Invasive plant species have long had a reputation as being bad for a new ecosystem when they are introduced.
Stan Harpole, assistant professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology at Iowa State University, is founding organizer of a team of more than 70 researchers working at 65 sites worldwide that tested that assumption.
They wanted to know if it is true that problematic invasive species often spread widely in their new habitats because they don't encounter predators or diseases that help keep them in check in their home ranges.
"There is this assumption that when plants invade a new area that they become much more abundant in the new area than they were in the native areas," said Harpole. "It turns out that, on average, they aren't any more abundant away from home than they are at home."
Harpole says there is a "rule of 10s" that can apply to invasive species.
"Of, say, 100 plants that arrive in a new area, only about 10 percent of those will survive without being in a greenhouse or some other controlled area," said Harpole. "Of those 10 that can survive, only about 10 percent of those really cause problems.
"When you think about all the species we've brought over from other areas, relatively few have become serious pest species. The problem is we've brought over so many that quite a few have become major problems and they get a lot of attention."
Harpole points to the kudzu plant as an example.
Kudzu was introduced from Asia as a soil erosion plant more than a century ago. It now chokes out native species from Texas to Maine to Florida, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Problem plants like this are uncommon when compared to all the exotic species in a region, but they do get the most interest and may give the impression that species that escape their home range often spread and take over new habitats and become more abundant than before, says Harpole.
Invasion can also be thought of more generally as a process in which new species enter new habitats. Even plants now considered native were once invaders, says Harpole.
When glaciers receded from the Midwest 10,000 years ago, there were no native species in the area -- the retreating ice left bare ground open for invasion.
"All the plants that are now seen as native were invasive in the past in the sense that they had to spread across the landscape," he said.
"What's different today is that we move plants so much faster than they would move by themselves. Now a species can become global in a matter of years, where it may have taken tens of thousands of years in the past," said Harpole.
Harpole is coauthor of a research paper led by Jennifer Firn of Queensland University of Technology, Australia, and is published in the journal Ecology Letters. Coordination of the study was funded by the National Science Foundation.
Source:http://bit.ly/gbjOi7
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Poacher who killed 15 rhinos arrested
KATHMANDU, Feb 28: The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) on Saturday arrested a notorious rhino poacher who killed more than 15 rhinos in Chitwan for the past few years.
The rhinos, all from the Chitwan National Park, were killed for their horns that fetch high prices in the black market.
The poacher is Kajiman Praja, 32, of Korak-9 in Chitwan and he has killed six rhinos in less than a year. Praja has been listed by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature as the deadliest rhino poacher of the time. He was arrested by the CIB´s virgin operation hunt.
Praja´s is a rags to riches story. He would employ his wives and two other female members of his family for rhino poaching and has so far earned at least Rs 15 million by selling rhino horns.
One-horned rhino is an endangered animal and its population in Nepal is around 435.
The arrest of Parja, who hails from the backward Chepang community that chiefly resides in the periphery of the park, which is home to most of the country´s one-horned rhinos, has raised hopes among conservationists and served a major blow to poachers.
"We are very happy that CIB has nabbed a kingpin who single-handedly rendered conservation efforts ineffective," said Diwakar Chapagain, the country director of WWF.
Need for sustainable approach
DIG Rajendra Singh Bhandari, the CIB chief, says operation hunt is the first high-profile venture undertaken to fight organized crimes in the wildlife sector.
"Now we will look into the arteries of wildlife crimes that portray Nepal as a major transit in the world," he said. "We see that our investigation into wildlife crimes could reveal their linkages to other organized criminal rings that thrive on smuggling."
Chapagain has similar impressions. "In place of Kajiman, they could pose a Ramman or somebody else if this problem is attacked at its roots," he said.
Bhandari also holds that an integrated program should be developed targeting the backward communities residing alongside major wildlife habitats.
Source:http://bit.ly/fs2irc
The rhinos, all from the Chitwan National Park, were killed for their horns that fetch high prices in the black market.
The poacher is Kajiman Praja, 32, of Korak-9 in Chitwan and he has killed six rhinos in less than a year. Praja has been listed by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature as the deadliest rhino poacher of the time. He was arrested by the CIB´s virgin operation hunt.
Praja´s is a rags to riches story. He would employ his wives and two other female members of his family for rhino poaching and has so far earned at least Rs 15 million by selling rhino horns.
One-horned rhino is an endangered animal and its population in Nepal is around 435.
The arrest of Parja, who hails from the backward Chepang community that chiefly resides in the periphery of the park, which is home to most of the country´s one-horned rhinos, has raised hopes among conservationists and served a major blow to poachers.
"We are very happy that CIB has nabbed a kingpin who single-handedly rendered conservation efforts ineffective," said Diwakar Chapagain, the country director of WWF.
Need for sustainable approach
DIG Rajendra Singh Bhandari, the CIB chief, says operation hunt is the first high-profile venture undertaken to fight organized crimes in the wildlife sector.
"Now we will look into the arteries of wildlife crimes that portray Nepal as a major transit in the world," he said. "We see that our investigation into wildlife crimes could reveal their linkages to other organized criminal rings that thrive on smuggling."
Chapagain has similar impressions. "In place of Kajiman, they could pose a Ramman or somebody else if this problem is attacked at its roots," he said.
Bhandari also holds that an integrated program should be developed targeting the backward communities residing alongside major wildlife habitats.
Source:http://bit.ly/fs2irc
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Sexy monkeys wash with own urine
Capuchin monkeys have what at first glance appears to be an odd habit: they urinate onto their hands then rub their urine over their bodies into their fur.
Now scientists think they know why the monkeys "urine wash" in this way. A new study shows that the brains of female tufted capuchins become more active when they smell the urine of sexually mature adult males.
That suggests males wash with their urine to signal their availability and attractiveness to females. Details of the finding are published in the American Journal of Primatology.
A number of New World monkey species, including mantled howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys and the few species of capuchins, regularly "urine wash", urinating into the palm of the hand, then vigorously rubbing the urine into the feet and hindquarters.
Several hypotheses have been put forward as to why they do it, including that it may somehow help maintain body temperature or allow other monkeys to better identify an individual by smell.
Most studies into the behaviour have been inconclusive. "But one study reported that when being solicited by a female, adult males increased their rate of urine-washing," said Dr Kimberley Phillips, a primatologist at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, US.
"Since female capuchins [when they are most fertile] actively solicit males, we reasoned that urine washing by males might provide chemical information to the females about their sexual or social status," she told BBC News.
To investigate, Dr Phillips and her colleagues scanned the female monkeys' brains while the animals sniffed adult male and juvenile male urine.
These magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans revealed that female tufted monkeys' brains became significantly more active when they sniffed the scent of urine produced by adult males compared to that from juveniles.
Since adult males are sexually mature, they excrete higher concentrations of the male sex hormone testosterone in their urine. The concentration of this testosterone is also linked to their social status; higher status males tend to produce more.
"Female capuchin monkey brains react differently to the urine of adult males than to urine of juvenile males," said Dr Phillips. "We suggest that this is used as a form of communication to convey social and or sexual status."
She added that it was surprising that capuchin monkeys appeared to respond to these cues, because the species is not known for using communication based on smell.
Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk
Now scientists think they know why the monkeys "urine wash" in this way. A new study shows that the brains of female tufted capuchins become more active when they smell the urine of sexually mature adult males.
That suggests males wash with their urine to signal their availability and attractiveness to females. Details of the finding are published in the American Journal of Primatology.
A number of New World monkey species, including mantled howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys and the few species of capuchins, regularly "urine wash", urinating into the palm of the hand, then vigorously rubbing the urine into the feet and hindquarters.
Several hypotheses have been put forward as to why they do it, including that it may somehow help maintain body temperature or allow other monkeys to better identify an individual by smell.
Most studies into the behaviour have been inconclusive. "But one study reported that when being solicited by a female, adult males increased their rate of urine-washing," said Dr Kimberley Phillips, a primatologist at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, US.
"Since female capuchins [when they are most fertile] actively solicit males, we reasoned that urine washing by males might provide chemical information to the females about their sexual or social status," she told BBC News.
To investigate, Dr Phillips and her colleagues scanned the female monkeys' brains while the animals sniffed adult male and juvenile male urine.
These magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans revealed that female tufted monkeys' brains became significantly more active when they sniffed the scent of urine produced by adult males compared to that from juveniles.
Since adult males are sexually mature, they excrete higher concentrations of the male sex hormone testosterone in their urine. The concentration of this testosterone is also linked to their social status; higher status males tend to produce more.
