Conservation News ~ 5 March 2021

• Fine particle matter from wildfire smoke more harmful than pollution from other sources
• Octopuses can feel pain both physically and abstractly
• Expect more extreme short-duration thunderstorms caused by global warming
• Four giraffes have been rafted to safety while five wait on flooding island
• New report calls for nature to be put at the heart of decision making
• EU accused of neocolonial plundering of tuna in Indian Ocean
• Maine natural gas company pulls plug on $90 million midcoast project
• Rare bee missing for a century rediscovered in Australia
• Finland ‘most sustainable’ country
• New industrial growth in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley is environmental racism, UN panel says
• Extinct megafauna dug incredible tunnels in Brazil
• 100-Million-Year-Old seafloor sediment bacteria have been resuscitated
• The human brain grew as a result of the extinction of large animals
• Astronaut-explorer Richard Garriott sets records on dive to deepest point on Earth
• Low level thinning can help restore redwood forests without affecting stream temperatures
• Wooly mammoths may have shared the landscape with first humans in New England
• Researchers uncover hidden hunting tactics of wolves in Minnesota’s Northwoods
• An echidna moves 8-trailer-loads of soil a year
• The number of IUCN assessed species is now 128,918 with over 35,500 threatened with extinction
• USFWS delays northern spotted owl critical habitat rule
• A third of all food in the US gets wasted
• Alaska Airlines is donating 1 million miles to support SD Zoo
• Large asteroid Apophis will safely fly by Earth on Friday
• Space hurricane that rained electrons observed for the first time
• Species evolve heat tolerance more slowly than cold tolerance
• Radioactive dust from Nuclear tests in the Sahara comes back to haunt France
• UK has broken air pollution limits for a decade
• Israel accuses Iran of deliberately spilling oil in the Mediterranean
• Interior Secretary nominee Deb Haaland clears Senate Committee
• Planting trees will helps fight climate change – but we need billions more seedlings
• Diversity of fish species supply endangered killer whale diet throughout the year
• Five new species of shrub frogs found in Western Ghats
• Wisconsin hunters kill over 200 wolves in less than 3 days
• Trove of new species discovered in hidden Bolivian valley
• Illegal grazing decision rescinded, Steens Mountain Wilderness protected
• Apaches fight to stop copper mine on what they consider sacred land
• Mountain ‘tsunamis’ have been taking place for 10,000 years in Chilean Patagonia
• Scientists discover giant, luminous deep-sea predator – sharks that glow in the dark
• Climate change is leading to premature births in the Brazilian Amazon
• Waterton Park celebrates return of keystone creature
• A shadow snake has been rediscovered in Ecuador after 54 years
• All charges have been dropped against the protectors arrested at the San Marcos Foothills
• Rooster fitted with blade for cockfight kills its owner in India
• 11,000 baby white abalone will be planted at a secret spot off the Southern California coast
• The gulf stream is at its weakest in over 1000 years
• 4 more state propose harsh new penalties for protesting fossil fuels
• Gold and diamond mines fail to benefit local communities in the Brazilian Amazon
• Botswana’s former president defends shoot-to-kill policy for poaching
• Forest defenders under fire in Cambodia
• New flower species discovered in Pickens county
• New species of millipede — Nannaria hokie — found at Virginia Tech
• Lawsuit Launched to Overturn Denial of Endangered Species Protection for Eastern Hellbenders
• Endangered Species Act Protection Proposed for Rare Arizona, Mexico Wildflower
• IUCN SSC mourns the loss of Jeremy Mallinson
• New agreement set to strengthen conservation and sustainable development efforts in the Pacific
• Dolphin shows to be outlawed in NSW as new law passes
• Gray Wolf Travels From Oregon To Central California, Further Than Any Collared Wolf Before
• Jaguars in Suriname’s protected parks remain vulnerable to poaching
• Forest patches amid agriculture are key to orangutan survival: Study
• ‘The river will bleed red’: Indigenous Filipinos face down dam projects
• Illegal grazing decision rescinded day after conservationists sued to overturn it
• US insurers still have $90bn invested in coal
• US House passes historic public lands bill pledging to protect nearly 3m acres
• ANGOLA OPENS UP OKAVANGO BASIN TO OIL, GAS EXPLORATION
• Brunt Ice Shelf: Big iceberg calves near UK Antarctic base
• Sri Lanka replanting bid begins after minister is held liable for deforestation
• Elusive wetland bird added to FL' s endangered species list
• 'Silent' Himalayan salamander surprises filmmaker duo with mating call, 'ballet dance'
• Energy company to breed endangered California condors to replace birds killed by turbine blades
• Sri Lanka replanting bid begins after minister is held liable for deforestation
• UN offers science-based blueprint to tackle climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution
• "Global Action Is ‘Very Far’ From What’s Needed to Avert Climate Chaos"
• House Passes Historic Public Lands Bill Protecting Nearly 3M Acres
• Over 25m Drink From Worst US Water Systems, With Latinos Most Exposed
• COVID, Squalor Threaten Tribes In Indian Fishing Sites Along Columbia R
• "Who Will Clean Up The 'Billion-Dollar Mess' Of Abandoned US Oilwells?"
