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Bayard
Bayard's Journal
Bayard's Journal
October 17, 2019
These are 5 steps to save them:
It is one of the most familiar and cherished signs of spring - the melodic chirping that heralds the end of the long winter months.
But the chorus that has filled the heavens for countless millennia is under threat, with a new report saying that at least 40% of avian species worldwide have declining populations.
The State of the World’s Birds, a report by BirdLife International, says the scale of the problem is huge, yet there is a strong message of hope. Patricia Zurita, BirdLife’s chief executive, says the study “clearly demonstrates that solutions do exist and that significant, lasting success can be achieved”.
She adds that civil society, represented by wildlife groups and interested individuals, can help. “By harnessing local expertise within a global framework of best practice based on sound science, it is possible to achieve far-reaching and enduring impact.” she says.
An avian eco-economy
One of the main reasons for optimism is because watching birds is one of the world’s most popular pastimes. Around 60 million Americans, almost a fifth of the population, identify as birdwatchers, while in the UK, 23% of the population watches birds, the report says.
“Birdwatching is hugely important economically, constituting the largest ecotourism sector,” the authors note. “Collectively, the world’s national parks and nature reserves receive around 8 billion visits annually, many through avi-tourism, generating around $600 billion in revenue each year.”
However, human activities, including cutting down trees, are harmful to bird life. Logging is a key factor in the declining numbers of the most globally endangered species.
But the researchers highlight important measures being taken around the world. Measures, they say, that prove coordinated action can have a positive effect on biodiversity and bird life.
Five ways to save the birds
1. Restore natural habitats
In the UK, wildlife charity RSPB is involved in a wetland restoration scheme on a scale never before attempted in Europe. Due to be completed in 2025, the project at Wallasea Island in southern England will have reinstated a total of 670 hectares of wetland.
Meanwhile, many saltpans across southern Europe and northern Africa, often constructed to separate seawater from salt for commercial purposes, have been abandoned or fallen into disuse. Now wildlife groups are working with local communities and salt producers to develop economic activities to ensure they remain profitable and can be used by migratory birds.
2. End deforestation and restoring forests
In partnership with the Worldwide Fund for Nature and the Wildlife Conservation Society, BirdLife is working on a scheme that will see one trillion trees re-grown, saved or be better protected by 2050.
For example, in the Harapan Rainforest in Indonesia, an innovative forest management licence has been introduced that has seen around 100,000 hectares being turned over to a consortium of wildlife groups that will manage the concession in the interests of wildlife and local sustainable development. The scheme has since been adopted across the country, BirdLife says.
3. Tackle illegal killing in the Mediterranean
Bird conservation groups in the Mediterranean are working to combat the illegal killing and taking of birds, many of them migratory species.
For instance, in Lebanon last year the Ministry of the Environment announced that a 2004 hunting law, which requires hunters to be licensed and bans electronic luring devices, would be fully implemented.
And the RSPB and BirdLife Cyprus have introduced covert surveillance to gather evidence on illegal bird trapping on the island. So far, 19 people have been secretly filmed illegally catching birds and successfully convicted.
4. Prevent seabirds being caught by fishermen
Established in 2005, BirdLife’s Albatross Task Force has targeted fisheries around the world to reduce the numbers of albatross and petrel being caught in fishing nets.
This has reduced the seabird bycatch typically by as much as 85% and often over 90%. Indeed, in South Africa, the number of albatross caught in hake nets was reduced by 99% over six years.
Meanwhile, in Chile, modifying the nets used in fleets using the purse-seine method reduced the bird catch by 98%, while trials in Peru have shown that lights on nets could further help to cut seabird deaths.
5. Captive breeding and reintroduction
Captive breeding and reintroduction is often the only choice for species that have been reduced to very small numbers. For instance, the island of Guam, in the western Pacific, lost almost all its local birds after the accidental introduction of brown tree snakes in the 1940s. The flightless Guam Rail was almost completely wiped out before the end of the 1980s, but a small number survived in captivity and in zoos.
Now, thanks to a breeding and reintroduction effort, the species is on the threshold of returning. They have been successfully introduced to Cocos Island, off the southern tip of Guam, and to Rota island 90km north of Guam.
Although it may be too early to say a self-sustaining wild population has been established, the signs are looking increasingly good.
More graphs and illustrations at website
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/04/bird-species-extinction-solutions
The world's birds are in big trouble
These are 5 steps to save them:
It is one of the most familiar and cherished signs of spring - the melodic chirping that heralds the end of the long winter months.
But the chorus that has filled the heavens for countless millennia is under threat, with a new report saying that at least 40% of avian species worldwide have declining populations.