"Female capuchin monkey brains react differently to the urine of adult males than to urine of juvenile males," said Dr Phillips. "We suggest that this is used as a form of communication to convey social and or sexual status."
She added that it was surprising that capuchin monkeys appeared to respond to these cues, because the species is not known for using communication based on smell.
Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Tropical forests 're-shaped' by climate changes
Future climate change could change the profile of tropical forests, with possible consequences for carbon storage and biodiversity, a study says.
It suggests that if current trends continued, the drier conditions would favour deciduous, canopy species at the expense of other trees. US researchers based their findings on the changes they recorded in a Costa Rican forest over a 20-year period.
The team's paper has been published in the journal Global Change Biology.
"It is important because - depending on the rate of change, and the type of species that are found in the forests - it will influence a lot of ecosystem services and processes," explained co-author Brian Enquist from the University of Arizona.
"For example, we need to know how much carbon tropical forests are storing, and will store in the future. We also need to know how much CO2 they are taking out of the air."
Professor Enquist and his team examined how an area of forest had changed between 1976 and 1996. "We were fortunate that between the two dates, there was a series of quite impressive droughts - those droughts have been increasing in severity over the longer term," he told BBC News.
He said that there had been a "tremendous reduction" in the total number of trees in the forest. "Most of that reduction was in the smallest trees - such as the saplings and the smaller trees in the understorey," Professor Enquist observed.
"That was the first change that we immediately noticed, but then we began to look very closely and asked what was causing those trees to die.
"What we found was that there was a very distinctive signal in the types of trees that tended to survive and the types of trees that died - it came down to basic differences on how these trees functioned and worked.
"We found that those species that tended to require more moist conditions were the ones that dropped out very quickly, and those that were able to handle more drought-like conditions persisted."
Professor Enquist said the species that favoured such conditions were deciduous, canopy trees, and if the trend of drier conditions continued into the future then it would change the characteristics of tropical forests.
"The ecosystem implication is that those types of forests (dominated by deciduous, canopy species) tend to store less carbon and hold less biomass, which would then have a detrimental impact in terms of the entire biosphere's ability to help regulate or mitigate the effects of global climate change."
He said the study's findings, when combined with other results from other similar projects, created a picture of tropical forests that were changing "rather quickly".
Professor Enquist added that these forests appeared to be quite suseptible to changes in rainfall, and that future projections of changes in rainfall patterns were likely to have "immediate or very quick consequences".
More on This Story.
Sources:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12496415
It suggests that if current trends continued, the drier conditions would favour deciduous, canopy species at the expense of other trees. US researchers based their findings on the changes they recorded in a Costa Rican forest over a 20-year period.
The team's paper has been published in the journal Global Change Biology.
"It is important because - depending on the rate of change, and the type of species that are found in the forests - it will influence a lot of ecosystem services and processes," explained co-author Brian Enquist from the University of Arizona.
"For example, we need to know how much carbon tropical forests are storing, and will store in the future. We also need to know how much CO2 they are taking out of the air."
Professor Enquist and his team examined how an area of forest had changed between 1976 and 1996. "We were fortunate that between the two dates, there was a series of quite impressive droughts - those droughts have been increasing in severity over the longer term," he told BBC News.
He said that there had been a "tremendous reduction" in the total number of trees in the forest. "Most of that reduction was in the smallest trees - such as the saplings and the smaller trees in the understorey," Professor Enquist observed.
"That was the first change that we immediately noticed, but then we began to look very closely and asked what was causing those trees to die.
"What we found was that there was a very distinctive signal in the types of trees that tended to survive and the types of trees that died - it came down to basic differences on how these trees functioned and worked.
"We found that those species that tended to require more moist conditions were the ones that dropped out very quickly, and those that were able to handle more drought-like conditions persisted."
Professor Enquist said the species that favoured such conditions were deciduous, canopy trees, and if the trend of drier conditions continued into the future then it would change the characteristics of tropical forests.
"The ecosystem implication is that those types of forests (dominated by deciduous, canopy species) tend to store less carbon and hold less biomass, which would then have a detrimental impact in terms of the entire biosphere's ability to help regulate or mitigate the effects of global climate change."
He said the study's findings, when combined with other results from other similar projects, created a picture of tropical forests that were changing "rather quickly".
Professor Enquist added that these forests appeared to be quite suseptible to changes in rainfall, and that future projections of changes in rainfall patterns were likely to have "immediate or very quick consequences".
Sources:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12496415
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Live Tiger found in check-in baggage
A two-month old tiger cub was found sedated and hidden among stuffed-tiger toys in the luggage of a woman at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Sunday.
The 31-year old Thai national was scheduled to board a Mahan Air flight destined for Iran when she had trouble checking in her oversized bag. Airports of Thailand (AOT) staff suspected something amiss when they scanned the bag and x-ray images showed an item resembling a real cat.
Officers from the Livestock Development Department and the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department were then called in to open the bag for inspection and discovered the tranquilized cub.Investigations are underway to determine if the cub was wild caught or captive-bred, where it came from and the suspect’s intended final destination.
The cub is being cared for at the Rescue Center of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. DNA samples will be sent to the tiger enclosure at Khaopratab Wildlife Rescue Center in Ratchaburi Province, to determine which subspecies the cub belongs to, which will help determine its origin.
Tiger populations in Thailand and throughout Asia are critically threatened by poaching and trade to meet the international demand for tiger parts, products and, as illustrated in this case, live tigers.
Tigers are categorized as Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) and listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) prohibiting international commercial trade. Both captive and wild caught tigers fall under the same regulations.
The ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network, sponsored by the US Agency for International Development recently held a training course on Wildlife Trade Regulation at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
Many of the agencies who were involved in the case had attended that course and work in close co-operation under Thailand’s own Wildlife Enforcement Network.We applaud all the agencies that came together to uncover this brazen smuggling attempt, said Chris R. Shepherd, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia’s Deputy Regional Director.
TRAFFIC is glad to see these training programmes pay off in seizures, arrests and continued vigilance at the airport especially by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.However, Shepherd also cautioned that this case demonstrated a real need for constant monitoring and tougher penalties.
If people are trying to smuggle live Tigers in their check-in luggage, they obviously think wildlife smuggling is something easy to get away with and do not fear reprimand.
Only sustained pressure on wildlife traffickers and serious penalties can change that.
Source:http://www.traffic.org/home/2010/8/26/live-tiger-found-in-check-in-baggage.html
The 31-year old Thai national was scheduled to board a Mahan Air flight destined for Iran when she had trouble checking in her oversized bag. Airports of Thailand (AOT) staff suspected something amiss when they scanned the bag and x-ray images showed an item resembling a real cat.
Officers from the Livestock Development Department and the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department were then called in to open the bag for inspection and discovered the tranquilized cub.Investigations are underway to determine if the cub was wild caught or captive-bred, where it came from and the suspect’s intended final destination.
The cub is being cared for at the Rescue Center of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. DNA samples will be sent to the tiger enclosure at Khaopratab Wildlife Rescue Center in Ratchaburi Province, to determine which subspecies the cub belongs to, which will help determine its origin.
Tiger populations in Thailand and throughout Asia are critically threatened by poaching and trade to meet the international demand for tiger parts, products and, as illustrated in this case, live tigers.
Tigers are categorized as Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) and listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) prohibiting international commercial trade. Both captive and wild caught tigers fall under the same regulations.
The ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network, sponsored by the US Agency for International Development recently held a training course on Wildlife Trade Regulation at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
Many of the agencies who were involved in the case had attended that course and work in close co-operation under Thailand’s own Wildlife Enforcement Network.We applaud all the agencies that came together to uncover this brazen smuggling attempt, said Chris R. Shepherd, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia’s Deputy Regional Director.
TRAFFIC is glad to see these training programmes pay off in seizures, arrests and continued vigilance at the airport especially by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.However, Shepherd also cautioned that this case demonstrated a real need for constant monitoring and tougher penalties.
If people are trying to smuggle live Tigers in their check-in luggage, they obviously think wildlife smuggling is something easy to get away with and do not fear reprimand.
Only sustained pressure on wildlife traffickers and serious penalties can change that.
Source:http://www.traffic.org/home/2010/8/26/live-tiger-found-in-check-in-baggage.html
The milk of forest kindness
In a novel way of showing benevolence, a community forest in Nawalparasi district has constructed houses for its poor consumers.
Sundari Community Forest of Amarapuri built houses to 12 families who are its consumers living in an abject poverty. Office bearers of the community forest said the houses have been built for the poor families in recognition to their contribution for forest preservation.
