New Altamont Wind Turbines Aim to Cut Bird Deaths. By Kelly Zito, SanFranChron,San Francisco Chronicle12/7/10. “For years, wind energy turbines at Altamont Pass have been blamed for killing thousands of birds each year… Jerry Brown warns state budget deficit could grow 12.09.10The largest wind-power company in the Altamont Pass will replace thousands of turbines as part of a settlement with lawmakers and environmental groups hoping to reduce the number of golden eagles, red-tailed hawks and other birds killed each year by the whirring blades... The company will also pay $2.5 million for raptor habitat restoration in the area. The deal to address the long-running debate over bird kills in the country's oldest wind farm was announced Monday by California Attorney General Jerry Brown, whose office brokered the agreement between the state, NextEra, Bay Area branches of the Audubon Society and Californians for Renewable Energy... In keeping with recent scientific research on bird habitats, the pact requires NextEra to place the modern turbines away from ridge tops and valleys, where many of the eagles, kestrels, falcons and owls ride updrafts or hunt for prey. That provision represents a key victory for wildlife groups that say little thought was given to where the original turbines were erected. ‘This is the first chance across the nation to take what was learned about turbines over the last 30 years and put it into use,’ said Mark Welther, executive director of the Golden Gate Audubon Society. ‘We support wind energy, but we need to make sure we don't sacrifice birds and wildlife to have renewable power.’”

Concerns over Eagle Safety Stall Wind Projects. By Jason Dearen and Noaki Schwartz, AP, 12/13/10. “Fears that whirling wind turbines could slaughter protected golden eagles have halted progress on a key piece of the federal government's push to increase renewable energy on public lands, stalling plans for billions of dollars in wind farm developments. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management suspended issuing wind permits on public land indefinitely this summer after wildlife officials invoked a decades-old law for protecting eagles... The restriction has stymied efforts to ‘fast-track’ approvals for four of the seven most promising wind energy proposals in the nation, including all three in California. Now, these and other projects appear unlikely to make the year-end deadline to potentially qualify for hundreds of millions of dollars in stimulus funds. If extensions aren't granted in the lame duck session of Congress, the future of many of these plans could be in doubt.”

Niger: Land of Hope. By Alex Perry, Time Magazine, 12/13/10. “The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says that on the southern edge of the Sahara, an area the size of Somalia has become desert in the past 50 years... In a May 2008 report, the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) said 46% of Africa is threatened by land degradation. UNCCD executive secretary Luc Gnacadja concluded that desertification is ‘the greatest environmental challenge of our times.’… The coming climate crisis will have a massive human cost… [But,] for University of Amsterdam environmental researcher Chris Reij, returning to Niger in 2004 after a decade's absence was ‘quite a surprise.’ In areas that used to be completely barren, where you could see villages miles away, ‘suddenly the view was blocked with green.’… Today Niger is one of the world's foremost examples of a green economy. Fighting climate change in Niger is development. Trees, soil and water have been reinstated as capital. Conflict between farmers and herders is down 80%, says Reij. And all this without dependence on schemes such as CDM or UN-REDD. Which means, as Reij says, ‘most of it didn't cost anything.’"

Shrugging Off Criticism, Europe Will Keep Trawling. By David Jolly, NYTimes, 12/3/10. “European nations will keep trawling the deep sea bottom… confounding hopes that they would honor commitments made to the United Nations General Assembly to stop the destructive practice. The Council of Fisheries Ministers, made up of officials from the 27 member nations of the European Union, said on Nov. 29 that there would be little change [PDF, 22 pp] in deep-sea quotas for the next two years, despite strong objections from the conservationist camp. Officials agreed to end deep-sea shark fishing and to restrict fishing for a handful of species, but in a victory for the French and Spanish fleets, fishing will continue largely as before. Deep-seas fisheries are defined as those below 200 meters, or about 650 feet. Deep-sea trolling and long-lining can lead to overfishing a stock, and dragging heavy nets across the bottom destroys coral and vegetation, disrupting the fragile ecosystem of the ocean floor. Making matters worse, deep-sea species tend to reproduce more slowly than species higher in the water column, so severely depleted stocks can face a tough road back to health even if significant conservation measures are eventually enacted… For a few commercial target species, thousands of tons of coral are hauled up only to be thrown back dead or dying, along with huge quantities of unwanted bycatch. In a matter of a few weeks or months, bottom trawl fishing can destroy what took many thousands of years to create.”

