Conservation News ~ 14 February 2020

• Via Rail cancels most trains nationwide, CN closes Eastern Canadian network as Indigenous protests continue
• Once thought extinct, rare pochards take steps toward recovery
• China announces plans to permanently ban wildlife trade
• US Interior Dept. drops trophy hunting council amid court fight
• US Senator Kamala Harris passes three bill to protect 1 million acres of land in California
• NJ town shuts down road for salamander migration
• Deforested Amazon areas are net emitters of CO2
• Observations shared by bird watchers reveal migratory pathways of more than 600 bird species
• Biggest turtle that ever lived had 10-foot shell with horns
• Greta Thunberg gets her own TV series
• A movement is growing to protect up to half the planet
• Big polluters allowed to lift emissions without penalty
• Three endangered Indian species to be added to Protected Migratory Species List
• More environment-friendly power generators go online in Huntington Beach, Ca
• A new Tyrannosaur species is discovered, called the Reaper of Death
• Puerto Rican Butterfly, rare Virgin Islands Flower one step closer to Endangered Species list
• California considers giving Mountain Lions greater protection under the Endangered Species Act
• White House rubber stamps Arizona copper mine
• EU accused of climate crisis hypocrisy after backing 32 gas projects
• Air pollution from fossil fuels costs $8 billion per day
• Bill banning balloon releases statewide passes in Maryland Senate
• New species of chafer beetle discovered in Indonesia
• Anand Singh gets forest ministry, despite facing 15 cases
• #DropExxon go national with law student boycott
• Dolphin found dead on Pensacola Beach, $20k reward offered
• Prime Minister of Iceland calls for prioritizing “well-being” of citizens over GDP
• Ecologist Exequiel Ezcurra receives AAAS Science Diplomacy award
• Scientists find never-before-seen baby of rare rabbit on WhatsApp
• 10,000 rare black bees are feared dead in an act of vandalism at England’s Wisbech Castle
• Heat trapped in urban areas tricks trees into thinking spring has arrived earlier
• White House $4.8 billion budget proposal includes 26% cut to EPA
• Expert panel says 113 species need urgent attention after Australia’s bushfires
• Judge repeals wildlife agency’s approval of copper mine due to endangered species threat
• Sick Hawaiian monk seal has infection spread by feral cats
• 365-millionyear-old lungfish unearthed in South Africa
• Oregon timber, environmental groups agree to work on forest management plan
• Jane Goodall plans to plant 5 million trees this year
• Himalayan Glacier shows evidence of start of industrial revolution
• Hotter, drier El Ninos linked to insect decline in the Amazon
• Indonesia softens stance on WWF termination as programs fall into limbo
• Updated shark tagging atlas provides more than 50 years of tagging and recapture data
• Rhino poacher shot dead in Zimbabwe
• New species of bat is found in roost
• New species of marine worm found at Olympic venue
• Justice department drops Antitrust probe against automakers that sided with California on emissions
• Shots fired at Sea Shepherd ship in the Vaquita refuge
• US government removes detailed pollution map from internet
• Study casts doubt on Brazil’s plan to meet Paris Accord by replanting forests
• Canadian court upholds Trans Mountain pipeline expansion
• Countries with more female politicians pass more ambitious climate policies
• Starbucks may phase out dairy to combat climate change
• White House budget proposes $250 million for Everglades restoration projects
• Climate change activists take entertainment industry to task at Hollywood sign protest
• The EU wants to tax meat for the climate
• Man found guilty of smuggling 450m worth of live eels out of UK
• Patients at Wuhan’s coronavirus hospital given turtles to eat for dinner
• Boaters in Florida broke the all-time record for killing manatees this year
• Nike is dressing 2020 Olympic athletes in uniforms made of recycled shoe parts
• BC predator cull would target 80 percent of wolves in caribou recovery areas
• Brazil discovers two new species of plants older than dinosaurs
• Climate activists bring Trojan Horse to British Museum in BP protest
• The US Navy quietly shut down its task force on climate change
• Washington state moves towards ban on bottled water extraction
• Bolsonaro sends a bill to Brazil’s Congress that would open indigenous lands to mining, agribusiness
• Costa Rica is nearly at 100% Renewable Energy for electricity
• SeaWorld just banned dolphin surfing
• Antarctica hits hottest temperature on record
• China scientists identify pangolin as possible coronavirus host
• Group seeks endangered species listing for Alaska lake seals
• In the threatened Tongass National Forest a Native-owned corporation is being paid to leave some old-growth trees standing
• Nantahala and Pisgah forest plan released
• Two NYC students discover a new species of sea anenomes
• New species of flies found in Lochaber forest
• Indonesia accused of putting profit ahead of the environment with new bill
• 40,000 endnagered species condoms sent to top 10 'sexually satisfied' cities