The forest committee handed over the houses to the families amid a function on Thursday. All the 12 houses have been constructed through the income of the forest.
Badri Prasad Sapkota, chairman of the forest user group, said the community forest has been spending 35 percent of its total income to alleviate poverty. The committee spent Rs. 65,000 to build a house.
The decision of the community forest not only made the beneficiaries happy but has encouraged them further to conserve forest. “I had never hoped that the forest committee would help us in a big way. This has greatly inspired us to dedicate our lives in forest preservation,” said Dambar Kumari, who is one among the 12 recipients.
Source:http://www.ekantipur.com/2010/08/27/national/the-milk-of-forest-kindness/321226/
Sundari Community Forest of Amarapuri built houses to 12 families who are its consumers living in an abject poverty. Office bearers of the community forest said the houses have been built for the poor families in recognition to their contribution for forest preservation.
The forest committee handed over the houses to the families amid a function on Thursday. All the 12 houses have been constructed through the income of the forest.
Badri Prasad Sapkota, chairman of the forest user group, said the community forest has been spending 35 percent of its total income to alleviate poverty. The committee spent Rs. 65,000 to build a house.
The decision of the community forest not only made the beneficiaries happy but has encouraged them further to conserve forest. “I had never hoped that the forest committee would help us in a big way. This has greatly inspired us to dedicate our lives in forest preservation,” said Dambar Kumari, who is one among the 12 recipients.
Source:http://www.ekantipur.com/2010/08/27/national/the-milk-of-forest-kindness/321226/
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Himalayan countries discuss roadmap to adapt to climate change
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal on August 18 started a three-day high-level technical consultative meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal.Called ‘Sacred Himalayas for Water, Livelihoods, and Bio-cultural Heritage’, the expected outcome of the meeting will create a roadmap leading to the proposed ‘Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas in Bhutan 2011’.
Dr Jagadish Chandra Pokharel, Vice Chair of the National Planning Commission, Nepal, congratulated the Bhutan government for taking the initiative to develop a regional framework and national adaptation plans to fight climate change and to reduce the vulnerability of local populations living in the region.
He commended the role of ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development), of which he is a board member, in providing technical backstopping to the summit.
Agriculture Minister Dr Pema Gyamtsho said that countries should work together in developing medium- and long-term strategies as citizens of the eastern Himalayas.
“We share a common geography, common problems, and a common destiny and need to take collective action to tackle the problems posed by changing climate.” He emphasised.
Dr Madhav Karki, Acting Director General of ICIMOD, highlighted the potentials of the HKH region, also known as the ‘Third Pole’ or the ‘Water Towers of Asia’ as a major water source for close to 1.3 billion people.
He suggested four key messages for building a climate-resilient region and long-term adaption including livelihood diversification, disaster preparedness, climate risk assessment for infrastructure development, and improved management of natural resources. He also stressed the urgent need to share scientific knowledge to address the ‘knowledge gaps’ that currently exist in the region.
Nawang Norbu, one of the participants from Bhutan, presented the rationale for the proposed Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas, Bhutan 2011, and its links to the process, and the rationale for focusing on the southern slopes of the eastern Himalayan region.
Source: http://bit.ly/cWYJeS
Dr Jagadish Chandra Pokharel, Vice Chair of the National Planning Commission, Nepal, congratulated the Bhutan government for taking the initiative to develop a regional framework and national adaptation plans to fight climate change and to reduce the vulnerability of local populations living in the region.
He commended the role of ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development), of which he is a board member, in providing technical backstopping to the summit.
Agriculture Minister Dr Pema Gyamtsho said that countries should work together in developing medium- and long-term strategies as citizens of the eastern Himalayas.
“We share a common geography, common problems, and a common destiny and need to take collective action to tackle the problems posed by changing climate.” He emphasised.
Dr Madhav Karki, Acting Director General of ICIMOD, highlighted the potentials of the HKH region, also known as the ‘Third Pole’ or the ‘Water Towers of Asia’ as a major water source for close to 1.3 billion people.
He suggested four key messages for building a climate-resilient region and long-term adaption including livelihood diversification, disaster preparedness, climate risk assessment for infrastructure development, and improved management of natural resources. He also stressed the urgent need to share scientific knowledge to address the ‘knowledge gaps’ that currently exist in the region.
Nawang Norbu, one of the participants from Bhutan, presented the rationale for the proposed Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas, Bhutan 2011, and its links to the process, and the rationale for focusing on the southern slopes of the eastern Himalayan region.
Source: http://bit.ly/cWYJeS
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Rare mushroom blamed for mystery deaths in China
A tiny mushroom, little known to scientists, is behind some 400 sudden deaths in China, experts say.For 30 years, during the rainy season, scores of villagers in Yunnan province have died suddenly of cardiac arrest.
Following a five-year investigation, researchers from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Beijing say they have the culprit.The mushroom, know as Little White, belongs to the Trogia genus and has three toxic amino acids, experts say.
Researchers found that the deaths, known as Yunnan Sudden Death Syndrome, occurred almost always during rainy season (from June to August), and at an altitude of 1800-2400m (5900-7900ft).
Warning
"We heard amazing stories about how people would drop dead in the middle of a conversation," Zhang Shu, a cardiologist who took part in the CDC study, told Science magazine.
"About two-thirds of victims, in the hours before death experienced symptoms such as heart palpitations, nausea, dizziness, seizures and fatigue," he said.The investigation was initially hampered by language barriers, and the remote locations of the Yunnan villages.However, in 2008, the scientists noted that the Little White mushroom was often found in the homes where people had died.
Yunnan province is well-known for its wild mushrooms, many of which are exported at high prices.Families, who make their living by collecting and selling the fungi, eat the Little White as it has no commercial value - it is too small and turns brown shortly after being picked.
A campaign to warn people against eating the tiny mushrooms has dramatically reduced the number of deaths. There have been no reported deaths so far this year.
However, the scientists are carrying out further tests to find out why the mushroom is so lethal, as testing found the mushroom contained toxins, though not enough to be deadly.
"What's happening in Yunnan isn't expected from any other mushroom toxin," said Robert Fontaine, a US epidemiologist who took part in the investigation.
"What we have here is a toxin that is picking off vulnerable people," he told Science.He suggested that the toxins could be acting together with high concentrations of barium, a heavy metal, in the local water supply.
Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10630155
Following a five-year investigation, researchers from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Beijing say they have the culprit.The mushroom, know as Little White, belongs to the Trogia genus and has three toxic amino acids, experts say.
Researchers found that the deaths, known as Yunnan Sudden Death Syndrome, occurred almost always during rainy season (from June to August), and at an altitude of 1800-2400m (5900-7900ft).
Warning
"We heard amazing stories about how people would drop dead in the middle of a conversation," Zhang Shu, a cardiologist who took part in the CDC study, told Science magazine.
"About two-thirds of victims, in the hours before death experienced symptoms such as heart palpitations, nausea, dizziness, seizures and fatigue," he said.The investigation was initially hampered by language barriers, and the remote locations of the Yunnan villages.However, in 2008, the scientists noted that the Little White mushroom was often found in the homes where people had died.
Yunnan province is well-known for its wild mushrooms, many of which are exported at high prices.Families, who make their living by collecting and selling the fungi, eat the Little White as it has no commercial value - it is too small and turns brown shortly after being picked.
A campaign to warn people against eating the tiny mushrooms has dramatically reduced the number of deaths. There have been no reported deaths so far this year.
However, the scientists are carrying out further tests to find out why the mushroom is so lethal, as testing found the mushroom contained toxins, though not enough to be deadly.
"What's happening in Yunnan isn't expected from any other mushroom toxin," said Robert Fontaine, a US epidemiologist who took part in the investigation.
"What we have here is a toxin that is picking off vulnerable people," he told Science.He suggested that the toxins could be acting together with high concentrations of barium, a heavy metal, in the local water supply.
Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10630155
Plants 'can think and remember'
Plants are able to "remember" and "react" to information contained in light, according to researchers.
Plants, scientists say, transmit information about light intensity and quality from leaf to leaf in a very similar way to our own nervous systems.
These "electro-chemical signals" are carried by cells that act as "nerves" of the plants.
In their experiment, the scientists showed that light shone on to one leaf caused the whole plant to respond.
And the response, which took the form of light-induced chemical reactions in the leaves, continued in the dark.
This showed, they said, that the plant "remembered" the information encoded in light.
"We shone the light only on the bottom of the plant and we observed changes in the upper part," explained Professor Stanislaw Karpinski from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland, who led this research.