Is the End In Sight for the World’s Coral Reefs? By J.E.N. Veron,YaleEnviro360, 12/6/10. “It is a difficult idea to fathom… [especially] for me, an Australian marine scientist who has spent the past 40 years working on reefs the world over… But the science is clear: Unless we change the way we live, the Earth's coral reefs will be utterly destroyed within our children's lifetimes… Great Barrier Reef -- the biggest structure ever made by life on Earth… will not be there for our children’s children to enjoy unless we drastically change our priorities and the way we live… As with temperature, the oceans act as a huge repository, absorbing and buffering any excess CO2 in the atmosphere… All organisms that produce calcium carbonate skeletons (including shells, crabs, sea urchins, corals, coralline algae, calcareous phytoplankton, and many others) depend on their ability to deposit calcium carbonate, and this process is largely controlled by the prevailing water chemistry. As alkalinity decreases, precipitation of calcium carbonate becomes more and more difficult until eventually it is inhibited altogether. The potential consequences of such acidification are nothing less than catastrophic…

“A particularly galling aspect of the past four mass extinction events (very little is known about the first) is that, following them, reefs disappeared -- not just for a few tens of thousands of years, but for millions of years -- long after adverse climatic conditions may have returned to benign levels. One of the characteristics of acidification is that while it can be initiated by high CO2 levels over relatively short periods, there are no short-term geochemical fixes to reverse the process. Reversal can take place only through the immensely slow weathering and dissolution processes of geological time, processes that take hundreds of thousands to millions of years…

“The greenhouse gases we produce today will take a number of decades (and sometimes more) to unleash their full fury, but their effects are unavoidable and unstoppable. We cannot afford to wait until the predictions of science can be totally verified, because by that time it will be too late. How many of us wish to explain to our children and children’s children that the predictions were there but we wanted confirmation?... Reefs are the ocean’s canaries and we must hear their call. This call is not just for themselves, for the other great ecosystems of the ocean stand behind reefs like a row of dominoes. If coral reefs fail, the rest will follow in rapid succession, and the Sixth Mass Extinction will be upon us -- and will be of our making.”

Nagoya Protocol: A Breakthrough in Protecting Biodiversity. By Julio Godoy, IPS, 11/11/10. “An international agreement reached in the Japanese city of Nagoya constitutes a great step forward towards protecting biodiversity from decimation, but also represents an enormous legislative and administrative task, environment experts say. The Nagoya Protocol, signed in late October by the 193 member states of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity, includes more than 40 measures aimed at fighting bio-piracy and preventing misappropriation of genetic resources. The agreement outlines a strategic plan for implementation of the measures to halt the loss of biodiversity within the next 10 years, and foresees benefits for developing countries from sustainable industrial and commercial use of biogenetic resources. But to fulfil these tasks, most developing countries must carry out an enormous amount of legislative and administrative work in identifying and cataloguing biogenetic resources to prove their origin and claim international property rights, the experts warned.”

Serengeti-Mara Wildebeest Migration Disrupted by Climate Change. By Adam Ihucha, EastAfrican, 10/25/10. “A change in the spectacular wildebeest migration schedule in the great Serengeti-Mara ecosystem has caught ecologists off guard. Ecologists speculate that last year’s drought might have disrupted the natural wildebeest movement… The wildebeest migration attracts thousands of tourists every year… Traditionally, the wildebeest spend three months in Maasai Mara and nine months in Serengeti but for this year it appears it was two and 10 months in Maasai Mara and Serengeti respectively.”

World Leaders Tackle a Tall Order: How to Preserve Life on Earth. By Patrick White, Toronto Globe and Mail, 10/18/10. “193 national delegations have descended on Nagoya, Japan, in pursuit of a vexing goal befitting a deity: how to preserve life on Earth. At stake is the fate of the U.N. Conference on Biological Diversity, an international agreement signed amid great hope and fanfare in the early 1990s, the status of which has fizzled steadily ever since. The document bound countries to cut mass species loss ‘significantly’ and preserve 10% of the world’s ecological regions by 2010. But this year brought the sobering realization that not one country had met those targets. After 20 years of high-level talks and treaties, mass extinction continues apace at between 1,500 and 15,000 species a year, depending on the estimate, and leaders are running out of opportunities to turn it around.”

U.N. Talks on Preserving Biodiversity Plagued with Issues Similar to Those of Climate Talks. By Chisa Fujioka, Reuters, 10/22/10. “A U.N. meeting to set targets to fight rising animal and plant extinctions inched on Friday toward agreement, but rich and poor countries remained split over details of a new framework on genetic resources… The meeting hopes to push governments and businesses into taking more action to protect and restore ecosystems such as forests that clean the air, insects that pollinate crops and coral reefs that nurture valuable fisheries. But negotiations have been plagued by the same mistrust between developed and developing countries that has bogged down U.N. talks on combating climate change, such as how to share the effort and who should pay. Developing nations in Nagoya have refused to sign up to 2020 conservation targets without agreement on a new U.N. protocol that would give them a fairer share of profits made by companies, such as pharmaceutical firms, from their genetic resources.”

