Environment-Biodiversity

Once There Were Billions

Once-there-were-billions Smithsonian Libraries 2014 2016

Once an amazing diversity of birds—some in breathtaking abundance—inhabited the vast forests and plains of North America. But starting around 1600, species began to disappear, as humans altered habitats, over-hunted, and introduced predators.

Why indigenous folklore can save animals’ lives

<embed> https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200728-the-mythical-creatures-that-protect-the-philippines </embed> BBC By Arnel Murga 28th July 2020

A belief system born of indigenous communities in the Philippines could help protect the country’s endangered species, from leopard cats to cloud rats.
Part of indigenous wisdom, the “mariit” belief system (pronounced mar-ee-it) is deeply rooted in the relationship of the Filipinos with the environment. It can be traced back to the pre-colonial Filipino practice of animism, or the belief that everything possesses a soul. Mariit stretches back more than 500 years, affecting everything from where buildings are constructed, to how a driver negotiates a stretch of road. Increasingly, it is also being integrated into nature conservation.

Caught in the act: camera traps snare rarest species - in pictures

<embed> https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2020/jul/28/caught-in-the-act-camera-traps-snare-rarest-species-in-pictures </embed> The Guardian July 2020

Snow leopards, tapirs, oriental storks and many others feature in WWF’s new collection. Its camera traps are wildlife friendly, as they cause little environmental disturbance, while producing permanent, verifiable records of some of the world’s rarest animals.

The technology can also give scientists vital insights into population numbers and trends at a time when poaching has reportedly increased

Continent-wide Shifts in Song Dialects of White-Throated Sparrows

<embed> https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)30771-5 </embed>

*We study the cultural evolution of white-throated sparrow song over two decades
*Doublet-ending songs spread west to east, replacing triplet-ending songs in Canada
*Geolocators reveal birds from different dialect groups overwinter together
*Song tutoring on wintering grounds may facilitate the cultural spread of dialects

‘Insect apocalypse’ poses risk to all life on Earth, conservationists warn

<embed> https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/13/insect-apocalypse-poses-risk-to-all-life-on-earth-conservationists-warn </embed>

A new report suggested half of all insects may have been lost since 1970 as a result of the destruction of nature and heavy use of pesticides. The report said 40% of the 1million known species of insect are facing extinction.
The analysis, written by one of the UK’s leading ecologists, has a particular focus on the UK, whose insects are the most studied in the world. It said 23 bee and wasp species have become extinct in the last century, while the number of pesticide applications has approximately doubled in the last 25 years.

Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers

Science Direct

• Over 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction.

• Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and dung beetles (Coleoptera) are the taxa most affected.

• Four aquatic taxa are imperiled and have already lost a large proportion of species.

• Habitat loss by conversion to intensive agriculture is the main driver of the declines.

• Agro-chemical pollutants, invasive species and climate change are additional causes.

The Bugs We Can’t Live Without

<embed> https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-bugs-we-cant-live-without-11561042039 </embed> WSJ 7/17/2019 Paywall

Insect populations are in dramatic decline, and the consequences could be serious for everything from waste management to agriculture 

<embed> https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/7/17/1871812/-Continued-plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-a-collapse-of-nature?utm_campaign=trending </embed> DailyKos 7/17/2019 No Paywall

"Nearly half of all insect species worldwide are in rapid decline and a third could disappear altogether, according to a study warning of dire consequences for crop pollination and natural food chains.
The recent decline in bugs that fly, crawl, burrow and skitter across still water is part of a gathering "mass extinction," only the sixth in the last half-billion years.
"We are witnessing the largest extinction event on Earth since the late Permian and Cretaceous periods," the authors noted.

<embed> https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/03/climate-crisis-is-about-to-put-humanity-at-risk-un-scientists-warn </embed> The Guardian Biodiversity Crisis UN report 503 2019

<embed> https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/06/human-society-under-urgent-threat-loss-earth-natural-life-un-report </embed> The Guardian Loss of Natural World 5/06/2019