widespread-146409">Torpor: a neat survival trick once thought rare in Australian animals is actually widespread</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>At the two main South Australian sites, the number of animals captured in trapping surveys declined by <a href="https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jzo.12605">85% between 2000 and 2015</a>. At this rate, the species could disappear from the area within two decades.</p>
<p>The entire population is estimated to number as few as 1,200 individuals scattered over just 350 square kilometres. That’s a combined area of less than 20km x 20km. </p>
<p>Based on this evidence, the conservation status of kowaris was upgraded from <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=329">vulnerable to endangered</a> in November last year.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581170/original/file-20240312-18-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A kowari standing in the desert facing the camera with its long bushy tail stretched out to the right" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581170/original/file-20240312-18-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581170/original/file-20240312-18-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581170/original/file-20240312-18-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581170/original/file-20240312-18-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581170/original/file-20240312-18-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581170/original/file-20240312-18-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581170/original/file-20240312-18-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kowari are now restricted to refuge populations in northeast South Australia and southwest Queensland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Andrea Tschirner</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Shrinking populations in the stony desert</h2>
<p>Kowaris have been declining for a while but are suddenly on the fast track to extinction. How can that be, when they live in one of the most vast and remote parts of Australia? </p>
<p>Threats include land degradation from pastoralism, and predation from introduced feral cats and foxes. </p>
<p>But it’s complicated. Threats can combine, having a synergistic effect (greater than the sum of their parts). And then there are climate influences. </p>
<p>Heavy rain in the desert triggers a cascade of events that culminates in an <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-10/feral-cats-tear-through-last-wild-bilby-population/5803252">explosion of feral cat numbers</a>. </p>
<p>When conditions dry out again, the cats switch to eating larger or more difficult prey such as bilbies and kowaris, often causing local extinctions. In southwest Queensland, feral cats most likely wiped out one population of kowaris and decimated another. </p>
<p>Huge efforts to control cat plagues have saved the kowari and bilby populations in <a href="https://bioone.org/journals/australian-journal-of-zoology/volume-70/issue-2/ZO22027/Does-reducing-grazing-pressure-or-predation-conserve-kowaris-A-case/10.1071/ZO22027.full">Astrebla Downs National Park</a> from local extinction so far, but other areas have succumbed.</p>
<p>In SA, all the remaining kowari populations are on <a href="https://www.nespthreatenedspecies.edu.au/publications-and-tools/the-kowari-saving-a-central-australian-micro-predator">pastoral stations used for grazing cattle</a>. </p>
<p>Cattle can trample kowari burrows. They can also compact the sand mounds, making it difficult for kowaris to build burrows in the first place. And they eat the plants on the mounds, reducing the availability of both food and shelter. This makes kowaris easy prey. </p>
<p>Over the past few decades, pastoralism has intensified. <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/pastoral-leases#:%7E:text=Pastoral%20leases%20exist%20on%20around,to%20facilitate%20and%20support%20pastoralism.">Nearly half of Australia (44%)</a> is covered in pastoral leases where many threatened species occur. </p>
<p>Domestic stock usually graze close to watering points such as bores and troughs. More and more watering points are being established, to make more of the pastoral lease accessible to stock. So the area protected from grazing is shrinking as cattle encroach further into kowari territory. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581168/original/file-20240312-16-mabhg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A sand mound surrounded by the stony desert gibber plain" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581168/original/file-20240312-16-mabhg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581168/original/file-20240312-16-mabhg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581168/original/file-20240312-16-mabhg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581168/original/file-20240312-16-mabhg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581168/original/file-20240312-16-mabhg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=592&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581168/original/file-20240312-16-mabhg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=592&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581168/original/file-20240312-16-mabhg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=592&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kowari burrow in sand mounds that can be trampled and compacted by cattle.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Katherine Moseby</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How can we save the kowari?</h2>
<p>We have the knowledge and tools required to save this species from extinction. We just need decisive leadership and sufficient funding to put these plans into action. </p>
<p>State governments should provide more resources for desert parks so rangers can monitor feral cat numbers and respond rapidly to plagues. We can make use of new technology such as remote camera traps checked via satellite. These measures would also protect the last remaining stronghold of the bilby in Queensland, another nationally threatened mammal. </p>
<p>The pastoral industry and governments must work together to review watering-point placement and reduce grazing pressure in known kowari habitat. </p>
<p>By closing some pastoral watering points and ensuring a portion of each lease (possibly 20%) is away from waters, we can reduce the harm of stock and provide refuges for threatened species. Pastoral companies could show leadership and implement these actions themselves rather than waiting for governments to act.</p>
<p>In the meantime, reintroductions into safe havens is one stopgap measure helping to prevent imminent kowari extinction. In 2022, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=search&v=409398861174893&external_log_id=2222a528-17bb-4f25-b0d5-d45d296c0c73&q=ecological%20horizons">12 kowaris were successfully reintroduced</a> to the 123 square km <a href="https://aridrecovery.org.au/kowari/">fenced Arid Recovery Reserve</a> in northern SA. The population has <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AridRecovery/videos/1165149370645281">expanded since release</a>. Removing cats, foxes and domestic stock from the reserve has given kowaris a chance to reclaim a small portion of their former range. </p>
<p>But safe havens are small and we need to act on a larger scale. If we don’t, the kowari may become yet another Australian species lost before you’ve even seen it.</p>
<p><em>Thanks to Genevieve Hayes, former ecologist at Arid Recovery, for coordinating the reintroduction of the kowari at Arid Recovery and commenting on the draft of this article.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/so-you-want-to-cat-proof-a-bettong-how-living-with-predators-could-help-native-species-survive-170450">So you want to cat-proof a bettong: how living with predators could help native species survive</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219598/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Moseby is co-founder and chief scientist at Arid Recovery. She receives contract work from Arid Recovery to assist with conservation and restoration works. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Tuft is Chief Executive at Arid Recovery which has received grant funding from the federal government and other sources to support research and conservation for the kowari.</span></em></p>Blink and you’ll miss it. The kowari is a charismatic marsupial carnivore that needs our help.Katherine Moseby, Associate Professor, UNSW SydneyKatherine Tuft, Visiting Research Fellow, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2252572024-03-13T00:02:52Z2024-03-13T00:02:52ZSurviving fishing gear entanglement isn’t enough for endangered right whales – females still don’t breed afterward<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581023/original/file-20240311-30-7n1k5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C7%2C5240%2C3936&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Endangered North Atlantic right whale Snow Cone, entangled in fishing rope, with her newborn calf off Georgia in 2021.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/WhaleEntanglement/e4dd953df8dc4ff8a1df41f310d9abda/photo">Georgia Department of Natural Resources/NOAA Permit #21731, via AP</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It sounds like a crime show episode at sea: In late January 2024, federal regulators learned that a dead female North Atlantic right whale had been sighted near Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The whale was towed to shore, where more than 20 U.S. and Canadian scientists converged to perform a <a href="https://www.acvp.org/page/Necropsy">necropsy</a>, or animal autopsy. </p>
<p>On Feb. 14, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the whale was #5120 in a <a href="https://rwcatalog.neaq.org/#/">catalog that tracks individual right whales</a>. Further, the agency said, rope that had been deeply embedded in the whale’s tail had likely come from <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/north-atlantic-right-whale-updates">lobster fishing gear in Maine</a>. </p>
<p>Entanglement in fishing gear is a deadly threat to these <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41712/178589687">critically endangered animals</a>. Scientists estimate that before commercial whaling scaled up in the 18th and 19th centuries, there may have been as many as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12664">10,000 North Atlantic right whales</a>. Today, fewer than 360 individuals remain. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps09923">Almost 90% of them</a> have been entangled at least once. </p>
<p>When whales become entangled in fishing gear, they use extra energy dragging it as they swim. If the rope is caught around their mouths, they may struggle to feed and slowly starve. Ropes wrapped around whales’ bodies, flippers or tails can cut into the animals’ skin and become <a href="https://theconversation.com/high-tech-fishing-gear-could-help-save-critically-endangered-right-whales-115974">deeply embedded in their flesh</a>, as happened to whale #5120. This can cause infections, chronic emaciation and damage to whales’ blubber, muscle, bone and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/baleen-whale">baleen – the bristly structures in their mouths</a> that they use to filter prey from the water.</p>
<p>North Atlantic right whales are legally protected, both internationally and in U.S. waters, including policies that seek to reduce deaths or serious injuries resulting from entanglements. However, even when entanglement does not kill a whale, it can affect individuals’ ability to reproduce, which is critically important for a species with such low numbers. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ylQ5q7Ivs2o?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Rescuers successfully remove more than 450 feet (137 meters) of rope and a 135-pound (60-kilogram) trap from an entangled North Atlantic right whale at sea.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In a newly published study, we show that even entanglements scientists classify as minor have <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2024.0314">devastating impacts on female right whales</a> and that, surprisingly, potential mothers who suffer “minor” entanglements have the lowest chance of starting to breed. As researchers with expertise in <a href="https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=8zoJjzcAAAAJ&hl=en">marine</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8isVxjsAAAAJ&hl=en">biology</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=CDxPUIEAAAAJ&hl=en">ecology</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=P9JQOi8AAAAJ&hl=en">statistics</a>, we believe our findings underline the urgent need for ropeless fishing gear that can reduce threats to the survival of this species.</p>
<h2>Smaller females are having fewer young</h2>
<p>Understanding reproductive patterns is essential for supporting species that are critically endangered. North Atlantic right whales historically started breeding by around 9 years of age and gave birth to a single calf every <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00530">three to four years</a> thereafter for several decades. </p>
<p>Today, however, many females have yet to reproduce at all. Moreover, those that have successfully produced calves now don’t produce another calf for <a href="https://www.narwc.org/uploads/1/1/6/6/116623219/2022reportcardfinal.pdf">more than seven years on average</a>. </p>
<p>As we showed in a 2022 study, after an encouraging North Atlantic right whale population recovery from the 1970s through the early 2000s, the number of reproductively mature female right whales <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.994481">declined from 2014 onward</a>. By 2018 there were only about 73 breeding females left, representing roughly half of all females and a sixth of the entire species.</p>
<p>Other research has shown that <a href="https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13299">poor health and physical condition</a> are making it harder for these females to even start breeding. Since the early 1980s, North Atlantic right whales have literally shrunk: Adults have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.067">shorter bodies</a> than they did several decades ago. This trend is associated with entanglements in fishing gear. As is true for all mammals, decreasing female body size <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.240050">reduces the likelihood of reproducing</a>. Smaller whales have fewer calves.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Infographic showing North Atlantic right whale population trends" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">North Atlantic right whales have been listed as endangered since 1970. Approximately 360 individuals remain, including around 70 reproductively active females.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/north-atlantic-right-whale">NOAA Fisheries</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Low calving rates are a <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/flying-high-save-north-atlantic-right-whales">significant factor in North Atlantic right whales’ decline</a>, so it is important to understand what causes them. Many organizations are involved in <a href="https://whalemap.org/">tracking North Atlantic right whales</a>, including <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/north-atlantic-right-whale/science">government agencies</a>, <a href="https://www.neaq.org/animal/right-whales/">aquariums</a> and <a href="https://coastalstudies.org/right-whale-research/population-monitoring/">conservation groups</a>. Photos taken from the air enable researchers to identify individuals and so monitor whale population trends, births and deaths, ocean habitat use patterns, health and rates of scarring from entanglements and collisions with ships.</p>
<p>Our new study found that female right whales who have experienced even a minor entanglement before reaching sexual maturity may not ever start to breed. Even females who have previously reproduced are less likely to breed again following an entanglement event.</p>
<p>We determined this by using a mathematical model to incorporate information on the identity of individual whales, derived from photographs of <a href="https://www.neaq.org/conservation-and-research/anderson-cabot-center-for-ocean-life/identifying-right-whales/">natural markings known as callosities</a> on the whales’ heads. By identifying and photographing whales repeatedly over time, scientists can estimate different stages of their life, such as when females give birth. </p>
<h2>Weakness of current regulations</h2>
<p>Researchers categorize the severity of injuries that result from entanglements as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12590">minor, moderate or severe</a>. The scientists who manage the right whale catalog classify scars or injuries on the skin as minor if they are smaller than 0.8 inches (2 centimeters) without entering the blubber. If they are larger and enter the blubber, they are classified as moderate. Injuries that extend deep into the muscle or bone are categorized as severe.</p>
<p>Our research makes it clear that such value-laden terms are potentially misleading because even minor entanglements can threaten whales’ successful reproduction.</p>
<p>Multiple laws ostensibly protect North Atlantic right whales, including the U.S. <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/laws-policies/endangered-species-act">Endangered Species Act</a> and <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/laws-policies/marine-mammal-protection-act">Marine Mammal Protection Act</a>, and Canada’s <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/s-15.3/">Species at Risk Act</a>. In our view, these measures do not give enough weight to preventing all types of entanglements, regardless of severity.</p>
<p>Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the NOAA develops and implements conservation plans and so-called Take Reduction Plans, which are designed to minimize wildlife deaths and serious injury resulting from commercial fishing gear.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/marine-mammal-protection/atlantic-large-whale-take-reduction-plan">Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan</a>, developed in 1997, requires fishers to use <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/marine-mammal-protection/approved-weak-inserts-atlantic-large-whale-take">weak links</a>, with a maximum breaking strength of 1,700 pounds (771 kilograms), to connect lobster and crab pots to buoys on the surface. These links are intended to break when whales swim into them, so that the whales do not become entangled and weighted down by ropes and traps. </p>
<p>The plan also requires fishers to use heavy ground lines to connect multiple traps or pots. These lines are designed to sink to the bottom rather than floating in the water column. And the plan closes trap fishing areas seasonally when whales are known to be present in those zones. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OGBjNL-8ac0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">U.S. and Canadian regulators are considering requiring ‘ropeless’ lobster and crab fishing gear in zones where right whales are present.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Coming back from the brink</h2>
<p>Current population estimates suggest that the numbers of North Atlantic right whales <a href="https://www.neaq.org/right-whale-population-estimates-indicate-slowing-decline-scientists-highlight-threats-to-species/">could be stabilizing</a>, meaning that the number of deaths is approximately equal to the number being born. While these estimates seem promising, females need to start and continue producing calves to increase whales’ numbers. </p>
<p>From our work, it is very clear that both lethal and sublethal impacts of entanglements are of grave concern for these whales. As we see it, eliminating entanglement, not mitigating it, is the only way to avoid the extinction of this species. Every entanglement, whatever its severity, is bad news for the whales.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225257/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leslie New receives funding from the U.S. Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation. She also is a member of the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Corkeron consults for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility on right whale conservation issues. He headed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's large whale research program for the northeastern US from 2011 to 2019, then led the New England Aquarium's right whale research program through 2022.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rob Harcourt receives funding from the Australian Federal Government Department of Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water for research on right whales. He was a member of the National Marine Mammal Scientific Committee </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua Reed does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Even when female North Atlantic right whales survive entanglement in fishing gear, it may affect their future ability to breed, increasing the pressure on this critically endangered species.Joshua Reed, Research Associate in Biology, Macquarie UniversityLeslie New, Assistant Professor of Statistics, Ursinus CollegePeter Corkeron, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith UniversityRob Harcourt, Professor of Marine Ecology, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2220932024-03-11T13:03:39Z2024-03-11T13:03:39ZNigeria risks losing all its forest elephants – what we found when we went looking for them<p>Nigeria is one of <a href="https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/SSC-OP-060_A.pdf">37 African countries</a> where elephants are found in the wild. Savannah elephants (<em>Loxodonta africana</em>) can be found in the north and forest elephants (<em>Loxodonta cyclotis</em>) in the south.</p>
<p>It’s not clear how many elephants there are in Nigeria. Eighteen years ago, the <a href="https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/SSC-OP-060_A.pdf">African Elephant Study Report</a> estimated that there were just 94 elephants left in the country. In 2021, it was estimated that there could be about <a href="https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/16374/Last-Chance-for-Nigerias-Endangered-Elephants-Can-a-National-Elephant-Action-Plan-Help-Save-Them.aspx">400 elephants</a> in areas not systematically surveyed.</p>
<p>What we do know, however, is that the numbers and ranges of elephants in Nigeria have declined greatly over time. The main cause of this has been human activity, like logging and agriculture, which <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/elephants-invade-as-habitat-loss-soars-in-nigerian-forest-reserve/">threaten</a> their survival by reducing their natural habitat. Some elephant populations have been lost. Others exist only in small, fragmented areas. </p>
<p>Elephant surveys had not been carried out in southern Nigeria for over a decade, and sightings of forest elephants are rare. Forest elephants are of <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-decisions-by-global-conservation-group-bolster-efforts-to-save-africas-elephants-158157">particular interest</a> because they’re classified as <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/pdf/204404464">Critically Endangered</a> by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. </p>
<p>We carried out a <a href="http://urpr.unilag.edu.ng/index.php/ujmst/article/view/1010">study</a> to establish their presence and determine the factors affecting their conservation.</p>
<p>We visited four protected areas in two national parks and one forest reserve in southern Nigeria. We did find small populations, totalling 40 forest elephants. This is not a viable population in the long run as it has been <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1019047830364">suggested</a> that “viable” elephant populations may range from 400 to 6,000 individuals. </p>
<p>Their survival is being threatened for six reasons, in particular the impact of people’s activities. </p>
<h2>Presence and distribution of elephants</h2>
<p>We visited Okomu National Park; Omo Forest Reserve; and the Okwango and Oban Divisions of the Cross River National Park. </p>
<p>Elephants were caught on camera traps in the Omo Forest Reserve and Okomu National Park. They were sighted in the Okomu National Park and the Oban Division of the Cross River National Park. In the Omo Forest reserve, we found the charred bones of a poached elephant. </p>
<p>Of the 40 identified using micro-satellite markers, seven were in Omo Forest Reserve, 14 from Okomu National Park, 11 from Oban Divison and eight from Okwango Division.</p>
<p>The future of these elephants looks precarious for a number of reasons.</p>
<h2>The threats</h2>
<p>Firstly, our study found evidence that pressure from human activity and changes in land use were influencing elephant distribution in the study locations. These were also contributing to habitat fragmentation and forest degradation. </p>
<p>We found that land within and around the protected areas we studied had been converted to settlements. It is also used for farming and monoculture plantations, where elephant food is limited. This has resulted in habitat loss and forest fragmentation, restricting the ranges of the elephant populations.</p>
<p>Second, the presence of hunters’ sheds, spent cartridges, traps and hook snares showed that illegal hunting persisted in all the study locations. We found the carcass of an elephant during the study. Hunting, as a threat to biodiversity conservation, has already been proven in studies of <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Henry-Ijeomah/publication/265843692_CHALLENGES_OF_WILDLIFE_MANAGEMENT_IN_KAINJI_LAKE_NATIONAL_PARK_NIGERIA/links/541cb7440cf241a65a150bff/CHALLENGES-OF-WILDLIFE-MANAGEMENT-IN-KAINJI-LAKE-NATIONAL-PARK-NIGERIA.pdf">Kainji National Park</a>, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285521399_Wildlife_conservation_challenges_in_Okomu_National_Park_Nigeria">Okomu National Park</a> and the <a href="https://ijcs.ro/public/IJCS-14-49-Adetola.pdf">Cross River National Park</a>. Arrests don’t always deter offenders because the punitive measures aren’t heavy enough.</p>
<p>Thirdly, human-elephant conflict is pervasive. Elephants raided crops and destroyed property in and around the study locations. Most farmers in the surrounding communities lacked alternative sources of livelihood. Even <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/elephants-invade-as-habitat-loss-soars-in-nigerian-forest-reserve/">small losses</a> were of economic importance and led to negative attitudes towards conservation.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/conflict-between-humans-and-wildlife-in-tanzania-is-being-poorly-managed-and-climate-change-is-making-things-worse-210332">Conflict between humans and wildlife in Tanzania is being poorly managed – and climate change is making things worse</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In the Okomu National Park – which lacks a <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/buffers/guidelines/2_biodiversity/8.html#:%7E:text=Buffer%20zones%20are%20designated%20areas,connect%20the%20buffered%20landscape%20patches.">buffer zone</a> – we detected elephant activity outside the protected areas.</p>
<p>Fourthly, the distribution of the elephants in small groups means that they face a high risk of local extinction. The populations in the Omo Forest Reserve and the Okomu National Park are completely isolated. The protected areas are surrounded by farmlands and human settlements and the elephants don’t intermingle with other populations.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/africas-savannah-elephants-small-fortress-parks-arent-the-answer-they-need-room-to-roam-220723">Africa's savannah elephants: small 'fortress' parks aren't the answer – they need room to roam</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Fifth is the issue of forest degradation and shrinking of forest space. The Omo Forest Reserve is a <a href="https://www.worldheritagesite.org/connection/Strict+Nature+Reserve">Strict Nature Reserve</a> – meaning it’s not open to tourism – and is one of <a href="https://en.unesco.org/biosphere/africa/omo">Nigeria’s four biosphere reserves</a>. But most of the forest is degraded and has reduced in size. </p>
<p>The final threat to elephants is that farmers were not paid compensation for crop losses arising from elephant raids in the study locations. This contributed to a negative attitude towards conservation. The Federal Government of Nigeria has no <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322775865_Assessment_of_Human-Wildlife_Conflicts_In_Filinga_Range_of_Gashaka_Gumti_National_Park_Nigeria">policy provision</a> for compensation to farmers. The <a href="https://www.cbd.int/sp/targets">Aichi Biodiversity Targets</a> encourage incentives as a means of safeguarding biodiversity.</p>
<h2>Improving the conservation of elephants</h2>
<p>Ecologically, elephants are a keystone species which have a massive impact on the ecosystem. Their loss would have an impact on the environment. Economically, they are drivers of tourism, and culturally they are icons of the African continent. </p>
<p>There are several steps that can be taken to protect them. </p>
<p>Awareness programmes, livelihood opportunities and compensation should be introduced to farmers. Together with <a href="https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4111">acoustic deterrents</a> and other mitigation methods used around the world, they could check losses due to crop raids.</p>
<p>Community conservation education and awareness programmes <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266945276_An_Empirical_Study_of_the_Effects_of_Personal_Factors_on_Environmental_Attitudes_of_Local_Communities_around_Nigeria's_Protected_Areas">work</a>. They should be rolled out to help change negative attitudes and get people to cooperate in conservation efforts. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-it-might-take-more-than-the-buzz-of-bees-to-ward-off-elephants-54255">Why it might take more than the buzz of bees to ward off elephants</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In our study we observed that elephants avoided harming cocoa farms. In cases where elephants passed through them, the cocoa was not eaten. This behaviour was also <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237297323_Forest_elephant_distribution_and_habitat_use_in_the_Bossematie_Forest_Reserve_Ivory_Coast">reported</a> at the Bossematié Forest Reserve, Côte d'Ivoire. This observation needs to be investigated to test whether cultivation of these crops could mitigate conflict between people and elephants. </p>