He presented the findings at the Society for Experimental Biology's annual meeting in Prague, Czech Republic.
"And the changes proceeded when the light was off... This was a complete surprise."
In previous work, Professor Karpinski found that chemical signals could be passed throughout whole plants - allowing them to respond to and survive changes and stresses in their environment.
But in this new study, he and his colleagues discovered that when light stimulated a chemical reaction in one leaf cell, this caused a "cascade" of events and that this was immediately signalled to the rest of the plant by via specific type of cell called a "bundle sheath cell".
The scientists measured the electrical signals from these cells, which are present in every leaf. They likened the discovery to finding the plants' "nervous system".
Thinking plants
What was even more peculiar, Professor Karpinski said, was that the plants' responses changed depending on the colour of the light that was being shone on them.
"There were characteristic [changes] for red, blue and white light," he explained.
He suspected that the plants might use the information encoded in the light to stimulate protective chemical reactions. He and his colleagues examined this more closely by looking at the effect of different colours of light on the plants' immunity to disease.
"When we shone the light for on the plant for one hour and then infected it [with a virus or with bacteria] 24 hours after that light exposure, it resisted the infection," he explained.
"But when we infected the plant before shining the light, it could not build up resistance.
"[So the plant] has a specific memory for the light which builds its immunity against pathogens, and it can adjust to varying light conditions."
He said that plants used information encrypted in the light to immunise themselves against seasonal pathogens. "Every day or week of the season has… a characteristic light quality," Professor Karpinski explained.
"So the plants perform a sort of biological light computation, using information contained in the light to immunise themselves against diseases that are prevalent during that season."
Professor Christine Foyer, a plant scientist from the University of Leeds, said the study "took our thinking one step forward".
"Plants have to survive stresses, such as drought or cold, and live through it and keep growing," she told BBC News. "This requires an appraisal of the situation and an appropriate response - that's a form of intelligence.
"What this study has done is link two signalling pathways together... and the electrical signalling pathway is incredibly rapid, so the whole plant could respond immediately to high [levels of] light."
source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10598926
Plants, scientists say, transmit information about light intensity and quality from leaf to leaf in a very similar way to our own nervous systems.
These "electro-chemical signals" are carried by cells that act as "nerves" of the plants.
In their experiment, the scientists showed that light shone on to one leaf caused the whole plant to respond.
And the response, which took the form of light-induced chemical reactions in the leaves, continued in the dark.
This showed, they said, that the plant "remembered" the information encoded in light.
"We shone the light only on the bottom of the plant and we observed changes in the upper part," explained Professor Stanislaw Karpinski from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland, who led this research.
He presented the findings at the Society for Experimental Biology's annual meeting in Prague, Czech Republic.
"And the changes proceeded when the light was off... This was a complete surprise."
In previous work, Professor Karpinski found that chemical signals could be passed throughout whole plants - allowing them to respond to and survive changes and stresses in their environment.
But in this new study, he and his colleagues discovered that when light stimulated a chemical reaction in one leaf cell, this caused a "cascade" of events and that this was immediately signalled to the rest of the plant by via specific type of cell called a "bundle sheath cell".
The scientists measured the electrical signals from these cells, which are present in every leaf. They likened the discovery to finding the plants' "nervous system".
Thinking plants
What was even more peculiar, Professor Karpinski said, was that the plants' responses changed depending on the colour of the light that was being shone on them.
"There were characteristic [changes] for red, blue and white light," he explained.
He suspected that the plants might use the information encoded in the light to stimulate protective chemical reactions. He and his colleagues examined this more closely by looking at the effect of different colours of light on the plants' immunity to disease.
"When we shone the light for on the plant for one hour and then infected it [with a virus or with bacteria] 24 hours after that light exposure, it resisted the infection," he explained.
"But when we infected the plant before shining the light, it could not build up resistance.
"[So the plant] has a specific memory for the light which builds its immunity against pathogens, and it can adjust to varying light conditions."
He said that plants used information encrypted in the light to immunise themselves against seasonal pathogens. "Every day or week of the season has… a characteristic light quality," Professor Karpinski explained.
"So the plants perform a sort of biological light computation, using information contained in the light to immunise themselves against diseases that are prevalent during that season."
Professor Christine Foyer, a plant scientist from the University of Leeds, said the study "took our thinking one step forward".
"Plants have to survive stresses, such as drought or cold, and live through it and keep growing," she told BBC News. "This requires an appraisal of the situation and an appropriate response - that's a form of intelligence.
"What this study has done is link two signalling pathways together... and the electrical signalling pathway is incredibly rapid, so the whole plant could respond immediately to high [levels of] light."
source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10598926
Friday, July 9, 2010
Timber smuggling rampant in Nepal
Owing to the lack of government policy to control illegal export, timber smuggling is on the rise in Gorkha. Rampant felling of the trees has turned forests into bare lands.
Timber and firewood are being smuggled from Mirkot, Dhuwakot, Deurali, Gaikhur, Khoplang, Harmi, Aanppipal and Dandapakha forest areas to the adjoining districts. Ganesh Sedai, a local of Serabesi Mirakot, said that timber smugglers had been ferrying a large amount of timber and firewood. "The green forest hills have transformed into barren lands," lamented Sedai.
Amrit Nagarkoti, a local timber entrepreneur, said that smugglers had been exporting timber to Chitwan, Kathmandu and Pokhara. He cautioned if smuggling continued in the same scale, all the villages would turn into deserts.
Tap Bahadur Upreti, a local, however, said that he had to fell trees for his livelihood." I cannot live without firewood," asserted Upreti. He also said that illegal forest clearance would cease if Local Community Forest Consumers Committee formulated and implemented a strict rule against it.
District Forest Office and Community Consumers Committee have turned a blind eye to the problem. Krishna Prasad Wasti, DFO, Gorkha, conceded that his office could not prevent illegal export since there was no effective policy.
Source:http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Timber+smuggling+rampant&NewsID=242301
Timber and firewood are being smuggled from Mirkot, Dhuwakot, Deurali, Gaikhur, Khoplang, Harmi, Aanppipal and Dandapakha forest areas to the adjoining districts. Ganesh Sedai, a local of Serabesi Mirakot, said that timber smugglers had been ferrying a large amount of timber and firewood. "The green forest hills have transformed into barren lands," lamented Sedai.
Amrit Nagarkoti, a local timber entrepreneur, said that smugglers had been exporting timber to Chitwan, Kathmandu and Pokhara. He cautioned if smuggling continued in the same scale, all the villages would turn into deserts.
Tap Bahadur Upreti, a local, however, said that he had to fell trees for his livelihood." I cannot live without firewood," asserted Upreti. He also said that illegal forest clearance would cease if Local Community Forest Consumers Committee formulated and implemented a strict rule against it.
District Forest Office and Community Consumers Committee have turned a blind eye to the problem. Krishna Prasad Wasti, DFO, Gorkha, conceded that his office could not prevent illegal export since there was no effective policy.
Source:http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Timber+smuggling+rampant&NewsID=242301
Nepal Maoists reportedly involved in smuggling of contraband timber
Harakpur, Morang, Nepal - Contraband Simal trees [silk cotton, Bombax malabarica] are being felled and smuggled to India through various border points in eastern Morang invoking Maoist blessings. Concerned timber traders said the Maoists take hefty sums from them to allow the export.
The Maoists' district leadership has, however, denied the charge and claimed that the timber traders are engaged in illegal trade in the name of the Maoists with an aim to defame the Maoists.
"We have directed everyone not to engage in illegal trade and timber smuggling," the Maoists' Morang district chief Dinesh Sharma said. He said the rebels will search out such traders and take action. But Maoist party Chairman Prachanda, talking to journalists in Chandragadhi [a town in Jhapa] two weeks ago had admitted involvement of Maoist workers in deforestation and directed the district leadership to control such act.
"Smuggling out is continuing," acting district forest officer Devi Prasad Koirala said, adding, "We have information of Simal trees being smuggled to India. We have mobilized forest concern groups and local villagers to control the act."
The committee and local villagers said they intercepted two truckloads of Simal timber in Darbesa and Rangeli on Saturday [26 August]. Police however said they have no information about the interception. Timber is being smuggled to India through Mahadeva, Jhurkiya, Bardanga, Dainiya, Rangeli, Babiyabirta, Mayagunj, Amgachhi border points, among others.
Simal timber is being smuggled to India for the past three months. "In the past three months, Simal timber worth 5m rupees [1 US dollar is 75 rupees] has been smuggled to India from Harakpur, Amardaha, Dainiya, Babiyabirta, Govindapur and Hasandaha village development committees among others," a trader involved in smuggling said.
