Environmentalism and Wildlife Conservation Discussion

I'd say it's kinda hard to test a baleen whale's exact intelligence when they're mostly a bit too big to easily do those sorts of experiments.

Carbon dioxide-spewing volcano drives reef from coral to algae: "A dramatic shift from vibrant coral communities to carpets of algae has been documented by researchers in remote Pacific Ocean waters where an underwater volcano spews carbon dioxide."

"Press your nose to the screen when... I said 'to', not 'through'."

...could be worse. Could be a swordfish.

" I only object to calling it a "Sport". I mean. How hard is it to aim and pull a trigger? At most, it is entertainment. And in this case, it is entertainment via causing another creature that suffers and feels pain to suffer and feel pain; so I hope you can understand the reticence of others of finding it a wonderfully sane thing to be entertained by. Hunting for food? I can understand, but it is seriously not a sport."

I know this is old, but..

Yeah, but there are a lot of dubious things that are labeled "sports"

I don't find EZ-mode hunting as the weird exception

I can understand people not LIKING the fact that other people like hunting, I just don't see anything inherently wrong with it just because they do enjoy it.

My problem lies with the fact they keep hunting endangered species

edited 11th Aug '15 10:33:10 AM by Stratostygo3

Most things labelled a sport involve some kind of competition between two (or more) people.

But generally we take issue because you're killing something for fun, the lives of other creatures shouldn't be something extinguish just because it amuses us to do so.

Unless they are orcs.

Then it's ok.

Non-native marine species' spread, impact explained by time since introduction: "The time since the introduction of a non-native marine species best explains its global range, according to new research by an international team of scientists. The study also contains a warning: The vast majority of marine invaders have not yet finished spreading."

Melting glaciers feed Antarctic food chain: "Nutrient-rich water from melting Antarctic glaciers nourishes the ocean food chain, creating feeding 'hot spots' in large gaps in the sea ice, according to a new study."

Catastrophic invertebrate extinction in Hawai'i, and globally: "A team of researchers recently published the first rigorous assessment of extinction of invertebrates in Hawai`i. In a companion study the team addressed invertebrate extinction globally. Based on their findings, the researchers show that the suspected biodiversity crisis is real and stressed the need to include assessments of invertebrates in order to obtain a more realistic picture of the current situation, known widely as the 'sixth mass extinction.'"

Wild boars are gaining ground: "The wild boar population in Europe is growing. However, the reasons for this growth were not yet clear. Scientists have now found that climate change plays a major role. The number of wild boars grows particularly after mild winters, suggesting that food availability is a decisive factor."

Also wild boar and apple sausages are tasty and we need a decent population size to sustain the creation of them.

Not many large predators in Europe to keep the wild boar population in check, really.

bring back the predators, then.

Solution: invite 'mericans into Europe. Point them at potential bacon.

New problem: 'Merica now wants to bomb you in the name of freedom and natural bacon resources

I'm all for cloning cave lions.

Critically endangered species successfully reproduced using frozen sperm from ferret dead for 20 years: "Black-footed ferrets, a critically endangered species native to North America, have renewed hope for future survival thanks to successful efforts by a coalition of conservationists, to reproduce genetically important offspring using frozen semen from a ferret who has been dead for approximately 20 years. The sire, 'Scarface,' as he is affectionately called, was one of the last 18 black-footed ferrets to exist in the world in the 1980s."

Not even cave lions; lions were in Europe in historical times.

I know. Here in Greece we used to have great biodiversity. Lions, dwarf elephants, dwarf hippos, pythons, Molossers...

But, times have changed, as has the climate. Nowdays, not even crocodiles can survive in Crete.

Drinkable Book is godly technology.

The climate hasn't changed since then. This isn't the ice ages we are talking about. This is the postglacial.

Welcome to the Anthropocene — up 4° and climbing. Seriously, the average temperature has been going steadily up for 15 000 years, despite occasional volcanic-induced dips.

And, in geological terms, about 4°C in only 15 000 years? That's fast.

EDIT: Sorry about that comma, all those used to the decimal. My bad. Changed to the good, old space.

edited 18th Aug '15 6:53:57 PM by Euodiachloris

Philippine eagle Pamana shot dead

Amazon fire risk linked to devastating hurricanes: "Researchers have uncovered a remarkably strong link between high wildfire risk in the Amazon basin and the devastating hurricanes that ravage North Atlantic shorelines. The climate scientists' findings appear near the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's calamitous August 2005 landfall at New Orleans."

OK...another apex predator is about to bite the dust. It's already in dire straits from habitat loss and this isn't helping.

The unique ecology of human predators: "Research reveals new insight behind widespread wildlife extinctions, shrinking fish sizes, and disruptions to global food chains. 'Our wickedly efficient killing technology, global economic systems and resource management that prioritize short-term benefits to humanity have given rise to the human super predator,' says an expert."

Without humans, the whole world could look like Serengeti: "The fact that the greatest diversity of large mammals is found in Africa reflects past human activities — and not climatic or other environmental constraints. This is determined in a new study, which presents what the world map of mammals would look like if modern man (Homo sapiens) had never existed."

It's a titi! New monkey species found in Peru: "For nearly a century the carcass of a small, reddish-brown monkey from South America gathered dust in a windowless backroom of the American Natural History Museum in New York City.

Like a morgue corpse in a drawer with the wrong toe tag, it was a victim of mistaken identity. No one realised during all those years that it was, in fact, a specimen of an unknown species.

That taxonomical injustice will be rectified at the end of this month when the newly-minted Latin name of the overlooked monkey—rediscovered in 2013 during a jungle expedition through central Peru mounted by a Dutch primatologist—is officially published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal."

The point about the whole world looking like Serengeti if not for us is exactly my point. That should be the goal for ecosystem management-get as close to that as possible.

And can you imagine how much revenue it would bring?

edited 23rd Aug '15 5:16:36 AM by Bk-notburgerking

Bizarre bat with longest tongue discovered in Bolivian park: "A groundbreaking Bolivian scientific expedition, Identidad Madidi, has found a bizarre bat along with a new species of big-headed or robber frog (Oreobates sp. nov.) from the Craugastoridae family in Madidi National Park."