Space and Earth Science News, PhysOrg.com, 31 May 2006

Ecosystems containing many different plant species are not only more productive, they are better able to withstand and recover from climate extremes, pests and disease over long periods, according to a new study. It is the first experiment to gather enough data--over a sufficient time and in a controlled environment--to confirm a 50-year scientific debate about whether biodiversity stabilizes ecosystems.

The findings, published in this week's issue of the journal Nature, are the result of 12 years of experiments conducted by David Tilman, an ecologist at the University of Minnesota, and colleagues Peter Reich of the University of Minnesota and Johannes Knops of the University of Nebraska. The research was conducted at the Cedar Creek Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site, one of 26 such National Science Foundation (NSF) sites.

Biodiversity of global ecosystems has decreased as global population has increased, said Tilman, because diverse ecosystems such as forests and prairies have been cleared to make way for agricultural fields, buildings and roads.

The research shows that ecosystems containing many different plant species are more productive than those containing only one species. A return to biodiversity may prove to be the key, Tilman and his colleagues believe, to meeting energy needs for the growing number of people on the planet and for restoring global ecosystems.

"Diverse prairie grasslands are 240 percent more productive than grasslands with a single prairie species," Tilman said. "That's a huge advantage. Biomass from diverse prairies can, for example, be used to make biofuels without the need for annual tilling, fertilizers and pesticides, which require energy and pollute the environment. Because they are perennials, you can plant a prairie once and mow it for biomass every fall, essentially forever," Tilman said.

The research was carried out in 168 plots, each of which was randomly planted with one to 16 perennial grasses and other prairie plants. Stability of plants in the plots depended upon diversity and root mass. Roots store nutrients and buffer against climate variations. Perennial prairie plants have far more root mass than crops such as corn, which must be replanted annually.

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Survival of lions threatened by the tribal delinquents who kill for pride

Times 30 May 2006

The nomadic Masai warriors, decked out in beads and red-checked shukas, or cloaks, roam across East Africa, herding cattle, goats and sheep.

For centuries the Masai have used lion hunts as a way of protecting their livestock and as an expression of their identity. However, conservationists say that Masailand has been engulfed by a bloody cull of its lions. They have recorded 108 killings since 2001 in 10,000 square kilometres (250,000 acres) between Amboseli and Tsavo, two of Kenya’s most visited national parks. Only 825 lions are left across a swath of Kenya running along the border with Tanzania.

The study, by the Kilimanjaro Lion Conservation Project, which includes scientists from the University of California, concludes that lions will be wiped out in one of their last remaining strongholds within a few years unless the Masai stop their ritual slaughter, an expression of their warrior status.

Many Masai claim that the warriors only kill problem animals responsible for stealing cattle and goats. A Masai elder tells a different story. “People kill a lion and then say it was a problem when it was not. Its part of our culture to kill  a lion. It makes everyone know you are a brave man and it means that the women become very interested in you”.

Seamus Maclennan, one of the report’s authors, said: “Quite simply, there have been too many lions killed in the past year, to the point where this population is almost unsustainable.”

Mr Maclennan said that the Masai were to blame, whether for spearing lions as or in retaliation for livestock lost to the predators.

“But there is also what can best be called delinquency, or young Masai men testing the boundaries of the law,” he added. “These are young men with nothing better to do than go out and kill a lion.”

Wild boar consultation analysis of responses published

DEFRA news release Ref: 239/06, 29 May 2006

The consultation on Feral Wild Boar in England attracted 248 responses from individuals and organisations representing a wide range of interests.

Initial analysis of responses indicates almost 80% of respondents believe there should be some form of active management of feral boar populations, with 43.9% of people supporting eradication, with another 30.7% supporting management options short of eradication including regional control and preventing the establishment of new populations. 56.1% of respondents did not want feral populations eradicated.

People were asked to give their views on a range of issues surrounding feral wild boar, including disease risk, potential for damage to crops and property, effects on animal exports, animal welfare, conservation and biodiversity, game and shooting interests, and human safety.

The responses will help inform Defra’s future policy on wild boar, to be announced later this year.