"We pay off those who claim to be Maoists," the trader said, adding, "After paying commissions, they don't give any trouble." [passage omitted: Most of the Simal trees have already been felled down and smuggled to India]
With most of the Simal trees cut down the natural habitat of birds like eagles, vultures and cranes is being destroyed.
Source: Kantipur, Kathmandu, in Nepali 28 Aug 06
The Maoists' district leadership has, however, denied the charge and claimed that the timber traders are engaged in illegal trade in the name of the Maoists with an aim to defame the Maoists.
"We have directed everyone not to engage in illegal trade and timber smuggling," the Maoists' Morang district chief Dinesh Sharma said. He said the rebels will search out such traders and take action. But Maoist party Chairman Prachanda, talking to journalists in Chandragadhi [a town in Jhapa] two weeks ago had admitted involvement of Maoist workers in deforestation and directed the district leadership to control such act.
"Smuggling out is continuing," acting district forest officer Devi Prasad Koirala said, adding, "We have information of Simal trees being smuggled to India. We have mobilized forest concern groups and local villagers to control the act."
The committee and local villagers said they intercepted two truckloads of Simal timber in Darbesa and Rangeli on Saturday [26 August]. Police however said they have no information about the interception. Timber is being smuggled to India through Mahadeva, Jhurkiya, Bardanga, Dainiya, Rangeli, Babiyabirta, Mayagunj, Amgachhi border points, among others.
Simal timber is being smuggled to India for the past three months. "In the past three months, Simal timber worth 5m rupees [1 US dollar is 75 rupees] has been smuggled to India from Harakpur, Amardaha, Dainiya, Babiyabirta, Govindapur and Hasandaha village development committees among others," a trader involved in smuggling said.
"We pay off those who claim to be Maoists," the trader said, adding, "After paying commissions, they don't give any trouble." [passage omitted: Most of the Simal trees have already been felled down and smuggled to India]
With most of the Simal trees cut down the natural habitat of birds like eagles, vultures and cranes is being destroyed.
Source: Kantipur, Kathmandu, in Nepali 28 Aug 06
Massive forest loss spurs Nepal to ban logging for two months
Nepal has announced a two month ban on logging throughout the mountainous country, reports the AFP. The ban was issued after officials received reports of alarming deforestation in lowland areas; according to one official over 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of forest was lost in a few months, nearly double the amount of forest lost on average each year from 2000-2005.
The forests under threat are mostly community-owned, lowland forests in the southern belt of Terai.
"Some logging is allowed in these community forests, but what we're finding is that this allowance is being exceeded," Deepak Bohara told the BBC. "So we have banned all logging until we can formulate a new government policy."
Approximately a quarter of Nepal is covered by forest. From 2000-2005 the Asian nation lost nearly 53,000 hectares of forest annually, about 1.4 percent per year.
Nepal is a part of the UN's REDD (Reduced Emissions through Deforestation and forest Degradation) program that proposes to pay countries to keep their forests intact to reduce carbon emissions. Currently 12-17 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation.
Source:http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0623-hance_nepal.html
The forests under threat are mostly community-owned, lowland forests in the southern belt of Terai.
"Some logging is allowed in these community forests, but what we're finding is that this allowance is being exceeded," Deepak Bohara told the BBC. "So we have banned all logging until we can formulate a new government policy."
Approximately a quarter of Nepal is covered by forest. From 2000-2005 the Asian nation lost nearly 53,000 hectares of forest annually, about 1.4 percent per year.
Nepal is a part of the UN's REDD (Reduced Emissions through Deforestation and forest Degradation) program that proposes to pay countries to keep their forests intact to reduce carbon emissions. Currently 12-17 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation.
Source:http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0623-hance_nepal.html
Sunday, May 16, 2010
World needs 'bailout plan' to protect endangered species
WASHINGTON - Facing what many scientists say is the sixth mass extinction in half-a-billion years, our planet urgently needs a "bailout plan" to protect its biodiversity, a top conservation group said Thursday.
Failure to stem the loss of animal and plant species will have dire consequences on human well-being, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned.
"The gap between the pressure on our natural resources and governments' response to the deterioration is widening," said Bill Jackson, the group's deputy director, calling for a 10-year strategy to reverse current trends.
"By ignoring the urgent need for action we stand to pay a much higher price in the long term than the world can afford," he said in a statement.
A fifth of mammals, 30 per cent of amphibians, 12 per cent of known birds, and more than a quarter of reef-building corals -- the livelihood cornerstone for 500 million people in coastal areas -- face extinction, according to the IUCN's benchmark Red List of Threatened Species.
In 2002, the international community pledged to slow the biodiversity drop off by 2010, and incorporated the target into the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. But the decline has continued apace, according to a major scientific assessment published last week in the journal Science.
The next opportunity to set new goals and devise a strategy for achieving them will be the October meeting in Nagoya, Japan of the Convention of Biological Diversity.
In preparation, an advisory body of scientists will brainstorm in Nairobi, Kenya starting next week, and formulate recommendations.
Discussions will cover protected areas, inland and marine water areas, the impact of climate change, biofuels and invasive species, said the IUCN, a key partner in the deliberations.
"This year we have a one-off opportunity to really bring home to the world the importance of the need to save nature for all life on Earth," said Jane Smart, head of the IUCN's Biodiversity Conservation Group.
"If we don't come up with a big plan now, the planet will not survive," she said.
The IUCN draws together more than 1,000 government and NGO organisations, and 11,000 volunteer scientists from about 160 countries.
Source: http://bit.ly/dajeN5
Failure to stem the loss of animal and plant species will have dire consequences on human well-being, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned.
"The gap between the pressure on our natural resources and governments' response to the deterioration is widening," said Bill Jackson, the group's deputy director, calling for a 10-year strategy to reverse current trends.
"By ignoring the urgent need for action we stand to pay a much higher price in the long term than the world can afford," he said in a statement.
A fifth of mammals, 30 per cent of amphibians, 12 per cent of known birds, and more than a quarter of reef-building corals -- the livelihood cornerstone for 500 million people in coastal areas -- face extinction, according to the IUCN's benchmark Red List of Threatened Species.
In 2002, the international community pledged to slow the biodiversity drop off by 2010, and incorporated the target into the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. But the decline has continued apace, according to a major scientific assessment published last week in the journal Science.
The next opportunity to set new goals and devise a strategy for achieving them will be the October meeting in Nagoya, Japan of the Convention of Biological Diversity.
In preparation, an advisory body of scientists will brainstorm in Nairobi, Kenya starting next week, and formulate recommendations.
Discussions will cover protected areas, inland and marine water areas, the impact of climate change, biofuels and invasive species, said the IUCN, a key partner in the deliberations.
"This year we have a one-off opportunity to really bring home to the world the importance of the need to save nature for all life on Earth," said Jane Smart, head of the IUCN's Biodiversity Conservation Group.
"If we don't come up with a big plan now, the planet will not survive," she said.
The IUCN draws together more than 1,000 government and NGO organisations, and 11,000 volunteer scientists from about 160 countries.
Source: http://bit.ly/dajeN5
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Japan pledges grant for forest preservation
Japan has agreed to extend a grant assistance of Rs. 451.8 million to Nepal for the forest preservation programme.
According to Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu, the assistance will be provided to address climate change with special emphasis on adaptation to, and the mitigation of climate change as well as on improved access to clean energy.
Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Tatsuo Miszuno and Finance Secretary Rameshore Prasad Khanal signed and exchanged a set of notes on behalf of their respective governments.
On the occasion, Ambassador Mizuno mentioned that Nepal is very keen to take the initiative in trying to prevent serious global warming as well as prevent melting of Himalayan glaciers, the endeavor of which includes pollution control and natural resources management among South Asian countries.
He also stressed to make utmost efforts so as to restrain deforestation and expand the land area covered by forests.
The Japanese ambassador also stated that the signing of the notes for the forest preservation programme shows the wishes of the Japanese government its people for the further balanced national development and well-being of Nepalese people.
Source:http://bit.ly/aWooqz
According to Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu, the assistance will be provided to address climate change with special emphasis on adaptation to, and the mitigation of climate change as well as on improved access to clean energy.
Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Tatsuo Miszuno and Finance Secretary Rameshore Prasad Khanal signed and exchanged a set of notes on behalf of their respective governments.