<p>Finally, a species management and monitoring plan should be put in place to help conserve Nigeria’s forest elephant populations. A nationwide survey, to assess the population of elephants in all ranges in Nigeria, should be top priority.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222093/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Queen Omoregie received funding from the 2015 S. L. Edu Memorial Research grant and the Graduate Fellow grant, School of Postgraduate Studies, University of Lagos to carry out this research. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bola Oboh and Rosemary Iriowen Egonmwan do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Forest elephants are endangered in Nigeria. Habitat protection, community awareness campaigns, research and stronger regulations could save them from going extinct.Rosemary Iriowen Egonmwan, Professor of Environmental Physiology of Animals, University of LagosBola Oboh, Professor of Genetics, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, University of LagosLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2242302024-03-07T19:03:24Z2024-03-07T19:03:24ZFished for their meat and liver oil, many remarkable deep-water sharks and rays now face extinction<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580260/original/file-20240306-24-da5war.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=19%2C173%2C4262%2C2156&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/six-gill-shark-pup-110832647">Shutterstock/Greg Amptman</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The deep ocean, beyond 200 metres of depth, is the largest and one of the most complex environments on the planet. It covers 84% of the world’s ocean area and 98% of its volume – and it is home to a great diversity of species.</p>
<p>Yet it remains among the least studied places on Earth, with no comprehensive assessments of the state of deep-water biodiversity and no policy-relevant indicators to guide the taking of species targeted by fisheries. </p>
<p>This also applies specifically to deep-water sharks and rays, even though these species make up nearly half of the recognised diversity of all cartilaginous fishes (sharks, rays, and chimaeras) we know today. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade9121">research</a> highlights how our growing impact on the deep ocean raises the threat to these species. </p>
<p>Using the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> Red List of Threatened Species, we show that the number of threatened deep-water sharks and rays has more than doubled between 1980 and 2005, following the emergence and expansion of deep-water fishing. </p>
<p>We estimate one in seven species (14%) are threatened with extinction. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sharks-and-rays-are-in-free-fall-more-than-one-third-are-threatened-with-extinction-from-overfishing-167329">Sharks and rays are in free fall: More than one-third are threatened with extinction from overfishing</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Fishing for meat and oil</h2>
<p>Deep-water sharks and rays are in a group of marine vertebrates that are most sensitive to overexploitation. This is because of their long lifespans (possibly <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.aaf1703">up to 450 years for the Greenland shark</a>, <em>Somniosus microcephalus</em>) and low reproduction rate (only <a href="https://www.iucnssg.org/publications-other.htmlhttps://www.iucnssg.org/publications-other.html">12 pups in a lifetime for the gulper shark</a>, <em>Centrophorus granulosus</em>). </p>
<p>These biological characteristics make them similar to formerly exploited, and now highly protected, marine mammals. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Greenland shark in dark water" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580036/original/file-20240305-21577-2siggc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580036/original/file-20240305-21577-2siggc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580036/original/file-20240305-21577-2siggc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580036/original/file-20240305-21577-2siggc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580036/original/file-20240305-21577-2siggc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580036/original/file-20240305-21577-2siggc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580036/original/file-20240305-21577-2siggc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Greenland shark can live up to 450 years.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/greenland-shark.html">Wikimedia Comons/Hemming1952</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Greenland shark and the leafscale gulper shark (<em>Centrophorus squamosus</em>), for example, have population growth rates comparable to the sperm whale (<em>Physeter macrocephalus</em>) and the walrus (<em>Odobenus rosmarus</em>), respectively. Despite their known inherent vulnerability, there are very few species-specific management actions for deep-water sharks. </p>
<p>Our research shows that overfishing is the primary threat to deep-water sharks and rays. They are used for their meat and liver oil, which drives targeted fisheries but also incidental capture, meaning any accidental catches are retained by fisheries targeting other species. </p>
<p>In many nations, deep-water sharks and rays are regarded as a welcome catch because of the <a href="https://saveourseas.com/update/is-by-catch-responsible-for-the-decline-of-deep-sea-oil-sharks/">high value of their liver oil</a> and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/80/3/578/6484966">high demand for skate meat</a>. These are not new trades, but the global expansion and diversification of use, particularly for shark liver oil, is a relatively new phenomenon. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Gulper shark" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580040/original/file-20240305-26-ioc67p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580040/original/file-20240305-26-ioc67p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580040/original/file-20240305-26-ioc67p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580040/original/file-20240305-26-ioc67p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580040/original/file-20240305-26-ioc67p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580040/original/file-20240305-26-ioc67p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580040/original/file-20240305-26-ioc67p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Deep-water sharks, such as this gulper shark, are used for meat and liver oil.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1811/logs/nov15/welcome.html">NOAA</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Targeted shark liver oil fisheries are <a href="https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJF/article/view/92453">boom-and-bust fisheries</a>. They drive shark populations down and raise the extinction risk over short periods of time (less than 20 years). There is particular interest in shark liver oil for applications in cosmetics and human health products, including vaccine adjuvants. </p>
<p>This is despite a lack of evaluation of possible human health risks of using liver oil for medical purposes (deep-water sharks can bioaccumulate heavy metals and contaminants at concentrations at or above <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X23013772">regulatory thresholds</a>). </p>
<h2>Need for global deep-water shark action</h2>
<p>There have been tremendous triumphs in shark conservation, including the regulation of the global trade in fins from threatened coastal and pelagic species. But deep-water sharks have been largely left out of conservation discussions. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://cites.org/eng">Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora</a> has yet to see a listing proposal for a deep-water shark or ray. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A deepwater stingray, Plesiobatis daviesi" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580257/original/file-20240306-28-9ocphi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580257/original/file-20240306-28-9ocphi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580257/original/file-20240306-28-9ocphi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580257/original/file-20240306-28-9ocphi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580257/original/file-20240306-28-9ocphi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580257/original/file-20240306-28-9ocphi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580257/original/file-20240306-28-9ocphi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Deep-water sharks and rays, such as this stingray, have been left out of conservation discussions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plesiobatis_daviesi_cochin.jpg#/media/File:Plesiobatis_daviesi_cochin.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We call for trade and fishing regulations specific to deep-water sharks and rays to ensure legal, traceable and sustainable trade and to prevent their further endangerment. </p>
<p>There are presently limited ways of determining which species comprise internationally traded liver oil. It may be a byproduct of sustainable fisheries but the current lack of regulations could also be masking the trade of threatened species. </p>
<p>We also propose closures of areas important to deep-water sharks and rays to provide refuge from fishing and promote recovery and long-term survival. Nearly every deep-water shark is threatened by incidental capture. </p>
<p><a href="https://ices-library.figshare.com/articles/report/Report_of_the_Working_Group_on_Elasmobranch_Fishes_WGEF_/24190332">Retention bans have been implemented</a> in some regions as a mitigation strategy, including European waters managed under the <a href="https://ices-library.figshare.com/">International Council for the Exploration of the Sea</a>. But they don’t prevent the mortality of prohibited species that are released after being brought to the surface from great depths. </p>
<p>We need efforts to prevent capture in the first place. There is now a global push to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 through the <a href="https://www.cbd.int/gbf/targets">Convention on Biological Diversity</a>, which New Zealand has ratified. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/oceanic-sharks-and-rays-have-declined-by-71-since-1970-a-global-solution-is-needed-154102">Oceanic sharks and rays have declined by 71% since 1970 – a global solution is needed</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Our work shows protecting 30% of the deep ocean (200-2000m) would provide around 80% of deep-water shark species with at least partial spatial protection across their range. If a worldwide prohibition of fishing below 800m were to be implemented, it would provide 30% vertical refuge for one third of threatened deep-water sharks and rays.</p>
<p>Even though the extinction risk for these species is much lower than that of their shallow-water relatives, their potential for recovery from overexploitation is much reduced because of their long lifespans and low fecundity. One <a href="https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/76/7/2318/5506076">study</a> estimated it would take 63 years or more for the little gulper shark (<em>Centrophorus uyato</em>) to recover to just 20% of its original population size. </p>
<p>We know many shark populations around the world <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(21)01198-2.pdf">are in trouble</a>. Threatened deep-water sharks have little chance of recovery without immediate action. Now is the time to implement effective conservation actions in the deep ocean to ensure half of the world’s sharks and rays have a refuge from the global extinction crisis.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224230/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brittany Finucci is affiliated with the IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cassandra Rigby is affiliated with the IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group.</span></em></p>Long lifespans and slow reproduction rates make deep-water sharks and rays as vulnerable to overexploitation as whales once were. We must place them under protection to avoid extinctions.Brittany Finucci, Fisheries Scientist, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric ResearchCassandra Rigby, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, James Cook UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2225592024-02-29T17:37:30Z2024-02-29T17:37:30ZThree ways climate change is pushing butterflies and moths to their limits<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573808/original/file-20240206-27-tmjdur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Like half of UK butterflies and moths, the high brown fritillary is a specialist feeder. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/high-brown-fritillary-butterfly-on-pink-460865704">Roman Malanchuk/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In any competition, there are winners and losers. In the race to adjust to a changing climate, some butterflies seem to be doing well. But others, less so. </p>
<p>The brown hairstreak has been reported to be doing well <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/31/brown-hairstreak-rare-butterfly-quietly-retaking-london">around London</a> and the UK population has been stable <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/the-state-of-britains-butterflies">since the 1980s</a>. Meanwhile, the comma butterfly boasts a <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/state-of-uk-butterflies-2022">94% range expansion since the 1970s</a>, and is now a familiar sight across England, Scotland and southern Wales. </p>
<p>This uplifting news is masking the plight of the UK’s other 57 breeding butterfly species. Butterfly Conservation’s <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/the-state-of-britains-butterflies">2022 report</a> painted a grim picture. Since the 1980s, 80% of butterfly species have decreased in abundance, distribution or both. </p>
<p>The situation isn’t looking much better for moths, close cousins of the butterflies, with a 33% decrease in abundance of macromoths (larger moths) over the <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/StateofMothsReport2021.pdf">last 50 years</a>. Eight UK butterfly species are listed as endangered and a further 16 are vulnerable. </p>
<p>Only 29 species are classed as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12582">least concern</a>. So, while there are some winners, there are also many types of butterflies and moths that are clearly struggling to survive in our changing climate. </p>
<p><a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/recording-and-monitoring">Citizen science</a> tells us a lot about how butterfly numbers and distributions have changed since the 1970s, and sheds light on what drives some butterfly species to decline while others thrive. </p>
<h2>1. Butterflies are picky eaters</h2>
<p>Like half of the UK’s butterfly species, the high brown fritillary is a specialist. As a caterpillar, it depends on only one or a few plants to power its growth. The high brown fritillary relies on violets, which are mostly found in coppiced woodland and on sun-drenched slopes. Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management, involving cutting trees down to stumps to maintain the woodland and encourage new growth.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Do the seasons feel increasingly weird to you? You’re not alone. Climate change is distorting nature’s calendar, causing plants to flower early and animals to emerge at the wrong time.</em></p>
<p><em>This article is part of a series, <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/wild-seasons-152175?utm_source=InArticleTop&utm_medium=TCUK&utm_campaign=WS">Wild Seasons</a>, on how the seasons are changing – and what they may eventually look like.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Changes in land management, like the decline in coppicing, intensified agriculture and urbanisation, have diminished these habitats and their host plants. This endangered butterfly was once found throughout the UK, but is now restricted to only a handful of sites and conservationists are working hard to <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/high-brown-fritillary">conserve this species</a>. </p>
<h2>2. Some don’t like it hot or cold</h2>
<p>The wall brown, like <a href="https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/documents/5b5a13b6-2304-47e3-9c9d-35237d1232c6">most of the UK’s butterflies</a>, should spend winter as a caterpillar, or in a cocoon it will emerge from after April. But mild weather in autumn and winter means that wall brown adults are emerging from their cocoons in September and October. </p>
<p>At this time, it’s likely too cold for the adults, there aren’t other wall browns to mate with or there aren’t enough suitable plants for their caterpillars to eat before winter. Because these adults aren’t able to reproduce successfully, fewer caterpillars survive to become butterflies the following spring – a phenomenon researchers have called a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.02066">developmental trap</a>. This is contributing to the decline of wall brown. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573810/original/file-20240206-22-2k6odo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Small brown butterflu with orange and black spots on wings, wings open as it rests on grass" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573810/original/file-20240206-22-2k6odo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573810/original/file-20240206-22-2k6odo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573810/original/file-20240206-22-2k6odo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573810/original/file-20240206-22-2k6odo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573810/original/file-20240206-22-2k6odo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573810/original/file-20240206-22-2k6odo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573810/original/file-20240206-22-2k6odo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The rare mountain ringlet butterfly.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/rare-mountain-ringlet-butterfly-erebia-epiphron-600627353">Sandra Standbridge/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Warmer summers also pose a problem, with temperatures in the UK soaring last <a href="https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2023/2023-was-second-warmest-year-on-record-for-uk">September</a>. Unlike us, butterflies and other insects have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13319">limited ways to keep cool</a>. </p>
<p>To cool down they angle their wings to not catch the direct sun and can also choose shady spots where it is often cooler. But butterflies and moths are very <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12594">sensitive to the weather</a> and extreme temperatures can cause <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3588">early death in butterflies</a>. </p>
<p>There are also more subtle effects of these bursts of high temperatures. In <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01047-0">fruit flies</a> and <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/2688-8319.12303">other insects</a>, fertility is often reduced at temperatures lower than the lethal limit. This means that while butterflies may survive heat waves, their fertility could be reduced and this could lead to longterm population declines. </p>
<p>Understanding the effects of temperature on fertility in butterflies and moths is clearly a key priority and is at the forefront of ecological research. </p>
<h2>3. Small ranges make survival tricky</h2>
<p>The mountain ringlet is a <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/">near-threatened</a> species that faces a different challenge. Currently only found in the Scottish Highlands and the Lake District, it lives at altitudes above 350 meters, where the air is cooler and the grass it depends on, <em>Nardus stricta</em>, flourishes. </p>
<p>Over time, these mountainous refuges will become less hospitable. Without cooler climes to retreat to, the mountain ringlet and other range-restricted butterflies may find themselves without a home. </p>
<p>The adonis blue (currently listed as vulnerable) is currently only seen in the south of England. As our climate warms the species may shift northwards, increasing its population. It thrives on horseshoe vetch, a plant that’s common on chalk and limestone grasslands. </p>
<p>But this butterfly is a real home body. It’s very <a href="https://www.eje.cz/pdfs/eje/2014/04/12.pdf">sedentary and has a low tendency to disperse</a> so it might not move north as the climate changes. Only time will tell. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573816/original/file-20240206-29-u3frse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Bright blue butterfly on grassy plant, burry green background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573816/original/file-20240206-29-u3frse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573816/original/file-20240206-29-u3frse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573816/original/file-20240206-29-u3frse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573816/original/file-20240206-29-u3frse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573816/original/file-20240206-29-u3frse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573816/original/file-20240206-29-u3frse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573816/original/file-20240206-29-u3frse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The rare adonis blue has a limited range and is only found in the south of England.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/adonis-blue-lysandra-bellargus-known-polyommatus-2418138073">Creative image dealer/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What do these trends tell us?</h2>
<p>Because butterflies and moths are sensitive to environmental fluctuations, they act as excellent bioindicators for assessing the health of ecosystems. Declines in butterfly and moth populations have serious implications.</p>
<p>There are noticeably fewer butterflies and moths for you and I to watch in our gardens, parks and the beautiful countryside. Butterflies and moths play a vital role in pollinating wild and crop plants including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10376">strawberries, cucumbers and apples</a>. </p>
<p>Many animals, including bats, birds and other insects rely on butterflies, moths and their caterpillars as a food source. The abundance and timing of caterpillars determine when some songbirds lay their eggs, so these changing trends may alter <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29152888/">longterm bird populations</a>. </p>
<p>That said, it’s not all doom and gloom. <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/our-work">Butterfly Conservation</a> runs a UK-wide conservation programme, targeting 200 priority landscapes for threatened butterflies and moths. Citizen science surveys, including the <a href="https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/">big butterfly count</a>, help scientists understand longterm trends in butterfly populations. </p>
<p>And you, as gardeners and nature lovers, can get involved with citizen science activities, cultivate shady butterfly-friendly habitats and help preserve urban green spaces that act as havens for these insects.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222559/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Duncan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Climate change puts pressure on British butterflies and moths - sometimes pushing them to the edges of their geographical range or shifting the timing of their life cycle so they can’t feed.Elizabeth Duncan, Associate Professor of Zoology, University of LeedsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2233572024-02-26T03:17:26Z2024-02-26T03:17:26ZOur native animals are easy prey after a fire. Could artificial refuges save them?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577816/original/file-20240226-24-d5noma.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=80%2C187%2C1816%2C1348&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A tawny-crowned honeyeater in an artificial refuge</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia is home to some of the most spectacular and enigmatic wildlife on Earth. Much of it, however, is being eaten by two incredibly damaging invasive predators: the feral cat and the red fox. </p>
<p>Each year in Australia, cats and foxes kill an estimated 697 million reptiles, 510 million birds, and 1.4 billion mammals, totalling a staggering <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13497">2.6 billion</a> animals. Since the predators were introduced more than 150 years ago, they have contributed to the extinction of more than 25 species – and are pushing <a href="https://researchers.cdu.edu.au/en/publications/degrees-of-population-level-susceptibility-of-australian-terrestr">many more to the brink</a>.</p>
<p>Research suggests cats and foxes can be <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42408-023-00183-6">more active in areas</a> recently burnt by fire. This is a real concern, especially as climate change increases the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-020-00065-8">frequency and severity of fire</a> in south-eastern Australia.</p>
<p>We urgently need new ways to protect wildlife after fires. Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110501">study</a> trialled one such tool: building artificial refuges across burnt landscapes. The results are promising, but researchers need to find out more.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kkxYqW0-SZE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Video showing a buttonquail using an artificial refuge built by the researchers.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Triple threat: cats, foxes and fire</h2>
<p>Many native animals are <a href="https://theconversation.com/surprisingly-few-animals-die-in-wildfires-and-that-means-we-can-help-more-in-the-aftermath-174392">well-adapted to fire</a>. But the changing frequency and intensity of fire is posing a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12905">considerable threat</a> to much of Australia’s wildlife.</p>
<p>Fire removes vegetation such as grass, leaf litter and shrubs. This leaves fewer places for native animals to shelter and hide, making it <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep22559">easier</a> for cats and foxes to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12853">catch them</a>. </p>
<p>We conducted <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110501">our experiment</a> in three Australian ecosystems: the forests of the Otway Ranges (Victoria), the sand dunes of the Simpson Desert (Queensland) and the woodlands of Kangaroo Island (South Australia). Each had recently been burnt by fire. </p>
<p>We built 76 refuges across these study areas. They were 90cm wide and up to 50m long – and backbreaking to install! They were made from wire mesh, mostly covered by shade cloth. Spacing in the mesh of 50mm allowed small animals to enter and exit from any point, while completely excluding cats, foxes and other larger animals. The shade cloth obstructed the vision of predators.</p>
<p>We then placed <a href="https://nesplandscapes.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/5.2.4_a_guide_to_use_of_remote_cameras_for_wildlife_surveys_final_web.pdf">remote-sensing camera traps</a> both inside and away from each refuge, and monitored them for periods ranging from four months to four years.</p>
<p>The placement of the cameras meant we could compare the effect of the refuges with what occurred outside them.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-season-in-hell-bushfires-push-at-least-20-threatened-species-closer-to-extinction-129533">A season in hell: bushfires push at least 20 threatened species closer to extinction</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What we found</h2>
<p>Across the three study areas, the artificial refuges were used by 56 species or species groups. This included the critically endangered Kangaroo Island dunnart, the threatened white-footed dunnart and the threatened southern emu-wren. </p>
<p>For around half the species, we detected more individuals inside the refuges than outside. As we predicted, the activity of small birds and reptiles, in particular, was much higher inside the refuges. </p>
<p>But surprisingly, reptile activity was also generally higher inside the refuges, particularly among skinks. We had not predicted that, because the shade cloth likely made conditions inside the refuges cooler than outside, and reptiles require warmth to regulate their body temperature.</p>
<p>Over time, the number of animals detected inside the refuges generally increased. This was also a surprise. We expected detections inside the refuges to decline through time as the vegetation recovered and the risk of being seen by predators fell.</p>
<p>But there were also a few complicating factors. For example, in the Otway Ranges and Simpson Desert, similar numbers of the mammals were detected inside and away from the refuges. This suggests the species didn’t consider the refuges as particularly safe places, which means the structures may not reduce the risk of these animals becoming prey.</p>
<p>So what’s the upshot of all this? Our findings suggest that establishing artificial refuges after fire may help some small vertebrates, especially small birds and skinks, avoid predators across a range of ecosystems. However, more research is required before this strategy is adopted as a widespread management tool.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/this-critically-endangered-marsupial-survived-a-bushfire-then-along-came-the-feral-cats-185133">This critically endangered marsupial survived a bushfire – then along came the feral cats</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Important next steps</h2>
<p>Almost all evidence for an increase in cat and fox activity after fire comes from <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42408-023-00183-6">Australia</a>, particularly the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep22559">tropical north</a>. But cats are an invasive species in more than <a href="https://www.gbif.org/species/2435035">120 countries and islands</a>.</p>
<p>That means there’s real potential for post-fire damage to wildlife to worsen globally, especially as <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-020-0085-3">fire risk increases</a> with climate change. </p>
<p>Our results suggest artificial refuges may be a way to help animals survive after fire. But there are still important questions to answer, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>can artificial refuges improve the overall abundance and survival of individuals and species?</li>
<li>if so, how many refuges would be required to achieve this?</li>
<li>in the presence of natural refuges – such as rocks, logs, burrows, and unburnt patches – are artificial refuges needed?</li>
