“China’s population of the Baer’s Pochard, a critically endangered diving duck, has more than doubled to 2,555, up from roughly 1,000 in 2012, according to a nationwide wintering survey released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.”
From China Daily.
New York State Department of Health | Pollution
“The New York State Department of Health today issued updated advice for eating fish caught in waterbodies statewide. The advice provides important health information to New Yorkers who enjoy fishing for food. Declining levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in some lower Hudson River fish mean for the first time in 50 years, anglers and their families can eat some of the fish they catch.”
Society for Conservation Biology | Conservation & Biodiversity
“Providing synthetic substitutes is a widely promoted strategy to shift consumer demand away from wildlife products derived from threatened species. Yet, there is little evidence on whether product substitution prevents illegal or unsustainable harvesting and contributes to the recovery of threatened populations. Drawing on the Furs for Life Zambia initiative, which supplied synthetic furs known as heritage furs to replace leopard furs traditionally worn during Lozi royal ceremonies in western Zambia, we devised a way to test the effects and causal mechanisms of substitution. Guided by the EMMIE (effect, mechanisms, moderators, implementation, and economic cost) framework commonly used in crime prevention evaluations, we triangulated data from semistructured questionnaires, law enforcement patrols, court records, camera-trap monitoring of leopards (Panthera pardus), and stakeholder interviews conducted from 2018 to 2024. We used qualitative analyses and the general elimination method to assess plausible alternative explanations for leopard recovery. By 2024, adoption of synthetic furs among leopard fur users exceeded 80%, and self-reported ownership of authentic leopard furs declined by 78%. Patrol detections of leopard poaching incidents decreased, and camera-trap density estimates increased from an average of 2.7 to 3.8 leopards per 100 km2 across the focal landscape.”
“In Antarctica, one of our planet’s last great wildernesses, a remarkable comeback is taking place.
In the very same waters of the Southern Ocean where whalers slaughtered more than 2 million whales during the 20th century, pushing a number of species to the brink of extinction, populations are recovering. Humpback whales have been the fastest to bounce back since commercial whaling was banned in 1986, and populations are nearly at pre-whaling levels. Blue whales, the world’s largest animal, have been slower.
Last week, I spoke to two independent researchers undertaking a scientific survey near the South Orkney islands. They recorded seeing multiple groups of more than 100 whales, in ‘remarkable and breathtaking scenes’ reminiscent of those described by the first polar explorers.”
From The Guardian.
Smithsonian Magazine | Conservation & Biodiversity
“Around a decade ago, koalas nearly vanished from southeastern Australia due to the fur trade. In the 1920s, as few as 500 individuals remained in the state of Victoria. Conservationists kicked off a concerted effort to rebuild their numbers, and by 2020, the local population had ballooned to nearly half a million animals.
While that’s good news, if a population gets severely reduced in a ‘genetic bottleneck,’ that usually causes descendants to have little genetic variation. This can increase their risk of inbreeding—which can lead to deformities and poor health—and leave them vulnerable to environmental pressures they can’t adapt to.
Surprisingly, DNA analyses reveal that Victorian koalas’ genetics are also quickly rebounding, probably because the population grew so fast, according to a study published March 5 in the journal Science. The findings provide hope to those working to save animals from the brink of extinction.”
From Smithsonian Magazine.