Invasive Species and Climate Change Make a ‘Deadly Duo’. By David Fogarty, Reuters, 10/22/10. “Climate change is set to drive the spread of invasive plant and animals species, threatening forests, fisheries and crops, in a double blow to nature and livelihoods, a World Bank-funded report [Invasive Species, Climate Change and Ecosystem-Based Adaptation, PDF, 56 pp.] said on Friday. The study by Nairobi-based Global Invasive Species Programme says a warmer world, more extreme weather and higher levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide will give some species an edge, devastating ecosystems at sea and on land. ‘The estimated damage from invasive species worldwide totals more than $1.4 trillion annually -- 5% of the global economy,’ says the report issued on the sidelines of a major U.N. meeting in Japan aimed at combating the destruction of nature.”

U.N. Study Puts Economic Value on Intact Ecosystems. By John M. Broder, NYTimes, 10/20/10. “Forests, fisheries, coral reefs, bee colonies and other natural assets carry large and unappreciated economic benefits as well as contributing to the diversity of the planet’s plant and animal life, according to a new study [The Economics of Biodiversity, PDF, 39 pp] from the United Nations Environment Program. The study, known as the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), is the result of three years of work led by the United Nations Environment Program and an effort to get governments and private businesses around the world to appreciate the value of nature and participate in efforts to preserve it. The report was released on Wednesday in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity, under way in Nagoya, Japan. The study found that forests, reefs and oceans account for 47 to 89 percent of the effective income of rural and poor households in many large developing countries. This source of income has generally been overlooked by many economists, who have focused on traditional sectors like manufacturing, mining, retailing, construction and energy generation.”

U.N. Report on Deterioration Marine Ecosystems Released. By Chisa Fujioka, Reuters, 10/19/10. “Marine ecosystems around the world are at risk of substantial deterioration in coming decades as oceans face growing threats from pollution, over-fishing and climate change, a U.N. report showed on Tuesday [10/19/10]. The global U.N. Environment Programme report, based on studies of 18 regions, predicted that productivity would fall in nearly all areas by 2050, with fisheries to be dominated by smaller species toward the bottom of the food chain. The report was unveiled as envoys from nearly 200 countries gathered for a U.N. meeting in Nagoya, Japan, aimed at protecting and restoring ecosystems such as forests, coral reefs and the oceans that underpin livelihoods and economies.”

Disaster Looms for Seabirds After Poor Breeding Season. By Frank Urquhart, Edinburgh Scotsman, 10/19/10. “Some colonies of seabirds in the Northern Isles have had their worst breeding season on record. The changes appear to be linked to the effects of global warming and a 70% decline in zooplankton reported in the north-east Atlantic since the 1960s, an PSPB Scotland officer said… The fall in zooplankton has led to a corresponding decline in the number of sand eels, the staple diet of several seabird species.”

Judge Orders Review of ‘Endangered’ Status for Polar Bears. By Matthew Daly, AP, 10/20/10. “A federal judge ordered the Obama administration on Wednesday to review whether polar bears, at risk because of global warming, are endangered under U.S. law. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan wants the Interior Department to clarify a decision by the administration of former President George W. Bush that polar bears were merely threatened rather than in imminent danger of extinction. Sullivan's request, made at a hearing Wednesday in federal court, keeps in place the 2008 declaration by the Bush administration.

“Former Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said in May 2008 that the bears were on the way to extinction because of the rapid disappearance of the Arctic Sea ice upon which they depend. But he stopped short of declaring them endangered, which had it been declared would have increased protections for the bear and make oil and gas exploration more difficult… Along with the listing, Kempthorne created a ‘special rule’ stating that the Endangered Species Act would not be used to set climate policy or limit greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global warming and melting ice in the Arctic Ocean. The Obama administration upheld the Bush-era policy, declaring that the endangered species law cannot be used to regulate greenhouse gases emitted by sources outside of the polar bears' habitat. If the bears are found to be endangered, however, that could open the door to using the Endangered Species Act to regulate greenhouse gases. Sullivan said he would issue a written order shortly, but said Wednesday that the government is likely to have about 30 days to explain how it arrived at its decision.”

