Home/Posts Tagged ‘Nature’
Posts Tagged ‘Nature’
Conservation, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Dec 26th, 2011,
Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The axolotl has the ability to re-grow whole limbs! While the bizarre axolotl may look like it comes from another planet, it is actually a type of salamander. This fascinating amphibian exhibits a trait known as neoteny, where, instead of transforming from the juvenile form to an adult as in other species of amphibian, it retains some of its juvenile features. The most obvious of these is the branch-like gills projecting from the neck on each side of the head. These allow the axolotl to remain permanently in water. However, if conditions become unfavourable, the axolotl…
Tags: ARKive.org, axolotl, Conservation, endangered species, Nature, salamander
Nature, Science & Technology, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 23rd, 2011,
Inspiring kids and adults alike to learn and take action in support of the thousands of threatened and endangered species on Earth can be a challenge in the mass communication society we live in today. However, coupling the power of technology with the world’s most beautiful and awe-inspiring images and films of these species seems to be a winning combination to do just that. ARKive, the Noah’s Ark of the Internet, is leading the “virtual” conservation movement by utilizing the worldwide web to create the online resource for images, films, sound recordings and biological fact files for the 17,000+ species…
Tags: ARKive, Conservation, Digital Ark, endangered species, Nature, wildlife
Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 18th, 2011,
The Bombodrom is an area of heath in the former East Germany which was used by the Soviets as a testing ground for explosives during the old days of the Eastern Bloc. Though some 1.5 million munitions are planted in the grounds of the Bombodrom, the fields now lie fallow and have become home to more gentle activities, like the grazing of endangered moorland sheep. Luckily none have trod on any landmines, but there are some other threats on the wiley, windy moors. At night, they are herded into an enclosure to protect them from a burgeoning wolf population…
Tags: Bombadrom, Germany, Nature, Reserve, Soviet, wild
Health, Nature, Nov 3rd, 2010,
While traveling from Puerto Rico to his home in Hawaii, Andy Irons has died, so was confirmed by Surfer Magazine yesterday. Although the cause of death is still unknown, sources close to the family say he passed away as a result of dengue fever. Andy Irons was 3 times world champion and only 32 years old. He had a baby on the way and nothing could predict this horrible tragedy. So when I heard the news, I wanted to know more about dengue fever and how such a strong athlete contracted it. According to Wikipedia it’s a disease that resembles…
Tags: andy irons, andy irons dies, dengue fever, malaria, Nature, surf champion, surfing, wildlife
Climate Change, Nature, Politics, Wildlife & Flora, ,
I was reading an article in The Guardian yesterday, in which George Monblot expressed is view on the success, or should I say failure, of last week’s Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya. According to him “we’ve been conned. The deal to save the natural world never happened”. Already, I like the guy. But let’s get back to the subject matter for a minute. The big biodiversity convention that was going to change the way we treat plants, animals and nature did in fact produce a declaration, proclaimed by the senior staff of the convention, in tune with major national…
Tags: biodiversity summit, convention on biodiversity, declaration, george monblot, japan, Nagoya, Nature, wildlife
Green living, Health, Science & Technology, Sep 3rd, 2010,
Lately genetically-modified foods (GM foods) have made a big splash in the news. European environmental organizations and public interest groups have been protesting actively against GM foods. What are genetically-modified foods? The term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait, very rapidly and with…
Tags: Europe, food, GM, Nature, safety
Nature, Politics, Pollution, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 1st, 2010,
Many think that the environmentalists are overstating the case, and that golf is hardly in the same league as the other pollutions strangling Japan.