<li>does their effectiveness vary between low-severity planned burns and high-severity bushfires?</li>
</ul>
<p>These questions must be answered. Conservation budgets are tight. After fires, funds must be directed towards actions that we know will work. That evidence is not yet there for artificial refuges.</p>
<p>Our team is busy trying to find out more. We urge other ecologists and conservationists to do so as well. We also encourage collaboration with designers and technologists to improve on our refuge design. For example, can such large refuges be made <a href="https://www.australianwildlife.org/biodegradable-flat-pack-homes-to-help-wildlife-survive-after-bushfires/">biodegradable and easier to deploy</a>?</p>
<p>Solving these problems is important. It’s almost impossible to rid the entire Australian continent of cats and foxes. So land managers need all the help they can get to stop these predators from decimating Australia’s incredible wildlife. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ytZM3Tm_oQc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The impact of roaming pet cats on Australian wildlife.</span></figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223357/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Darcy Watchorn receives funding from the Hermon Slade Foundation, Parks Victoria, the Conservation and Wildlife Research Trust, the Ecological Society of Australia, the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council, and the Geelong Naturalists Field Club. He is a member of the Ecological Society of Australia and the Society for Conservation Biology Oceania.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Dickman receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Don Driscoll receives funding from the ARC, Melbourne Water and Parks Victoria. He is affiliated with the Ecological Society of Australia and the Society for Conservation Biology.</span></em></p>We need every tool at our disposal to stop feral cats and foxes from decimating Australia’s incredible wildlife after fires. Artificial refuges show promise.Darcy Watchorn, PhD Candidate, Deakin UniversityChris Dickman, Professor Emeritus in Terrestrial Ecology, University of SydneyDon Driscoll, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2234842024-02-15T14:54:18Z2024-02-15T14:54:18ZMigratory animals face mass extinction – but as a conservationist I’m optimistic<p>The world is facing three planetary crises: biodiversity loss, climate change and environmental pollution. Recognised threats to biodiversity include <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/536143a">habitat loss and overexploitation</a> but new analyses suggest that migratory species are faring particularly badly.</p>
<p>The global extinction risk is increasing for all migratory species. Importantly, however, there is cause for optimism. </p>
<p>I’m writing this in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species. This UN biodiversity treaty came into being in 1983 to support the conservation and sustainable use of migratory species. </p>
<p>I’m here with representatives of many of the world’s governments, United Nations agencies and various environmental organisations. The aim of the meeting is to review implementation of the convention, consider including additional species under the treaty and address emerging issues of concern for migratory species. </p>
<p>This is a flagship event. It is the first time that member countries have met in person since the COVID pandemic and the first such meeting ever to be held in Central Asia. </p>
<h2>Status update</h2>
<p>A landmark <a href="https://www.cms.int/sites/default/files/document/cms_cop14_doc.21.1_state-of-migratory-species_e.pdf">report</a> titled the State of the World’s Migratory Species has been launched at the meeting, the first ever report of its kind. The results are alarming. </p>
<p>They indicate that three in four species included under the convention are affected by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation and seven in ten listed species are threatened by direct use and trade to varying degrees. Worse still, they suggest that the extinction risk is increasing for all migratory species, including those not included under the convention. </p>
<p>Some species are of particular concern. Populations of fish included under the convention have declined on average by 90% since 1970. Many species under the convention that need or would significantly benefit from international cooperation, are identified as high priorities for further conservation action based on their conservation status and biological vulnerability. </p>
<p>These include 90 species of bird (including the whooping crane), 18 terrestrial mammals (such as the African hunting dog) and 12 aquatic mammals (such as the Amazon river dolphin). In some cases, this is despite these animals having been listed under the convention for decades. </p>
<p>This report is important because it details the range of threats that migrating species face. Animals migrate for various reasons including to find food, to reproduce, and ultimately to survive. Importantly, they do not respect national borders. </p>
<p>They may also face different threats along migration routes. Understanding the scope and severity of these threats where they occur is therefore essential to informing conservation action, especially in the context of the triple planetary crises. </p>
<h2>Effective action</h2>
<p>More broadly the report is important because it enables an assessment of how conservation efforts to conserve migratory species listed under the convention are working or if they are not. The results also call into question the effectiveness of the convention itself. </p>
<p>The effectiveness of multilateral environmental agreements can be measured in various ways but arguably the most critical measure of effectiveness is whether such agreements are solving the problem for which they were designed.</p>
<p>There are various reasons why such agreements are not always as effective as they could be. These include a lack of political will, a lack of resources to identify and implement context-specific measures at relevant scales and a lack of resources for law enforcement. </p>
<p>Success stories do shine through, though. Native to central Asia, the saiga antelope was included in the convention in 2006. This has proven key to catalysing concerted conservation action for the saiga. </p>
<p>In 2006, all range countries for this species, including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, also signed a memorandum of understanding vowing to restore saiga populations by improving monitoring, reducing poaching and illegal trade and creating alternative livelihood options for local communities.</p>
<p>Saiga range countries are well on their way to achieving this objective. In the last 15 years, new knowledge of the saiga antelope’s ecology, migration and trade has been generated and effective anti-poaching measures have been implemented. </p>
<p>As a result, the saiga was moved from critically endangered to near threatened on the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/press-release/202312/freshwater-fish-highlight-escalating-climate-impacts-species-iucn-red-list">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> red list of threatened species in 2023. This has been possible because of political will in range countries but also because of collaboration between government agencies, conservation practitioners, environmental organisations and academics. </p>
<p>Here in Samarkand, this collaborative effort is clear to see. For the saiga, collaborators have focused on several aspects of the species’ conservation. These include evaluating management approaches, sustainable use of the species, stockpile management, building the saiga conservation network and identifying key research needs along international supply chains.</p>
<h2>Catalysing cross-border conservation</h2>
<p>While headlines are bleak, I feel optimistic. This landmark meeting has been positive and I’ve noticed a renewed sense of commitment to improve the conservation of migratory species. There is a clear sense that the governments gathered here know what they need to do. It is now about getting on and doing it. </p>
<p>This reflects the fact that the scientific community does know how to conserve species. Conservation measures should be context-specific, applied at relevant scales, and socially legitimate among local communities and Indigenous peoples if they are to be <a href="https://www.ipbes.net/sustainable-use-assessment">successful</a>. </p>
<p>Renewed commitment to conservation solutions identified in this report could build political will to act together. If member countries can rise to the challenge, then there is hope for the world’s migratory species.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 30,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223484/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dan Challender receives funding from the UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund (UKRI GCRF) through the Trade, Development, and the Environment Hub and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and has previously received funding from the National Geographic Society. He is CITES Focal Point for the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group and is a member of the IUCN CEESP/SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group.</span></em></p>Nature knows no borders. While decline of threatened migratory animals is alarming, there are reasons to be optimistic about international conservation efforts.Dan Challender, Research Fellow, Conservation Science and Policy, University of OxfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2208342024-02-14T13:20:41Z2024-02-14T13:20:41ZWildlife selfies harm animals − even when scientists share images with warnings in the captions<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575067/original/file-20240212-26-k6xljg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C13%2C3039%2C2253&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The right way to photograph wildlife: from a distance, in the animal's natural habitat.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://flic.kr/p/D9s93c">Jim Peaco, Yellowstone National Park/Flickr</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>One of the biggest privileges of <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Jd5jwiwAAAAJ&hl=en">being a primatologist</a> is spending time in remote locations with monkeys and apes, living near these animals in their habitats and experiencing their daily lives. As a 21st-century human, I have an immediate impulse to take pictures of these encounters and share them on social media. </p>
<p>Social media can help scientists raise awareness of the species we study, promote their conservation and obtain jobs and research funding. However, sharing images of wild animals online can also contribute to illegal animal trafficking and <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-hike-so-close-to-me-how-the-presence-of-humans-can-disturb-wildlife-up-to-half-a-mile-away-162223">harmful human-wildlife interactions</a>. For endangered or threatened species, this attention can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069215">put them at further risk</a>. </p>
<p>My research seeks to find ways for scientists and conservationists to harness the power of social media while avoiding its pitfalls. My colleague, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VIynAt0AAAAJ&hl=en">ecologist and science communicator Cathryn Freund</a>, and I think we have some answers. In our view, wildlife professionals should never include themselves in pictures with animals. We also believe that featuring infant animals and animals interacting with humans leads viewers to think about these creatures in ways that are counterproductive to conservation. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pN-FkkUXYOU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A wildlife biologist explains how and why to photograph wild animals at a safe distance.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Show and tell?</h2>
<p>Many conservation biologists are thinking hard about what role social media can and should play in their work. For example, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Section on Human-Primate Interactions has issued guidelines for <a href="https://human-primate-interactions.org/best-practice-guidelines-responsible-images-of-non-human-primates/">how to use images of wild primates</a> and <a href="https://human-primate-interactions.org/responsible-primate-watching-for-tourists/">how to conduct primate watching tours</a>. </p>
<p>These guidelines recommend that when scientists show photos of themselves with a wild primate, the caption should state that the person in the image is a trained researcher or conservationist. However, there isn’t much data assessing whether this approach is effective. </p>
<p>We wanted to test whether people actually read these captions and whether informative captions helped curb viewers’ desires to have similar experiences or to own the animal as a pet. </p>
<p>In a study published in 2023, my colleagues and I created two mock Instagram posts – one showing a human near a wild gorilla, the other focusing on a gloved human hand holding a <a href="https://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/priority_species/lesser_known_species/slender_loris/">slender loris</a> – a small lemurlike primate native to Southeast Asia. Half of these photos carried basic captions like “Me with a mountain gorilla” or “Me with my research subject”; the other half included more detailed captions that also stated, “All animals are observed” (gorilla) or “captured and handled (loris) safely and humanely for research with the proper permits and training.” </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A photo shows a gloved hand holding a small primate, with a caption stating that the animal was captured and handled humanely for research with proper permits and training." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=916&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=916&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=916&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1151&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1151&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1151&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A mock Instagram post with a caption stating that the person shown is a trained researcher working with the loris under official rules. Many viewers in a study said the post nonetheless made them want to handle a loris themselves.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Smitha Gnanaolivu/Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Bangalore</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We showed over 3,000 adults one of these mock Instagram posts and asked them to complete a survey. The results shocked us.</p>
<p>Viewers who saw the Instagram posts with the more detailed caption recognized that the picture depicted research. But regardless of the caption, more than half of the viewers agreed or strongly agreed that they would want to seek out a similar experience with the loris or gorilla. </p>
<p>Over half of the viewers agreed or strongly agreed that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14199">they would want these animals as pets</a> and that the animals would make good pets. Presumably, participants did not know anything about the animals’ life habits, behavior or survival needs, or that neither of these species is at all suited to be a pet.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CP7MAi6gJM9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\u0026igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<h2>Why media impact matters</h2>
<p>While these responses may sound merely sentimental or naive, research shows that media – particularly social media – contribute to harmful human encounters with wildlife and to the exotic pet trade. </p>
<p>For example, the Harry Potter films and books, which featured owls as magical creatures used by wizards, led to a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2017.04.004">sharp increase in the illegal owl trade in Indonesia</a>. Owls once were collectively known in Indonesia as “Burung Hantu,” or “ghost bird,” but now in the country’s bird markets they are commonly called “Burung Harry Potter.” </p>
<p>Studies show that images of people holding lorises drive illegal captures and sales of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605317000680">lorises and other primates</a>. Owners then post further videos showing them handling the animals improperly – for example, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpV7L--cQ8s">tickling the loris</a>, which makes it raise its arms. Viewers see this behavior as cute, but in fact the animals do this to activate <a href="https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/pygmy-slow-loris">toxic glands in their upper arms</a> and move venom to their mouths <a href="https://brill.com/view/journals/ijfp/86/6/article-p534_5.xml">in preparation to defend themselves</a>. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LJxUP_hME2g?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Social media channels do a poor job of detecting and policing posts that feature exotic or endangered animals, and they allow dealers to market directly to the public.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In earlier research, we found that when orangutan rescue and rehabilitation centers feature baby orangutans and humans interacting with orangutans in YouTube videos, these posts <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10268">received more views</a> than videos of adult orangutans or orangutans not interacting with people. However, people who watched videos showing infant orangutans, or humans interacting with the animals, posted comments that were less supportive of orangutan conservation. They also stated more frequently that they wanted to own orangutans as pets or interact with them.</p>
<p>Many people who seek out wildlife encounters are not aware of the harm that these experiences cause. Animals <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-spillover-bird-flu-outbreak-underscores-need-for-early-detection-to-prevent-the-next-big-pandemic-200494">can transmit diseases to humans</a>, but it also works the other way: Humans can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85877-3_59-1">transmit potentially deadly diseases to wild animals</a>, including measles, herpes viruses and flu viruses. </p>
<p>When humans move through an animal’s habitat – or worse, handle or chase the animal – they cause stress reactions and <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-hike-so-close-to-me-how-the-presence-of-humans-can-disturb-wildlife-up-to-half-a-mile-away-162223">alter the animal’s behavior</a>. Animals may avoid feeding sites or spend time and energy fleeing instead of foraging. </p>
<p>Owning wild animals as pets is even more problematic. I have worked with several rescue and rehabilitation centers that shelter orangutans formerly kept as pets or tourist attractions. These animals typically are in very poor health and have to be taught how to socialize, move through trees and find their own food, since they have been deprived of these natural behaviors. </p>
<p>The last thing that any responsible conservation biologist studying endangered species wants to do is encourage this kind of human-wildlife contact.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A brown primate reaches from a cage to grasp a gloved human hand." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A vet at the Aceh natural resources conservation agency in Indonesia inspects a rescued gibbon that was formerly kept as an exotic pet.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/vet-inspects-an-owa-or-white-handed-gibbon-at-the-aceh-news-photo/1216848394">Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Comment instead of sharing</h2>
<p>Many well-meaning <a href="https://theconversation.com/even-scientists-take-selfies-with-wild-animals-heres-why-they-shouldnt-61252">researchers and conservationists</a>, along with <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90906039/yellowstone-national-park-animal-selfies-danger-influencers-warning">members of the public</a>, have posted images of themselves near wild animals on social media. I did it too, before I understood the consequences. </p>
<p>Our findings indicate that caption information is not enough to keep people from seeking out animal encounters. As we see it, the answer is for researchers to stop taking and sharing these pictures with the general public. </p>
<p>When scientists create posts, we recommend selecting images that show only wildlife, in as natural a context as possible, or only people in the field – not both together. Researchers, conservationists and the public can go back through their social media history and delete or crop images that show human-wildlife interaction. </p>
<p>Scientists can also reach out to people who post images of humans interacting with wild animals, explain why the images can be harmful and suggest taking them down. Leading by example and sharing this information are simple actions that can save animals’ lives.</p>
<p><em><a href="https://www.cathrynfreund.com/">Cathryn Freund</a>, director of science communication at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Miami, contributed to this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220834/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrea l. DiGiorgio has received funding from The National Science Foundation and Princeton University. She is a participating member of the IUCN's SSC Primate Specialist Group Section on Human-Primate Interactions. </span></em></p>The caption may say that only scientists and trained professionals should handle wild animals, but viewers remember the image, not the words.Andrea L. DiGiorgio, Lecturer and Post Doctoral Researcher in Biological Anthropology, Princeton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2230832024-02-14T00:50:26Z2024-02-14T00:50:26ZNZ votes the red admiral butterfly ‘bug of the year’ – how to make your garden its home<p>New Zealanders traditionally show their love for a special other on Valentine’s Day, so what better time to reveal which insect they feel the most affection for?</p>
<p>The second annual <a href="https://bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/">Bug of the Year</a> contest has been won by the red admiral butterfly. It received a total of 2,275 votes from the nearly 17,000 votes cast by New Zealanders at home and abroad.</p>
<p>One of our most spectacular butterflies, the red admiral inherits the crown from last year’s inaugural winner, the native bee, or ngaro huruhuru (<em>Leioproctus fulvescens</em>). </p>
<p>While a butterfly beat the other bugs, the <a href="https://bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/2024-bug-of-the-year-nominees/mt-arthur-giant-weta/">Mt Arthur giant wētā</a>, the ngāokeoke (velvet worm) and the titiwai (glowworm) were close behind, with thousands of votes each.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://ento.org.nz/">Entomological Society of New Zealand</a> began the competition to shed light on the underrepresented and stunningly unique bugs of Aotearoa New Zealand. As interest grows, it is hoped more people will be inspired to create and maintain habitats for these often-endangered species.</p>
<p>Aotearoa is home to over 20,000 different species of bugs – more correctly known as terrestrial invertebrates. They range from vibrant butterflies and iconic wētā to secretive velvet worms and carnivorous land snails. And those are just the species described so far.</p>
<p>There are ten times as many bug species in New Zealand than there are native plants, and over a hundred times more than native bird species. Yet most people don’t know much about them.</p>
<h2>Moths and butterflies aren’t so different</h2>
<p>The red admiral is easily recognisable by its vibrant red and black wings. Its Māori name, kahukura, translates directly as “red cloak or garment”, but can also refer to the atua (deity) represented by the top bow of a double rainbow.</p>
<p>The closely related kahukōwhai, or yellow admiral, has similar colouring, except the underside of its upper wings is creamy yellow. Red admirals are endemic – only found in New Zealand – whereas yellow admirals are also native to Australia.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/unveiling-the-enigmatic-world-of-moths-from-ancient-pollinators-to-whistling-wonders-209590">Unveiling the enigmatic world of moths: from ancient pollinators to whistling wonders</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Aotearoa has over 2,000 species of lepidoptera – butterflies and moths – and roughly 90% of these are endemic. You might be surprised to know there are no clear differences between what are commonly called butterflies and those called moths.</p>
<p>Only 17 of our lepidoptera species are popularly referred to as butterflies. But many of the other 98% – so-called moths – are active during the day and can also be beautifully patterned and coloured.</p>
<p>Because they feed from floral nectar sources and transfer pollen in the process, moths and butterflies are important pollinators. They are also staples in the food chain, forming a large portion of native bird diets.</p>
<h2>Gardens as butterfly habitats</h2>
<p>Like many butterflies worldwide, red admirals are less common than they used to be. While <a href="https://tuigarden.co.nz/inspiration-hub/ideas-and-inspiration/bee-aware-and-bee-friendly/">recent gardening advice</a> has begun to include bee-friendly planting, it is also important to think of other invertebrates, like butterflies, when we plan and cultivate our backyards.</p>
<p>In general, a diversity of simple nectar-rich flowers is <a href="https://nodglobal.com/pollinators-biodiversity-and-healthy-ecosystems/">positively related to pollinator health</a>. And resilient and diverse pollinator populations benefit both natural and created ecosystems like gardens. In turn, they support <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468265922000166">biodiversity and overall environmental health</a> – which all benefits human welfare.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-butterflies-conquered-the-world-a-new-family-tree-traces-their-100-million-year-journey-across-the-globe-205487">How butterflies conquered the world: a new 'family tree' traces their 100-million-year journey across the globe</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust conducts an <a href="https://www.nzbutterflies.org.nz/project/habitat-creation/">online course</a> on how to assess, create and maintain butterfly habitats.</p>
<p>Lepidoptera differ from some other invertebrates in that females prefer to (or exclusively) lay their eggs on specific host plants. If preferred host plants are not available, caterpillar survival can be low. </p>
<p>So, while having a variety of flowering plants for adults to feed from is important, providing host plants for caterpillars to develop on is crucial.</p>
<p>It is well known that monarch butterfly caterpillars need to feed on milkweed (swan plant). Similarly, <a href="https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/muehlenbeckia-astonii/"><em>Muehlenbeckia</em> species</a> such as climbing pohuehue and shrubby tororaro are important host plants for many native butterflies, as well as many native moths. </p>
<p>Lack of suitable hosts may be one reason red admirals are becoming increasingly uncommon. <a href="https://ourarchive.otago.ac.nz/handle/10523/15709">Recent research</a> has shown the females prefer laying eggs on native nettles, and larvae raised on native nettles outperform those raised on introduced nettles.</p>
<p>Experiments show that the tree nettle ongaonga (<em>Urtica ferox</em>) is an ideal host for red admiral caterpillars. But ongaonga is often removed due to its extremely painful stinging hairs.</p>
<h2>Pollinator protection</h2>
<p>Besides planting with butterflies and moths in mind, there are many other actions you can take in the garden to help make it suitable for thriving pollinator populations.</p>
<p>Some of the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2023989118">biggest threats</a> to insect populations in Aotearoa and the world are related to urbanisation, deforestation and agricultural intensification: loss of habitat and food sources, and pesticide use. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/next-time-you-see-a-butterfly-treasure-the-memory-scientists-raise-alarm-on-these-26-species-159798">Next time you see a butterfly, treasure the memory: scientists raise alarm on these 26 species</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Introduced predators also threaten our unique bugs. Invasive <a href="https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/discover-our-research/biodiversity-biosecurity/invasive-invertebrates/vespula-wasps/wasp-impacts-on-biodiversity/">vespula wasps</a> and rodents are a menace to native butterflies and moths. But <a href="https://predatorfreenz.org/get-involved/backyards-and-neighbourhoods/backyard-trapping/">predator control systems</a> such as backyard trapping can make a difference.</p>
<p>Future articles will offer seasonal advice on gardening and lifestyle practices to help bugs in your backyard. This will include the best times to spot native and introduced bugs, and other ways to promote invertebrate conservation and biodiversity.</p>
<p>Whether you’re already a bug lover or still a bit bug-tentative, it’s important we all help invertebrate populations in Aotearoa survive and thrive.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of the <a href="https://www.nzbutterflies.org.nz/">Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust</a> in the preparation of this article.</em> </p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223083/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Janice Lord is a member of the Entomological Society of New Zealand.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Connal McLean is a volunteer with The Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust. </span></em></p>The native red admiral is less common than it used to be, but we can all help threatened bug species by ensuring they have the right habitats to thrive in.Janice Lord, Associate Professor in Botany, University of OtagoConnal McLean, Natural History Technician – Invertebrates, Te Papa TongarewaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2221612024-02-13T02:34:02Z2024-02-13T02:34:02Z‘Fascinating and troubling’: Australians would rather save a single human life than prevent an entire species from becoming extinct<p>Australia is in the grip of an escalating extinction crisis. Since colonisation, 100 native plant and animal species have become <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000632071930895X">formally listed</a> as extinct due to human activities. The actual number is undoubtedly far <a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-re-counted-australias-extinct-species-and-the-result-is-devastating-127611">higher</a>.</p>
