In a desperate effort to save a seabird species in Hawaii from rising ocean waters, scientists are moving chicks to a new island hundreds of miles away. Moving species to save them — once considered taboo — is quickly gaining traction as climate change upends habitats. Similar relocations are being suggested for birds, lizards, butterflies and even flowers. Concerns persist that the novel practice could cause unintended harm the same way invasive plants and animals have wreaked havoc on native species. In this photo provided by the Pacific Rim Conservation, wildlife workers relocate Tristram’s storm petrels on Hawaii’s Tern Island, on March 29, 2022. (L. Young/Pacific Rim Conservation via AP) But for the Tristram’s storm petrels on northeastern Hawaii’s Tern Island, which is j...
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Rare bird, forest protectors clash with India's renewable energy vision A conservationist wants India’s government to bury renewable power lines to protect rare birds. Protesting villagers halt a wind energy project to save their local forest. And farmers stop a solar plant from eating up pastureland. As India forges ahead with ambitious plans to boost its clean energy supply here, the government is facing push-back that highlights the challenges of balancing the competing goals of going green with protecting wildlife and forests. While government authorities argue that shifting India away from planet-warming fossil fuels is a top priority, environmentalists and communities say nature is being treated as collateral damage in the national rush to roll out green power. “We a...
Read MoreCovid-19 not only affects humans; our closest relatives, the great apes, are also at risk. A team of experts, including Oxford Brookes University researchers say that jungle trekkers could be risking the lives of Critically Endangered species of orangutans, by passing on human viruses like Covid-19. The researchers examined Instagram images of tourists in Indonesia and saw them breaking the rule of maintaining a 10 metre distance, posing for selfies, stroking, cuddling or feeding the wild orangutans. This activity exposes the orangutans to human diseases which can prompt deadly infections. Lead author of the research paper, Andrea Molyneaux, a conservation biologist based in North Sumatra and a passionate advocate of safe jungle trekking practices, said: “The risk of zoono...
Read MoreBlack rhino, sable antelope, other species at risk from growing human population
Kenya's black rhinos, sable antelope and three other species are critically endangered, while nine more species including lions, elephants and cheetahs are endangered, the government said, citing the threat from an expanding human population. The East African nation conducted a three-month survey of its wildlife from May to July, the first time it has conducted such an exercise aimed at informing its conservation policies. FILE PHOTO: A southern white rhino and her calf are seen inside the Nairobi National Park with the Nairobi skyline in the background, in Kenya. REUTERS/Baz Ratner In its report, released late on Tuesday, the government said conservation efforts were facing a threat from an expanding population which is encroaching on the spaces reserved for wildlife. Human a...
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