Tags: environment, golf, government, japan, Nature, Pollution, water
Climate Change, Politics, Wildlife & Flora, Aug 19th, 2010,
In advance of a major UN meeting for the Convention on Biological Diversity, the organization’s secretary-general, Ahmed Djoghlaf, recently warned of the threats posed against the natural world – and life itself – by population growth, urbanization, agriculture and climate change. Despite these increasing threats and an ongoing mass extinction in the natural world, which is almost 1,000 times the normal ‘background’ rate, governments are simply not acting to preserve biodiversity and the overall health of the planet. No country has met its targets to protect nature. We are losing biodiversity at an unprecedented rate. If current levels [of destruction]…
Tags: Ahmed, biodiversity, biological, change, climate, convention, diversity, Djoghlaf, Nature, rainforest, threats, UN
Conservation, Nature, Politics, Jul 14th, 2010,
Economist Pavan Sukhdev is the independent study leader of a European Union research project, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) hosted by the UN Environment Program (UNEP). Sukhdev has argued that current economic models do not sufficiently address the true value of nature and natural resources outside of commerce. He is a proponent of the concept of ‘natural capital’, in which a value is placed on food, clean water, clean air, forests, etc, but without commodifying nature. Poor rural populations who live outside of consumption-based economies value nature because they depend on it to survive rather than because they…
Tags: biodiversity, Business, corporation, economic, ecosystem, Europe, European, forestry, forests, government, natural, Nature, resources, UN, value
Conservation, Nature, Politics, Wildlife & Flora, Jun 24th, 2010,
We live in a vast world with many different creatures. It may come as a surprise to learn where some species call home—especially when those places tend to be pretty remote and dangerous. Unfortunately, some of those dangers can still come from humans. In the past 11 months, 28 Indian Rhinos were poached throughout Nepal’s Himalayan Mountains. An investigation is currently underway as conservation officials, police and army chiefs were ordered to come up with a strategy to put a stop to the killings, once and for all. Although the rhinos are already protected by the government and the forests…
Tags: foothills, Great One-horned rhino, Himalayas, Indian Rhino, investigation, Nature, Nepal, poaching, political unrest, rhinoceros, rhinos
Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, Jun 19th, 2010,
Once considered a pest and hunted, the majestic whale sharks of Donsol in the Philippines are now a successful attraction for eco-tourists. The whale shark is the world’s largest fish and can measure up to 20 meters in length. Used as a food source in some places of the world, whale shark meat is not cheap – especially the fins. This despite the fact that the World Conservation Union lists the whale shark as vulnerable to extinction. But preserving and protecting the whale sharks of Donsol is far more appealing – and profitable – for the residents of this Philippine…
Tags: australia, ban, CNN, Donsol, Hong Kong, Nature, Philippines, whale shark
Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Jun 15th, 2010,
I have some good news about a rather large reptile that we don’t report about too often. Recently, there was a successful hatching of 13 Siamese Crocodiles! I never knew there was such a thing as a Siamese Crocodile, but apparently they are a critically endangered species that can dispersed throughout Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and possibly Thailand. Excessive hunting and habitat loss have been their main threats and it was only in 1992 that they were believed to be extinct in the wild; so, this hatching is an extra-joyous occasion. It all started with the discovery of a…
Tags: 13, Areng Valley, critically endangered species, Flora and Fauna International, hatching, incubation, Nature, nest, Siamese crocodiles
Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Jun 8th, 2010,
One of the world’s rarest mammals moved a step closer to extinction recently. The remains of a critically endangered male Javan Rhino were found 2 weeks ago in Ujung Kulon National Park of West Java, home to some of the last remaining Javan Rhinos. The park is home to approximately 44 of these rhinos, which are also some of the last of their kind. Unlike the rhino that was poached last month at Vietnam’s Cat Loc Reserve, it is believed this most recent death was of natural causes. The head of the Rhino Foundation of Indonesia, Widodo Ramono, speculated the…
Tags: critically endangered, dead, Javan Rhino, Nature, rare, Ujung Kulon National Park, West Java, wildlife
Green living, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, May 30th, 2010,
School is ending, summer is rearing it’s blistering hot head, and the vacation season is upon us. Will you take to the beach again this year, or perhaps go camping in the mountains? Have you been eyeing one of those Caribbean cruises or thinking of trudging through an over-crowded amusement park? While some destinations may offer green hospitality or eco-friendly activities here and there, much of the world has yet to catch up with eco-tourism. However, some places have definitely gone above and beyond the call and are worth mentioning in this list. Check them out: 10. Norway First, we…