<p>Surveys <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000632072100375X">suggest</a> Australians want to prevent extinctions, regardless of the financial cost. But when it comes to the crunch, how much do we really care? </p>
<p>In emergency situations, there is a long-held <a href="https://www.royalcommission.gov.au/natural-disasters">convention</a> that official responders such as firefighters first attempt to save human life, then property and infrastructure, then natural assets.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.14230">research</a> published <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15231739/0/0">today</a> investigated whether this convention reflects community values. We found the people we surveyed valued one human life more than the extinction of an entire non-human species – a result both fascinating and troubling.</p>
<h2>What are we willing to lose?</h2>
<p>Catastrophic events force us to make hard choices about what to save and what to abandon. In such emergencies, our choices reveal in stark detail the values we ascribe to different types of “assets”, including plant and animal species.</p>
<p>Our priorities will become even more crucial under climate change, which is <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2020RG000726">bringing</a> worse bushfires and other environmental catastrophes. If nature is always saved last, we can expect recurring biodiversity losses, including extinctions.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/geb.13473">unprecedented</a> loss of biodiversity in the Black Summer fires was a taste of what’s to come. The <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/the-burning-of-australia-s-nature">fires burnt</a> the entire known range of more than 500 plant and animal species and at least half the range of more than 100 threatened species. The catastrophe led to at least <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aen.12506">one extinction</a> – of a mealybug species in Western Australia.</p>
<p>The losses prompted reflection on our priorities. The <a href="https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/premiers-department/access-to-information/nsw-bushfire-inquiry/nsw-bushfire-inquiry-report">final report</a> of a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry into the bushfires, for example, questioned if this hierarchy of protection should always apply. </p>
<p>Our new research investigated community values on this issue. The findings were illuminating.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-re-counted-australias-extinct-species-and-the-result-is-devastating-127611">Scientists re-counted Australia's extinct species, and the result is devastating</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Making the hard choices</h2>
<p>The survey involved 2,139 Australians. Respondents ranked the assets they would save in a hypothetical bushfire, choosing from the following options:</p>
<ul>
<li>a person not warned to evacuate</li>
<li>a person who had ignored advice to evacuate (and so implicitly taken responsibility for their own safety)</li>
<li>a population of 50 koalas (of which many other populations exist elsewhere)</li>
<li>one of only two populations of a wallaby species</li>
<li>the only population of a native snail species (which would become extinct if burnt)</li>
<li>the only population of a native shrub species (which would become extinct if burnt)</li>
<li>a flock of 50 sheep</li>
<li>a house, shed and tractor</li>
<li>two items of Indigenous cultural significance (a rock art gallery and a tree carving).</li>
</ul>
<p>Survey respondents overwhelmingly gave the highest ranking to the two options involving saving a human life – even if that person had been repeatedly told to evacuate and even if, as a consequence, a snail or shrub species became extinct. </p>
<p>Saving a person who had not received evacuation warnings was rated highest, ahead of saving a person who ignored evacuation advice. Saving the koala population was next preferred, followed by saving the wallaby population.</p>
<p>The remaining options had negative scores, meaning that respondents were more likely to choose them as least important than most important.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Graph showing what survey respondents chose to save in a bushfire." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572347/original/file-20240131-29-cz6313.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572347/original/file-20240131-29-cz6313.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572347/original/file-20240131-29-cz6313.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572347/original/file-20240131-29-cz6313.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572347/original/file-20240131-29-cz6313.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572347/original/file-20240131-29-cz6313.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572347/original/file-20240131-29-cz6313.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Scores for each asset, calculated as the number of times (out of five possible choices offered for that asset) a respondent chose the asset as their highest priority minus the number of times the asset was chosen as the lowest priority.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Amongst the biodiversity assets, decisions based on conservation consequences would have meant the top priority was preventing the extinction of the snail and shrub populations. Next in line would have been the wallaby population, then a relatively less consequential loss of koalas. </p>
<p>But the results were the opposite: people prioritised the koalas over the wallabies, with less concern for the shrub and the snail. Ranked even lower were the items of Indigenous cultural significance. Saving the house and shed had lowest rankings.</p>
<h2>The results are revealing</h2>
<p>We take several key messages from the survey results.</p>
<p>First, the conventional hierarchy of protection during fire – prioritising human life, then infrastructure, then biodiversity – does not always reflect societal values. Sometimes, protecting natural assets is more important than protecting at least some infrastructure. In the Black Summer fires, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/200-experts-dissected-the-black-summer-bushfires-in-unprecedented-detail-here-are-6-lessons-to-heed-198989">attempts to save</a> crucial populations of the imperilled Wollemi Pine showed such protection of biodiversity assets is possible.</p>
<p>Second, our society values one human life more than the millions of years of evolution that can be eclipsed almost instantaneously in the extinction of another species. </p>
<p>Third, our regard for nature is far from egalitarian. In this case, the preference for saving koalas is consistent with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1617138105000671">previous studies</a> that show we care far more for iconic cute mammals than other species.</p>
<p>Fourth, animal welfare issues may trump consideration for conservation consequences. We suspect that the haunting <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1329878X211008181">imagery of koalas</a> suffering in the Black Summer wildfires may have contributed to them being prioritised ahead of more imperilled species. </p>
<p>And finally, our results were troubling for the conservation of poorly known species, the extinctions of which are <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1502350112">increasing</a> around the world. These losses have been largely disregarded or unmourned by society. </p>
<p>It suggests the case for saving such species needs to be better made. <a href="https://invertebratesaustralia.org/">Australia’s invertebrate fauna</a> is highly distinctive, fascinating and vital for the health of our ecosystems. To prevent mass losses of invertebrate species, we must take action now.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-remarkable-stories-of-flora-and-fauna-in-the-aftermath-of-australias-horror-bushfire-season-155749">5 remarkable stories of flora and fauna in the aftermath of Australia’s horror bushfire season</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="red and green snail" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575157/original/file-20240212-18-dfzfvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575157/original/file-20240212-18-dfzfvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575157/original/file-20240212-18-dfzfvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575157/original/file-20240212-18-dfzfvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575157/original/file-20240212-18-dfzfvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575157/original/file-20240212-18-dfzfvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575157/original/file-20240212-18-dfzfvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australia’s invertebrate fauna is highly distinctive. Pictured: a Tasmanian snail, Attenborougharion rubicundus, named after Sir David Attenborough.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">S. Grove/Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Rethinking our priorities?</h2>
<p>The world is becoming more perilous. There’s a high risk of losing much of the nature that surrounds us, supports us and helps define us as Australians. </p>
<p>We must think carefully about what future we bequeath to our children and to future generations. This may require reconsidering our priorities – and in some cases, making different choices.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222161/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Woinarski is affiliated with the Biodiversity Council, Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Invertebrates Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kerstin Zander receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Garnett receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is affiliated with BirdLife Australia.</span></em></p>Survey respondents overwhelmingly prioritised saving a human life – even if that person had been repeatedly told to evacuate and even if, as a consequence, a snail or shrub species became extinct.John Woinarski, Professor of Conservation Biology, Charles Darwin UniversityKerstin Zander, Professor of Environmental Economics, Charles Darwin UniversityStephen Garnett, Professor of Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, Charles Darwin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2214662024-02-07T21:17:33Z2024-02-07T21:17:33ZEndangered by the 49th Parallel: How political boundaries inhibit effective conservation<p>Canada is wasting scarce resources conserving species that are not endangered elsewhere.</p>
<p>Some Canadian scientists advocate for conservation efforts to focus on species unique to this country, while others argue for a more global focus. However, most ignore the fact that the U.S. – Canada border creates endangered species.</p>
<p>Scientists preserve their objectivity by excluding politics from their research. The truth is, however, that conservation science can’t help being geopolitical. We must consider the global context when designing Canadian endangered species, and biodiversity, protections.</p>
<h2>Time for a chat about Chats</h2>
<p>Take the <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-breasted_Chat/id">Yellow-breasted Chat</a>, a <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Warbler/overview">charismatic warbler</a> <a href="https://wildlife-species.canada.ca/bird-status/oiseau-bird-eng.aspx?sY=2019&sL=e&sB=YBCH&sM=p1">listed as Endangered under the (Canadian) federal Species at Risk Act (SARA)</a>. The Canadian fragment of the Southern Mountain subspecies survives in a handful of sites in B.C. along the Okanagan and Similkameen rivers. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/plans/rs_yellow-breasted_chat_auricollis_southern_mountain_pop_e_final.pdf">2014 federal Action Plan estimated</a> the entire B.C. population to be 170 <a href="https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/breeding-pair">breeding pairs</a>. According to the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22722057/138772425">International Union for Conservation (IUCN) Red List</a>, though, the global population is around 17 million across North America. </p>
<p>As a result the Chat’s status is “least concern”, the lowest in the IUCN ranking.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A bird sings on a branch." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Yellow-breasted Chat is found throughout the U.S. and Canada, with the majority populations found in the U.S.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/cosewic-assessments-status-reports/yellow-breasted-chat-2011.html">says</a> the Southern Mountain subspecies “occurs at the northern edge of its range in Canada” as a peripheral to the huge American core population. </p>
<p>In other words, the Yellow-breasted Chat is listed as endangered in Canada because, in 1846, the British accepted that the <a href="https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/the-49th-parallel-our-defining-line/">border with the U.S. should lie at the 49th parallel</a>. </p>
<h2>Endangered, or not?</h2>
<p>The question then is, should conservation efforts be dedicated to tiny Canadian populations of otherwise healthy species? </p>
<p><a href="https://soscp.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Yellow-breasted-Chat.pdf">Elder Richard Armstrong’s traditional story</a> illuminates why the Chat, which his people call xʷaʔɬqʷiləm’ (whaa-th-quil lem), matters to the transboundary Nsyilxcən speaking Peoples. This story is an example of the cultural values that always <a href="https://doi.org/10.7208/9780226358338-006">shape</a> conservation laws, both in Canada and around the world, and which provide good reasons for legal protection even of treasured peripheral populations. The First Nation’s special care for the Chat, in turn, makes it more likely that COSEWIC’s listing will help. </p>
<p>Not in every case, though. In <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/h13010038">our recent study</a> on the conservation status of transboundary mammal species in Canada and the U.S., Cardiff University doctoral student Sarah Raymond, Sarah Perkins from the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University, and I, found just six species — including the polar bear, wood bison and two species of right whale — were listed by both COSEWIC and U.S. authorities. </p>
<p>Of 20 transboundary species listed in just one country, 17 were listed only in Canada. Fourteen of those were, like the chat, ‘Least Concern’ globally, while just one bat species, Myotis lucifugus, was universally assessed as endangered. </p>
<p>Other research supports our findings. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12430">recent study found</a> that 22 per cent of those species that straddled the U.S.-Canada border were only protected on one side – almost always in Canada. The authors, though, take it for granted that peripheral populations deserve to have high conservation status. </p>
<p>Another <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.03.001">study scored</a> 729 COSEWIC-listed species, subspecies and <a href="https://biologydictionary.net/population/">populations</a> to assess the global context of these conservation measures. The study questions the fact that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“In many cases, … subspecies units (e.g. twelve kinds of caribou) and peripheral populations of globally secure species are being given high priority, while endemic and globally endangered species are neglected.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Sometimes isolated populations, like the <a href="https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/esr.do?id=17481">fishers</a> of the Columbia region, are valued because they are genetically distinctive, but these should be rare exceptions. Instead, Canada has so many peripheral populations marooned on the wrong side of the border that Fred Bunnell, a UBC forest ecologist, named the phenomenon <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/plants-animals-and-ecosystems/species-ecosystems-at-risk/species-at-risk-documents/cf_primer.pdf">“jurisdictional rarity.”</a> Bunnell argued that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Efforts to conserve species that are locally rare but globally common often ignore the ecologically marginal nature of habitat and population. They engage in a fight with nature.” </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Overcoming jurisdictional rarity</h2>
<p>I live in one of the skinny fragments of shrub steppe that snake up from the Columbia plateau in the U.S. through Osoyoos to Kamloops — an area which seems purpose-built for jurisdictional rarity. </p>
<p>Take the burrowing owl, a ground-nesting raptor with a vexed facial expression. </p>
<p>The bird, <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/plants-animals-and-ecosystems/species-ecosystems-at-risk/brochures/burrowing_owl.pdf">while protected in B.C. since 2004</a>, is mostly absent from the province. Meanwhile, the IUCN’s <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22689353/93227732">range map</a> for the burrowing owl (Least Concern), stretches from Alberta to Argentina. </p>
<p>B.C. has <a href="https://www.burrowingowlbc.org/">spent considerable resources reintroducing</a> the owl within the province. Ecologists might defend its role as a grasslands predator, and British Columbians might, given the choice, like to have the charming bird species thrive in the province. However, this choice, which is arguably ‘a fight with nature’, is never presented as a political one. </p>
<p>Public information about endangered species dodges jurisdictional rarity, leaving decisions to scientists and bureaucrats. </p>
<h2>Reframing the conversation</h2>
<p>Ontario’s Endangered Species Act (OESA) was <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12483">lauded by conservationists</a> because, unlike SARA, it gave scientists the power to impose automatic listing with no political interference. </p>
<p>Doug Ford’s government defanged OESA with its <a href="https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-108">More Homes, More Choice Act in 2019</a>, though it did include a sensible requirement that the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) consider jurisdictional rarity.</p>
<p>Scientists opposed to Ford’s pandering to property developers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0064">want the legislation restored to its former glory</a>, meaning COSSARO would list species “based on their status solely in Ontario, as was formerly done.” But why? </p>
<p>Over-listing shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Scientists may feel protective towards Canadian populations they know and love, but citizens won’t want limited resources wasted on conservation of un-endangered species. Scientific and political processes <a href="https://sierraclub.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/Species-at-risk-Recovery-Report-Brief_0.pdf">gummed up</a> with peripheral species make it less likely that critically imperilled species will be saved. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/environmental-laws-in-canada-fall-short-of-addressing-the-ongoing-biodiversity-crisis-162983">Environmental laws in Canada fall short of addressing the ongoing biodiversity crisis</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2018-0042">Some biologists claim</a> that effective conservation needs tough laws that put scientists alone in charge of listing and protection (on public land, at least). I would argue, though, that legitimacy, not coercive power, is the most precious commodity in conservation. </p>
<p>Social science research <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2016.11.014">shows that most Canadians, regardless of background, want species protected</a>, yet their support — vital in a vast nation like Canada — is fragile. It <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26269957">depends on a belief</a> that listing processes are democratically legitimate, and that listed species deserve protection. </p>
<p>Where good reasons exist to protect peripheral species, those arguments should be public and open to debate. </p>
<p>My field — environmental humanities — is generally better at asking awkward questions than proposing solutions. In this case, though, I have a simple recommendation: new conservation laws, such as B.C. is <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/biodiversity-habitat-management/draft_biodiversity_and_ecosystem_health_framework.pdf">considering</a>, should require that peripheral species be identified transparently, using agreed definitions, as ‘endangered in B.C.’, or ‘threatened in Canada’. If it does, I would vote for conservation of Okanagan chats regardless.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221466/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Greg Garrard's research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, grant no. 435-2020-1220. Sarah Raymond's research visit to UBC Okanagan was funded by UKRI-MITACS Globalink. </span></em></p>Canada is wasting resources, and legitimacy, conserving species that are not endangered elsewhere. Transparent cross-border considerations should inform all new conservation laws.Greg Garrard, Professor of Environmental Humanities, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2196082024-02-01T01:20:54Z2024-02-01T01:20:54ZWhy don’t people care about Australia’s native rodents? The problem could be their ugly names<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572624/original/file-20240131-27-a8bm32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C0%2C3053%2C2148&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Spinifex hopping mouse, or Tarkawarra from the Pitjantjatjara language.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mike Gillam</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The common names of Australian animals often originate in Aboriginal languages, and beneficially so. Continuing use of names such as kangaroo and kookaburra helps to honour the wealth of knowledge possessed by First Nations peoples, to appreciate the natural heritage of a place more deeply, and to naturalise English to this continent.</p>
<p>Some 30 years ago, I and colleagues published <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/722353">a paper</a> calling for this naming practice to extend to native rodents. This group of animals contains many handsome and fascinating animals among its many species. </p>
<p>But sadly, native rats and mice don’t usually evoke sympathy among the Australian public. The unappealing common names for the species – such as swamp rat or long-haired rat – do little to help the problem.</p>
<p>Public sentiment towards an animal matters. It can affect whether their habitat is protected, if they are prioritised for research and conservation, and the amount of funding devoted to protecting them. So among the many other good reasons to ascribe Aboriginal common names to our species, it might mean the difference between their survival and extinction.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="rat on stony ground in front of rock and leaves" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572328/original/file-20240131-25-jlyswx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572328/original/file-20240131-25-jlyswx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572328/original/file-20240131-25-jlyswx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572328/original/file-20240131-25-jlyswx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572328/original/file-20240131-25-jlyswx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572328/original/file-20240131-25-jlyswx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572328/original/file-20240131-25-jlyswx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Names of species can influence their public standing. Pictured: the unfortunately named Australian swamp rat.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What’s in a name?</h2>
<p>Of the 60 Australian rodent species, <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicthreatenedlist.pl">nearly 20</a> are extinct or greatly diminished in range. </p>
<p>As with other threatened mammals, desert-dwelling rodents have suffered most. For example among hopping mice, five of ten species are extinct. Those still remaining could do with our attention – and naming them may help.</p>
<p>Research has shown common names of species are an important tool when seeking to increase community support for conservation.</p>
<p>One <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10871209.2020.1753132">study</a> by Australian researchers analysed the common names of almost 27,000 animals from the IUCN Red List of threatened species. It found frequent words in animal common names that produced strong positive or negative sentiment.</p>
<p>Common words driving positive sentiment included “golden” and “great”. Words driving negative sentiment included “rat”, “lesser” and “blind”. </p>
<p>The research found many words were also associated with human emotions. For example, “dove” was associated with joy, anticipation and trust. “Rat” was associated with fear and disgust, probably due to its associations with disease, uncleanliness and deceitfulness, the study found.</p>
<p>The researchers said strategic name changes may improve public engagement and support for species and therefore provide effective, low-cost conservation benefits.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"788269256995540993"}"></div></p>
<h2>How about ‘pakooma’ and ‘palyoora’?</h2>
<p>So where might we find new, more appealing monikers for our maligned rodents? Our 1995 paper suggested selecting common names from relevant Aboriginal words that might readily be pronounced by English speakers. </p>
<p>At the time, we checked our document before publication with offices of the then-current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. Should Aboriginal words be used to rename species today, agreement should be sought from the relevant language group.</p>
<p>The brush-tailed rabbit-rat, <em>Conilurus penicillatus</em>, is an example of a rodent ripe for renaming. It’s a striking and vigorous animal of northern Australia, which became extinct in Kakadu National Park in the 2000s and <a href="https://www.nespthreatenedspecies.edu.au/projects/mitigating-cat-impacts-on-the-brush-tailed-rabbit-rat">now persists</a> in only a handful of isolated regions. How unfair it is that this splendid creature should be thought of as a mere rat – as well as bearing the nomenclatural burden of Australia’s worst vertebrate pest? Perhaps it could be renamed pakooma, from the East Arnhem languages.</p>
<p>Another sad example is provided by <em>Xeromys myoides</em>, an inhabitant of coastal swamps and mangroves. It is known as the false water rat, a name which could barely be improved upon if the aim is to demean. The animal could well be called yirrkoo, from the Kunwinjku/Mayali language.</p>
<p>And consider the graceful <em>Pseudomys australis</em>, an animal of the outback Channel Country in Queensland and South Australia. The species is of conservation concern, but public attention is hardly likely when the animal is called a plains rat. It deserves better – perhaps the lovely name palyoora, from the Wangkangurru language. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ghost-rodents-get-ready-to-fall-in-love-with-australias-albino-rats-and-mice-201458">Ghost rodents: get ready to fall in love with Australia's albino rats and mice</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The tide may be turning</h2>
<p>Back in the 1990s, our rodent-renaming initiative sank almost without trace. Only one Aboriginal name – rakali, from Murray River languages – took something of a hold, replacing the common name water rat (<em>Hydromys chrysogaster</em>). In the intervening years, two authors of the paper, Dick Braithwaite and John Calaby, have passed away. Time has moved on.</p>
<p>But there have been flickers of encouragement. Western Australia’s 1997 recovery plan for the Shark Bay mouse, <em>Pseudomys fieldi</em>, used the name djoongari (Luritja/Pintubi). When Tim Bonyhady in 2019 published his unusual and matchless book, The Enchantment of the Long-haired Rat: A Rodent History of Australia, he used the name mayaroo throughout (<em>Rattus villosissimus</em>, from Wangkangurru).</p>
<p>And now interest may be resurgent. In the Threatened Species Action Plan 2022–2032, federal environment authorities adopted names of Aboriginal origin wherever possible. This included antina (<em>Zyzomys pedunculatus</em>, central rock-rat, Arrernte), pookila (<em>Pseudomys novaehollandiae</em>, New Holland mouse, Bugila/Ngarigu), and woorrentinta (<em>Notomys aquilo</em>, northern hopping-mouse, from Lardil, the language of Mornington Island).</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/impressive-rafting-skills-the-8-million-year-old-origin-story-of-how-rodents-colonised-australia-189793">'Impressive rafting skills': the 8-million-year old origin story of how rodents colonised Australia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="small furry rodent known as mayaroo" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572611/original/file-20240131-19-2n8qa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572611/original/file-20240131-19-2n8qa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572611/original/file-20240131-19-2n8qa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572611/original/file-20240131-19-2n8qa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572611/original/file-20240131-19-2n8qa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572611/original/file-20240131-19-2n8qa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572611/original/file-20240131-19-2n8qa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rattus villosissimus, or the long-haired rat, would be better named as mayaroo.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Angus Emmott</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A timely, much-needed change</h2>
<p>Zoologists are rightly conservative about scientific naming conventions, in line with commitment to the principles of biological nomenclature. However, we are free to modify common names – and should, if there are good reasons to do so. </p>
<p>And so, 30 years after my colleagues and I first issued the call, Indigenous names for Australian rodents are commended to you once more. It is timely that the extensive Aboriginal knowledge of our continent be so honoured, that the wider culture be enriched – even if in such a tiny way – and that mayaroo and pookila should live in the English language.</p>
