IGIHE

Category: Environment

  • The olinguito, Latest Mammal Discovery

    {{A lap-sized critter that looks like a mix between a cat and a teddy bear was unveiled Thursday as the first new carnivore identified in the Western Hemisphere in 35 years.}}

    Scientists say the olinguito has actually been around for ages, in zoos, museums and in the forests of Ecuador and Colombia, but was mistaken for its larger cousin, the olingo.

    A big clue that this tree-crawling animal was something unusual was that it never wanted to breed with the olingo, experts said.

    The new species, named Bassaricyon neblina, is now understood to be the smallest member of the same family as raccoons, kinkajous and olingos.

    With wide, round eyes and tiny claws that help it cling to branches, the olinguito can jump between trees. It feasts mainly on fruit but also eats insects and nectar.

    Its discovery, which took a decade of research, is described in the August 15 edition of the open-access journal ZooKeys.

    As part of the journey, scientists realized that museum specimens of the olinguito had been collected from a higher elevations — 5,000 to 9,000 feet (1,500-2,700 meters) above sea level — in the Andes Mountains than olingos were known to inhabit.

    DNA analysis was also done to differentiate the olinguitos from their cousins.

    The olinguito was smaller, with a differently shaped head and teeth. Its orange-brown coat was also longer and denser.

    And when researchers took to the South American forests to see if the creatures were still around in the wild, they were not disappointed.

    They found olinguitos in the cloud forests of the western Andes, and noted that the creatures are active at night.

    The two-pound (one-kilogram) animals also appear to prefer staying in the trees and have one baby at a time instead of several.

    “The cloud forests of the Andes are a world unto themselves, filled with many species found nowhere else, many of them threatened or endangered,” said Kristofer Helgen, curator of mammals at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

    “We hope that the olinguito can serve as an ambassador species for the cloud forests of Ecuador and Colombia, to bring the world’s attention to these critical habitats.”

    Helgen and his fellow researchers on the project estimate that 42 percent of historic olinguito habitat has already been converted to agriculture or urban areas.

    There are four sub-species of the olinguito, and is not being classified as endangered. Experts believe there must be many thousands of them, possibly even in Venezuela and Peru.

    At least one olinguito from Colombia was exhibited in several zoos in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s, researchers said.

    Back in the 1920s, a zoologist in New York was said to have found the olinguito so unusual that he thought it might be a new species, but he did not publish any research to document the discovery.

    “Proving that a species exists and giving it a name is where everything starts,” said Helgen.

    “This is a beautiful animal, but we know so little about it. How many countries does it live in? What else can we learn about its behavior? What do we need to do to ensure its conservation?”

    {AFP}

  • Uganda: Landslides Bury 5 Villages

    {{Reports from Uganda Indicate that Landslides on Sunday afternoon covered up five villages in parts of Bushiyi Sub-county in the eastern Bududa District, but there was no immediate report of deaths.}}

    17 badly-injured survivors had been admitted to Bududa Hospital. One person was confirmed missing, the district chairman, Mr John Bosco Nambeshe, said.

    A huge mass of soaked soil broke off from uphill, knocking down trees and toppling houses on its path in the third such blanket punishment by Mother Nature in the same district. In 2010, landslides flattened villages in Nametsi Parish, burying an estimated 350 residents. And where tragedy struck yesterday is close and adjacent to Nametsi.

    Preliminary estimates showed some 3,000 people were displaced and in immediate need of assistance, although up to 10, 000 of those living on the foot of Mt Elgon may eventually require relocation.

    Many survivors were reported stranded on one of the high-risk villages cut-off by River Manafwa that burst its banks.

    NMG

  • 5 Die in Indonesian eruption

    Five people have been killed in a volcanic eruption on a tiny island in Indonesia, officials have said.

    Mount Rokatenda, on the island of Palue some 2,000km (1,250 miles) east of Jakarta, spewed ash and rocks.

    Disaster officials said hot ash covered a nearby beach, leaving three adults and two children dead.

    The volcano had been rumbling since late last year and had occasionally covered parts of nearby Flores island in ash. Hundreds have been evacuated.

    BBC

  • Model Forests to be Planted in six Districts

    {{Six model forests are scheduled to be planted in six districts including; Ngororero Musanze, Rutsiro,Burera, Rubavu and Nyabihu districts aimed at increasing forest cover countrywide.}}

    According to Dismas Bakundukize, the director of forestry management unit in the Natural Resources Authority, “The idea of a model forest will enable Rwandans to have a common understanding on environmental protection.”