Tags: adventure, Alaska, australia, biodiversity, borneo, California, Costa Rica, eco accommodations, eco destinations, eco lodging, eco vacations, eco-tours, ecotourism, expedition, Galapagos Islands, Green, journey, Kenya, Nature, New Zealand, Norway, sustainable, The Amazon, top 10 list, travel
Climate Change, Nature, Politics, Wildlife & Flora, May 20th, 2010,
I have been reading The Lord of the Rings lately. One of my favorite characters from these books is Treebeard (or Fangorn—and the rest of the Ents). Not only are the Ents tree-like in appearance, but Tolkien did an awesome job at showing us how important they are to the world, even without us realizing it. They provide us with shelter and protection, food and nourishment, and even wisdom and council. They will listen to us talk when no one else will and they are quite steadfast and strong, even through the direst of storms. We owe the trees and…
Tags: clean drinking water, Climate change, economy, forests, habitat, land management, National Forest Service Planning Rule, National Forests and Grasslands, Nature, protection, public meetings, recreation, rulemaking, sound science, sustainable living, trees, USDA, wildlife
Nature, Science & Technology, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, May 3rd, 2010,
Amber Bieg is on a mission: to account for every single tree in San Francisco. It all started 5 years ago when Bieg was planting trees in the North Beach area of San Francisco. She realized that “it was really inefficient for one individual, or even a group, to go out with GPS units and survey trees”. So, she started on a plan to get the whole community involved. Bieg partnered up with ecologist, Kelaine Vargas, and the Urban Forest Map project was born. The idea of Urban Forest Map combines citizen science and local data projects, and fortunately for…
Tags: citizen science, community, environment, local data project, Nature, research, San Francisco, study, tree survey, trees, Urban Forest Map
Climate Change, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 23rd, 2010,
A giant stick insect, a lungless frog and a slug that shoots ‘love darts’ are among the 123 new species recently discovered in Borneo’s rainforest. From the Guardian: Conservationists say the weird and wonderful creatures were discovered thanks to a pioneering deal between three governments to protect and conserve 220,000 square kilometres of lush rainforest on the island. The ‘Heart of Borneo’ is a 220,000 square km area of protected rainforest on the Southeast Asian island of Borneo, the third largest island in the world. Borneo is politically shared between the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei and considered extremely…
Tags: biodiversity, borneo, discovered, forests, frog, Heart of Borneo, island, Nature, palm oil, rainforest, species, WWF
Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 10th, 2010,
At a former farm in the Arab emirate of Qatar, a nearly extinct species of Brazilian parrot is being bred in order to preserve and eventually repopulate the breed in its native habitat over 10,000 kilometers away. The Spix’s Macaw is a type of parrot native to the state of Bahia in northwest Brazil. The Spix’s has been considered extinct in the wild since 2000, after years of hunting, trapping and habitat destruction. Al Wabra Wildlife Preserve is privately funded by a Qatari sheik and cares for around 2,000 animals – including a large portion of the world’s remaining Spix’s…
Tags: Al Wabra, Brazilian, endangered, extinct, macaw, Nature, parrot, Qatar, sheik, species, Spix's, Wildlife Preservation
Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 9th, 2010,
Earth Day is on April 22. Everyone knows this. However, there is another somewhat lesser known environmental holiday that also takes place this month (depending on where you live). The holiday I am referring to is Arbor Day. Arbor Day is a day dedicated to the planting, care, and celebration of trees. It was officially founded in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton. Many countries around the world celebrate Arbor Day, but the dates vary depending on which country you are in or from. Germany, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, and the US all celebrate Arbor Day (or a similar day) in…
Tags: Arbor Day, care, celebration, environmental, forests, growth, holiday, Nature, natures, planting, rainforests, seeds, trees
Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, ,
Last year, I went on a journey through Arizona. One of the places I visited was the Grand Canyon. While there, I learned about the California Condor and was actually fortunate enough to see a few of them in flight. It was an awesome experience. If you are unfamiliar with the California Condor: it is the largest North American land bird, a critically endangered species, and the only living animal of the genus Gymnogyps. California Condors can live up to 50 years; however, extensive poaching, lead poison and habitat destruction brought the California Condor species to near extinction. In 1987,…
Tags: birth, California Condor, critically endangered species, hatching, largest bird in America, Nature