<p><em>The 1995 paper referred to in this article, Australian Names for Australian Rodents, was authored by R.W. Braithwaite, S.R. Morton, A.A. Burbidge and J.H. Calaby. It was published by the Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Canberra. With thanks to Andrew Burbidge, one of the original authors, for giving his blessing to this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219608/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steve Morton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Native rats and mice don’t usually evoke sympathy among the Australian public. The common names for the species – such as swamp rat – do little to help.Steve Morton, Honorary Fellow, Charles Darwin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2196092024-01-31T00:41:34Z2024-01-31T00:41:34ZWe once killed 600,000 koalas in a year. Now they’re Australia’s ‘teddy bears’. What changed?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565032/original/file-20231211-89932-1rjncc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=44%2C25%2C4220%2C2813&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Koalas are one of the world’s most beloved animal species. They serve as symbols for everything from <a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-find-burnt-starving-koalas-weeks-after-the-bushfires-133519">bushfire destruction</a> to Australian tourism to caramel chocolate bars. These tree-dwelling marsupials get far more attention than many other endangered native species. But Australians haven’t always felt this way about our seemingly cuddly teddy-bear lookalikes. Far from it. </p>
<p>Almost a century ago, Queensland announced open season on koalas. Over the next month, well over 600,000 koalas were shot, trapped or poisoned in <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-30/killing-koalas-90-years-since-qld-month-long-open-season/8839720">what has been dubbed</a> “Black August”. </p>
<p>These numbers seem shocking. That figure is about the same as the total number of koalas alive today, using the <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/threatened/species/koalas/national-koala-monitoring-program">most generous estimate</a>. Today, the koala is endangered in New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. </p>
<p>Why did it happen? Back then, koalas were far more plentiful in Queensland. And there was an established tradition of killing Australian marsupials for their pelts, which could be sold on the lucrative international fur market. At least a million koala pelts were sold in the previous 1919 open season.</p>
<p>As attachment to native wildlife has grown and the koala’s numbers have dwindled, we have come to think very differently about this creature.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571825/original/file-20240129-17-5qnrow.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="truck with koala skins on it" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571825/original/file-20240129-17-5qnrow.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571825/original/file-20240129-17-5qnrow.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=361&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571825/original/file-20240129-17-5qnrow.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=361&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571825/original/file-20240129-17-5qnrow.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=361&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571825/original/file-20240129-17-5qnrow.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571825/original/file-20240129-17-5qnrow.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571825/original/file-20240129-17-5qnrow.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This truckload of koala pelts was taken during the 1927 open season in Queensland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE266739">State Library of Queensland</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A political miscalculation</h2>
<p>Even in 1927, the koala kill was a gamble. Other koala-inhabited states had stopped licensed koala kills, alarmed by <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article244037211">plummeting numbers</a> caused by the fur trade, deforestation, bushfire, and disease. As early as the 1880s, worried locals shipped koalas to French Island near Melbourne as an insurance policy against fire and disease. Today, as historian <a href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/land-mammals/koalas-are-both-endangered-and-so-plentiful-theyre-causing-problems-howd-that-happen">Danielle Clode has written</a>, koalas in South Australia and Victoria are largely descended from these island refugees. </p>
<p>So why did Queensland launch its kill? The economy was not doing well, and the Labor government hoped the open season would tackle high unemployment rates, raise revenue and win votes. Warm, waterproof koala fur was prized in Europe and the United States, where it was put to use in coats, gloves and even sleeping bags. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571828/original/file-20240129-27-f4jyp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="man hunting koalas" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571828/original/file-20240129-27-f4jyp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571828/original/file-20240129-27-f4jyp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=839&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571828/original/file-20240129-27-f4jyp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=839&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571828/original/file-20240129-27-f4jyp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=839&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571828/original/file-20240129-27-f4jyp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571828/original/file-20240129-27-f4jyp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571828/original/file-20240129-27-f4jyp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Victorian trapper Cyril Grant Lane hunted koalas for many years.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE1914349&mode=browse">State Library of Victoria</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But the open season came as a shock to many. Scientists knew koala populations were already plummeting at the beginning of the twentieth century. And among the public, affection was growing for the koala. </p>
<p>The backlash was swift – and intense. Brisbane’s Anglican Archbishop Gerald Sharp called for protest, and a remarkable range of organisations responded, from city and shire councils to religious groups, women’s organisations, universities, scientific bodies, returned soldiers and children’s scouts groups. </p>
<p>The Brisbane Courier newspaper ran a “<a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21862261">Spare the Bear</a>” campaign, publishing hundreds of protests from indignant readers. Angry constituents deluged the acting premier, William Forgan Smith, with letters. Some deplored the cruelty of hunters who left baby koalas attempting to suckle from their dead, skinless mothers. Others focused their anger on the government. One caustic letter writer suggested an “<a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page1644974">open season for Cabinet Ministers</a>” might be more appropriate. </p>
<p>Critics were united in their disgust at the mass killing of such a “lovable, non-destructive and quite unique little native animal” which posed no threat to human interests. Koala trappers had their masculinity questioned – no “true Bushman” would kill a defenceless animal. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-home-among-the-gum-trees-will-the-great-koala-national-park-actually-save-koalas-217276">A home among the gum trees: will the Great Koala National Park actually save koalas?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We should be sceptical about one letter writer’s claim that “99% of Queenslanders” opposed the killings. But opposition was powerful and widespread. </p>
<p>The government tried to blame the furious response on out-of-touch city dwellers who did not live in Queensland. In fact, locals dominated the protests. At the time, many rural families kept koalas as <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article76859138">beloved pets</a>, which made the thought of killing them even more outrageous. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571830/original/file-20240129-27-9ackwz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="cover of magazine, man with rifle and koala skin" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571830/original/file-20240129-27-9ackwz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571830/original/file-20240129-27-9ackwz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=802&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571830/original/file-20240129-27-9ackwz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=802&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571830/original/file-20240129-27-9ackwz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=802&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571830/original/file-20240129-27-9ackwz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1008&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571830/original/file-20240129-27-9ackwz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1008&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571830/original/file-20240129-27-9ackwz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1008&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The backlash against the koala cull was fast – and intense.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Garnet Agnew, The Queenslander, September 22nd 1927/State Library of Queensland</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A question of national identity</h2>
<p>When British colonists first came to Australia, many found the native animals freakish and backward. One unimpressed naturalist called koalas “torpid and senseless” and <a href="https://archive.org/details/arcanaormuseumof00perr/page/n109/mode/2up?view=theater">doubted their place</a> in “God’s plan”.</p>
<p>But by the early 1900s, koalas, emus and kangaroos were becoming national symbols. They seemed to represent Australia’s new status as a federated nation, and helped settlers feel connected to the land. There was also a growing awareness that native species needed protection from environmental threats. </p>
<p>Books such as Norman Lindsay’s <em>Magic Pudding</em> (1918) encouraged readers to care for native animals. In 1925, James Barrett published a book begging for the “right use of our flora and fauna” and stressing their endangered state. He titled it <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article245255968">Save Australia</a>. </p>
<p>Perhaps because of their <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-we-love-koalas-so-much-because-they-look-like-baby-humans-153619">baby-like features</a>, koalas were often depicted by authors and illustrators as good-natured and childlike friends. (In reality, they can be quite grumpy and their screams at night startle many campers). This might explain why fewer people protested to protect possums, the furs of which were also sought during open seasons. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-we-love-koalas-so-much-because-they-look-like-baby-humans-153619">Why do we love koalas so much? Because they look like baby humans</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The great U-turn</h2>
<p>The 1927 koala open season would be Australia’s last. After the backlash, the koala was finally afforded lasting protection in Queensland. The acting premier promised to restock areas stripped of native animals. Even so, the government lost the election it had been trying to salvage. </p>
<p>Hundreds of thousands of koalas were killed before the government reversed course. Newspapers reported an estimated 600,000 koalas died due to the “massacre”, but this doesn’t account for koalas whose skins were not sold to dealers or young koalas killed with their parents or who starved without them. The total is likely close to 800,000. </p>
<p>The movement against koala-killing was perhaps the first organised conservationist campaign in Australia. It fostered the creation of wildlife societies, campaigns for national parks and nature studies for school students. </p>
<p>You can see the evidence even today. Sydney man Noel Burnett was so appalled by the killing that he opened his own sanctuary, <a href="https://koalapark-sanctuary.com.au/australias-first-koala-hospital/#:%7E:text=Koala%20Park%20was%20created%20in,the%20large%20export%20fur%20trade.">Koala Park</a>, which is still operating. </p>
<p>And whenever <a href="https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/8499935/">news breaks</a> about koala deaths in blue gum plantations, we respond with outrage. </p>
<h2>New threats, old choices</h2>
<p>Today, koalas are safe from hunters. They’re so well known we use them as <a href="https://theconversation.com/koalas-platypuses-and-pandas-and-the-power-of-soft-diplomacy-42051">cuddly diplomats</a>, similar to China’s <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-09/what-is-china-panda-diplomacy/103185260">panda diplomacy</a>. But they face new threats – increasingly severe bushfires, disease, and habitat destruction. </p>
<p>Even as we have grown to love koalas, we have not yet been able to save them. It is now entirely possible these beloved national symbols could be facing a <a href="https://theconversation.com/stopping-koala-extinction-is-agonisingly-simple-but-heres-why-im-not-optimistic-141696">preventable extinction</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-the-koala-when-its-smart-to-be-slow-187003">Friday essay: the koala – when it's smart to be slow</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219609/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ruby Ekkel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A century ago, millions of koalas were killed for their fur. The backlash was fierce.Ruby Ekkel, PhD student in Australian History, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2207192024-01-17T09:05:15Z2024-01-17T09:05:15ZWe are losing tetrapod species at a faster rate than we are rediscovering them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569552/original/file-20240116-22672-a3vxe4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C20%2C1908%2C1256&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Voeltzkow’s chameleon was rediscovered in Madagascar in 2018.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2583347">Martin Mandák/iNaturalist </a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Lost species are those that have not been observed in the wild for over ten years, despite searches to find them. Lost tetrapod species (four-limbed vertebrate animals including amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles) are a global phenomenon – there are more than 800 of them, and they are broadly distributed worldwide.</p>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.17107">Our research</a>, published today in the journal <em>Global Change Biology</em>, attempts to pin down why certain tetrapod species are rediscovered but others not. It also reveals that the number of lost tetrapod species is increasing decade-on-decade. This means that despite many searches, we are losing tetrapod species at a faster rate than we are rediscovering them. In particular, rates of rediscovery for lost amphibian, bird and mammal species have slowed in recent years, while rates of loss for reptile species have increased.</p>
<p>This is not good news. Species are often lost because their populations have shrunk to a very small size due to human threats like hunting and pollution. Consequently, many lost species are in danger of becoming extinct (in fact, some probably are extinct). However, it is difficult to protect lost species from extinction because we don’t know where they are.</p>
<h2>Rediscoveries lead to conservation action</h2>
<p>In 2018, researchers in Colombia successfully searched for the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22735460/181746724">Antioquia brush-finch</a> (<em>Atlapetes blancae</em>), a bird species unrecorded since 1971. This rediscovery led to <a href="https://www.rainforesttrust.org/urgent-projects/last-stand-for-the-antioquia-brush-finch/">the establishment of a reserve</a> to protect the remaining population of the brush-finch, which is tiny and threatened by habitat loss caused by agricultural expansion and climate change.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-find-the-extinct-victorian-earless-dragon-not-seen-since-1969-180982440/">Victorian grassland earless dragon</a> (<em>Tympanocryptis pinguicolla</em>) was rediscovered in Australia last year. It hadn’t been recorded for 54 years, and was presumed to be extinct, due to the loss of its grassland habitat and predation by invasive alien species including feral cats. Its rediscovery resulted in <a href="https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/plibersek/media-releases/joint-media-release-reptile-thought-be-extinct-rediscovered-victoria">government funding</a> to trial new survey techniques to find further populations of the species, a breeding program, and the preparation of a species recovery plan.</p>
<p>Thus, rediscoveries are important: they provide evidence of the continued existence of highly threatened species, prompting funding for conservation action. The results or our study may help to prioritise searches for lost species. In the image below, we mapped their global distribution, identifying regions with many lost and few rediscovered species.</p>
<h2>What factors influence rediscovery?</h2>
<p>Sadly, many quests to find lost species are unsuccessful. In 1993, searches in Ghana and the Ivory Coast over seven years failed to rediscover a lost primate, <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/where-have-you-gone-miss-waldrons-red-colobus">Miss Waldron’s red colobus</a> (<em>Piliocolobus waldronae</em>). The research team concluded that this noisy and conspicuous monkey, unrecorded since 1978, may well be extinct. Its demise has been caused by hunting and the destruction of its forest habitat. Further searches in 2005, 2006 and 2019 were also unsuccessful, although <a href="https://iucn.org/resources/publication/red-colobus-piliocolobus-conservation-action-plan-2021-2026">calls that were possibly by this species were heard in 2008</a>.</p>
<p>In 2010, searches for the Mesopotamia beaked toad (<em>Rhinella rostrata</em>), unrecorded in Colombia since 1914, were unsuccessful (<a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2010/11/pictures-mr-burns-frog-discovered-in-colombia-along-with-2-other-new-species/">but did lead to the discovery of three new amphibian species</a>). Last year’s search for the <a href="https://www.rewild.org/lost-species/sinu-parakeet">Sinú parakeet</a> (<em>Pyrrhura subandina</em>), unrecorded in Colombia since 1949, was also unsuccessful. Nevertheless, the project team did identify the presence of <a href="https://www.birdguides.com/articles/conservation/exciting-rediscoveries-boost-hopes-of-finding-sinu-parakeet/">ten other parrot species in the survey area and large tracts of suitable habitat</a>, giving hope for the continued existence of the Sinú parakeet.</p>
<p>So why is it that some species are rediscovered while others remain lost? Are there specific factors that influence rediscovery? We aimed to answer these questions in our study, in order to improve our ability to distinguish between the types of lost species we can rediscover, from those that we cannot, because they are extinct.</p>
<p>Our project team comprised members of the organisation <a href="https://www.rewild.org/lost-species">Re:wild</a>, which has been leading efforts to search for lost species since 2017, along with species experts from the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/our-union/commissions/species-survival-commission">International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission</a> (SSC).</p>
<p>We compiled <a href="https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c866t1gdf">a database of 856 lost and 424 rediscovered tetrapod species</a> (amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles). We then proposed three broad hypotheses about factors that might influence rediscovery: characteristics of (i) tetrapod species, and (ii) the environment influence rediscovery, and (iii) human activities influence rediscovery.</p>
<p>For example, body mass (a species characteristic) may positively influence rediscovery, as larger lost species should be easier to find. Lost species occupying dense forests (a characteristic of the environment) may not be rediscovered as searching for them is difficult. Lost species affected by threats associated with human activities (e.g., invasive alien species, which are being spread to new locations by global trade) may not be rediscovered, as they may be extinct.</p>
<p>Based on these hypotheses, we collected data on a series of variables associated with each lost and rediscovered species (for example, their body mass), which we then analysed for their influence on rediscovery.</p>
<h2>Hard to find + neglected = rediscovered</h2>
<p>On the upside, our results suggest that while many lost species are difficult to find, with some effort and the use of new techniques, they are likely to be rediscovered. These species include those that are very small (including many lost reptile species), those that live underground, those that are nocturnal, and those living in areas that are difficult to survey.</p>
<p>In fact, since the completion of our study, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/30/back-from-the-brink-de-wintons-golden-mole-feared-extinct-rediscovered-after-86-years-aoe">De Winton’s Golden Mole</a> (<em>Cryptochloris wintoni</em>) has been rediscovered in South Africa. This species hadn’t been recorded in the wild since 1937. It lives underground much of the time, so searches were conducted using techniques including environmental DNA and thermal imaging.</p>
<p>Our results also suggest some species are neglected by conservation scientists, particularly those that are not considered to be charismatic, such as reptiles, small species and rodents. Searches for these species may also be rewarded with success. Voeltzkow’s chameleon (<em>Furcifer voeltzkowi</em>), a small reptile species, was <a href="https://www.livescience.com/lost-chameleon-rediscovered-after-century.html">rediscovered in Madagascar in 2018</a>.</p>
<h2>Lost or extinct?</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, our results also suggest that some lost species are unlikely to be found no matter how hard we look, because they are extinct. For example, remaining lost mammal species are, on average, three times larger than rediscovered mammal species. Some of these large, charismatic, conspicuous species should have been rediscovered by now.</p>
<p>Furthermore, one third of remaining lost mammal species are endemic to islands, where tetrapod species are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989421003978">particularly vulnerable to extinction</a>. The Bramble Cay melomys (<em>Melomys rubicola</em>), which was once considered to be a lost species, has recently been <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/threatened/nominations/comment/bramble-cay-melomys-2018">declared extinct</a> by the Australian Government. It occupied a small island that has been extensively surveyed – if it still existed it should have been rediscovered by now.</p>
<p>Lost bird species have, on average, been missing for longer than those that have been rediscovered (28% have been missing for more than 100 years), and many have been searched for on several occasions – perhaps some of these species should also have been rediscovered by now.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, unexpected rediscoveries of long-lost species like the <a href="https://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/cebu-flowerpecker/">Cebu flowerpecker</a> (<em>Dicaeum quadricolor</em>) do occur, so we shouldn’t lose hope, and we should definitely keep searching. However, some searches are being carried out for long-lost species that are considered to be extinct, such as the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723014948">thylacine</a> (<em>Thylacinus cynocephalus</em>). Perhaps the limited resources available for biodiversity conservation would be better used to search for lost species likely to still exist.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The author’s former MSc student, Tim Lindken, contributed to writing this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220719/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Evans received funding from The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.</span></em></p>There are hundreds of lost tetrapod species across the globe and their number are increasing decade-on-decade. This study aims to find out why some are rediscovered, while others are not.Thomas Evans, Research scientist, Freie Universität Berlin, Université Paris-SaclayLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2178552024-01-16T13:41:43Z2024-01-16T13:41:43ZMiami residents believe Biscayne Bay is ‘healthy,’ despite big declines in water quality and biodiversity, new study finds<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567784/original/file-20240103-17-ykl3se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Biscayne Bay is home to more than 30 endangered or at-risk species.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/biscayne-bay-skyline-news-photo/635713316">Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group/Getty Images </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Residents of Miami-Dade County appreciate Biscayne Bay for its ecological, cultural, recreational and economic offerings, but they see the estuary as “moderately healthy” – despite a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00610-5">significant decline</a> in water quality and habitat health in recent decades. </p>
<p>That’s according to an online <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287930">survey of more than 1,000 Miami-Dade residents</a> I conducted in 2022 to understand how locals use, think about and value Biscayne Bay. The bay borders 35 miles of Miami’s coastline and is made up of <a href="https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/13120">diverse ecosystems</a>, including mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs. </p>
<p>I research <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=h2VJ1p4AAAAJ&hl=en">public attitudes toward the environment</a>, and I currently work with an interdisciplinary team of scientists who analyze the health and composition of local marine ecosystems. We spend more than 100 days a year on Biscayne Bay.</p>
<p>My survey findings reveal that Miami residents interact with Biscayne Bay regularly and in a variety of ways. Residents spend time on the beach, out on the water boating, and fishing for both food and fun. </p>
<p>Respondents were concerned about a range of threats to the bay. However, highly visible impacts like plastic pollution were much more worrisome to them than less discernible or slower-moving threats, such as persistent algal blooms. Participants were also more troubled by loss of coral reefs than loss of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-008-9038-7">less popular habitats</a> such as seagrass. </p>
<p>While plastic pollution and coral reef loss are indeed concerning, algal blooms and seagrass loss also represent a fundamental shift in the makeup and health of the bay. </p>
<p>Overall, my research found that support for local policy actions to protect and restore the bay was extremely high. Such policy actions include new regulations on fishing and pollution from septic tanks and fertilizers, greater public investment in water treatment infrastructure and direct efforts to restore ecosystems. </p>
<p>Every policy option listed on my survey had an average rating between four and five on a five-point scale, where four corresponded to “support” and five corresponded to “strongly support.” Importantly, this support was high regardless of political party affiliation.</p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Biscayne Bay is home to more than <a href="https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/13120">30 endangered species or species of special concern</a>, such as the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/smalltooth-sawfish">smalltooth sawfish</a> and the <a href="https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/West-Indian-Manatee">West Indian manatee</a>. It is also home to more than 100 species <a href="https://www.miamidade.gov/environment/library/reports/2023-biscayne-bay-economic-study-update.pdf">important to recreational and commercial fisheries</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A West Indian manatee underwater" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568311/original/file-20240108-23-q0vbik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568311/original/file-20240108-23-q0vbik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568311/original/file-20240108-23-q0vbik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568311/original/file-20240108-23-q0vbik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568311/original/file-20240108-23-q0vbik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568311/original/file-20240108-23-q0vbik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568311/original/file-20240108-23-q0vbik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The West Indian manatee is listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/endangered-florida-manatee-at-three-sisters-spring-in-news-photo/1912450529">Dave Fleetham/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A 2019 government report describes Biscayne Bay as being “<a href="https://environment.fiu.edu/where-we-work/biscayne-bay/_assets/bague-et-al.---biscayne-bay-task-force-report-and-recommendations.pdf">at a tipping point</a>.” It has experienced dramatic declines in water quality – due to pollution from sewage, fertilizers and other sources – and major die-offs of fish and seagrass beds <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00610-5">since the 1990s</a>.</p>
<p>Miami is on the front line of emerging issues facing coastal urban communities around the globe – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04496.x">from sea level rise to overfishing</a>. In order to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.07.005">make effective management decisions</a> regarding Biscayne Bay, local policymakers need a clear understanding of how the public perceives and interacts with its resources and what is important to them. This knowledge can help them prioritize actions and better understand potential consequences of policy decisions.</p>
<h2>What’s next</h2>
<p>My findings could provide a road map for other coastal communities that want to explore local sentiments in order to improve conservation efforts. Approximately <a href="https://aambpublicoceanservice.blob.core.windows.net/oceanserviceprod/facts/coastal-population-report.pdf">40% of the global population</a> lives in the 5% of land located within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of a coastline. </p>
<p>While I found that the public is supportive of new efforts to protect and restore Biscayne Bay, public outreach may be needed to make the impacts of new laws clear. This includes educating locals about the degree to which the bay’s health has declined, the importance of mangroves and seagrasses, and how choices made on land affect habitats in the water.</p>
