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Conservation News ~ 24 April 2020

4/24/2020

Group alleges that EPAs COVID enforcement policy violates the ESA
Images from a dropped phone reveal the ugly truth behind Bonobo trafficking
Milan’s plant to limit cars after COVID lockdown lauded as Excellent Example
Toxic air over London falls by 50% at busiest traffic spots
Colombia want to plant 180 million trees
Satellite data show Amazon rainforest likely drier, more fire-prone this year
Forest fires in Indonesia set to add toxic haze to COVID woes
Manila gets its skyline back as air quality improves amid COVID
Pandemic shutdown is speeding up the collapse of coal
As oil plummets, climate activists say now is the time to mobilize for a Green New Deal
Once-in-a-millennium megadrought is happening now in the Western United States
Sweden becomes the third European country to close its last coal power plant
Baby rhino rescued in Assam’s Haziranga
Rice genetically engineered to resist heat waves can also produce up to 20% more grain
USF researchers tested 2,500 fish 10 years after Deepwater – there was oil in all of them
Supreme Court rules beaches can be protected from sewage that flows underground
In famed Chico Mendes reserve, Brazil nut harvesters fight to save the forest
Baby leatherback sea turtles thriving due to COVID beach restrictions
Clemson study finds winter cover crop mix improves crop productivity
Astronomers find formula for subsurface oceans in exomoons
International coalition urges scientists to leave animals out of COVID research
Publix is buying excess milk and produce from farmers and donating it to food banks
Summer’s bushfires released more carbon dioxide than Australia does in a year
Tyson shuts down largest pork factory amid COVID
With fishing fleets tied up due to COVID, marine life has a chance to recover
The US Court of International Trade ruled in favor to protect the endangered Vaquita
Thousands of acres of fruit and veggies are being left to rot in Florida fields
California delivers blow to White House’s plan for extinction in Bay-Delta
COVID underscores urgency of holistic community-based approaches to conservation
New study predicts the ocean ecosystem will collapse this decade
Ice-free Arctic summers now very likely even with climate action
American Robins now migrate 12 days earlier than in 1994
South Korea to implement Green New Deal after ruling party election win
WHO developing guidance on wet markets
Coca-cola and Pepsi falling short on pledges over plastic
Before the next pandemic, an ambitious push to catalog the 1.67 million viruses thought to exist in wildlife
Canada Goose is ditching virgin fur for good
Microplastics found for first time in Antarctic ice where krill source for food
On the brink of a coal boom, Papuans ask who will benefit
New species from the abyssal ocean hints at incredible deep sea diversity
Fight against Amazon destruction at stake after enforcement chief fired
Citi vows to stop working with thermal coal-mining companies
New ethane-munching microbes discovered at hot vents
Air pollution may be key contributor to COVID
Lewis MacAdams, famed crusader for the LA River, dies at 75
Lions reclaim territory shut down by COVID
The government is forcing airlines to fly nearly empty planes to get bailout money
Poachers kill 3 near-extinct giant ibises amid COVID pressure in Cambodia
Panic buying amid pandemic drives scarcity in medicinal herbs in Sri Lanka
Thailand’s captive elephants face starvation amid COVID tourism freeze
China’s pangolin black market exposed in bombshell David Attenborough investigation
Amazon invests $10 million to help conserve forests as part of climate change plan
ORNL researcher helps discover new species of cave snail
New species of wood snake emerges in the Western Ghats mottled in grey-brown
Bonnet Carre Spillway harms sea turtles, manatees and other endangered species
Scientists uncover principles for self-assembly
For first time ever, oil futures go below zero
Akagera Park loses one of five black rhinos from European zoos
Photos of wild tiger cubs in Thailand rekindles hope for species
COVID lockdown boosts numbers of Thailand’s rare sea turtles
NRDC and partners sue after EPA gives pass to polluters during pandemic
24 firms in China exposed for using endangered Leopard bones in traditional medicine
Four new species of beetles identified in Sri Lanka
Extinction of threatened megafauna would lead to huge loss in functional diversity
Fog Harp harvests water even in the lightest fog
New species of tiny blenny could explain origins of Hawaiian endemic fish
Judge – Endangered Species habitat on Big Island must be protected
COVID freezes research, threatening endangered species
Rare Snow Leopard pair spotted in Uttarakhand’s Nanda Devi
Camera trap provides first-ever official record of the critically endangered Sumatran tiger in Batang Angkola forest

