Blog Archives - TAYLOR PARKER

Conservation News ~ 27 March 2020

3/27/2020

National Parks in Africa shutter over COVID-19 threat to Great Apes
Yellow Fever is next great threat to Brazil’s Golden Lion Tamarin
Indonesia ends timber legality rule, stoking fears of illegal logging boom
Huge Victory for Standing Rock Sioux Tribe as Federal Court rules DAPL permits violated law
New research suggests ancient Mercury had the right stuff for life
Oregon organization opposing Jordan Cove LNG send a huge thank you to Governor Kate Brown
New species of flying reptile with spiked teeth discovered
Analysis reveals new species in Smaug lizard group
Agency drafts conservation plan to protect Hawaii seabirds
Palm Oil giant Olam under scrutiny again over Gabon plantations
First possible COVID-19 indigenous cases detected near key Amazon reserve
Chilean authorities eye controversial Cruz Grande port project
In race for a sustainable alternative to plastic, Indonesia bets on seaweed
National parks pay the price as land conflicts intensify in Colombia
All microgastrinae wasps from around the world finally together in 1089-page monograph
Activist-led lawsuit alleges EPA glyphosate weedkiller approval violated Endangered Species Act
New genetic editing powers discovered in squid
Illegal wildlife trade goes online as China shuts down markets
Goldman Prize-winning Cambodian activist arrested, released in Cambodia
New player starts clearing rainforest in world’s biggest oil palm project
Scientists call for independent review of dam project in orangutan habitat
From vegetable plots in a Sri Lankan swamp, a forgotten eel emerges
Spain and Portugal take illegal ivory off the black market
Ancestor of all animals identified in Australian fossils
Pablo Escobar’s cocaine hippos may benefit Colombia’s environment
Green groups push for environmental protections in stimulus package
Russia lists Caspian seals and killer whales as endangered species after whale jail controversy
NASA pauses work on James Webb Space telescope due to COVID-19
Malawi government bans bush meat in the wake of COVID-19
Shell of bioluminescent shrimp not only glows but detects light
Peru uncovers organized crime network laundering illegally mined gold
Oil exploration at odds with peatland protection in the Congo Basin
New assessment shows Sri Lanka’s amphibians being pushed to the brink
Myanmar releases endangered turtles into Chindwin River
Scientists have discovered the origins of the building blocks of life
Critically endangered quoll safe from proposed solar farm developer
Fight over jaguar habitat in Southwest heads back to court
Federally protected lands reduce habitat loss and protect endangered species
COVID-19 prompts closure of Indonesian parks, and a chance to evaluate
Indonesian activists denounce a road being built illegally in leopard habitat
White House hires a trophy-hunting advocate to protect wildlife
To save Cross River gorillas, EU-funded program aims to empower communities
Geologists find lost fragment of ancient continent in Canada’s North
Study: Simply giving species some screen time raises awareness and interest in helping them
Number of Monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico down by more than half
Wealth fund divests from Peruvian firm after indigenous group complaint
Spix’s Macaw return to Brazil
Fish sprouted fingers before they ventured onto land
International team discovers new species of ancient flying reptiles
Seven new species of colorful Peacock Spider join the dance party
Tiger King Joe Exotic is suing the government for almost $94 million
Coronavirus may mean Botswana’s hunting season is cancelled