<p>My research now includes working with local environmental and community organizations to understand grassroots public engagement with the local political process. I hope to understand how local groups are collaborating – or failing to collaborate – in their advocacy efforts to protect and restore Biscayne Bay, and how their work affects civic engagement. </p>
<p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take on interesting academic work.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217855/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julia Wester receives funding from the Save Our Seas Foundation and National Geographic. She is affiliated with the University of Miami, Field School and the Field School Foundation.</span></em></p>A survey of Miami-Dade residents found bipartisan support for protecting Biscayne Bay − though most locals were not aware of the extent of its decline in recent years.Julia Wester, Lecturer in Ecosystem Science and Policy, University of MiamiLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2189022024-01-11T13:25:55Z2024-01-11T13:25:55ZTo protect endangered sharks and rays, scientists are mapping these species’ most important locations<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565884/original/file-20231214-27-kjjzka.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=60%2C0%2C6720%2C4426&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A tiger shark swims among surgeonfish off Fuvahmulah Atoll, Maldives, in the Indian Ocean.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/tiger-shark-with-shoal-of-fish-surgeonfishes-indian-royalty-free-image/1262279323">imageBROKER/Norbert Probst via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>All of the saltwater bodies on Earth make up <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/howmanyoceans.html">one big ocean</a>. But within it, there is infinite variety – just ask any scuba diver. Some spots have more coral, more sea turtles, more fish, more life. </p>
<p>“I’ve been diving in many places around the world, and there are few locations like the <a href="https://visitfuvahmulah.mv/discover-fuvahmulah/">Fuvahmulah Atoll</a> in the Maldives,” Amanda Batlle-Morera, a research assistant with the <a href="https://sharkrayareas.org/">Important Shark and Ray Areas project</a>, told me. “You can observe tiger sharks, thresher sharks, scalloped hammerheads, oceanic manta rays and more, without throwing out bait to attract them.” </p>
<p>Identifying areas like Fuvahmulah that are especially important to certain species is a <a href="https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/critical-habitat-fact-sheet.pdf">long-standing strategy</a> for protecting threatened land animals, birds and marine mammals, such as whales and dolphins. Now our team of marine conservation scientists at the <a href="https://sharkrayareas.org/">Important Shark and Ray Areas project</a> is using it to help protect sharks and their relatives. </p>
<p>I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xb7noGAAAAAJ&hl=en">marine conservation biologist</a> and the project’s communications officer. This initiative is working to identify locations that are critical for sharks and rays, so that these zones can be flagged for future protection or fisheries management measures. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0mPBvhGvZLI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Divers get close views of tiger sharks at Fuvahmulah, an offshore island in the southern Maldives. Six threatened shark species and one threatened ray species appear regularly in the area.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Where the sharks are</h2>
<p>Sharks and their relatives are some of the most imperiled animals on Earth: More than one-third of all known species are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.062">threatened with extinction</a>. Many of these animals play vital roles in their ecosystems. Losing marine predators <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2008.01.003">can destabilize entire food webs</a> and the ecosystems that these food webs depend on.</p>
<p>In recent years, the management of sharks and their relatives, rays and chimaeras, has largely focused on curbing the impacts of fisheries and trade on these species. But their populations <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.062">are still declining rapidly</a>, so new strategies are needed. </p>
<p>To effectively protect these important and threatened animals, my colleagues and I believe it is vital to identify and protect parts of the ocean, plus some freshwater habitats, that are especially significant for their lives. Some areas, for example, are important migratory pathways, or feeding or mating grounds, or places to lay eggs. </p>
<p>Our team has created a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.968853">list of technical criteria</a> so that zones around the world can be examined and potentially designated as Important Shark and Ray Areas. We modeled these criteria on similar approaches that are already in use, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054%5B1110:KBAASC%5D2.0.CO;2">important marine mammal areas</a>, which we adapted to the specific needs and biology of sharks and their relatives. </p>
<p>We are now hosting a series of 13 regional workshops around the world and inviting local experts to nominate preliminary areas of interest for evaluation by our team and an independent expert review panel. So far, we’ve completed three workshops, one focusing on the Central and South American Pacific, another on the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the third on the Western Indian Ocean, with a workshop for Asia planned for early 2024. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568049/original/file-20240105-14-7s4g8o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A world map shows zones that scientists have identified as Important Shark and Ray Areas in the Pacific and Indian oceans and the Mediterranean Sea." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568049/original/file-20240105-14-7s4g8o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568049/original/file-20240105-14-7s4g8o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568049/original/file-20240105-14-7s4g8o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568049/original/file-20240105-14-7s4g8o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568049/original/file-20240105-14-7s4g8o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568049/original/file-20240105-14-7s4g8o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568049/original/file-20240105-14-7s4g8o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The current version of the online atlas of Important Shark and Ray Areas. The atlas is organized by region, showing which parts of the world’s oceans and coasts have been assessed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://sharkrayareas.org/">Important Shark and Ray Areas initiative</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After the workshops and expert reviews, each finalized Important Shark and Ray Area will be added to our e-atlas, which <a href="https://sharkrayareas.org/e-atlas/">can be viewed online</a>. Each region’s Important Shark and Ray Areas are published in a formal compendium, and the whole global process will be repeated every 10 years. This cycle will allow us to consider changes to areas that have already been mapped, such as new fishery policies or impacts from climate change, and to take into account new research that can help us identify new areas. </p>
<h2>Informing conservation policies</h2>
<p>We recently published our <a href="https://sharkrayareas.org/download/mediterranean-and-black-seas-regional-compendium-of-important-shark-and-ray-areas/">Mediterranean and Black seas region compendium</a>, which reflects input from over 180 experts from around the region. It identifies 65 Important Shark and Ray Areas that range widely in size and habitat type. Our <a href="https://sharkrayareas.org/download/western-indian-ocean-regional-compendium-of-important-shark-and-ray-areas/">western Indian Ocean compendium</a> includes over 125 areas. </p>
<p>These zones are important for species like the critically endangered <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/blackchin-guitarfish">blackchin guitarfish</a> (<em>Glaucostegus cemiculus</em>), as well as heavily fished shark species like the <a href="https://www.sharks.org/smoothhound-mustelus-mustelus">common smoothhound shark</a> (<em>Mustelus mustelus</em>). </p>
<p>Some of these areas, such as <a href="https://sharkrayareas.org/portfolio-item/benidorm-island-isra/">Benidorm Island</a> off Spain’s Mediterranean coast, are in shallow coastal zones. Others, like the <a href="https://sharkrayareas.org/wp-content/uploads/isra-factsheets/12CentralSouthPacific/Cocos-Galapagos-Swimway-12CentralSouthPacific.pdf">Cocos-Galapagos Swimway</a> off Costa Rica and Ecuador, reach into deep ocean waters. </p>
<p>The smallest area identified so far, Israel’s <a href="https://sharkrayareas.org/wp-content/uploads/isra-factsheets/03MedBlackSeas/Palmahim-Brine-Pools-03MedBlackSeas.pdf">Palmahim brine pools</a> in the southeast Mediterranean, measures just 0.03 square miles (0.09 square kilometers) – about half the size of New York City’s Grand Central station. <a href="https://eol.org/pages/46560072">Blackmouth catsharks</a>
(<em>Galeus melastomus</em>) breed and lay eggs there, and threatened <a href="https://eol.org/pages/46560287">angular rough sharks</a> (<em>Oxynotus centrina</em>) feed there, including on blackmouth catshark eggs. </p>
<p>The largest area is the <a href="https://sharkrayareas.org/wp-content/uploads/isra-factsheets/03MedBlackSeas/Strait-of-Sicily-and-Tunisian-Plateau-03MedBlackSeas.pdf">Strait of Sicily and Tunisian Plateau</a>, which extends over 77,000 square miles (200,000 square kilometers) – about the size of Great Britain – in the Mediterranean between Sicily, Malta, western Libya and Tunisia. This zone supports at least 32 species of sharks, rays and chimaeras, including many that are at risk of extinction, in habitats ranging from shallow seagrass beds to deep ocean trenches.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CsHnxebvcsp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\u0026igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>Identifying a location as an Important Shark and Ray Area does not mean it will automatically be protected. Our goal is to inform countries’ existing spatial planning and fisheries management processes and other conservation planning. Eventually, these zones may be incorporated into <a href="https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/mpas.html">marine protected areas</a> or other types of ocean preserves.</p>
<p>Sharks and their relatives need human help to survive and maintain their important biological roles in the ocean. Through the Important Shark and Ray Areas project, hundreds of scientists and other experts are helping to identify special places for these species that we believe need some extra attention.</p>
<p><em>Dr. Rima Jabado, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group, contributed to this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218902/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Shiffman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new initiative is pinpointing areas in the world’s oceans that are key habitats for sharks and their relatives, so that governments can consider protecting these areas.David Shiffman, Faculty Research Associate in Marine Biology, Arizona State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2188992023-12-19T13:16:50Z2023-12-19T13:16:50ZWild ‘super pigs’ from Canada could become a new front in the war on feral hogs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566082/original/file-20231215-23-irn2uo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C4%2C2986%2C1958&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Feral hogs' long snouts and tusks allow them to rip and root their way across the landscape in search of food. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://flic.kr/p/ehmMiS">USDA/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>They go by many names – pigs, hogs, swine, razorbacks – but whatever you call them, <a href="https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/profile/wild-boar">wild pigs</a> (<em>Sus scrofa</em>) are one of the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/08/06/think-feral-hogs-is-joke-millions-more-are-rampaging-across-us/">most damaging invasive species</a> in North America. They cause millions of dollars in crop damage yearly and harbor dozens of pathogens that threaten humans and pets, as well as meat production systems.</p>
<p>Although wild pigs have been <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/wildlifedamage/operational-activities/feral-swine/sa-fs-history">present in North America for centuries</a>, their populations have rapidly expanded over the past several decades. Recent studies estimate that since the 1980s the wild pig population in the United States has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-01983-1">nearly tripled</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.808">expanded from 18 to 35 states</a>. More recently, they have <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/invasive-pigs-canada-1.5136431">spread rapidly across Canada</a>, and these populations are <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wild-pigs-feral-swine-canada-minnesota-border-e59a542efb3c64d5f4b136fc137b7665">threatening to invade the U.S. from the north</a>.</p>
<p>The wild pigs in Canada are unique because they were originally crossbred by humans to be larger and more cold-hardy than their feral cousins to the south. This suite of traits has earned them the name “super pigs” for good reason. Adults can reach weights exceeding 500 pounds, which is twice the size of the largest wild pigs sampled across many U.S. sites in <a href="http://dx.doi.ORG/10.1002/ece3.9853">a 2022 study</a>. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marcus_Lashley">wildlife ecologist</a>, I study how wild pigs alter their surroundings and affect other wildlife species. <a href="https://www.doi.gov/invasivespecies/early-detection-and-rapid-response">Early detection and rapid response</a> is of utmost importance in eradicating an invasive species, because invasions are more manageable when populations are small and geographically restricted. This is especially true for species like wild pigs that have a high reproductive rate, can readily move into new areas and can change their behavior to avoid being captured or killed.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RpwHJT4t-Zo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Minnesota wildlife experts are keeping a wary eye on their northern border for signs of wild ‘super pigs’ moving down from Canada.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Omnivores on the hoof</h2>
<p>Much concern over the spread of wild pigs has focused on economic damage, which was recently estimated at <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/11/21/which-states-have-the-worst-wild-hog-problem/71658126007/">about US$2.5 billion annually</a> in the United States.</p>
<p>Wild pigs have a unique collection of traits that make them problematic to humans. When we told one private landowner about the results from our studies, he responded: “That makes sense. Pigs eat all the stuff the other wildlife do – they just eat it first, and then they go ahead and eat the wildlife, too. They pretty much eat anything with a calorie in it.” </p>
<p>More scientifically, wild pigs are called extreme generalist foragers, which means they can survive on many different foods. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12015">global review of their dietary habits</a> found that plants represent 90% of their diet – primarily agricultural crops, plus the fruits, seeds, leaves, stems and roots of wild plants.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566078/original/file-20231215-23-4f6gba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A male lesser prairie-chicken inflates his orange throat sacs to call potential mates." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566078/original/file-20231215-23-4f6gba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566078/original/file-20231215-23-4f6gba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566078/original/file-20231215-23-4f6gba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566078/original/file-20231215-23-4f6gba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566078/original/file-20231215-23-4f6gba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566078/original/file-20231215-23-4f6gba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566078/original/file-20231215-23-4f6gba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lesser prairie chickens are a ground-nesting species – found in parts of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas – that is listed under the Endangered Species Act. Feral hogs prey on the birds and their eggs and damage the birds’ habitat by rooting up and consuming native plants and spreading invasive plant seeds.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.fws.gov/media/lesser-prairie-chicken-lek">Greg Kramos/USFWS</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Wild pigs also eat most small animals, along with fungi and invertebrates such as insect larvae, clams and mussels, particularly in places where pigs are not native. For example, a 2019 study reported that wild pigs were digging up eggs laid by endangered loggerhead sea turtles on an island off the coast of South Carolina, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2019.103442">reducing the turtles’ nesting success to zero in some years</a>.</p>
<p>And these pigs do “just eat it first.” They compete for resources that other wildlife need, which can have <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10530-012-0229-6">negative effects on other species</a>. </p>
<p>However, they likely do their most severe damage through predation. Wild pigs kill and eat rodents, deer, birds, snakes, frogs, lizards and salamanders. This probably best explains why colleagues and I found in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ece3.5360">one study</a> that forest patches with wild pigs had 26% fewer mammal and bird species than similar forest patches without pigs. </p>
<p>This decrease in diversity was similar to that found with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aecr.2016.10.002">other invasive predators</a>. And our findings are consistent with a global analysis showing that invasive mammalian predators that have no natural predators themselves – especially generalist foragers like wild pigs – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1602480113">cause by far the most extinctions</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1734983386941333818"}"></div></p>
<h2>Altering ecosystems</h2>
<p>Many questions about wild pigs’ ecological impacts have yet to be answered. For example, they may harm other wild species indirectly, rather than eating them or depleting their food supply. </p>
<p>Our work shows that wild pigs <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00270">can alter the behavior of common native wildlife species</a>, such as raccoons, squirrels and deer. Using trail cameras, we found that when wild pigs were present, other animals altered their activity patterns in various ways to avoid them. Such shifts may have additional cascading effects on ecosystems, because they change how and when species interact in the food web.</p>
<p>Another major concern is wild pigs’ potential to spread disease. They carry numerous pathogens, including brucellosis and tuberculosis. However, little ecological research has been done on this issue, and scientists have not yet demonstrated that an increasing abundance of wild pigs reduces the abundance of native wildlife via disease transmission. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vIHbFQFdyaM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Feral hogs can be seen rooting up the soil in this trail camera footage from Alabama.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Interestingly, in their native range in Europe and Asia, pigs do not cause as much ecological damage. In fact, some studies indicate that they may <a href="http://biozoojournals.ro/nwjz/content/v13n2/nwjz_e161706_Baruzzi.pdf">modify habitat in important ways</a> for species that have evolved with them, such as frogs and salamanders. </p>
<p>So far, however, there is virtually no scientific evidence that feral pigs provide any benefits in North America. One <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10530-012-0229-6">review of wild pig impacts</a> discussed the potential for private landowners plagued with pigs to generate revenue from selling pig meat or opportunities to hunt them. And it’s possible that wild pigs could serve as an alternative food source for imperiled large predators, or that their wallowing and foraging behavior in some cases could mimic that of locally eradicated or extinct species. </p>
<p>But the scientific consensus today is that in North America, wild pigs are a growing threat to both ecosystems and the economy. It is unclear how invading super pigs would contribute to the overall threat, but bigger pigs likely cause more damage and are generally better predators and competitors. </p>
<p>While efforts to control wild pigs <a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feral-swine-eradication-and-control-pilot-program">are well underway</a> in the U.S., incursions by Canadian super pigs may complicate the job. Invasive super pigs make for catchy headlines, but their potential effects are no joke.</p>
<p><em>This is an updated version of <a href="https://theconversation.com/feral-pigs-harm-wildlife-and-biodiversity-as-well-as-crops-120066">an article</a> originally published on Aug. 26, 2019.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218899/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marcus Lashley receives funding from USDA Wildlife Services.</span></em></p>Feral hogs are one of the most destructive invasive species in North America, harming land, crops and wildlife.Marcus Lashley, Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology, University of FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2166452023-11-29T02:35:13Z2023-11-29T02:35:13ZWe analysed citizen science to find Australia’s top 10 most elusive birds<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562126/original/file-20231128-19-uea8xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=72%2C36%2C5934%2C3908&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-sun-hat-looks-view-through-2316061461">Jjay69, Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia is one of the greatest places to see birds. We are fortunate to have more than 800 different bird species across the nation. At least 370 species are found nowhere else on Earth. They range from the iconic <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-smarter-the-magpie-the-better-they-can-handle-our-noisy-cities-214387">Australian magpie</a> to the migratory <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-dead-and-dying-seabirds-washing-up-on-our-beaches-in-their-hundreds-217349">short-tailed shearwater</a>, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/100-years-ago-this-man-discovered-an-exquisite-parrot-thought-to-be-extinct-what-came-next-is-a-tragedy-we-must-not-repeat-171939">golden-shouldered parrot</a> and the delightful <a href="https://theconversation.com/fairy-wrens-are-more-likely-to-help-their-closest-friends-but-not-strangers-just-like-us-humans-198231">superb fairy-wren</a>. </p>
<p>Every day, thousands of birdwatchers are out spotting birds. Yet despite this enthusiasm, there’s a lot still to learn. <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-200-australian-birds-are-now-threatened-with-extinction-and-climate-change-is-the-biggest-danger-172751">More than 200 species are already listed as threatened with extinction</a> but others may also be struggling and we just don’t know it yet. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2023.2283443">our new research</a>, we used citizen science data to rank Australia’s birds in terms of how well they are known. We looked at how often birdwatchers spot each species and where they find birds, compared with how often they look, to determine rates of survey success. This quantifies how “well known” each species is.</p>
<p>We found a quarter of all Australian bird species can be considered well surveyed and adequately represented in our sightings databases. Many of these species have ranges that overlap with the densely populated regions of Australia. And some, like the southern cassowary and eastern rosella, are well known to most Australians. At the other end of the spectrum, some birds are very hard to find. Here’s Australia’s top 10 most elusive birds. </p>
<p><iframe id="tc-infographic-998" class="tc-infographic" height="400px" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/998/7601ad3ea3922b23e926988a3918ffea7ec96b8b/site/index.html" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-has-more-native-bird-species-than-almost-anywhere-else-what-led-to-this-explosion-of-diversity-215809">Australia has more native bird species than almost anywhere else. What led to this explosion of diversity?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Taking advantage of citizen science</h2>
<p>Before smartphones took off, birders would take notes in their private notebooks. They might share details of interesting sightings on internet forums or birdwatching clubs, but otherwise most knowledge was locked away from scientists and conservationists.</p>
<p>Now birders are increasingly taking advantage of easy-to-use birding apps such as <a href="https://ebird.org/home">eBird</a> run by Cornell Lab of Ornithology in the United States, and <a href="https://birdata.birdlife.org.au">Birdata</a> from Birdlife Australia. </p>
<p>Collectively, these two platforms contain more than 40 million bird occurrence records spanning the entire country. That represents 3.8 million volunteer hours, or more than 430 years of effort.</p>
<p>Using these apps, birdwatchers and scientists alike can quickly collate bird records at a specific location. </p>
<p>As conservation scientists and ornithologists, we wanted to work out how to identify species we know very little about because poorly known species may be disappearing without us realising. While some researchers have already highlighted serious declines in poorly known species like the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-red-goshawk-is-disappearing-how-can-we-save-our-rarest-bird-of-prey-from-extinction-200339%5d">red goshawk</a>, <a href="https://www.difficultbirds.com/swift-parrot#:%7E:text=Swift%20Parrots%20are%20a%20critically,in%20south%2Deastern%20mainland%20Australia.">swift parrot</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-the-buff-breasted-button-quail-still-alive-after-years-of-searching-this-century-old-bird-mystery-has-yet-to-be-solved-175647">buff-breasted buttonquail</a>, we recognised citizen science databases as a vast untapped source of knowledge for all of our native birds. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560600/original/file-20231121-27-zkey1r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Australia's red goshawk, flying with outstretched wings in a cloudless a blue sky" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560600/original/file-20231121-27-zkey1r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560600/original/file-20231121-27-zkey1r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560600/original/file-20231121-27-zkey1r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560600/original/file-20231121-27-zkey1r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560600/original/file-20231121-27-zkey1r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560600/original/file-20231121-27-zkey1r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560600/original/file-20231121-27-zkey1r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Despite being highly sought after by birdwatchers, Australia’s red goshawk is one of the least reported bird species.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">James Watson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Australia’s most elusive birds</h2>
<p>In <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2023.2283443">our new study</a>, published in the journal Emu (Austral Ornithology), we looked at millions of citizen science bird records. We focused on 581 terrestrial, native species. </p>
<p>We found a group of 56 “hide and seek” champions of Australia. These are the species which are seen least often by birdwatchers. Many of these species exhibit cryptic behaviour or are primarily nocturnal, which explains why they are not regularly seen by citizen scientists. However, we have serious concerns for a handful of these species. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=59714">Coxen’s fig parrot</a> emerges as a species of major concern. Birders recorded more than 300,000 surveys within this species’ range in the rainforests of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales. Yet only four sightings of this tiny green parrot are documented in our combined citizen science database. None of these sightings were accompanied by photo or video evidence. In fact there has never been a photo of a live bird of this species. Our research suggests this species is well and truly “lost to science” and may already be extinct.</p>
<p>Another species of increasing concern is the buff-breasted buttonquail of far north Queensland. Only seven sightings of this bird are recorded in our combined dataset. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01584197.2022.2090962">Recent research</a> suggests many <a href="https://www.worldsciencefestival.com.au/news/the-birding-mystery-of-the-buff-breasted-button-quail">reported sightings of this species may be mistaken</a>. As with the Coxen’s fig parrot, no photo of a living buff-breasted buttonquail has ever been taken. Nevertheless, there is some hope for this elusive species, as its range has been less comprehensively surveyed by birdwatchers. There is now a <a href="https://conservationpartners.org.au/cape-york-button-quail-3/">concerted effort to find them</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1591872122946977792"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-200-australian-birds-are-now-threatened-with-extinction-and-climate-change-is-the-biggest-danger-172751">More than 200 Australian birds are now threatened with extinction – and climate change is the biggest danger</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>We can all play a role</h2>
<p>Our analysis shows much of Australia is not frequented by birdwatchers, so birds in our least populated areas are still poorly known to contemporary science. Some of the most sparsely surveyed regions include Australia’s many deserts, and remote areas such as the Nullarbor Plain, Arnhem Land and western Cape York Peninsula. </p>