On the occasion, Ambassador Mizuno mentioned that Nepal is very keen to take the initiative in trying to prevent serious global warming as well as prevent melting of Himalayan glaciers, the endeavor of which includes pollution control and natural resources management among South Asian countries.
He also stressed to make utmost efforts so as to restrain deforestation and expand the land area covered by forests.
The Japanese ambassador also stated that the signing of the notes for the forest preservation programme shows the wishes of the Japanese government its people for the further balanced national development and well-being of Nepalese people.
Source:http://bit.ly/aWooqz
Japan pledges grant for forest preservation
Japan has agreed to extend a grant assistance of Rs. 451.8 million to Nepal for the forest preservation programme.
According to Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu, the assistance will be provided to address climate change with special emphasis on adaptation to, and the mitigation of climate change as well as on improved access to clean energy.
Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Tatsuo Miszuno and Finance Secretary Rameshore Prasad Khanal signed and exchanged a set of notes on behalf of their respective governments.
On the occasion, Ambassador Mizuno mentioned that Nepal is very keen to take the initiative in trying to prevent serious global warming as well as prevent melting of Himalayan glaciers, the endeavor of which includes pollution control and natural resources management among South Asian countries.
He also stressed to make utmost efforts so as to restrain deforestation and expand the land area covered by forests.
The Japanese ambassador also stated that the signing of the notes for the forest preservation programme shows the wishes of the Japanese government its people for the further balanced national development and well-being of Nepalese people.
Source:http://bit.ly/aWooqz
According to Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu, the assistance will be provided to address climate change with special emphasis on adaptation to, and the mitigation of climate change as well as on improved access to clean energy.
Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Tatsuo Miszuno and Finance Secretary Rameshore Prasad Khanal signed and exchanged a set of notes on behalf of their respective governments.
On the occasion, Ambassador Mizuno mentioned that Nepal is very keen to take the initiative in trying to prevent serious global warming as well as prevent melting of Himalayan glaciers, the endeavor of which includes pollution control and natural resources management among South Asian countries.
He also stressed to make utmost efforts so as to restrain deforestation and expand the land area covered by forests.
The Japanese ambassador also stated that the signing of the notes for the forest preservation programme shows the wishes of the Japanese government its people for the further balanced national development and well-being of Nepalese people.
Source:http://bit.ly/aWooqz
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Everest expedition to clean world's highest garbage dump
Mission to clean "Death Zone"
An expedition of twenty Nepali climbers will head out this week to clean what's known as the world's highest garbage dump. Located above 8,000 meters (26,246 feet) in the "death zone" of Mount Everest, it's named for its notoriously oxygen-poor air, freezing temperatures and dangerous terrain. Since the first successful ascent of the world's tallest summit by Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953, Everest has become a proverbial dump, carrying an estimated 50 tons of trash generated by the 4,000 climbers who have followed since.
Though there have been a number of clean-up missions in the past to bring down all that junk bit by bit, no one has (understandbly) dared to tackle the mountain's "death zone", which apparently has trash dating from Hillary's time, including a number of corpses.
"This is the first time we are cleaning at that height, the death zone. It is very difficult and dangerous," says 30 year-old Namgyal Sherpa and leader of the Extreme Everest Expedition 2010. Sherpa has already climbed Everest seven times.
Climate change is also changing the face of Everest, thanks to rapidly disappearing glaciers and snows. "The garbage was buried under snow in the past. But now it has come out on the surface because of the melting of snow due to global warming," says Sherpa. "The rubbish is creating problems for climbers ... Some items of garbage are from Hillary's time."
Sherpa and his team will scale Everest with empty rucksacks and special bags in the hopes of bringing down a projected 2,000 kgs (4,400 lbs) of empty gas canisters, oxygen bottles, discarded tents, gear, utensils and electronics scattered between South Col and the 8,850 meter (29,035 feet) summit, typically left behind by exhausted climbers as they descend.
Trash and bodies
The team also hopes to bring down five bodies, one of a them a Swiss mountaineer that perished there two years ago.
"I have seen three corpses lying there for years," explains Sherpa. "We'll bring down the body of a Swiss climber who died in the mountain in 2008 and cremate it below the base camp for which we have got the family's consent."
Increasing tourism impacting Everest heavily
Home to eight of the world's 14 tallest peaks, climbing tourism in Nepal is a critical source of income, pulling in $500 million annually and providing employment and a relatively lucrative livelihood for many locals. Thousands of climbers pay expensive fees numbering in the thousands of dollars each for permits to climb these mountains, but trash has become such a widespread problem that the Nepali government imposed a hefty deposit to ensure climbers keep them clean.
Others however are calling for a temporary closure to certain over-trafficked areas because of the environmental and resource pressures that increased tourism brings, which are exacerbating the effects of climate change in the region.
"Climate change and the receding glacial waters are global issues and not within localized control, but we are particularly worried about deforestation of the area, much of it to sustain tourism, and our campaigning has helped improve the situation, but it still isn't enough," said Elizabeth Hawley of The Himalaya Trust, an environmental charity founded by Hillary. "We feel that we have to start from the beginning in order for the region to recuperate and recycle itself."
Source: http://bit.ly/98b9YM
An expedition of twenty Nepali climbers will head out this week to clean what's known as the world's highest garbage dump. Located above 8,000 meters (26,246 feet) in the "death zone" of Mount Everest, it's named for its notoriously oxygen-poor air, freezing temperatures and dangerous terrain. Since the first successful ascent of the world's tallest summit by Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953, Everest has become a proverbial dump, carrying an estimated 50 tons of trash generated by the 4,000 climbers who have followed since.
Though there have been a number of clean-up missions in the past to bring down all that junk bit by bit, no one has (understandbly) dared to tackle the mountain's "death zone", which apparently has trash dating from Hillary's time, including a number of corpses.
"This is the first time we are cleaning at that height, the death zone. It is very difficult and dangerous," says 30 year-old Namgyal Sherpa and leader of the Extreme Everest Expedition 2010. Sherpa has already climbed Everest seven times.
Climate change is also changing the face of Everest, thanks to rapidly disappearing glaciers and snows. "The garbage was buried under snow in the past. But now it has come out on the surface because of the melting of snow due to global warming," says Sherpa. "The rubbish is creating problems for climbers ... Some items of garbage are from Hillary's time."
Sherpa and his team will scale Everest with empty rucksacks and special bags in the hopes of bringing down a projected 2,000 kgs (4,400 lbs) of empty gas canisters, oxygen bottles, discarded tents, gear, utensils and electronics scattered between South Col and the 8,850 meter (29,035 feet) summit, typically left behind by exhausted climbers as they descend.
Trash and bodies
The team also hopes to bring down five bodies, one of a them a Swiss mountaineer that perished there two years ago.
"I have seen three corpses lying there for years," explains Sherpa. "We'll bring down the body of a Swiss climber who died in the mountain in 2008 and cremate it below the base camp for which we have got the family's consent."
Increasing tourism impacting Everest heavily
Home to eight of the world's 14 tallest peaks, climbing tourism in Nepal is a critical source of income, pulling in $500 million annually and providing employment and a relatively lucrative livelihood for many locals. Thousands of climbers pay expensive fees numbering in the thousands of dollars each for permits to climb these mountains, but trash has become such a widespread problem that the Nepali government imposed a hefty deposit to ensure climbers keep them clean.
Others however are calling for a temporary closure to certain over-trafficked areas because of the environmental and resource pressures that increased tourism brings, which are exacerbating the effects of climate change in the region.
"Climate change and the receding glacial waters are global issues and not within localized control, but we are particularly worried about deforestation of the area, much of it to sustain tourism, and our campaigning has helped improve the situation, but it still isn't enough," said Elizabeth Hawley of The Himalaya Trust, an environmental charity founded by Hillary. "We feel that we have to start from the beginning in order for the region to recuperate and recycle itself."
Source: http://bit.ly/98b9YM
Saving Himalayas from climate catastrophe
Climate change is affecting the Arctic and the Himalayas more severely than other places of the globe. Though lately drawn into controversy, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 4th assessment report predicted that the Himalayas would lose its entire snow by 2035. Yet, the precise date to this effect might be debated because the world seriously lacks temporal data on snow meltdown in the Himalayas. However, if one accepts the hard data that temperature rise in the Himalayas is many times higher than in the lower altitude, one cannot deny that the rate of Himalayan melting is leading to serious consequences. Obviously, loss of snow will have serious implications on critical watersheds, biodiversity, scenic beauty and people’s livelihoods and should be treated as a global concern. If the Himalayan ecosystem gets destroyed, the world cannot produce another such system! Nepal strongly voiced its concerns about this during the Copenhagen summit last year.