• "Local Hazards Grow as Americans Churn Out More Garbage"
• "Biden Reverts to Obama-Era Method of Valuing Climate Change"
• "Democrats Eye Climate In Big Infrastructure Push"
• "Wisconsin Shuts Down Hunt After 216 Wolves Are Killed In 3 Days"
• Citrus Growers May Soon Have New Weapon Against Deadly Greening
• First-ever global catalogue of ecosystems will enable coordinated conservation efforts
• Dozens of dolphins found dead on Mozambique beach
• Saving Africa’s biodiversity is a challenging but urgent necessity, says Rodger Schlickeisen
• Organizations aim to block funds for East African oil pipeline
• Papua deforestation highlights eastward shift of Indonesia forest clearing
• To fight climate change, save the whales, some scientists say
• One-hit wonder frog makes a comeback in the southern Philippines
• New study identifies mountain snowpack most 'at-risk' from climate change
• Half a trillion corals: World-first coral count prompts rethink of extinction risks
• USDA puts brakes on land transfer for Arizona copper mine
• "More States Follow California's Lead On Vehicle Emissions Standards"
• Feds Withdraw Environmental Impact Statement, Delaying Oak Flat Land Swap
• Texas PUC Chair Resigns After Criticism Over Management Of Power Outages
• Austin Had A Bold New Climate Plan – Until A Gas Company Got Involved
• New Deal Electric Coops Struggle to Democratize and Make Green Transition
• Biden Admin To Consider Carbon Border Tax As Part Of Trade Agenda: USTR
• "EPA: Environmental Justice Advisers Eye More Muscular Agency Role"
• Not Just Texas: Entire Energy Grid Needs An Upgrade For Extreme Weather
• "Environmental Settlement Tool’s Reboot Leaves Target on its Back"
• 'Run Oil Industry In Reverse': Fighting Climate Change By Farming Kelp
• Over half of global environmental defender murders in 2020 in Colombia: report
• Corals are struggling, but they’re too abundant to go extinct, study says
• ‘We attack,’ Indonesia declares in joint bid with Malaysia to shield palm oil
• ‘There are no silver bullets’ in conservation: Synchronicity Earth’s Jessica Sweidan
• Reforested areas rival mature forests in securing water, study finds
• Chinese triads target Bolivia’s jaguars in search of ‘American tiger’ parts
• Amazon ‘Tribes on the Edge’: Q&A with documentary filmmaker Céline Cousteau
• Amazon rainforest plots sold via Facebook Marketplace ads
• Dying oil companies’ parting gift: millions in cleanup costs
• New Zealand Designer Makes Ingenious Solar-Powered Skylight That Desalinates Water For Drinking
• EUROPEAN COMMISSION TAKES GERMANY TO COURT FOR FAILING TO PROTECT NATURE
• Alberta First Nations oppose coal expansion in Rocky Mountains
• Namibia’s wild elephants destined for foreign zoos, say lobby groups
• ‘We attack,’ Indonesia declares in joint bid with Malaysia to shield palm oil
• Planetary defense experts use infamous asteroid Apophis to practice spotting dangerous space rocks
• Congress Urged to Boost Funding for Endangered Species Conservation by $300 Million
• Wolf social group dynamics matter for infectious disease spread, models suggest
• Indonesia curbs deforestation rate in 2020: environment ministry
• "Reversing Trump, Interior Department Moves Swiftly on Climate Change"
• "Agriculture Secretary Sees ‘Early Wins’ on Climate From Farms"
• "Miami Says It Can Adapt to Rising Seas. Not Everyone Is Convinced."
• Weekslong Water Crisis in Mississippi Hitting Black Residents Hardest
• Cancel All Planned Coal Projects To End ‘Deadly Addiction’ - UN Head
• "Democrats in U.S. House Introduce Wide-Ranging Climate Bill"
• "Mining Magnets: Arctic Island Finds Green Power Can Be A Curse"
• Calif. Wind Firm To Breed Condors To Replace Birds Killed by Turbines
• How Fast Are Oceans Rising? Answer May Be In Century-Old Shipping Logs
• "Tuna’s Last Stand"
• Feds withdraw environmental impact statement, delaying Oak Flat land swap
• 100% renewable energy could power the world by 2030, experts say
• Facebook enabling Amazon land grabbing, deforestation: Investigation
• When Chinook salmon is off the menu, other prey will do for endangered orcas
• Colombia’s national parks at a crossroads as new director installed
• The Possible Meat: A Brazilian farmer shows ranching can regenerate the Cerrado
• Review finds palm oil firm Golden Veroleum cleared carbon-rich Liberian forests
• The singing apes of Sumatra need rescuing, too (commentary)
• Video: Doomed or viable? Sumatran rhino captive breeding faces a dilemma
• We can now see through clouds to detect deforestation in near real-time