<p>Australians can help these elusive birds by heading outdoors with a smartphone and a pair of binoculars. Records of scarce birds will become increasingly important as species continue to decline. Even records of more common birds in backyards have value too. The more information we have, the more chance we can slow the rate of extinction and conserve our amazing birdlife.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/our-mysterious-night-parrot-has-terrible-vision-but-we-discovered-it-might-be-able-to-hear-like-an-owl-200058">Our mysterious night parrot has terrible vision – but we discovered it might be able to hear like an owl</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216645/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Watson has received funding from the Australian Research Council, National Environmental Science Program, South Australia's Department of Environment and Water as well as from Bush Heritage Australia, Queensland Conservation Council and Birdlife Australia. He serves on scientific committees for Bush Heritage Australia, climate start up Subak Australia, BirdLife Australia and has a long-term scientific relationship with the Wildlife Conservation Society. He serves on the Queensland Government's Land Restoration Fund's Investment Panel as the Deputy Chair. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Louis Backstrom does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Researchers used ‘citizen science’ birdwatching data to rank Australian species. Among the most elusive birds were ‘hide and seek’ champions and a few possibly headed for extinction.Louis Backstrom, PhD Student, University of St AndrewsJames Watson, Professor, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2155312023-11-23T19:02:23Z2023-11-23T19:02:23ZMoonlight basking and queer courting: new research reveals the secret lives of Australian freshwater turtles<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559448/original/file-20231114-15-mr7bow.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=250%2C40%2C5108%2C3540&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/australian-freshwater-turtle-during-day-time-1331621147">Rob D the Pastry Chef, Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australian freshwater turtles <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-71544-3">support healthy wetlands and rivers</a>. Yet one in three turtle species is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aec.13403">threatened with extinction</a>. And there is still much we don’t know about them.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14429993/2023/48/8">today’s special issue</a> of the journal Austral Ecology, 55 authors present the latest research on Australian freshwater turtles. </p>
<p>Along with other biologists, we have contributed to a series of research papers to inform ecology and conservation of freshwater turtles. </p>
<p>Our research reveals some fresh insights into turtle behaviour, survey methods and conservation strategies. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1632869594372378626"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/theres-a-thriving-global-market-in-turtles-and-much-of-that-trade-is-illegal-205626">There's a thriving global market in turtles, and much of that trade is illegal</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Spy wear and other turtle tech</h2>
<p>In one study researchers <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aec.13365">compared data from underwater video cameras</a> to traditional trapping surveys and achieved similar results. They detected 83 turtles from 52 hours of footage and identified all species in the study area.</p>
<p>Overall, baited remote underwater videos proved to be a “useful, time effective, non-invasive technique to collect relative abundance and species richness estimates for freshwater turtles”. </p>
<p>Another study provided the first vision of a wild saw-shelled turtle <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aec.13364">attempting to court a mate</a>. The male sought affection from the female turtle by waving his feet and pressing his nose into her face. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555110/original/file-20231021-19-ijwufk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An image showing a male saw-shelled turtle 'kissing' a larger female" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555110/original/file-20231021-19-ijwufk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555110/original/file-20231021-19-ijwufk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555110/original/file-20231021-19-ijwufk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555110/original/file-20231021-19-ijwufk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555110/original/file-20231021-19-ijwufk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555110/original/file-20231021-19-ijwufk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555110/original/file-20231021-19-ijwufk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Underwater cameras captured a male saw-shelled turtle courting a larger female.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Donald McKnight</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Meanwhile, a different male was observed trying to mount a larger male. This was the first case of same-sex mounting seen in this species.</p>
<p>We are continuing to unravel curious turtle behaviour known as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423000793">nocturnal basking</a>. During the day, many reptiles regulate their body temperature by sunning themselves. But some freshwater turtles (and crocodiles) also emerge from the water and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/aec.13320">bask on logs at night</a>.</p>
<p>To find out why, scientists in Queensland measured the preferred temperature of Krefft’s river turtles and watched them <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aec.13335">bask more when the water was hot</a>. So it seems they do this to stay cool in hot weather.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559238/original/file-20231114-27-p5jmht.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A photo showing Krefft's river turtles basking at night, hauled out on a log" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559238/original/file-20231114-27-p5jmht.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559238/original/file-20231114-27-p5jmht.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559238/original/file-20231114-27-p5jmht.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559238/original/file-20231114-27-p5jmht.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559238/original/file-20231114-27-p5jmht.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559238/original/file-20231114-27-p5jmht.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559238/original/file-20231114-27-p5jmht.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Krefft’s river turtles basking at night in the Ross River, Townsville, Queensland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Eric Nordberg</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Over in desert country, we <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aec.13434">recaptured Cooper Creek turtles</a> after two decades. While we were there, the site became surrounded with floodwater – this provided a rare opportunity to find turtles moving onto the floodplain to find food.</p>
<p>We also found lots of baby turtles. This is in contrast to most places around Australia, which have ongoing problems with foxes eating turtle nests.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555112/original/file-20231021-17-kd5oxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Closeup photo of a large female turtle facing the camera, stretching out its neck to drink from a pool of water" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555112/original/file-20231021-17-kd5oxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555112/original/file-20231021-17-kd5oxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555112/original/file-20231021-17-kd5oxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555112/original/file-20231021-17-kd5oxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555112/original/file-20231021-17-kd5oxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555112/original/file-20231021-17-kd5oxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555112/original/file-20231021-17-kd5oxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This large female turtle at Cooper Creek was recaptured after two decades.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Donald McKnight</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Conservation success stories</h2>
<p>Foxes target freshwater turtle nests across Australia, reducing breeding success. Researchers are experimenting with measures to protect nests from predators.</p>
<p>In the New England Tablelands, temporary electric fences served to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aec.13385">protect turtle nests from foxes</a> over three breeding spring-summer seasons from 2019 to 2022. But in the Murray River, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aec.13362">plastic mesh over individual nests only protected some of them</a>. </p>
<p>Nest protection supports conservation of the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aec.13382">endangered Mary River turtle</a>. Over 22 years, more than 100 members of the local community in the Mary River Catchment have led initiatives to protect Mary River turtles. Working with communities has dual benefits – for research and for the people involved, who enjoy connecting to nature.</p>
<p>These collaborations have helped improve river management, informing delivery of water for the environment and improving the quality of river habitats for turtles.</p>
<p><a href="https://1millionturtles.com/turtle-month-2023">November is Turtle Month</a> for the <a href="https://1millionturtles.com/">1 Million turtles</a> campaign, a national citizen science program bringing together scientists and the community, to support freshwater turtle conservation initiatives. </p>
<p>Through the <a href="https://www.turtlesat.org.au/">free TurtleSAT app</a>, people can do more than just report turtle sightings. They can actively contribute to data-driven turtle management. </p>
<p>The app provides real-time data visualisation. The program website also provides education, helping citizen scientists protect nests, establish predator-free turtle sanctuaries, engage in national experiments, and deepen their understanding of turtles and wetlands.</p>
<p>With more than 18,000 records logged, 1,200 turtles saved from road hazards and 500 nests protected, this initiative is crucial in light of the growing threats faced by freshwater turtle species.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/our-turtle-program-shows-citizen-science-isnt-just-great-for-data-it-makes-science-feel-personal-155142">Our turtle program shows citizen science isn't just great for data, it makes science feel personal</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Challenges and solutions</h2>
<p>Of Australia’s 25 freshwater turtle species, 12 are so poorly known <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aec.13418">their national conservation status could not be assessed</a> during this 2022 review. Many of these lesser-known species occur in northern Australia. </p>
<p>Of the 15 species or subspecies assessed, we recommended listing a higher level of threat for eight. This included western saw-shelled turtles, which were recently uplisted from <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/Topics/Animals-and-plants/Threatened-species/NSW-Threatened-Species-Scientific-Committee/Determinations/Final-determinations/2017-2018/Western-Sawshelled-Turtle-Myuchelys-bellii-endangered-species-listing">vulnerable to endangered</a>.</p>
<p>Threats include habitat loss, being eaten by foxes or feral pigs, disease, fire, and moving species into new areas where they breed with existing turtle species. To manage these threats, we need to move beyond engagement to an integrated approach, where conservation advice is co-determined by First Nations people who are closely involved in implementing recovery plans and action plans.</p>
<p>There is immense value in establishing long-term studies to track these long-lived species. And technology continues to provide new opportunities to learn more.</p>
<p>Future conservation and management will require working with communities to learn more about turtles and protect them. If one million people each save one turtle, collectively we will have made a big difference.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/turtles-on-the-tarmac-could-delay-flights-at-western-sydney-airport-208930">Turtles on the tarmac could delay flights at Western Sydney airport</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215531/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah Bower receives funding from the Australian Research Council, NSW Department of Environment and Planning, and the Northern Tablelands Local Land Services.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Donald McKnight works for the Savanna Field Station and received funding from the Australian Society of Herpetologists and Winifred Violet Scott Charitable Trust.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eric Nordberg receives funding from the National Environmental Science Program Landscape Hub, Australian Departments of Environment and Planning, and Northern Tablelands Local Land Services.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Van Dyke receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Australian Department of Industry, Science and Resources.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael B Thompson has received funding for turtle research from the Australian Research Council. He is also involved with the 1 Million Turtles program funded by a Commonwealth Citizen Science grant. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ricky Spencer receives funding from the Australian Research Council, WIRES and Department of Industry, Science and Resources. </span></em></p>Australian freshwater turtles are a vital part of healthy waterways, but we don’t know enough about them. A new roundup of turtle research aims to buck the trend.Deborah Bower, Associate Professor in Zoology and Ecology, University of New EnglandDonald McKnight, James Cook UniversityEric Nordberg, Senior Lecturer (Applied Ecology and Landscape Management), University of New EnglandJames Van Dyke, Associate Professor in Biomedical Sciences, La Trobe UniversityMichael B Thompson, Emeritus Professor in Zoology, University of SydneyRicky Spencer, Associate Professor of Ecology, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2148192023-11-22T13:17:53Z2023-11-22T13:17:53ZDigitized records from wildlife centers show the most common ways that humans harm wild animals<p>At hundreds of wildlife rehabilitation centers across the U.S., people can learn about wild animals and birds at close range. These sites, which may be run by nonprofits or universities, often feature engaging exhibits, including “ambassador” animals that can’t be released – an owl with a damaged wing, for example, or a fox that was found as a kit and became accustomed to being fed by humans. </p>
<p>What’s less visible are the patients – sick and injured wild animals that have been admitted for treatment.</p>
<p>Each year, people bring hundreds of thousands of sick and injured wild animals to wildlife rehab centers. Someone may find an injured squirrel on the side of the road or notice a robin in their backyard that can’t fly, and then call the center to pick up an animal in distress.</p>
<p>We study <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tara-Miller-8">ecology</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XfgB_BUAAAAJ&hl=en">biology</a>, and recently used newly digitized records from wildlife rehabilitation centers to identify the human activities that are most harmful to wildlife. In the largest study of its kind, we reviewed 674,320 records, mostly from 2011 to 2019, from 94 centers to paint a comprehensive picture of threats affecting over 1,000 species across much of the U.S. and Canada. </p>
<p>Our findings, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110295">published in the journal Biological Conservation</a>, point to some strategies for reducing harm to wildlife, especially injuries caused by cars.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SEVqsMsvQws?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, the largest independent rehab center in the U.S., treats over 1,000 sick and injured animals yearly.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Tracking the toll</h2>
<p>Humans are responsible for the deaths and injuries of billions of animals every year. Bats and birds fly into buildings, power lines and wind turbines. Domestic cats and dogs kill backyard birds and animals. Development, farming and industry alter or destroy wild animals’ habitats and expose wildlife to toxic substances like lead and pesticides. Extreme weather events linked to climate change, such as flooding and wildfires, can be devastating for wildlife.</p>
<p>Most Americans support <a href="https://www.ifaw.org/press-releases/survey-majority-americans-support-candidate-values-protection-endangered-species">protecting threatened and endangered species</a>, and <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/survey-most-americans-believe-human-population-driving-wildlife-extinctions-2020-11-12/">recognize that human activities can harm wildlife</a>. But it is surprisingly difficult to determine which activities are most harmful to wildlife and identify effective solutions. </p>
<p>Information from wildlife rehab centers across the U.S. can help fill in that picture. When an animal is brought into one of these centers, a rehabilitator assesses its condition, documents the cause of injury or illness if it can be determined, and then prepares a treatment plan. </p>
<p>Wildlife rehabbers may be veterinarians, veterinary technicians or other staff or volunteers who are certified by state agencies to treat wildlife. They follow professional codes and standards, and sometimes publish research in peer-reviewed journals.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwNiHd5AkSL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\u0026igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<h2>A growing data pool</h2>
<p>Until recently, most wildlife rehab records existed only in binders and file cabinets. As a result, studies drawing on these records typically used materials from a single location or focused on a particular species, such as bald eagles or foxes. </p>
<p>Recently, though, rehab centers have digitized hundreds of thousands of case records. Shareable digital records can improve wildlife conservation and public health. </p>
<p>For example, the <a href="https://www.wildlifecenter.org/">Wildlife Center of Virginia</a> has worked with government agencies and other rehab centers to establish the <a href="https://www.wild-one.org/">WILD-ONe database</a> as a tool for assessing trends in wildlife health. This will be an exciting area of research as more records are digitized and shared.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560206/original/file-20231117-19-6un51w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map showing distribution of wildlife centers that provided data for the study." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560206/original/file-20231117-19-6un51w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560206/original/file-20231117-19-6un51w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560206/original/file-20231117-19-6un51w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560206/original/file-20231117-19-6un51w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560206/original/file-20231117-19-6un51w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560206/original/file-20231117-19-6un51w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560206/original/file-20231117-19-6un51w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Locations in the U.S. and Canada where animals were found (blue dots) before being brought to wildlife rehabilitation centers (red stars) included in Miller et al., 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110295">Miller et al., 2023</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Threats vary by species</h2>
<p>Using this trove of data, we have been exploring patterns of wildlife health across North America. In our study, we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110295">identified key threats affecting wildlife</a> by region and for iconic and endangered species. </p>
<p>Overall, 12% of the animals brought to rehab centers during this period were harmed by vehicle collisions – the single largest cause of injury. For <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/overview#">great horned owls</a>, which are common across the U.S., cars were the most common cause of admission – possibly because the owls commonly <a href="https://www.fws.gov/story/threats-birds-collisions-road-vehicles">forage at the same height as vehicles</a>, and may feed on road kill. </p>
<p>Other threats reflect various animals’ habitats and life patterns. Window collisions were the most common injury for the <a href="https://www.batcon.org/bat/eptesicus-fuscus/">big brown bat</a>, another species found in many habitats across the U.S. Fishing incidents were the main reason for admission of endangered <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/kemps-ridley-turtle">Kemp’s ridley sea turtles</a>, which are found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast.</p>
<p>Toxic substances and infectious diseases represented just 3.4% of cases, but were important for some species. <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/overview">Bald eagles</a>, for example, were the species most commonly brought to centers with lead poisoning. Eagles and other raptors <a href="https://www.wildlifecenter.org/lead-toxicity-raptors">consume lead ammunition inadvertently</a> when they feed on carcasses left in the wild by hunters. </p>
<p>In southern Florida, hurricanes and floods resulted in spikes in the numbers of animals brought to rehab centers, reflecting the <a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-at-work-sloshing-through-marshes-to-see-how-birds-survive-hurricanes-146067">impact of climate-driven extreme weather events on wildlife health</a>. </p>
<p>About one-third of animals in the cases we reviewed were successfully released back to the wild, though this varied greatly among species. For example, 68% of brown pelicans were released, but only 20% of bald eagles. Unfortunately, some 60% of the animals died from their injuries or illnesses, or had to be humanely euthanized because they were unable to recover.</p>
<h2>Spotlighting solutions</h2>
<p>Our results spotlight steps that can help conserve wildlife in the face of these threats. For example, transportation departments can build more <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/lists/29-of-the-most-heartwarming-wildlife-crossings-around-the-world">road crossings for wildlife</a>, such as bridges and underpasses, to help animals avoid being hit by cars.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560059/original/file-20231116-29-cl09dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A large wild cat emerges from an underpass beneath a highway." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560059/original/file-20231116-29-cl09dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560059/original/file-20231116-29-cl09dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560059/original/file-20231116-29-cl09dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560059/original/file-20231116-29-cl09dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560059/original/file-20231116-29-cl09dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560059/original/file-20231116-29-cl09dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560059/original/file-20231116-29-cl09dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A mountain lion uses an underpass to safely traverse Route 97 near Bend, Oregon.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Wildlife management agencies can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018-1132-x">ban or limit use of ammunition and fishing gear that contain lead</a> to reduce lead poisoning. And governments can <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/wildlife-disaster-preparedness">incorporate wildlife into disaster management plans</a> to account for surges in wildlife rescues after extreme weather events.</p>
<p>People can also make changes on their own. They can drive more slowly and pay closer attention to wildlife crossing roads, switch their fishing and hunting gear to nonlead alternatives, and <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/how-can-i-keep-birds-from-hitting-my-windows/">put decals or other visual indicators on windows</a> to reduce bat and bird collisions with the glass.</p>
<p>To learn more about animals in your area and ways to protect them, you can <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/how-find-wildlife-rehabilitator">visit or call your local wildlife rehab center</a>. You can also donate to these centers, which we believe do great work, and are often underfunded.</p>
<p>The scale of threats facing wild animals can seem overwhelming, but wildlife rehabbers show that helping one injured animal at a time can identify ways to save many more animal lives.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214819/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tara K. Miller received funding from the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard B. Primack does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Hundreds of wildlife rehabilitation centers across the US and Canada treat sick and injured animals and birds. Digitizing their records is yielding valuable data on human-wildlife encounters.Tara K. Miller, Policy Research Specialist, Repair Lab, University of VirginiaRichard B. Primack, Professor of Biology, Boston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2172712023-11-16T19:04:35Z2023-11-16T19:04:35Z5 things we need to see in Australia’s new nature laws<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559816/original/file-20231116-24-u8tdzn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C9%2C6006%2C3998&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sunrise-over-shady-camp-billabong-mary-1625640262">Shane Bartie, Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia’s abysmal rates of <a href="https://theconversation.com/gut-wrenching-and-infuriating-why-australia-is-the-world-leader-in-mammal-extinctions-and-what-to-do-about-it-192173">extinctions</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-must-assess-cumulative-impacts-to-protect-nature-from-death-by-a-thousand-cuts-215988">land clearing</a> since European colonisation are infamous globally. Our <a href="https://theconversation.com/labors-plan-to-save-threatened-species-is-an-improvement-but-its-still-well-short-of-what-we-need-191845">national environmental legislation has largely failed</a> to protect biodiversity, including many threatened plants, animals and ecological communities. But change is afoot.</p>
<p>The federal government is <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/epbc/epbc-act-reform">reforming our national environmental law</a>. Following a <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-major-report-excoriated-australias-environment-laws-sussan-leys-response-is-confused-and-risky-154254">scathing review</a> in 2021, the legislation is being rewritten. While amendments to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016C00777">(EPBC Act)</a> are yet to be tabled in parliament, the government says “<a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/epbc/epbc-act-reform">rolling consultation</a>” has begun. </p>
<p>About 30 <a href="https://twitter.com/tanya_plibersek/status/1718781979070791826">environment, business and industry groups</a> attended “targeted stakeholder workshops” last month. Public consultation begins with two webinars, on November 23 and 28. Government officials are offering to “explain how the proposed changes are designed to work and how they compare to existing laws”. But they are not sharing the draft legislation yet. </p>
<p>How can we assess whether these new laws can prevent further species loss and habitat destruction? Here’s an essential checklist of five things the law must include if we are to avoid calamity and hasten environmental recovery.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1722864418730410254"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/labors-plan-to-save-threatened-species-is-an-improvement-but-its-still-well-short-of-what-we-need-191845">Labor's plan to save threatened species is an improvement – but it's still well short of what we need</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>1. A climate trigger</h2>
<p>The EPBC Act does not explicitly discuss and account for climate change and its impacts. So the federal environment minister is not legally bound to consider – or authorised to refuse – new or expanded coal mines and <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-beetaloo-gas-field-is-a-climate-bomb-how-did-csiro-modelling-make-it-look-otherwise-215711">fossil gas fields</a> based on their future climate impacts. </p>
<p>But climate change clearly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/14/five-biggest-threats-natural-world-how-we-can-stop-them-aoe">threatens biodiversity</a> and special places such as the <a href="https://theconversation.com/out-of-danger-because-the-un-said-so-hardly-the-barrier-reef-is-still-in-hot-water-210787">Great Barrier Reef</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-08/australian-climate-case-torres-strait-court/103081738">human communities and culture</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-should-use-australias-environment-laws-to-protect-our-living-wonders-from-new-coal-and-gas-projects-214211">We should use Australia's environment laws to protect our 'living wonders' from new coal and gas projects</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>2. Habitat means homes for wildlife</h2>
<p>Protection of sufficient and connected habitat must be central to Australia’s national environmental law. If homes for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/02/australia-swift-parrot-extinction-fears-logging">swift parrots</a>, koalas, <a href="https://theconversation.com/greater-gliders-are-hurtling-towards-extinction-and-the-blame-lies-squarely-with-australian-governments-186469">greater gliders</a> and other threatened species <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/13/enough-is-enough-former-coalition-environment-minister-joins-push-for-a-national-ban-on-native-forest-logging?CMP=share_btn_tw">continue to be destroyed</a> and fragmented, it is all but guaranteed Australia will fail in its stated quest to avoid further extinctions. </p>