    The forests will be established under a partnership between Canada and Rwanda’s Ministry of Natural Resources.

    An interim committee has been setup to follow up on activities and mobilise residents in the pilot districts.

    Human activities including; Agriculture and construction have been cited as major threats to the environment and that need to be carried out properly.

  • Major Storms Strike Caribbean Region

    {{A series of major storms have hit Puerto Rico over the last few weeks, destroying hundreds of homes, sweeping away cars and leaving tens of thousands of people without power.}}

    The US island territory is used to tropical weather, but this year Puerto Rico has seen the rainiest July ever recorded, with 35cm so far drenching the capital San Juan.

    People fled homes and cars as water rushed through doors and windows.

    Rising floodwaters stranded drivers on highways. Some commuters were forced to use kayaks and paddle boards.

    The storms have severely damaged about 500 houses and caused about $1.5m in losses, according to initial estimates, Carmen Yulin Cruz, San Juan’s mayor, said.

    The territory is just over two months into a seven-month rainy season, and it is already the second wettest start of the year for the region, even though no major tropical storm or hurricane has hit.

    Nearly 127cm of rain have fallen so far, and more is likely on the way.

    Other wet years

    Remnants of Tropical Storm Dorian were projected to move through the Caribbean, north of the island, by Monday or Tuesday.

    The deluge follows hard on a string of other wet years.

    The rainiest year on record was 2010, when 227.33cm fell.

    The island’s totals have been trending upward, in part because of warmer ocean temperatures and frequent occurrences of the weather phenomenon known as La Nina, which leads to a more active hurricane season, according to the National Weather Service.

    Nearby Cuba has been drenched as well.

    Authorities reported that June was the wettest on record for the western part of the island.

    In the first six days of that month alone, 42.16cm of rain fell, 188 percent of the historic average for the full month, with isolated accumulations as high as 55.88cm.

    Hundreds of homes were flooded along with croplands, highways and tobacco leaf-curing buildings in the western province of Pinar del Rio, known as the cradle of Cuba’s tobacco industry.

    Source: Agencies

  • ‘Oil threat’ to DR Congo’s Virunga National Park

    {{The conservation group WWF is calling on a UK-based company to abandon its plans to explore for oil in Africa’s oldest national park.}}

    The charity says Soco International’s proposals could put the Virunga National Park in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo at risk.

    The park is home to more than 3,000 different kinds of animals, including endangered mountain gorillas.

    Soco denied that its activities threatened the environment of the park.

    The company said it was currently only evaluating the resources there.

    ‘Gone for good’
    In a report, WWF says the exploitation of oil concessions in the park, which is a World Heritage Site, could cause widespread pollution and environmental damage, as well as create conflict.

    “Once you turn it into an oil field you sell it once and it’s gone for good. It’s going to get destroyed, polluted – the beauty of it will go to waste,” said Raymond Lumbuenamo, country director for WWF-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

    Soco is the only company of its kind working in Virunga after France’s Total said it would not do so.

    WWF says instead of oil exploration, sustainable activities such as hydropower generation, fishing and ecotourism, should be developed.

    The Virunga National Park, which contains lakes, forests, savannah and volcanoes, was founded in 1925 by King Albert I of Belgium.

    It is home to some 200 endangered mountain gorillas, according to its website.

    The International Gorilla Conservation Programme says there are currently 880 mountain gorillas in the world.

    Tourism in Virunga is currently suspended due to insecurity in the region, with armed groups continuing to operate.

    BBC

  • Trade & Agriculture Experts Discuss Climate Change

    {{Experts on climate change, Agriculture and Trade have urged East African States to pool efforts in containing negative effects of climate change.}}

    This was revealed at a One day semminar conevened in Kigali .

    Human activities including agricutlure, Industries and infrastructure development including other activities are at the forefront of environmental destruction usually leading to adverse effects on climate.

    The experts noted that most institutions on Environment,Agriculture and industries tend to operate independent of each other without a common focus.

    Its against this background that the experts called upon the government to help in creating a system that pools together efforts by various institutions aimed at finding substantial solutions to climate change and its adverse effects.

  • Rwanda to Block Cars with Emissions

    {{Cars emiting dangerous gases will not be allowed on Rwandan roads.}}

    The Minister for Natural Resources (Minirena), Stanislas Kamanzi said, “Every car owner should be careful as to when their car is due for servicing because not doing this not only affects the vehicle, but also our environment.”