GLOBAL RESPONSE
World’s reaction to climate change is only limited to lowering global temperature by reducing the level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, which does not really address the Himalayan problem.
Following the Kyoto Protocol (KP) as per the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1992 (UNFCCC), many countries of the world agreed to reduce GHG emission by 5.2 percent over the 1990 level. While the major focus of the protocol is self-reduction of such gases by industrial countries, it also provides for creating indirect offsets focusing at the developing countries through what has been called Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The world through Bali Road Map (2007) aimed to correct KP’ s perceived shortfall in achieving adequate and fair target.
For developing countries, it was decided that a more challenging approach needs to be taken than the contemporary CDM. Now the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+) regime is aiming at providing financial compensation to reduce the current rate of deforestation and forest degradation and to maintain the forest carbon stock. This would sharply contrast with the CDM provision in which such payments were limited to creation of new carbon stock through afforestation and reforestation.
Though yet to be globally agreed, there has been a major conceptual leap toward an attempt to reduce the absolute level of GHG emission and create carbon offsets through additional mechanism like REDD+. Agreement on this could not be reached in Copenhagen, but the world is trying its best to do so by Cancun Convention in 2010. But the question still looms large: Will it be instrumental in saving the Himalayas from melting? The answer is no.
Effectively checking the Himalayas from melting would require maintaining global temperature below 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial era and the concomitant GHG emission below 350 parts per million (PPM). If we look at the present scenario in which the world has failed to agree for even a modest rise of 2 degrees and 450 PPM, such drastic cut seems unlikely. Conserving the Himalayan watershed might in fact require a number of extra considerations.
Temperature rise in the Himalayan region cause meltdown of thick ‘permafrost’ accumulated over centuries. During this process, methane is released whose effect to warming is 25 times higher than carbon dioxide, the dominant gas in causing global warming. This would evidently trigger warming process with multiplier effect. This may be compared to the story of Raktabij in Hindu mythology where an attempt of the divinity to destroy the devil was self-defeating owing to the reason that every single drop of devil’s blood would add to birth of another devil, thus making it invincible.
Another culprit could be ‘aerosol’ which originates from inefficient combustion of industrial fuels. The ‘black carbon particles’ thus produced, in particular, is known to cause warming with more localized effect compared to other GHGs whose effects are global. Obviously, a country sandwiched between rapidly industrialized countries like China and India may witness aerosol affecting the Himalayas.
It is clear that Nepal has failed to benefit from the contemporary CDM due to its complicated monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) requirements. Conceived REDD+ mechanism may be even more demanding in terms of MRV owing to numerous tedious qualifications including ‘base line’, ‘additionality’, ‘permanency’ and ‘leakage’. Unless this overall carbon crediting process is simplified, Nepal will not be able to benefit from this global provision or contribute to the global climate change mitigation.
While Himalayan watersheds provide services to the world, those are largely unaccounted for in the current crediting system as the main focus is GHG. Watershed, biodiversity, scenic beauty conservation and local livelihoods are major services, which can be shared with the world. This would call for more payment for all ecological services the Himalayan watershed could furnish than parochially considering GHG for payments. Failing this, poor Nepalis may not be inclined to put extra effort to conserve the resource base whose benefits are not only confined to Nepal. Though this may sound philosophical, there may be one more thing to consider. Nepal has innovated community forestry management system through decades of trial and error, and the world can largely benefit from this knowledge system to fight climate change in economical and sustainable manner.
To conclude, Himalayas require more holistic dealing of the environment than what is allowed by current GHG crediting modality. This evidently calls for unprecedented effort through direct interface and collaboration between relevant climate stakeholders namely scientists, climate negotiators (national and international), civil society and grassroots communities.
Sources: http://bit.ly/aQP3p7
GLOBAL RESPONSE
World’s reaction to climate change is only limited to lowering global temperature by reducing the level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, which does not really address the Himalayan problem.
Following the Kyoto Protocol (KP) as per the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1992 (UNFCCC), many countries of the world agreed to reduce GHG emission by 5.2 percent over the 1990 level. While the major focus of the protocol is self-reduction of such gases by industrial countries, it also provides for creating indirect offsets focusing at the developing countries through what has been called Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The world through Bali Road Map (2007) aimed to correct KP’ s perceived shortfall in achieving adequate and fair target.
For developing countries, it was decided that a more challenging approach needs to be taken than the contemporary CDM. Now the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+) regime is aiming at providing financial compensation to reduce the current rate of deforestation and forest degradation and to maintain the forest carbon stock. This would sharply contrast with the CDM provision in which such payments were limited to creation of new carbon stock through afforestation and reforestation.
Though yet to be globally agreed, there has been a major conceptual leap toward an attempt to reduce the absolute level of GHG emission and create carbon offsets through additional mechanism like REDD+. Agreement on this could not be reached in Copenhagen, but the world is trying its best to do so by Cancun Convention in 2010. But the question still looms large: Will it be instrumental in saving the Himalayas from melting? The answer is no.
Effectively checking the Himalayas from melting would require maintaining global temperature below 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial era and the concomitant GHG emission below 350 parts per million (PPM). If we look at the present scenario in which the world has failed to agree for even a modest rise of 2 degrees and 450 PPM, such drastic cut seems unlikely. Conserving the Himalayan watershed might in fact require a number of extra considerations.
Temperature rise in the Himalayan region cause meltdown of thick ‘permafrost’ accumulated over centuries. During this process, methane is released whose effect to warming is 25 times higher than carbon dioxide, the dominant gas in causing global warming. This would evidently trigger warming process with multiplier effect. This may be compared to the story of Raktabij in Hindu mythology where an attempt of the divinity to destroy the devil was self-defeating owing to the reason that every single drop of devil’s blood would add to birth of another devil, thus making it invincible.
Another culprit could be ‘aerosol’ which originates from inefficient combustion of industrial fuels. The ‘black carbon particles’ thus produced, in particular, is known to cause warming with more localized effect compared to other GHGs whose effects are global. Obviously, a country sandwiched between rapidly industrialized countries like China and India may witness aerosol affecting the Himalayas.
It is clear that Nepal has failed to benefit from the contemporary CDM due to its complicated monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) requirements. Conceived REDD+ mechanism may be even more demanding in terms of MRV owing to numerous tedious qualifications including ‘base line’, ‘additionality’, ‘permanency’ and ‘leakage’. Unless this overall carbon crediting process is simplified, Nepal will not be able to benefit from this global provision or contribute to the global climate change mitigation.
While Himalayan watersheds provide services to the world, those are largely unaccounted for in the current crediting system as the main focus is GHG. Watershed, biodiversity, scenic beauty conservation and local livelihoods are major services, which can be shared with the world. This would call for more payment for all ecological services the Himalayan watershed could furnish than parochially considering GHG for payments. Failing this, poor Nepalis may not be inclined to put extra effort to conserve the resource base whose benefits are not only confined to Nepal. Though this may sound philosophical, there may be one more thing to consider. Nepal has innovated community forestry management system through decades of trial and error, and the world can largely benefit from this knowledge system to fight climate change in economical and sustainable manner.
To conclude, Himalayas require more holistic dealing of the environment than what is allowed by current GHG crediting modality. This evidently calls for unprecedented effort through direct interface and collaboration between relevant climate stakeholders namely scientists, climate negotiators (national and international), civil society and grassroots communities.
Sources: http://bit.ly/aQP3p7
Monday, April 26, 2010
Climate change to top SAARC Summit agenda
Issues governing the impact of climate change will be the main agenda of discussion in the upcoming 16th SAARC Summit scheduled to be held in Thimpu, the Bhutanese capital, on April 28-29.
The Standing Committee Meeting which kicked off in Thimpu on Sunday comprising foreign secretaries of the member states will endorse the theme of the SAARC Summit. It will then be endorsed by the foreign ministers´ meeting and finally by the meeting of the head of states.
Significantly, a regional consensus that SAARC should strengthen and represent unified regional voice to combat climate change at global level has been reached at New Delhi on Saturday by the People´s SAARC, a regional network of civil society organizations.
"Climate change is the theme of the SAARC Summit," Rajan Bhattarai, the prime minister´s foreign policy advisor, said, adding, "In SAARC, Nepal will highlight its effort in bringing to the fore the common concerns of mountainous countries concerning impact of climate change."
Bhattarai informed that the initiative taken by PM Madhav Kumar Nepal Nepal during the COP-15 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December for formation of an Alliance of Mountainous Countries to fight challenges of climate change will be discussed in SAARC as well.