Conservation News ~ 17 April 2020

4/17/2020

Brazilian indigenous chiefs act to halt illegal logging in historical landmark area
Ring-tailed lemurs stink flirt
Warmer temperatures drive up dengue fever cases in Indonesia
Sri Lanka’s COVID lockdown sets wildlife free but raises poaching threats
Fears of rise in poaching amid pandemic poverty
Rwanda has made nearly 35% of the country’s two million hectare restoration goal a reality
State biologists note 6 new wolf packs in Oregon
New wilderness preserve created in Bridgewater
New pit viper in Arunachal Pradash named after Harry Potter character
New Orleans Flood Control harms endangered species, lawsuit says
State Panel grants temporary endangered species status to Southern California cougars
Evolutionary trees can’t reveal speciation and extinction rates
Judge says that failure to help whales skirts the Endangered Species Act
US judge cancels permit for Keystone XL pipeline after lawsuit
Paul McCartney says China’s wet markets are Medieval and obscene
Second city in China bans eating dogs, cats, and wild animals
Brian May says veganism is the way forward from COVID
Quarantining also means caring for our great ape relatives
A comet may have destroyed a paleolithic village 12,800 years ago
Rescuing orangutans doesn’t work for apes or forests
Human handling stresses young Monarch butterflies
China releases list of animals to be farmed after COVID
Locust plague up to 20 times larger than last wave could devastate parts of East Africa
Rapid deforestation of Brazilian Amazon could bring next pandemic
Viral zoonotic risk is homogenous among taxonomic orders of mammalian and avian species
EPA scientists said US should tighten key air pollution limit – the agency’s head just said no
EPA can’t kick scientists off science advisory panels, court says
White House redacts every single page of the science findings for copper mining research in the Boundary Waters
Himalayas visible for first time in 30 years as pollution levels in India drop
Solar-powered driveways are made from recycled plastic bottles
Oregon coast spring Chinook Salmon one step closer to endangered species protections
Data shows 30 percent drop in air pollution over Northeast US
Study projects 30%more forest cover if wood biomass is managed right – critics call it a disaster
In Colombian wetland, oil woes deepen with the arrival of fracking
Land conflicts escalate with spread of COVID in Indonesia
New species of black endemic iguanas in Caribbean is proposed for urgent conservation
Ukraine wildfires draw dangerously close to Chernobyl
Scientists Joshua Trees may warrant listing as threatened species
With Yosemite National Park closed to visitors, bears are out and about
Virginia governor rejects bill to censor vegan milk labels
To cut carbon, a movement grows to electrify everything
Deep sea expedition uncovers 30 new species
Calls to declare koalas endangered as species races toward extinction
Endangered species program challenge pushed to appeals court
Endangered New Zealand bird sent to safety offshore despite COVID lockdown
Brazil’s dictator hands indigenous land decisions back to farm sector
Scientists have found oil from the Deepwater Horizon blowout in fish livers
See Florida panthers fight over territory in first ever footage
Offshore oil and gas platforms release more methane than previously estimated
Virginia becomes first state in the South to target 100% clean power
New renewable energy capacity hit record levels in 2019
Hundreds of dead seals washing ashore in Nova Scotia
Wildlife destruction not a slippery slope but a series of cliff edges
Cuba found to be the most sustainably developed country in the world
Americans disagree on animal protection; experts disagree on which ones need it
New Zealand pushed to replace animal agriculture with plant-based crops
Ganga River water becomes fit for drinking in Haridwar, Rishikesh during India’s lockdown
Tiger King just made Virginia ban cub petting
National Marine Fisheries Service found in violation of Endangered Species Act
One of North America’s rarest mammals was just spotted in Yosemite
Pope says COVID, fires, floods are nature’s reponses
COVID forces Sea Shepherd to suspend patrols to protect last vaquitas
Reproductive woes spell need for more viable females in Sumatran rhino program
More than half of remote reefs in Coral Sea marine park suffered extreme bleaching
Eating bats and pangolins banned in Gabon as a result of COVID pandemic
White House to open more wildlife refuge land to hunting, fishing
DC just banned the sale of Elephant Ivory and Rhino Horn
Exploiting nature drives outbreaks of new diseases
Logging begins in unburnt areas of Australia’s Nambucca State Forest
New bird species showcases burgeoning biodiversity
Federal Judge finds lobster fishery threatens endangered whale
Norway and Canada give green light to cruel seal hunts during COVID
Endangered Blue Whales spotted off New England coast
74 miles of Oakland streets will close to cars to give pedestrians, bicyclists exercise room
New Yorkers will vote on a $3billion bond issue designed to address environment and climate
EPA proposes big expansion of Port Everglades offshore dump