The consultation documents, including the summary of responses can be accessed at www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/wild-boar/index.htm

States not putting out welcome mat for Florida panthers

Naples (Fla.) News: 26 May 2006

Wildlife officials in five Southeastern states say the Florida panther is unlikely to find a home outside the Sunshine State because of public angst and a lack of wide, roadless spaces.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service roiled debate in January when the agency made public a recovery plan that called for reintroducing the predator to its old tromping grounds. Paul Souza, Fish and Wildlife's deputy regional director in Vero Beach, acknowledges it will be tough selling people on the idea of accepting panthers into their midst.

In letters to the agency, wildlife officials representing Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and Missouri expressed scepticism at the possibility of letting panthers loose in their swamps and forests.

Hunting and lumber-cutting drove panthers, also known as mountain lions, out of Missouri by 1927. But since 1994, the state has documented eight confirmed mountain lion sightings, likely owing to cats wandering southward from the hills of South Dakota.

While expansive, the Florida panther's original territory probably didn't include Missouri, experts say. They roamed as far west as Louisiana and Arkansas, as far north as southern Tennessee and down to the tip of Florida, where the last few descendants remain.

Today, there are about 80 panthers left, making it one of the most endangered species on the planet. With the exception of a handful of males in Central Florida, all of them are squeezed into the marshes south of the Caloosahatchee River - and running out of room fast.

To move panthers from the "endangered" to "threatened" list, the recovery plan calls for the creation of two populations with at least 240 individuals. Scientists estimate that each population will require a relatively unfragmented habitat that is 8,000 to 12,000 square miles, or roughly the size of Massachusetts.

Between 1972 and 2005, 80 panthers died in collisions with vehicles. In Southwest Florida, as more roads and subdivisions extend toward the Everglades, scientists expect the deaths to rise.

Critics say that Fish and Wildlife, which is charged with protecting listed animals such as the panther, have given developers the upper hand on environmental rules intended to protect remaining habitat. Over the past two decades, the agency issued biological opinions in South Florida that eliminated 90,000 acres of panther habitat while requiring 30,000 acres to be preserved in return.

Fish and Wildlife's call for public comments on the panther recovery plan has generated 35,000 responses so far. Some 34,900 of them came from those who forwarded on the Defenders of Wildlife's response letter from the environmental group's online.

Southeastern states used the opportunity to weigh in on the prospect of panther reintroduction, mostly in the negative. Reintroduction, Souza said, "is many, many years down the road, if ever." The agency's first priority is ensuring panthers have enough habitat to survive where they are now, he added.

But if a state balks at allowing panthers inside its borders, "my feeling is we have to respect their wishes," he said. "Without public support, we can't be successful."

Rare bear ends brief German stay

Aerobic raptors claw their way back

Gardiner launches forestry review

DEFRA Press release Ref: 212/06, 12 May 2006

Low timber prices, the effects of climate change, and a shortage of skilled workers must not prevent England's trees, woods and forests from creating benefits for everyone, Forestry Minister Barry Gardiner said today.

Mr Gardiner, launching a consultation on the review of the England Forestry Strategy, said he wanted trees, woods and forests to make an increasingly important contribution to sustainable development over the next decade.

“I want us to get more from our trees, woods and forests.” he said.

The consultation identifies national priorities and policies over the next 5 - 10 years to which England's trees, woods and forests can make a particularly significant contribution. The consultation has been prepared by Defra with advice from experts, particularly the Forestry Commission and the England Forestry Forum.

The new Strategy, which will follow the consultation, will be supported by a joint Forestry Commission - Natural England action plan for national delivery, and will give shape and direction to local delivery through the wide range of partners engaged in the Regional Forestry Frameworks.

Background material to the consultation includes:

• A report on progress against the England Forestry Strategy and achievements since 1998

• A specially commissioned Economic Review of Forestry

• Topic papers on key policy areas.

The consultation paper is available from the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/forestry-strategy/index.htm. Deadline for comments is 4pm on 9 August 2006.

Protest as bears go back in wild

Times 10 May 2006

Complaints from local farmers against the release of bears has been overturned in France with the ruling from the Council of State that the Government can repopulate the Pyrenees, where brown bears completely disappeared in the 1980s. Two female bears from Slovenia were recently set free, following an earlier release of three bears in 1996.

Because of strong local opposition, three more planned bear releases were postponed pending the Council of State ruling, which noted in its decision that France had signed an international convention pledging to protect bears.

Sheep farmers fear bear attacks of their flocks and plan more demonstrations. Jars of honey laced with broken glass have been found.