    He also explained that government would have preffered importation of only new cars with very low levels of gas emission, “we know it is not cheap and, therefore, many people will always rely on second hand cars in Rwanda, just like in other developing economies.”

    However Traffic Police has not seized cars with such emissions because of lack of equipment to monitor and measure car emissions on the road.

    The Police Commissioner for Traffic and Road Safety, Felly Bahizi says, “We have impounded about 40 cars with terrible mechanical conditions but not on the grounds of emitting toxic gases. We are, however, working with Minirena and RBS on acquiring machines that our traffic officers can use; so soon, we shall be able to impound such cars.”

  • Africa’s Fertile Land Idle, World Bank Report Says

    {{Sub-Saharan Africa is home to nearly half of the world’s uncultivated land but the continent has not utilised the resource to secure food security.}}

    The land is estimated at more than 202 million hectares. This can be used to dramatically reduce poverty and boost growth, jobs and shared prosperity.

    According to a new World Bank report, “Securing Africa’s Land for Shared Prosperity,” released yesterday, African countries and their communities could effectively end ‘land grabs,’ grow significantly more food across the region and transform development prospects if they can modernise the complex governance procedures that govern land ownership and management over the next decade.

    Africa has the highest poverty rate in the world with 47.5 per cent of the population living below $1.25 (Sh108) a day.

    “Despite abundant land and mineral wealth, Africa remains poor,” said Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice-President for Africa.

    He added, “Improving land governance is vital for achieving rapid economic growth and translating it into significantly less poverty and more opportunity for Africans, including women who make up 70 per cent of Africa’s farmers yet are locked out of land ownership due to customary laws,” he said, adding, “The status quo is unacceptable and must change so that all Africans can benefit from their land.”

    The report notes that more than 90 per cent of Africa’s rural land is undocumented, making it highly vulnerable to land grabbing and expropriation with poor compensation.

    However, based on encouraging evidence from country pilots such as Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda, the report suggests an action plan that could help revolutionise agricultural production, end land grabbing and eradicate extreme poverty in Africa.

    The report suggests that Africa could finally realise the vast development promise of its land over the course of the next decade by championing reforms and investments to document all communal lands and prime lands that are individually owned.

    The report says it would cost African countries and their development partners, including the private sector, $4.5 billion over 10 years to scale up policy reforms and investments.

  • China to Invest $277 Billion to Curb Air Pollution

    {{China plans to invest 1.7 trillion yuan ($277 billion) to combat air pollution over the next five years, state media said on Thursday, underscoring the new government’s concerns about addressing a key source of social discontent.}}

    The money is to be spent primarily in regions that have heavy air pollution and high levels of PM 2.5, the state-run China Daily newspaper quoted Wang Jinnan, vice-president of the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning as saying. Wang helped draft the plan.

    Tiny floating particles, measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, are especially hazardous because they can settle in the lungs and cause respiratory problems and other illnesses.

    The new plan specifically targets northern China, particularly Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, where air pollution is especially serious, the newspaper said.

    The government plans to reduce air emissions by 25 percent by 2017 compared with 2012 levels in those areas, according to the report.

    “The thick smog and haze that covered large areas of the country in January has focused public attention on this issue,” Zhao Hualin, a senior official at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, told the newspaper.

    China’s State Council, its cabinet, approved the plan in June, Zhao said.

    The newspaper said it was China’s “most comprehensive and toughest plan to control and in some regions reduce air pollution by the year 2017”.

    The government plans to issue two more plans to address water pollution and improvements to the rural environment over the next five years, the report said.

    In December 2012, China said it would spend 350 billion yuan ($56 billion) by 2015 to curb air pollution in major cities. The newspaper quoted Chai Fahe, vice-president of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, as saying that China’s leaders realized, after releasing the plan in 2012, that a tougher approach against air pollution was needed.

    Smog over northern cities in January generated widespread public anger as did the discovery of the rotting corpses of thousands of pigs in March in a river that supplies Shanghai’s water.

    Social unrest over environmental complaints is becoming common across China, to the government’s alarm. Authorities have tried to assuage anger with measures that included empowering courts to mete out the death penalty in serious pollution cases.

    But results have been mixed. Enforcement has been a problem at the local level, where governments often rely on tax receipts from polluting industries under their jurisdiction.

    {wirestory}