April 17th, 2020

4/17/2020

Conservation News ~ 10 April 2020

4/10/2020

Florida dairy farmers forced to dump excess milk
Gold mining threatens indigenous forests in the Brazilian Amazon
China just upgraded the status of dogs from ‘livestock’ to ‘pets’
Amid pandemic, whales enjoy human absence in Mediterranean
Poachers kill more rhinos as coronavirus halts tourism to Africa
70,000 sea turtles nested on beaches emptied by COVID-19
SeaWorld offered $250,000 to release marine animals to sanctuaries
17 months’ jail for man caught at Changi Airport with 11 pieces of rhinoceros horns
66 US lawmakers demand global wet market ban to stop pandemics
New Jersey confers strict water protections on 600 miles of waterways
Savannah, Goergia, commits to 100% green energy by 2050
Race to save rare California frog beats coronavirus lockdown
African swine fever outbreak reported in western Poland
Lobster digestion of microplastics could further foul the food chain
Sceintists spot giant ocean creature that looks like silly string hunting in galaxy-like spiral
Lawsuit targets grazing damage to Arizona’s San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area
New fossil from Brazil hints at the origins of the mysterious tansystropheid reptiles
Scientists create mutant enzyme that recycles plastic bottles in hours
Monarch butterfly gets protection in ‘historic’ deal
84 percent of Americans unaware COVID-19 came from wet animal markets
New Harvard study links COVID deaths and air pollution
Eastern Tiger Salamanders, once nearly gone from Maryland, make a comeback
Blue Macaws help grow the forest around them
Wildlife Services killed four endangered Mexican Gray Wolves in late March
New EPA rules will increase air pollution as the world suffers a respiratory pandemic
Gold mining threatens indigenous forests in the Brazilian Amazon
In Sri Lanka, gillnets targeting tuna claim dolphin lives
A wave-powered ferry aims to forge a new path for shipping in the Philippines
Report links top tuna company to forced labor
Canada’s Belo Sun hits legal hurdles in bid to mine indigenous land in Brazil
White House finalizes car rule as handout to fossil fuel industry
Beyond Meat ton donate more than one million vegan burgers to COVID frontline workers
Doctor Fauci demands global shutdown of wet markets
Malaysian authorities seize record 6 tons of African pangolin scales
225 doctors fight to shut down live animal markets
New jumping spider species discovered in Chennai’s MCC
Two new sea star species discovered in Philippines
After 5 months on the job, SeaWorld CEO resigns
Indigenous group wins unprecedented right of reply to government’s racist invective
With zoo closed to visitors, pandas finally bang after 10 years
Oregon forests remain open for logging and timber sales during COVID
On a mega reserve in Laos, rescued Moon Bears find a new home
Climate crisis may have pushed world’s tropical coral reefs to tipping point of near annual bleaching
Standoff over Philippine’s Didipio mines escalates despite COVID
Court reinstates limits on potent climate-polluting refrigerants
The world’s largest sea turtle emerges from ocean and leaves everyone open mouthed
Nigerian National Park boss says we must have behavioural change towards wildlife
Hundreds of conservation experts join forces to pressure WHO to force live animal markets to close
US to let nuclear plants defer repairs, schedule longer shifts
UN biodiversity chief argues for a permanent ban on wildlife markets
Oil companies are collapsing but wind and solar energy keep growing
Fossil teeth yield oldest genetic material from extinct human species
New species of Pterosaur discovered in Morocco
Lawsuit launched against White House for failing to protect Nassau Grouper habitat
Bomb tests reveal true age of world’s largest fish
Amazon land activitst shot dead in Brazil
Bronx Tiger tests positive for COVID
Commodity markets rumble as COVID spreads
University of Hawaii botanist who died of coronavirus will be sorely missed
Under cover of pandemic, fossil fuel interests unleash lobbying frenzy
Newfound fish species floats like a butterfly, looks like a panda
IUCN welcomes Cambodia as a state member
Prickly pears are suddenly a hot crop in South Africa
Botswana kills five suspected poachers in effort to save rhinos
Endangered wild dogs snapped in South Sudan
10 years to save world’s most threatened sea turtle
COVID disrupts a major year of biodiversity planning and policy
Palm oil gains ground in Chiapas, Mexico
Nigeria declares new conservation zone for most threatened chimpanzee
Right Whale calving season ends of Florida with 10 births
The ocean can be restored to former glory within 30 years
Monkey teeth fossils hint several extinct species crossed the Atlantic
New fossil names after Lord of the Rings character is related to mysterious reptile
In major ruling for Right Whales, federal judge rules that regulators violated Endangered Species Act

