What is the best way to save tigers and leopards from extinction?

Tigers and leopards, two big cat species, are experiencing constant decline in population, and there are fears that these two big cat species might perish in years to come in the case as usual scenario. There are many different environmental issues that disrupt the conservation efforts, and scientific opinion often varies about the best possible solution to save these animals from extinction.

The researchers at the Clemson University believe that the best way to save tigers and leopards from extinction is by protecting the corridors the big cats roam to travel between habitat patches.

This latest study implies that forest corridors play a vital role in maintaining the flow of genes between tiger and leopard populations in central India and are main prerequisite for sustaining the genetic variation which is crucial for their long-term survival.

This study was based on first ever gene-flow analysis of these big cats, in which the researchers have analyzed genes of 273 tigers and 217 leopards living in four distinct populations in the 17,375-mile Satpura-Maikal region of central India.

The researchers also pointed to the fact that these big cats live at high densities in the four protected areas. Not all of these areas are connected by contiguous corridors of forest, as there are some that are only connected by sparse and fragmented corridors.

The conclusion based on this study was that contiguous forest corridors were able to maintain a high rate of gene flow implying that the best way to save these big cat species from extinction would be to extend conservation efforts beyond source habitats and to a significantly larger landscape scale.

How do ecologists measure biodiversity?

Given the ongoing biodiversity loss that seems to be happening everywhere around the globe, it's really no wonder that ecologists try to measure biodiversity as they hope that this may lead to more success in conservation and help many species from going extinct.

Measuring biodiversity focuses on three main factors:

-          - the number of species in a given area (the richness of species).

-          - the relation between the species in an area (how close is relation between one species to another).

-          - different variations in biological and ecological characteristics across an area or the so called trait diversity (this mostly refers to ecosystem resilience against disturbance from non-native elements).

Why is important to measure biodiversity in as much areas as possible? The answer is quite simple – Measuring biodiversity gives researchers the knowledge so they can prioritize the areas that need the most protection, so these areas could be turned into national parks, reserves or some other forms of protected areas.

However, it is very difficult to quantify these three factors and decide which areas need protection the most. The current practice was all about protecting areas with the largest number of threatened species but the things aren’t that easy.

There are also several major environmental issues that need to be put into the biodiversity equation such as climate change, pollution, deforestation and ocean acidification. This makes measuring biodiversity extremely complex and often leads to inadequate conservation efforts.

From the current point of view, it is very difficult to recognize the methods that could lead to successful protection of threatened species. The interaction between so many different factors often leads to guesses and estimates, even despite the advanced scientific approach.

Science, however, still remains our only weapon against the biodiversity loss. New studies will hopefully help conservations to better protect threatened species across the globe.

How to find optimum balance between increased farming and wildlife?

The human population is constantly growing. More humans need more food which results in more land being used by agriculture for farms. This in turn leads to many animal and plant species losing their habitats and can result in severe biodiversity loss.

Can animal and plant species coexist with increased farming? This is certainly difficult to achieve but many researchers believe that the solution can be found in more advanced approach to sustainable farming.

The science will be handed tough task to find the balance between optimizing future food production and protecting wildlife.

The UK scientists believe that we should be changing our current way of thinking that usually involves approach on how to make certain farm more eco friendly and instead be focusing on how to make the entire landscape better for producing both food and wildlife.

The several studies have showed positive results when the mixture of high-yield, intensive farming and land managed for nature; these studies showed both increased food production and more wildlife than the procedure of making eco-friendly farming across the whole landscape.

There is no doubt that certain amount of land needs to be left for animals and plants, and in order to determine this land we need to thoroughly study each landscape because some landscape might be better in producing food while others could be ideal to provide us with ecosystem services.

The UK researchers say that decision makers should concentrate more conservation efforts in specific areas with rich biodiversity, such as the uplands and coastal wetlands while in the same time enabling areas that are more suited to food production (areas with lesser biological diversity) to be farmed more intensively.

The land not suited for food production, or the one that produces low yields, could in many cases be used as a home for many wildlife species. This means that planning of new farms needs to be done with high level of precision so that we could separate “good” from “bad“ agricultural land.