The State of the World’s Birds, a report by BirdLife International, says the scale of the problem is huge, yet there is a strong message of hope. Patricia Zurita, BirdLife’s chief executive, says the study “clearly demonstrates that solutions do exist and that significant, lasting success can be achieved”.
She adds that civil society, represented by wildlife groups and interested individuals, can help. “By harnessing local expertise within a global framework of best practice based on sound science, it is possible to achieve far-reaching and enduring impact.” she says.
An avian eco-economy
One of the main reasons for optimism is because watching birds is one of the world’s most popular pastimes. Around 60 million Americans, almost a fifth of the population, identify as birdwatchers, while in the UK, 23% of the population watches birds, the report says.
“Birdwatching is hugely important economically, constituting the largest ecotourism sector,” the authors note. “Collectively, the world’s national parks and nature reserves receive around 8 billion visits annually, many through avi-tourism, generating around $600 billion in revenue each year.”
However, human activities, including cutting down trees, are harmful to bird life. Logging is a key factor in the declining numbers of the most globally endangered species.
But the researchers highlight important measures being taken around the world. Measures, they say, that prove coordinated action can have a positive effect on biodiversity and bird life.
Five ways to save the birds
1. Restore natural habitats
In the UK, wildlife charity RSPB is involved in a wetland restoration scheme on a scale never before attempted in Europe. Due to be completed in 2025, the project at Wallasea Island in southern England will have reinstated a total of 670 hectares of wetland.
Meanwhile, many saltpans across southern Europe and northern Africa, often constructed to separate seawater from salt for commercial purposes, have been abandoned or fallen into disuse. Now wildlife groups are working with local communities and salt producers to develop economic activities to ensure they remain profitable and can be used by migratory birds.
2. End deforestation and restoring forests
In partnership with the Worldwide Fund for Nature and the Wildlife Conservation Society, BirdLife is working on a scheme that will see one trillion trees re-grown, saved or be better protected by 2050.
For example, in the Harapan Rainforest in Indonesia, an innovative forest management licence has been introduced that has seen around 100,000 hectares being turned over to a consortium of wildlife groups that will manage the concession in the interests of wildlife and local sustainable development. The scheme has since been adopted across the country, BirdLife says.
3. Tackle illegal killing in the Mediterranean
Bird conservation groups in the Mediterranean are working to combat the illegal killing and taking of birds, many of them migratory species.
For instance, in Lebanon last year the Ministry of the Environment announced that a 2004 hunting law, which requires hunters to be licensed and bans electronic luring devices, would be fully implemented.
And the RSPB and BirdLife Cyprus have introduced covert surveillance to gather evidence on illegal bird trapping on the island. So far, 19 people have been secretly filmed illegally catching birds and successfully convicted.
4. Prevent seabirds being caught by fishermen
Established in 2005, BirdLife’s Albatross Task Force has targeted fisheries around the world to reduce the numbers of albatross and petrel being caught in fishing nets.
This has reduced the seabird bycatch typically by as much as 85% and often over 90%. Indeed, in South Africa, the number of albatross caught in hake nets was reduced by 99% over six years.
Meanwhile, in Chile, modifying the nets used in fleets using the purse-seine method reduced the bird catch by 98%, while trials in Peru have shown that lights on nets could further help to cut seabird deaths.
5. Captive breeding and reintroduction
Captive breeding and reintroduction is often the only choice for species that have been reduced to very small numbers. For instance, the island of Guam, in the western Pacific, lost almost all its local birds after the accidental introduction of brown tree snakes in the 1940s. The flightless Guam Rail was almost completely wiped out before the end of the 1980s, but a small number survived in captivity and in zoos.
Now, thanks to a breeding and reintroduction effort, the species is on the threshold of returning. They have been successfully introduced to Cocos Island, off the southern tip of Guam, and to Rota island 90km north of Guam.
Although it may be too early to say a self-sustaining wild population has been established, the signs are looking increasingly good.
More graphs and illustrations at website
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/04/bird-species-extinction-solutions
October 16, 2019
No reason to still be doing animal testing.
Beagle Who Spent Years In A Lab Cage Finally Gets A Family
She was blind from testing by putting drugs in her eyes. Get out your tissues.....
No reason to still be doing animal testing.
October 16, 2019
Pick up your trash!
October 8, 2019
A dog who survived Hurricane Dorian is being called a "miracle" in the Bahamas. The people who rescued the dog have named him Miracle because he survived underneath rubble for about a month.
Rescuers from Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee Groves in Palm Beach County say they have rescued over 100 dogs since the devastating storm him the Bahamas. They have used a drone to aid their recovery efforts and the technology was integral during this particular rescue.
The rescuers located the dog pinned underneath an air condition and building debris in Marsh Harbor. After comforting him with food, rescuers were able to pull him out of the debris.