Conservation News ~ 3 April 2020

4/3/2020

Eurythenes plasticus, the new marine species named after the plastic it eats
New York Lawmakers line up behind $3Bn environment bond act
Studies reveal resilience in kelp forests
Indonesia road graft case lands Papua official, contractor in prison
As pangolina trade heats up, Nigeria urged to do more to crack down
Tax exemptions on pesticides in Brazil add up to US$ 2.2 billion per year
Win for conservation as African black rhino numbers rise
Desperate Saga Furs moves fur auction online with humiliating results
New species of feathery raptor found in New Mexico
Lawsuit launched to save endangered Southern Nevada butterfly
NOAA to use Cloud and AI to help protect endangered species
Zanzibar bans wildlife hunting in Jozani forest reserve
Antarctic ice melt related to tropical weather shifts
Road project in economically deprived Indonesian region threatens wildlife habitat
Plantation director in dispute with indigenous community is charged with illegal logging
Anglo American seeking to mine on indigenous lands in Brazil’s Amazon
White House weakens fuel economy standards, rolling back key US efforts against climate change
Earth’s Ozone layer is finally healing
Norway’s whaling season begins with a quota of 1,300 Minke whales to be slaughtered
Lawsuit filed to protect wolverines
Endangered sea turtled hatch on Brazil’s deserted beaches
For nesting Hawksbill turtles, this Philippine community is a sanctuary
New snake discovery in Sri Lanka is latest twist in slow-burning mystery
Mining activity in Indonesia takes a hit from COVID-19 pandemic
NC Refuge resident Red Wolf pair released as part of an attempt to create new breeding pair
Goats take over empty streets of seaside town
Lions once again thrive at Kenyan conservation park that was targeted by poachers
Turtle Back Zoo welcomes baby Amur Leopard
White House denies endangered species protection to bi-state Sage Grouse
Seychelles creates a marine reserve twice the size of Great Britain
China bat and dog markets reopened
CA Bill AB 2839 to protect and enhance California’s deserts
Great Barrier Reef suffes third mass coral bleaching event in five years
Indonesia risks timber trade with EU after scrapping license rules
Coconut farmers in Southeast Asia struggle as palm oil muscles in on them
Cruise ships dumped over 3 million pounds of trash in Alaska last year
With humans under lockdown, 8 Lakh Olive Ridley Turtles get to peacefully nest
New species of toad discovered in Cao Bang
Australia probably had the worst year in a century based on the environmental toll of 2019
More than 100 endangered animals rescued in Sharjah
Oat milk sales are up 477% due to coronavirus
Indian scientists building DNA database to protect the elusive red panda
Amazon announces four new projects to make its data centers greener
Brazil scales back environmental enforcement amid coronavirus outbreak
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe to lose its reservation
China and Vietnam finally van wildlife trade due to coronavirus
Guarani indigenous people protest new Sao Paulo housing project that threatens Atlantic Forest in UNESCO Biosphere reserve
The Coronavirus could force mass slaughterhouse closures
Wildlife charity plans to buy UK land to give it back to nature
Trafficked pangolins can carry coronavirus closely related to pandemic strain
EPA dials back environmental enforcement during pandemic
Americans are flushing the Canadian boreal forest down their toilets
South Korea bans importation of Taiji’s dolphins