This approach is not universal meaning that the sustainable management of farms and wildlife could vary from place to place, but nonetheless it will still require a common policy framework that should set overall goals as well as decision making processes.

We must not forget that we need both farms and wildlife, and finding the optimum balance between these two could well decide our future wellbeing.

Which approach is the best in conservation of species?

Many animal and plant species are finding it extremely hard to adapt to environmental changes brought by different environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, deforestation and habitat loss. 

The entire life on our planet is connected with a simple but yet very effective principle of global food web, meaning that every species count, no matter how small or big it is. Since many species are already being brought at the very brink of extinction we need to find the approach that will guarantee the best possible conservation of species.

Many scientists believe that the 'single species' approach to conservation is inadequate and that we should be focusing on encompassing species across an entire ecosystem into the conservation equation because only this can lead to positive results.

Of course, there are many different factors involved all of which can determine the success of conservation efforts but the right approach is the first thing we should start with. In this case, it means focusing on entire ecosystems rather than on single species. 

To learn why certain species is declining in population we first need to gather all the possible knowledge about the ecosystem this species is a part of. Each species that is part of the ecosystem has either direct or indirect effect on other species because all life in certain ecosystem is interconnected.

What this really means is that the extinction of any species within the given ecosystem can create a ripple effect across a food web, with far-reaching negative consequences for many other animals and plants that are part oft his ecosystem.

Mammals, reptiles, birds, insects - all of these animals play their important role in global food web, and each species counts. Together with focusing on entire ecosystems rather than on single species we should also give conservation a more global character because ecological problems have become global problems, meaning that each and every country must increase its conservation efforts, directly or indirectly.

We simply cannot survive alone on this planet.

How to help save endangered lions?

Lions are heading towards being listed as endangered species. A century ago Africa had more than 200,000 lions living in wild, but with the ongoing shrinking of their habitats their number has reduced to mere 30,000 today.

Lions are already listed as 'vulnerable' by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and many environmentalists fear that lions may soon join their cousins tigers as one of the officially endangered species.

Both tigers and lions have the same problem causing the decline of their population- humans, or to be more precise they have less area to roam because humans are occupying many of their former habitats.

The experts have calculated that humans have in the last 100 years drove lions away from the approximately 80% of their previous habitats. Lions may be kings of animals, but their noble status mean very little to humans who continue to shrink their habitats.

The additional problem together with habitat loss is that the remaining populations are often geographically isolated from one another, which can lead to inbreeding, and reduced genetic diversity, resulting in further decline in species.

The best way to protect lions from extinction is to create more protected areas for them, areas on which they can freely roam without interference from humans. This is where African governments should step in, and fund the creation of new animal reserves.

Sadly, the African governments alone cannot raise sufficient funds to create these reserves. The rich western world should help Africa save lions from extinction by providing the necessary funds. 

Some environmentalists believe that even tourism can be of great help in lion conservation efforts. If African governments were to create more protected areas then tourists could enjoy classic walking safaris in these reserves, and the money they would spend could be used to fund costs connected with these reserves. Of course, this only under the condition that these tourists do not interfere too much with the lion's way of life, meaning that everything has to be done under the strict guidance of professionals.

California condors could be again in trouble

California condors could find themselves once again in serious trouble just like this was the case in 1980s. In 1987 there were only 22 condors remaining in the wild, and they were captured and bred in San Diego Zoo Safari Park where conservationists managed to stop further decline in condor population. Today there are around 400 California condors in the wild.

The main factors that led to serious decline in California condor population were habitat loss, poaching and lead poisoning. Sadly, by the current looks of it lead poisoning could once again spell huge danger for condors in the wild.

In the latest study led by the environmental toxicologists at the University of California the scientists have expressed fear that California Condors could once again find themselves in trouble because of the lead poisoning from ammunition.

Condor’s main diet includes carcasses of large mammals such as deer. While feeding on these carcasses condors can ingest fragments of lead bullets leading to lead poisoning and eventual death.