<p>Northern Australia is home to exceptional but declining biodiversity that is increasingly <a href="https://territoryrivers.org.au/a-fork-in-the-river/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1_SkBhDwARIsANbGpFvOo6KLE0SjyU54tV8tlZJyU4Xf2vYE0HGhRlI_F897xp-9WqjqDaAaAiBJEALw_wcB">threatened</a> by <a href="https://theconversation.com/land-clearing-and-fracking-in-australias-northern-territory-threatens-the-worlds-largest-intact-tropical-savanna-208028">development of pastoral, cotton and fracking industries</a>. </p>
<p>Significant increases in <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-24/nt-agribusiness-strategy-2030-crops-land-clearing-cotton-gins/102382600">land clearing</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-14/nt-water-plan-released-georgina-wiso-oil-gas-cotton-sectors/103099618">water extraction</a> are seldom referred under the EPBC Act, let alone assessed. </p>
<p>Environmental law reform must stem the <a href="https://theconversation.com/existential-threat-to-our-survival-see-the-19-australian-ecosystems-already-collapsing-154077">accelerating loss of biodiversity</a> in this region <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-is-australias-most-important-report-on-the-environments-deteriorating-health-we-present-its-grim-findings-186131">and elsewhere</a>. Reforms must include <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-16/water-trigger-bill-to-close-fracking-loophole-introduced/102982456">expanding the water trigger to apply to shale gas fracking</a>, and ensuring significant land clearing is referred and assessed. </p>
<p>It is also crucial that federal approval powers are not <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/10/coalition-prepared-transfer-of-environmental-powers-to-states-months-before-epbc-review-reported">devolved to states and territories</a>, particularly in remote regions where so much damage occurs <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-11/land-cleared-for-cotton-farming-northern-territory/101651092">out of sight and out of mind</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/land-clearing-and-fracking-in-australias-northern-territory-threatens-the-worlds-largest-intact-tropical-savanna-208028">Land clearing and fracking in Australia's Northern Territory threatens the world's largest intact tropical savanna</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>3. Setting clear objectives and measuring outcomes</h2>
<p>The new laws must state policy objectives such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/04/australia-announces-plan-to-halt-extinction-crisis-and-save-110-species">no new extinctions</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-should-use-australias-environment-laws-to-protect-our-living-wonders-from-new-coal-and-gas-projects-214211">no actions that accelerate climate change</a>. </p>
<p>Decision-makers must be required to address direct, indirect and <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-must-assess-cumulative-impacts-to-protect-nature-from-death-by-a-thousand-cuts-215988">cumulative</a> threats that undermine these objectives. </p>
<p>The new <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/epbc/epbc-act-reform/standards">National Environment Standards</a> (the centrepiece of this law reform) must stipulate red lines not to be crossed, such as no clearing of any critically endangered ecological communities or critical habitat of threatened species. </p>
<p>We should always seek first to avoid harm, then keep harm to a minimum, and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118568170.ch7">only as a last resort, offset remaining impacts</a> – and then only with credible offset plans that fully account for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2008.00382.x">uncertainties in delivering environmental compensation</a>. </p>
<h2>4. An independent umpire</h2>
<p>We need a well-resourced, independent umpire, operating at arms length from government. This “<a href="https://epbcactreview.environment.gov.au/news/media-statement-professor-graeme-samuel-ac-releases-interim-report">independent cop on the beat</a>” will need powers to prevent activities and developments deemed too harmful for biodiversity. </p>
<p>The government has vowed to create a national <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/epbc/epbc-act-reform#toc_2">Environmental Protection Agency</a>. The functioning and powers of such an entity risk being severely undermined if the environment minister of the day has the ability to “call-in” projects and make unilateral decisions over whether they can proceed. That would also create concern regarding industry influence and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global/2023/nov/14/australias-sea-dumping-legislation-what-is-it-what-does-it-mean-marine-life-changes">pressure on ministers to approve projects</a>.</p>
<p>It’s essential ministers not only have regard for environmental standards but also follow them to the letter of the law.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1718915842262671834"}"></div></p>
<h2>5. A Voice for Country and culture</h2>
<p>Our national environment laws must make room for <a href="https://theconversation.com/another-assault-on-country-and-its-precious-species-has-begun-at-binybara-lee-point-209335">genuine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders participation</a> in how matters of cultural and environmental significance are managed. </p>
<p>Our new nature laws must interact with federal cultural heritage laws, which are also under reform. Entities of cultural significance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/humpback-whales-hold-lore-for-traditional-custodians-but-laws-dont-protect-species-for-their-cultural-significance-213073">such as humpback whales and dingoes</a>, must be cared for in a way deemed appropriate by Indigenous Australians. Such a mechanism must be co-designed with Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders. </p>
<p>Policy must continue to be developed in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people. We suggest a Land and Sea Country Commissioner, “a Voice for Country”, could lead this ongoing collaboration. We also need to ensure groups are adequately resourced and supported to Care for Country. </p>
<h2>We must do better</h2>
<p>The time has come to lift our ambitions and truly protect our nation’s precious environment and biodiversity. </p>
<p>Australians <a href="https://biodiversitycouncil.org.au/media/uploads/2023_6/202305_biodiversity_concerns_survey_report.pdf">want effective, urgent action</a> from government. For cultural, social, economic and environmental reasons, biodiversity conservation should be treated as a public good and receive bipartisan support. It’s not an optional extra. We simply must invest in nature. We cannot <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/03/federal-budget-2023-australia-being-unable-afford-greater-environmental-protection-myth-refuses-die">afford not to</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217271/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Euan Ritchie receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action. Euan is a Councillor within the Biodiversity Council, and a member of the Ecological Society of Australia and the Australian Mammal Society.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jack Pascoe is Co-Chief Councillor of the Biodiversity Council and a member on the Ecological Society of Australia and the Australasian Wildlife Management Society. He receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kristy Howey is the Executive Director of the Environment Centre NT.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Terry Hughes receives competitive funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Yung En Chee receives funding from an Australian Research Council linkage grant. She also receives funding and research contracts from Melbourne Water through the Melbourne Waterway Research-Practice Partnership 2023-28.</span></em></p>A group of prominent environmental scientists devised this list of 5 things we must see in Australia’s new national environmental laws, if we are to avoid calamity and hasten recovery.Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin UniversityJack Pascoe, Research fellow, The University of MelbourneKirsty Howey, Charles Darwin UniversityTerry Hughes, Distinguished Professor, James Cook UniversityYung En Chee, Senior Research Fellow, Environmental Science, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2163302023-11-15T13:22:37Z2023-11-15T13:22:37ZAs the US begins to build offshore wind farms, scientists say many questions remain about impacts on the oceans and marine life<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558700/original/file-20231109-19-jiiump.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C5020%2C2988&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A row of monopiles that will be the base for offshore wind turbines, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Mass. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/new-bedford-ma-a-row-of-mono-piles-that-will-be-the-base-news-photo/1623091024">David L Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>As renewable energy production expands across the U.S., the environmental impacts of these new sources are receiving increased attention. In a <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27154/potential-hydrodynamic-impacts-of-offshore-wind-energy-on-nantucket-shoals-regional-ecology">recent report</a>, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examined whether and how constructing offshore wind farms in the Nantucket Shoals region, southeast of Massachusetts, could affect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. The Conversation asked marine scientists <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VRlWQ7QAAAAJ&hl=en">Erin L. Meyer-Gutbrod</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_GGEmncAAAAJ&hl=en">Douglas Nowacek</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=U7NE0fUAAAAJ&hl=en">Eileen E. Hofmann</a> and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Josh-Kohut">Josh Kohut</a>, all of whom served on the study committee, to explain the report’s key findings.</em></p>
<h2>Why did this study focus on such a specific site?</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.boem.gov/">Bureau of Ocean Energy Management</a>, which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior and regulates offshore energy production, asked the National Academies to conduct this study. Regulators wanted to better understand how installing and operating offshore, fixed-bottom wind turbine generators would affect physical oceanographic processes, such as tides, waves and currents, and in turn how those changes could affect the ecosystem. </p>
<p>For example, offshore wind turbines decrease wind speeds behind them, and the presence of their structures makes the water more turbulent. These changes could affect ocean currents, surface wind speeds and other factors that influence <a href="https://www.allthescience.org/what-is-hydrodynamics.htm">hydrodynamics</a> – the structure and movement of the water around the turbines.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://dbpedia.org/page/Nantucket_Shoals">Nantucket Shoals</a> region is a large, shallow area in the Atlantic that extends south of Cape Cod. Our report focused on it because this is the first large-scale offshore wind farm area in the U.S., and the region has been included in several recent hydrodynamic modeling studies.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559409/original/file-20231114-23-1q60k9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map showing nine offshore leasing areas near Nantucket Shoals" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559409/original/file-20231114-23-1q60k9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559409/original/file-20231114-23-1q60k9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559409/original/file-20231114-23-1q60k9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559409/original/file-20231114-23-1q60k9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559409/original/file-20231114-23-1q60k9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=679&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559409/original/file-20231114-23-1q60k9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=679&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559409/original/file-20231114-23-1q60k9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=679&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Map of the Nantucket Shoals region, showing current wind-power lease areas (colored zones) and water depth contours (red and white lines) in meters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/27154/chapter/2">NASEM 2023</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why are North Atlantic right whales of special concern?</h2>
<p>North Atlantic right whales <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/north-atlantic-right-whale">are critically endangered</a>. Scientists estimate that the population is down to <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3/2023-10/TM314-508-0.pdf">just 356 animals</a>. </p>
<p>This species was <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/north-atlantic-right-whale">almost driven to extinction</a> after centuries of commercial whaling. Even though the whales have been protected from whaling for almost 100 years, they are still accidentally killed when they are <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/reducing-vessel-strikes-north-atlantic-right-whales">hit by vessels</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12736">become entangled in fishing gear</a>. These two sources of mortality are responsible for most documented juvenile and adult right whale <a href="https://doi.org/10.25923/42zk-w456">deaths over the past 25 years</a>. </p>
<p>There are options for protecting them, such as <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/rule-amend-north-atlantic-right-whale-vessel-speed-regulations-closed-comment">slowing or rerouting boats</a>, shortening the fishing season or even <a href="https://theconversation.com/high-tech-fishing-gear-could-help-save-critically-endangered-right-whales-115974">modifying fishing gear</a> to make it more whale-safe. However, regulators need to know where the whales are going to be and when they’ll be there, so they can put those protections in place. </p>
<p>It’s usually hard to figure out where whales are – they have a large habitat and spend most of their time below the surface of the water, where observers can’t see them. Recently it’s gotten even harder, because climate change is causing whales to <a href="https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.308">shift where and when they feed</a>. </p>
<p>Currently, right whales are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16200-8">spending more time around the Nantucket Shoals region</a>. This means scientists and managers need to make sure that wind energy development in the area is happening safely and that threats to whales in the area are reduced.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6Pjj094pfCQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered, mainly by boat strikes and entanglement in fishing gear.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How might offshore wind farms affect right whales in the study area?</h2>
<p>Right whales are filter feeders that consume huge quantities of <a href="https://eol.org/pages/46532540/articles">tiny zooplankton</a>. The whales need to find large, dense patches of zooplankton at appropriate water depths in order to feed. Altering waves, tides and currents in ways that affect where their prey are located could affect whale feeding or cause the whales to change foraging habitats. </p>
<p>We concluded that it is critical to consistently monitor right whales and their prey within and outside the region, because we don’t know whether wind development will cause an increase, a decrease or no change to their zooplankton prey. Consistent monitoring will allow managers to mitigate potential negative impacts on the whales.</p>
<p>Researchers will need to collect data during all phases of wind farm construction and operation and develop robust models to determine whether wind farms will affect prey availability for right whales in the study area. Even once they do this research, it will still be difficult to isolate potential impacts from wind farms. </p>
<p>There is a tremendous amount of both natural and human-driven variability and change in this region, including tides, seasonal changes in water temperature and long-term ocean warming driven by climate change. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12242">Climate-driven shifts in prey in distant regions</a>, such as the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Bay-of-Fundy">Bay of Fundy</a> or the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Gulf-of-Saint-Lawrence">Gulf of St. Lawrence</a>, may also change how right whales use the Nantucket Shoals region. </p>
<p>Development of the first wind energy farms in the Nantucket Shoals region is a valuable opportunity to better understand hydrodynamic impacts of turbines on marine ecosystems. We expect that it will help guide future development of wind farms along the U.S. East Coast. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558703/original/file-20231109-29-vwzt46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map showing offshore wind energy potential along U.S. coastlines." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558703/original/file-20231109-29-vwzt46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558703/original/file-20231109-29-vwzt46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558703/original/file-20231109-29-vwzt46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558703/original/file-20231109-29-vwzt46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558703/original/file-20231109-29-vwzt46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558703/original/file-20231109-29-vwzt46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558703/original/file-20231109-29-vwzt46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A 2022 assessment by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimated that fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind turbines could generate enough energy to cover three times the annual electricity consumption in the U.S.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nrel.gov/wind/offshore-resource.html">NREL</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What are the most important knowledge gaps?</h2>
<p>Few studies have been done to understand hydrodynamics around wind energy turbines, and those that exist focus on European offshore wind farms in the North Sea, where conditions are different from Nantucket Shoals. Large turbines of the size planned for the Nantucket Shoals region have not been built yet in U.S. waters. </p>
<p>Researchers have tried to model the hydrodynamic impacts of turbines, but their results don’t always agree with each other. There’s a need for more work to compare different types of models with each other, and with actual observations in the ocean, to make sure that they represent key processes like tides, stratification, turbulence and drag correctly. </p>
<p>The most accurate outputs will likely come from using a range of models. Oceanographers might start with models that predict what happens as water moves past a single turbine. These results then would inform models that predict the effects of an entire wind farm. Then results from wind farm-scale models would be incorporated into models that predict regional ocean circulation.</p>
<p>There are also a lot of knowledge gaps on the biology side, including questions about what species of zooplankton are in the Nantucket Shoals region, where they come from and what makes them aggregate into patches that are dense enough for right whales to eat. Right whale feeding in the Nantucket Shoals region isn’t well understood, so scientists need more observations to determine which zooplankton types are targeted by right whales and where and when the whales feed.</p>
<h2>Does the report call for slowing offshore wind development until these questions are answered?</h2>
<p>No, and we were not asked to provide recommendations for how the wind industry should proceed with construction. </p>
<p>Nantucket Shoals is one of many regions where large-scale wind farms will be built in U.S. waters over the coming decades. Our committee advised federal regulators and other relevant organizations to conduct observational and modeling research to better understand hydrodynamic and ecological processes before, during and after wind farm construction. These studies will be critical for understanding and addressing environmental impacts from offshore wind farm development.</p>
<p><em>Richard Merrick, former chief science adviser and director of scientific programs at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, and Kelly Oskvig, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine director of the study described here, contributed to this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216330/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erin L. Meyer-Gutbrod receives funding from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. She serves as a volunteer on the Marine Mammal Subcommittee of the Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative for Offshore Wind.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Douglas Nowacek receives funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eileen E. Hofmann receives funding from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Josh Kohut receives funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. He serves as a volunteer member of the board of directors for the Marine Technology Society. </span></em></p>A recent study focusing on how offshore wind farms in Massachusetts waters could affect endangered right whales does not call for slowing the projects, but says monitoring will be critical.Erin L. Meyer-Gutbrod, Assistant Professor of Earth, Ocean & Environment, University of South CarolinaDouglas Nowacek, Professor of Conservation Technology in Environment and Engineering, Duke UniversityEileen E. Hofmann, Professor of Oceanography, Old Dominion UniversityJosh Kohut, Professor of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2169892023-11-14T22:59:25Z2023-11-14T22:59:25ZIt sounds like science fiction. But we can now sample water to find the DNA of every species living there<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559205/original/file-20231114-19-zdguhr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C23%2C4175%2C3422&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Figuring out what species live in an ecosystem, and which ones are rare or just good at hiding is an essential way to understand and care for them. Until now, it’s been very labour intensive.</p>
<p>But now we can do it differently. Take a sample from the ocean and match tiny traces of DNA in the water with the species living there. </p>
<p>It’s not science fiction – it’s environmental DNA sampling. This approach opens the door to rapid, broad detection of species. You can find if pest species have arrived, tell if a hard-to-find endangered species is still hanging on, and gauge ecosystem health.</p>
<p>Because eDNA testing is still new, there are questions about its strengths and weaknesses and how it can best be used. For instance, we can tell if <a href="https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v30/p109-116/">extremely rare freshwater sawfish</a> are present in a Northern Territory river – but not how many individual fish there are. </p>
<p>Today CSIRO <a href="http://www.csiro.au/eDNA-roadmap">released a roadmap</a> created through consultation with many experts to show how eDNA technologies can be best integrated into marine monitoring at a large scale – and what the future holds. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="man collecting DNA samples in buckets of river water" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Here, lead author Maarten De Brauwer collects jerry cans of water from Tasmania’s Derwent River to document hundreds of species in the estuary.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bruce Deagle</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How does eDNA sampling work?</h2>
<p>Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a very special molecule. It acts as the code for all life on Earth, holding the cellular instructions to make everything from a beetle to a human. Because DNA is unique to each species, it’s like a product barcode in a supermarket. </p>
<p>As animals and plants live their lives, they shed fragments of their DNA into their environment through dead skin, hair, saliva, scat, leaves or pollen. These traces make up environmental DNA. There’s enough DNA in water and even air to tell species apart. </p>
<p>The real power of eDNA sampling is how broad a net it casts. With one sample, we can detect anything living, from bacteria to whales, and in potentially every environment with life, from the deep sea to underground caves. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/environmental-dna-how-a-tool-used-to-detect-endangered-wildlife-ended-up-helping-fight-the-covid-19-pandemic-158286">Environmental DNA – how a tool used to detect endangered wildlife ended up helping fight the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Importantly, this method lets scientists detect species even if we can’t see or capture them. This comes in handy when working with rare or very small species, or when working in environments such as murky water where it is impossible to see or catch them. It will, for example, make it easier to study <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/edn3.365">critically endangered pipefish</a> in estuaries. </p>
<p>To date, much eDNA research has focused on detecting species in water, because it’s relatively easy to collect, concentrate and extract eDNA from liquids. But we now know we can produce species lists based on the eDNA in soil, scat, honey, or even the air. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Figure of mountains, seas, rivers showing how environmental DNA sampling can track species" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Environmental DNA sampling has a wide range of uses, from land to river to sea.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Berry et al, doi.org/10.1002/edn3.173</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How do scientists actually measure eDNA?</h2>
<p>Typically, you collect samples, perform molecular analysis and interpret results. </p>
<p><strong>Collect samples:</strong> Scientists collect a sample from the environment. This can be water, soil, or virtually any environmental substrate which might contain eDNA. We then process the sample to concentrate and stabilise the DNA. You might collect two litres of water with a bucket, filter it and then freeze or chemically stabilise the eDNA coating the filter. </p>
<p><strong>Molecular analysis:</strong> The first step in the lab is to purify DNA from a sample. The next step depends on your goal. If you want to detect a single species, you would generally use a technique called quantitative polymerase chain reaction (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_polymerase_chain_reaction">qPCR</a>), similar to how you test for COVID.</p>
<p>But to detect whole communities of species, you have to use <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabarcoding">high-throughput DNA sequencing</a>. Where detecting a single species with eDNA takes only a few days days, completing the labwork for species communities can take weeks to months. At the end, you arrive at a long list of thousands or even millions of DNA barcode sequences. </p>
<p><strong>Interpreting results</strong>: Single species interpretation is simple. Was DNA from your species of interest present or not? But when the goal is to identify multiple species, scientists use <a href="https://research.csiro.au/dnalibrary/">DNA reference libraries</a> to link the DNA barcodes detected in the sample back to individual species. </p>
<p>This works well – but only if we already have the species listed in these libraries. If not, you can’t detect it with eDNA methods. That means eDNA can’t be used to detect new species or those only known from photos and videos.</p>
<h2>Why does eDNA matter? Look at marine parks</h2>
<p>Australia boasts one of the world’s largest and most biodiverse networks of marine parks. But as ocean life reels from climate change, overfishing and plastic pollution, it’s certain the oceans of the future will look very different to that of today. </p>
<p>Gauging impact to support evidence-based decisions across such a vast, diverse and remote area poses challenges difficult to solve with standard hands-on survey methods like like diving, video or trawling.</p>
<p>That’s where eDNA methods can help, offering a powerful, non-destructive, cost-effective and quick form of monitoring that can complement other techniques.</p>
<p>eDNA means we can fine-tune monitoring for specific purposes, such as detecting pests, endangered, or dangerous species. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="figure showing the many future uses for eDNA with underwater drones, samplers in buoys" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In future, our marine parks may well have networks of buoys sampling eDNA at the surface and underwater drones sampling the depths.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">CSIRO</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is just the start. Imagine a future where eDNA data could be collected from the most remote oceans by autonomous vehicles, analysed by the drone or on board a research vessel, and integrated with other monitoring data so marine managers and the public can see near-real time data about the condition of the ocean. </p>
<p>Science fiction? Not any more. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/you-shed-dna-everywhere-you-go-trace-samples-in-the-water-sand-and-air-are-enough-to-identify-who-you-are-raising-ethical-questions-about-privacy-205557">You shed DNA everywhere you go – trace samples in the water, sand and air are enough to identify who you are, raising ethical questions about privacy</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216989/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maarten De Brauwer receives funding from the CSIRO and the National Geographic Society. He is a board member at the Southern eDNA Society. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Oliver Berry receives funding from the CSIRO, the Australian Government, and the Minderoo Foundation. He is a board member of the Southern eDNA Society (Australia and New Zealand's professional society for eDNA scientists and other stakeholders). </span></em></p>Every living thing leaves traces in its environment. By sampling water or even air for this environmental DNA, we can know which species live where.Maarten De Brauwer, Research fellow, CSIROOliver Berry, Leader, Environomics Future Science Platform, CSIROLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.