The team rushed the pup to their ranch for lifesaving medical treatment. He was emaciated after not eating for nearly a month — but he miraculously survived. So they named him "Miracle."
"What an incredible story that we were able to discover this dog alive after being trapped for so long," Big Dog Ranch Rescue Founder and President Lauree Simmons told CBS Miami. "We are using the latest technology for our recovery teams to locate these animals. In this case, drones played a key role."
Miracle is the 138th dog rescued by Big Dog Ranch Rescue in the Bahamas. The organization is working with the Humane Society on the island to clear shelter space for new dogs. Miracle arrived on Friday, and will stay until his family claims him.
If no one claims Miracle, Big Dog Ranch will work to find him a forever home. The rescue team encourages those who would like to help or adopt to visit BDRR.org for more information.
video at link
Dog rescued after surviving nearly a month pinned under rubble from Hurricane Dorian
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/miracle-the-dog-rescued-bahamas-after-hurricane-dorian-surviving-nearly-a-month-pinned-under-rubble-air-conditioner/?ftag=CNM-00-10aag7eA dog who survived Hurricane Dorian is being called a "miracle" in the Bahamas. The people who rescued the dog have named him Miracle because he survived underneath rubble for about a month.
Rescuers from Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee Groves in Palm Beach County say they have rescued over 100 dogs since the devastating storm him the Bahamas. They have used a drone to aid their recovery efforts and the technology was integral during this particular rescue.
The rescuers located the dog pinned underneath an air condition and building debris in Marsh Harbor. After comforting him with food, rescuers were able to pull him out of the debris.
The team rushed the pup to their ranch for lifesaving medical treatment. He was emaciated after not eating for nearly a month — but he miraculously survived. So they named him "Miracle."
"What an incredible story that we were able to discover this dog alive after being trapped for so long," Big Dog Ranch Rescue Founder and President Lauree Simmons told CBS Miami. "We are using the latest technology for our recovery teams to locate these animals. In this case, drones played a key role."
Miracle is the 138th dog rescued by Big Dog Ranch Rescue in the Bahamas. The organization is working with the Humane Society on the island to clear shelter space for new dogs. Miracle arrived on Friday, and will stay until his family claims him.
If no one claims Miracle, Big Dog Ranch will work to find him a forever home. The rescue team encourages those who would like to help or adopt to visit BDRR.org for more information.
video at link
October 7, 2019
Frantic dog protecting his owner
October 7, 2019
The Always Keeping Girls in School program is inspired by the Always brand purpose (to unleash women and girls confidence so they can be whoever they want to be) and by Procter & Gamble’s commitment to gender equality building a world where everyone sees equal. Around the world, the onset of puberty marks the lowest point in girls’ confidence. In many African communities, stigmas and taboos around menstruation lead to many girls not receiving information about puberty and often being unprepared when they have their first period.
In addition to that, girls who grow up in poverty often cannot afford period protection, which means that they don’t fully participate in school, sports or social life when they have their periods. All these issues can lead to increased school absenteeism, and for some girls even dropping out altogether.
The Always Keeping Girls in School program reaches vulnerable girls with essential puberty and confidence education and donations of pads, so that they can commit to their education and their future. Since 2008, P&G has reached over 200, 000 girls and donated over 13 million pads in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.
Menstruation-related issues are a gender-based barrier to girls’ education. There are many reasons that children may miss school – but having a period should not be one of them.
https://always.com/en-us/about-us/keeping-girls-in-school
Always is Helping Keep Girls in School in South Africa
The Always Keeping Girls in School program is inspired by the Always brand purpose (to unleash women and girls confidence so they can be whoever they want to be) and by Procter & Gamble’s commitment to gender equality building a world where everyone sees equal. Around the world, the onset of puberty marks the lowest point in girls’ confidence. In many African communities, stigmas and taboos around menstruation lead to many girls not receiving information about puberty and often being unprepared when they have their first period.
In addition to that, girls who grow up in poverty often cannot afford period protection, which means that they don’t fully participate in school, sports or social life when they have their periods. All these issues can lead to increased school absenteeism, and for some girls even dropping out altogether.
The Always Keeping Girls in School program reaches vulnerable girls with essential puberty and confidence education and donations of pads, so that they can commit to their education and their future. Since 2008, P&G has reached over 200, 000 girls and donated over 13 million pads in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.
Menstruation-related issues are a gender-based barrier to girls’ education. There are many reasons that children may miss school – but having a period should not be one of them.
https://always.com/en-us/about-us/keeping-girls-in-school
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Member since: Tue Dec 29, 2015, 03:16 PM
Number of posts: 22,061