Myra Finkelstein, a research toxicologist at UC Santa Cruz said that: „California condors are tagged and monitored, captured twice a year for blood tests, and when necessary treated for lead poisoning in veterinary hospitals, and they still die from lead poisoning on a regular basis“.

Not only have scientists found high lead isotope ratios in blood of free-flying condors, they have also discovered excessive lead levels in feathers, which led them to conclusion that birds are in fact chronically lead poisoned.

What this means is that without the continued releases of captive-reared birds and interventions to treat lead-poisoning, the condor population would again experience serious decline in population, and head to extinction.

The current measures of intensive management are helping condors to maintain their current numbers but nonetheless something has to be done to solve this worrying lead poisoning issue.

In 2008, California partially banned the use of lead ammunition in condor habitat. This ban has so far not fulfilled its purpose and has not been able to reduce the lead levels in blood of the condors. 

Why are seagrasses important?

Seagrasses provide many important services such as filtering sediments from the oceans, protecting coastlines against floods and storms, providing habitats for fish and other marine life, etc.

Their most important function is carbon storage. This means that seagrasses are one of our vital allies in our fight against global warming and climate change.

In the recent study (by Florida scientists) that was published in the journal Nature Geoscience researchers have emphasized the role of seagrass meadows in sinking carbon by claiming that seagrasses can store twice as much carbon as the world's forests.

In numbers this means that coastal seagrass beds sink up to 83,000 metric tons of carbon per square kilometer, while on the other hand a typical terrestrial forest stores about 30,000 metric tons per square kilometer.

Seagrass meadows occupy less than 0.2 percent of the world's oceans, but regardless of this very small percentage they still account for more than 10 percent of all carbon buried annually in the sea, mostly in the roots and soils beneath them. The scientists were even able to discover the areas where seagrass beds have been storing carbon for thousands of years.

The bad side of this story is the fact that seagrass meadows are disappearing fast, and are among the world's most threatened ecosystems. The scientists have said that close to 30% of all historic seagrass meadows have already been destroyed over the years with the main factors behind this loss being dredging and degradation of water quality. They also say that more than 1.5 percent of Earth's seagrass meadows are lost every year.

The further destruction of seagrass meadows will result in more carbon emissions. The scientists say that the destruction of seagrass meadows can potentially emit up to 25 percent more carbon that deforestation.

The good news in this story is the fact that seagrasses can be restored, and once restored can rapidly start storing carbon and even reestablish lost carbon sinks.

Conserving and restoring seagrass meadows should therefore become a global concern because seagrasses not only provide important services to many ecosystems but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, preventing even stronger climate change impact.

Conservation biology and biodiversity loss

The main goal of conservation biology is a protection of animal and plant species in given ecosystem from excessive extinction. The role of conservation biology is becoming increasingly important due to huge biodiversity loss worldwide as a result of various environmental issues, most notably climate change.

Climate change is making things extremely difficult for conservation biologists because it gives animals and plants very little time to adapt to changes. The other major issue is a lack of adequate funding needed to protect many species from going extinct.

In order to protect species from going extinct conservation biology needs to preserve their habitats which are constantly shrinking in size because of the rapid human population growth. Sadly, more people spells more trouble for many animal and plant species.

In order to be as effective as possible conservation biologists need to research, monitor, and catalog every ecosystem in our planet and they also need to study how is our society affecting certain ecosystem. This means that the conservation biologists must also be experts in social sciences and not just in biology.

Conservation biologists also need to study the past ecosystems because past is often the best indicator to future, especially in terms of species extinction.

Most conservation biologists believe that humanity is currently causing the largest mass extinction event in the history of our planet and that the era we currently live in is characterized by the unprecedented numbers of species extinctions. Last major extinction event happened some 65 millions years ago when big meteorite hit the Earth, this time there's no meteorite but the damage is even bigger.

Some scientists even say that the world is well on track to lose more than fifty percent of its species by the end of this century. Our levels of consumption and population growth mean that world will need the productivity of up to 27 Earths by 2050 in order to halt current decline in biodiversity.

World needs to give conservation biologists a chance to save many animals and plants from extinction. This not only means more funds but also lot more protected areas where wildlife can thrive without human interferences.