"We want to go to next COP-17 with an international network of mountainous countries and we will therefore go to Thimpu for a strong regional lobby in this regard," Bhattarai added.Nepal is soon hosting a Ministerial Meeting of Mountainous Countries.
The issue of glacier melting was for the first time brought before the international community in COP-16 after the historic cabinet meeting held in Kalapatthar drew the attention of the world at the issue and the effect of global warming on the lives of those living in the mountainous region.
Bhattaria also said Nepal is looking for a "strong support and solidarity" from other SAARC members in its efforts. He said, "India is very positive in this regard."
The Ministry of Environment has said that SAARC will concentrate on the issues like carbon emission, technology transfer, finance, disaster linkages in the region etc, but most prominently in initiating regional mitigation program.
"It is possible to divert the existing funds towards implementing effective climate change activities in the region," a MoE official who did not want to be named said, adding, "As a rising power, much depends on India´s initiatives."
The source also said that a regional action plan is expected to come at the end of the summit.
Besides a SAARC climate fund, a SAARC climate change study and research center for implementation of the action plan is said to be in the pipeline.
Regional climate change networks have also called on SAARC head of states to declare SAARC region as a low carbon economic region with particular emphasis on scaling up renewable energy technologies and providing low-carbon pathways for rural electrification.
They have also called for regional initiative for adaptation such as "food bank" and "early warning systems" which needs to be implemented immediately.
Source:http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=17920
The Standing Committee Meeting which kicked off in Thimpu on Sunday comprising foreign secretaries of the member states will endorse the theme of the SAARC Summit. It will then be endorsed by the foreign ministers´ meeting and finally by the meeting of the head of states.
Significantly, a regional consensus that SAARC should strengthen and represent unified regional voice to combat climate change at global level has been reached at New Delhi on Saturday by the People´s SAARC, a regional network of civil society organizations.
"Climate change is the theme of the SAARC Summit," Rajan Bhattarai, the prime minister´s foreign policy advisor, said, adding, "In SAARC, Nepal will highlight its effort in bringing to the fore the common concerns of mountainous countries concerning impact of climate change."
Bhattarai informed that the initiative taken by PM Madhav Kumar Nepal Nepal during the COP-15 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December for formation of an Alliance of Mountainous Countries to fight challenges of climate change will be discussed in SAARC as well.
"We want to go to next COP-17 with an international network of mountainous countries and we will therefore go to Thimpu for a strong regional lobby in this regard," Bhattarai added.Nepal is soon hosting a Ministerial Meeting of Mountainous Countries.
The issue of glacier melting was for the first time brought before the international community in COP-16 after the historic cabinet meeting held in Kalapatthar drew the attention of the world at the issue and the effect of global warming on the lives of those living in the mountainous region.
Bhattaria also said Nepal is looking for a "strong support and solidarity" from other SAARC members in its efforts. He said, "India is very positive in this regard."
The Ministry of Environment has said that SAARC will concentrate on the issues like carbon emission, technology transfer, finance, disaster linkages in the region etc, but most prominently in initiating regional mitigation program.
"It is possible to divert the existing funds towards implementing effective climate change activities in the region," a MoE official who did not want to be named said, adding, "As a rising power, much depends on India´s initiatives."
The source also said that a regional action plan is expected to come at the end of the summit.
Besides a SAARC climate fund, a SAARC climate change study and research center for implementation of the action plan is said to be in the pipeline.
Regional climate change networks have also called on SAARC head of states to declare SAARC region as a low carbon economic region with particular emphasis on scaling up renewable energy technologies and providing low-carbon pathways for rural electrification.
They have also called for regional initiative for adaptation such as "food bank" and "early warning systems" which needs to be implemented immediately.
Source:http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=17920
Friday, April 23, 2010
Nepal for climate-change push for mountain countries
With the UN Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen last December having failed to take up the issue of saving the Himalayas, Nepal is preparing to push the agenda at the UN together with other Least Developed Countries (LDCs) around the world.Officials at the Ministry of Environment said they are currently working to forge a Mountain Alliance Initiative for Climate Change (MAICC) to push the agenda jointly at the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) during the Conference of Parties (CoP-16) to be held in Mexico in December.
Officials said the Climate Change Council (CCC) headed by the prime minister has already approved a proposal to this effect. It is now in the process of seeking endorsement from the cabinet.
Officials said the Climate Change Council (CCC) headed by the prime minister has already approved a proposal to this effect. It is now in the process of seeking endorsement from the cabinet.
The idea of jointly pushing the agenda was conceived after the UNFCCC held in Copenhagen failed to take up the issue of saving the Himalayas. The new initiative spearheaded by Nepal aims to include all LDCs with high mountains. Small island nations that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change are also willing to be part of the alliance.
Meena Khanal, spokesperson at the Ministry for Environment, said LDCs with snow-clad mountains like Nepal are at the receiving end of the effects of climate change such as floods, landslides, glacial lake outburst floods and prolonged drought. “Since Nepal has eight of the 14 highest mountains in the world we are preparing to take a lead role to push the agenda of saving snow-clad mountains,” she said.
There are a total of 49 countries including Nepal categorized as LDCs. Of them, 28 have mountains that remain snow-capped all year round. Officials believe that it will be easier to forge an alliance with such LDCs since Nepal currently heads the group of 49 LDCs at the UN. Nepal took the chair of the group from Bangladesh on September 29, 2009.
According to spokesperson Khanal, discussions will first be held at national level and then at regional and inter-country ministerial level meetings before formally putting forth the agenda at CoP-16 in Mexico.
The body will seek to have UNFCCC recognize LDCs with high mountains separately and provide them funds to take necessary measures for adapting to the effects of climate change.
During CoP-15 in Copenhagen, Nepal had pushed the agenda of ´Saving the Himalayas´ from melting due to global warming. The government also organized a cabinet meeting at Kalapatthar at the base of Mt Everest ahead of the Copenhagen conference to draw the attention of the world to the plight of the Himalayas. But the voice Nepal raised went largely unheard.
Source:http://bit.ly/caOMWz
Saarc summit in Bhutan: Climate change to be main theme
Climate change will be the main theme of the upcoming Saarc summit to be held in Bhutan where the member countries are expected to sign a convention on cooperation in protection of environment.
The summit on April 28-29, to be attended by prime minister Manmohan Singh, will also unveil rules and regulations for the ambitious Saarc University which is in the process of being set up in Delhi. Requests from Australia and Mauritius to have Observer status of the Saarc would also be considered and in all likelihood, approved, sources said.
Under the convention on environment, the eight member countries would commit to exchanging their knowledge and best practices, undertake capacity building and transfer of eco-friendly technology to each other, they said.
A declaration is expected to be issued on climate change issue wherein the member countries would outline their common position for the climate change summit to be held in Mexico later this year.
Initiatives for mountains and low-lying coastal areas would also be discussed at the meet of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
During the Saarc summit, the secretariat for the Saarc Development Fund in Thimpu would also be inaugurated.
India has contributed $189 million for the fund which would be used for social and some other sectors in the member countries. Other member countries also would be contributing for it in various amounts.
The meet is also expected to come out with the rules and regulations for the Saarc University, which is proposed to be set up in Mehrauli area of South Delhi by 2014.
While land is being acquired for the campus, the University will start functioning at a temporary venue from August. The University is proposed to have 5,000 students from all the eight Saarc member countries and a faculty of 500.
At least half of the students would be from India and the rest of the seats would be divided among other seven countries on pro-rata basis depending on criteria like population etc.
Under the convention on environment, the eight member countries would commit to exchanging their knowledge and best practices, undertake capacity building and transfer of eco-friendly technology to each other, they said.
A declaration is expected to be issued on climate change issue wherein the member countries would outline their common position for the climate change summit to be held in Mexico later this year.
Initiatives for mountains and low-lying coastal areas would also be discussed at the meet of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
During the Saarc summit, the secretariat for the Saarc Development Fund in Thimpu would also be inaugurated.
India has contributed $189 million for the fund which would be used for social and some other sectors in the member countries. Other member countries also would be contributing for it in various amounts.
The meet is also expected to come out with the rules and regulations for the Saarc University, which is proposed to be set up in Mehrauli area of South Delhi by 2014.
While land is being acquired for the campus, the University will start functioning at a temporary venue from August. The University is proposed to have 5,000 students from all the eight Saarc member countries and a faculty of 500.
At least half of the students would be from India and the rest of the seats would be divided among other seven countries on pro-rata basis depending on criteria like population etc.
Source: http://bit.ly/9ag2Ww
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