Conservation News ~ 20 March 2020

3/20/2020

Cambodia scraps plans for Mekong hydropower dams
Three new species of chameleons emerge from century-old entanglement
Mexico’s deadly toll of environment and land defenders catalogued in report
Lawsuit seeks to finalize Endangered Species protection for Eastern Black Rail
Win for conservation as African black rhino number rise
China’s revised forest law could boost efforts to fight illegal logging
Study finds that sea turtles might be eating plastic because it smells like food
Arctic permafrost moving toward crisis, abrupt that a growing risk
The National Park Service has waived entrance fees
The coronavirus pandemic drastically reduced carbon emissions
Ancient worm finally pegged as new genus
As virus shuts down cities in Europe, pollution drops
Urban coyotes eat lots of cats and human garbage, poop study finds
Two new species of sawsharks found in West Indian Ocean
As Italy quarantines over coronavirus, dolphins appear in Venice canals
Amazon rainforest reaches point of no return
Researchers engineer the world’s first aerogels made from scrap tires
Birth of wild tapir offers hope for Brazil’s endangered ecosystem
Vietnam considers wildlife trade ban in response to coronavirus pandemic
Ecuador’s tallest waterfall suddenly disappeared
Madagascar off pace to meet Aichi targets
Lack of farmer training worsens Sri Lanka’s growing human-wildlife conflict
Dick’s Sporting Goods to phase out hunting department in over 400 stores
Mysterious ancient sea-worm pegged as new genus after half-century waste basket
Houston Toad/Endangered Species Act – Center for Biological Diversity Judicial Challenge to US
Palm oil firm has farmers jailed for harvesting from land it stole from them
Critics push back as cable car project for Indonesia’s Rinjani is revived
Smaller fragments of forest at risk of greater levels of deforestation
Costa Rican caterpillar decline spells trouble for ecosystems
4 Black teens build robot that can remove all plastics in every ocean worldwide
YC graduate Genecis Bioindustries turns food waste into compostable plastics
New plant species discovered in south China
EPA announces new biological evaluations for pesticides under Endangered Species Act
Chile’s biosphere reserves get supersized but protection isn’t a given
San Francisco’s Michelin-starred restaurant Lazy Bear goes vegan for nine days
NASA screens vegan film The Game Changers to prepare for vegan future in outer space
Satellite images reveal a dramatic drop in pollution during the corona virus quarantine
New fish species accidentally discovered on film
Endangered tiger salamander making a comeback in Maryland
17 large-scale solar projects planned in Upstate New York
Biodiversity hotspot in India’s Western Ghats reveals yet another undescribed species
VW says it will drop 30k ID.3 electric cars at once, will be cheaper than gas cars
Two suspected rhino poachers shot dead in KwaZulu-Natal game park
Australia MPs dismayed at NSW forestry logging unburnt habitat after bushfires
White House is thwarted by court in bid to log biggest national forest
Western Lowland Gorillas may be territorial
Brazil drastically reduces controls over suspicious Amazon timber exports
Fish stock plunder costing SA billions
Vietnam’s new conservation plan prioritizes trees and people – emissions? Not so much
Pipeline company to pay more than $60 million for 2015 oil spill near Santa Barbara
Florida poised to protect Gulf of Mexico’s largest seagrass bed
Major steps taken to implement the Endangered Species Act
San Diego Zoo researchers retrieve rhino’s eggs to recover critically endangered species
Supreme Court rejects Trans Mountain legal challenges
Conservationists cautiously optimistic after Bolivian government changes hands
Wind and solar plants will soon be cheaper than coal in all big markets around world
Heat stress may affect more than 1.2 billion people annually by 2100
Peruvian women unite against toxic metals pollution and win human rights prize
Chinese company claims eating dogs shows ‘cultural confidence’
Neom, Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion megacity, reaches its next phase
Six-fold jump in polar ice loss lifts global oceans
Next generation water splitter could help renewable power the globe
Young mountain lion killed trying to cross the 101
Wales launches 5m pound national forest scheme
Virginia becomes the first state in the South to target 100% clean power
A new mantis species rises from the ashes of Brazil’s national museum
New species of Musk Shrew discovered in Indonesia
Complaint alleges oil company left Peru communities’ environment in ruins
Record-high global tree cover loss driven by agriculture

Conservation News ~ 13 March 2020

3/13/2020

Arizona Gov signs bill cloaking endangered species info
Egypt launches project to plant mangrove trees along Red Sea coast
Canadian doctors link fracked natural gas to cancer and birth defects
Jaguar population rises in Igazu Falls region
In Afghanistan, a new national park carries hopes for conservation and peace
Remote South American kelp forests surveyed for first time since 1973
Discovery of smallest known Mesozoic dinosaur reveals new species in bird evolution
A possible end to ‘forever’ chemicals
Brazil drastically reduces controls over suspicious Amazon timber exports
Poachers kill two rare white giraffes
Record-high global tree cover loss driven by agriculture
Mild winter spurs bears to emerge from hibernation earlier
Chance encounter gives SF Zoo rare glimpse of a bald eagle it released 20 years ago
New EU rules could spell end of throwaway culture
New bug species named after Lady Gaga due to its wacky fashion sense
Brazil issues fewest number of environment fines in 24 years
Man held at Saigon airport with six kg of rhino horns
White House expected to seek aid for shale companies hit by oil rout
Oil and gas project threatens Brazil’s last great block of Amazon forest
SeaWorld loss doubles after $32M legal bill
Indonesian indigenous land defenders jailed in fight with pulpwood giant
Oil firm Shell to end its relationship with BFI and Southbank Centre
Coronavirus closures reveal vast scale of China’s secretive wildlife farm industry
N$300M boost for Namibian conservation efforts
New species of Pitcher Plant discovered in Philippines
Palau changes ocean sanctuary plan to allow Japan fishing
Yoshi the turtle reaches Australia in record-breaking swim
Mexico is literally destroying protected mangrove trees to build an $8billion oil refinery
Coronavirus epicenter Hubei bans the eating of wild animals completely
Eighty-six dolphins found dead on remote Namibian beach
France bans fracking and oil extraction in all of its territories
Florida senate just passed the largest shark fin ban in the US
Aldi CEO tells suppliers: 100% recyclable or compostable packaging is non-negotiable
Supreme Court to hear White House’s appeal about Endangered Species report
Endangered species found on Hong Kong supermarket shelves
Changes to NEPA could impact our public lands
Virginia lawmakers send historic energy bill to governor
Predators disproportionately impacted by human land use changes
Climate change threatens relationship between polar bears and ringed seals
New locust swarms forming in Somalia and Kenya – swarms hitting 20 countries
Climate change boosted Australia fire risk by 30%
Arctic ocean found teeming with new form of chlamydia
Hundreds of critically endangered Giant Sea Bass being released in ocean
Pesticides impair the brain development of baby bees
Kern County violating law by rubberstamping oil drilling
Oat milk sales spike by 686 percent in 2019
Fish wearing ‘marine skin’ sensors collect information 6,500 feet below the sea
Despite everything, US emissions dropped in 2019
Oakland just banned exotic animals in entertainment
Airlines are burning thousands of gallons of jet fuel flying empty ghost planes
Lehr discovers new lizard genus in Peruvian Andes
Oregon anti-environment group is awash in racism and violent threats
Public lands give refuge to endangered species
San Antonio Zoo successfully breeds one of world’s most endangered species
California orders permanent shutdown of oil drilling site near USC
US Coal use is plunging at fastest rate since Eisenhower era
New Right Whale protection measures announced by Canadian government