Regardless of what conservation biologists do, loss of many species is still inevitable and Earth's biodiversity will certainly change for worse in years to come. Let us at least try to minimize this damage as much as possible.

World needs more marine protected areas

Marine protected areas are sea regions where human activity has been restricted in a way that does not interfere with natural environment and marine ecosystems and enables marine life to thrive without human-based distractions.

Our oceans and seas cover more than 70% of Earth's surface and are the areas with the richest biodiversity in our planet. In order to protect biodiversity in our oceans and seas world needs to establish more marine protected areas where different animal and plant species could live without human interference.

In 2010, only 1.17% of the world's oceans were protected, definitely not enough to stop global marine biodiversity loss and tackle the raising environmental concerns such as marine pollution and overfishing.

For instance, according to the latest study by the Stanford University world needs to protect at least 4% of world's oceans in order to protect marine mammal species from serious decline in population.

Many countries have established national targets, accompanied by action plans and implementations but on global level these efforts are still inadequate to ensure appropriate marine conservation.

Countries need to work together, on global level, in order to solve this issue but world still fails to achieve unity with major environmental issues, and marine conservation is sadly no exception.

Overfishing is already taking heavy toll in many parts of the world, and without the establishment of more marine protected areas this problem will very soon escalate because millions of people worldwide depend on fish for their daily livelihoods.

Overfishing is really the main reason why world needs more protected areas and together with climate change the biggest threat to marine biodiversity.

Are current conservation efforts enough to save many animals from going extinct?

There are lots of scientists and environmentalists working really hard to protect many animals from going extinct but are these conservation efforts enough? Are we really gonna lose many animals and plants in years to come or will science find the answer on how to protect them from extinction. What is really happening to our planet that so many animals are brought to the brink of extinction? Are we the ones to blame?

The reasons for so many endangered animals in the world are connected with ecological problems of the modern world. World is facing many different ecological problems that are becoming stronger and stronger, and this is what causes decline in population of many animal species. Animals are losing their habitats because we need more and more room for ourselves, and this is what creates huge biodiversity loss in many parts of the world. The other ecological problems play their negative part too; most notably climate change that is giving animals very little time to adapt to changed climate conditions. And there are of course deforestation and pollution, both oh which contribute to endangered animals problem.

Being surrounded with so many different ecological problems makes conservation efforts even more difficult because these ecological problems are becoming stronger and stronger. All hard work can be lost in almost one blink of an eye if something unpredictable happens, and modern ecology is sadly full of negative surprises these days. Take mountain gorilla conservation for instance, mountain gorillas live in area of often military conflicts and one short civil war between government and rebels could wipe out entire population in matter of days.

Still the most difficult challenges remain habitat loss, poaching, and climate change. Habitat loss can happen due to many different reasons but all these reasons have one origin, namely us, the humans. As the world population keeps on growing humans need more space for their houses, farms, industries, and this is leaving animals with very little room, and some species need large areas to survive. Take tigers in India for example, tigers need large areas to hunt their prey, and because of constant habitat loss in India their hunting areas are getting smaller and smaller, which causes frequent conflicts with local population, and results in many deaths on both sides.

Poaching is still very profitable business in many African countries, and in some parts of the Asia, and the more endangered animal is, the better price will be achieved on the black market. This situation has led to many organized poaching gangs that are undermining conservation efforts in many African countries. Poachers really have not much to fear of, governments are often corrupted, there's no political will to stop them, and even if they get caught they often get away with minimal sentences.

The latest big problem that makes conservation efforts difficult is also the climate change. As climate change impact becomes stronger and stronger, it also leaves many animals very little time to adapt. This will eventually lead many species into extinction unless world does something to stop further strengthening of global warming impact.

So what's the conclusion? Lots of environmentalists, scientists, and many other people that care for our planet are doing all they can to protect many animals from extinction. But they can not succeed in this mission unless world starts to clean this tremendous environmental mess that has been created over the years. Unless world starts solving ecological problems current conservation efforts will be insufficient because magnitude of ecological problems is too big factor to be ignored. In order to do so ecology needs to have politics on their side, and this is something that we are yet waiting to happen.