Conservation News ~ 6 March 2020

3/6/2020

US expands Mexican seafood import ban to save critically endangered Vaquita
British hedge fund billionaire Hohn launches campaign to starve coal plants of finance
China seizes over 20 tonnes of smuggled wildlife products
Fossil of new Eocene-period bird species unearthed in Utah
Two new mammal species identified in China’s Huangshan Mountain
California to consider placing mountain lions on endangered list
Tasmania sets world-leading target of 200 percent renewables by 2040
Tropical forests are losing their ability to absorb carbon
World’s biggest meat company linked to ‘brutal massacre’ in Amazon
Brazil to allow for automatic approval of new agrochemicals
Calls to declare koalas endangered as population declines by two-thirds in 20 years
Tennis icon Serena Williams launches vegan leather line to tackle animal cruelty
As a birthday gift to its king, Bhutan’s Prime Minister asks people to adopt stray dogs or plant a tree
Efforts to remove Gray Wolves from endangered species list face oppositions
Open letter to EU leaders on why their new climate law is ‘surrender’
Nova Scotia will officially be home to North America’s first whale sanctuary
Bolsonaro attacks Pope over pontiff’s plea to protect the Amazon
Alberta to close or reduce services in 20 parks as a result of budget cuts
After more than 240 days, Australia’s New South Wales is finally free from bushfires
Scientists have identified a new species of red panda
Following Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase announcements, Wells Fargo rejects funding drilling in the Arctic
Tech companies take down three million online listings for trafficked wildlife
Guam Rails are no longer extinct in the wild
More than 80% of Indian Ocean dolphins may have been killed by commercial fishing
A new island has been discovered in Antarctica
Judge voids oil and gas leases on almost 1 million acres of public lands
Climate crisis cutting short Australia’s winters and extending summers
Major Canmore wildlife corridor decision made in secret
DNA testing reveals Chattanooga Zoo’s Komodo Dragon produced offspring on her own
Broad CWD surveillance, hunter assistance help identify 65 CWD-positive deer in 2019
Rise in number of snow leopards brings cheer to wildlife enthusiasts
Luxembourg becomes first country to make public transport free
Welsh woman declares vindication after guerilla rewilding court case
Children as young as eight used to pick coffee beans for Starbucks
China pollution clears amid coronavirus slowdown
Anger as F1 teams get go-ahead to drive on Dutch nature reserve
UBC student discovers 17 new planets, including potentially habitable, Earth-sized worlds
Feds reject removal of 4 Snake River dams in key report
Threatened species continue to struggle after fires
New reptile that swam with the dinosaurs discovered by Vanderbilt professor
Newly discovered deep sea crustacean named after Metallica
Pennsylvania birds, butterflies, fish and other among species named in federal lawsuit
Adorable Cheetah cubs born via IVF to surrogate mother in world first
Aquarium of the Pacific welcomes a special sea otter and announces new role in helping sea otter pups
LAWSUIT FORCES White House to protect habitat for 12 coral species
Denver Zoo gives birth after more than 480 days of pregnancy
Landmark win in ‘Fight for Habitable Future’ as jury refuses to convict climate activists
Outdoor air pollution cuts three years from human lifespan
BC’s orphan fracking wells set to double this year
Two years on and Elon Musk’s Australian battery farm is going well
More accurate climate change model reveals bleaker outlook on electricity
Analysis shows climate finance not reaching most vulnerable
More than 3,200 US Dairy farms shut down in 2019
Washington bans suction dredging in habitat critical for salmon, other endangered fish
NGOs charge Brazil’s Bolsonaro with indigenous genocide at UN
Germany is turning 62 military bases into wildlife sanctuaries
Bill Gates just invested in lab-grown palm oil to save the rainforest
Brown University sells 90 percent of fossil fuel investments
Superyacht produces hydrogen from seawater as it sails
Old-growth logging on mountainside above Cathedral Grove illustrates urgent need for protection
Scientists found a caterpillar that eats plastic
Senators reach $2b deal to boost conservation, parks