Back From the Brink: Otters Return to U.K. Rivers. By Terri Judd, Independent (UK), 10/18/10. “For the past 40 years or more, the sight of otters playing in England's rivers has been a desperately rare treat. Now, at last, it seems the tide is turning in favor of the country's favorite water dwelling animal, which has been brought back from the brink of extinction against the odds. A report [PDF, 12 pp] by the Environment Agency published today reveals that numbers of the once elusive animal are at their highest for decades. Poisoned by toxic pesticides in rivers, the animals had almost disappeared by the 1970s… But a concerted effort to protect the otter, including the introduction of legislation which made it an offence to intentionally kill or harm the animals, has brought about a dramatic resurgence.”

Antarctic Krill at Risk from CO2. ABC News (AU), 10/13/10. “Tasmanian scientists have released ground-breaking research which shows increasing ocean acidification is deadly for Antarctica's main food source. The team at the Antarctic Division has studied the impacts of increased levels of carbon dioxide on the shrimp-like krill. Scientists exposed the laboratory krill embryos to varying levels of carbon dioxide, from as little as 380 parts per million, which is the current surface level, to 2,000 parts per million. The embryos exposed to the highest level did not survive. Krill Biologist Rob King says with carbon dioxide levels predicted to double by the end of the century, the next step is to find the exact tipping point. ‘No one had done this before, especially for Antarctic krill, and we really were shooting in the dark a bit to find and guess what levels to try,’ he said.”

Precipitous Declines in Arizona Reptiles Could be Linked to Climate Change. By Tony Davis, Arizona Star, 10/11/10. “Many lizard and snake species populations are crashing at Organ Pipe National Monument, researchers have found. The declines match a recently discovered global decline in snakes and lizards that scientists say could be linked to climate change. University of Arizona research scientist Phil Rosen said his analysis found 50 percent declines in eight snake species and a half-dozen lizard species that he has trapped for 22 years at Organ Pipe Monument, about 140 miles southwest of Tucson. He thinks climate could be a factor, because the lizard and snake species whose populations dropped are far more sensitive to heat and drought, respectively, than those whose populations didn't drop there, Rosen said. The National Park Service financed and conducted most of the monitoring for the research, which is ongoing.”

Fish & Wildlife Service Issues Plan for Species Conservation in Climate Change Era. By Andrew Freedman, ClimateCentral, 9/28/10. "Calling global climate change 'the transformational conservation challenge of our time,' the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a new climate change strategic plan on Monday, which represents a significant shift in the agency's approach to protecting species. The plan puts a heavy emphasis on the need for the federal government to work closely with state and local agencies, academia, and private groups as climate change alters the suitable habitat for many species across the country. As the plan notes, climate change is already shifting habitat and threatening species large and small, from polar bears to alpine plants.

"'In the history of wildlife conservation, the Service and the larger conservation community have never experienced a challenge that is so ubiquitous across the landscape. Our existing conservation infrastructure will be pressed to its limits -- quite likely beyond its limits -- to respond successfully,' the plan states. The agency, which is part of the Interior Department, announced several concrete measures to respond to climate change, including placing a high priority on helping species adapt to changing temperatures and precipitation patterns, and to sea level rise. The FWS plans to establish a network of regional hubs for scientific research and information sharing, to be known as Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, which will serve as a scientific research and information sharing arm of FWS and its partners. The scientific data produced from these cooperatives would be incorporated into FWS' plans to help species adapt to the effects of climate change."

Ozone Hole Provides Temporary Reprieve for Adèlie Penguins. By Michael Todd, Miller-McCune, 9/28/10. "It is the best of times, it is the worst of times -- for penguins… Some colonies of Adèlie penguins, those living near Ross Island, are going to be near-term winners of how climate change affects the world's seventh continent. This will occur even as their peers on the Antarctic Peninsula 2,000 miles away face a punishing slog toward probable localized extinction… In the Ross Sea [which is as far south as one can go on the ocean], the hole in the ozone layer creates upper atmosphere cooling, which increases winds, which increases sea ice. [Penguin scientist] Grant Ballard calls it a 'giant ice generator,' and as long as temperatures remain above freezing, it will likely remain one. 'People expect the ice to be going away, and fast, but in the Ross Sea it isn't -- yet. However, we do expect to in 20 years, or it could be 40 years, depending on which models you look at, we expect we'll start seeing a decline in sea ice again, in the Ross Sea.'… Grant Ballard's mentor, the renowned penguin expert David G. Ainley, has dubbed Adèlies the 'bellwether of climate change,' in part because they are completely dependent on the continued existence of sea ice and in part because they have been well studied and so provide a good baseline for observing change.

"Ballard and the other researchers are providing information to a member of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources [PDF, 23 pp], the one organization with the statutory authority to create non-fishing areas off Antarctica. The convention is planning to examine that possibility in the spring. The researchers have also provided information to the nongovernmental organization the Antarctica and South Ocean Coalition, which while it hasn't taken a stand on a marine protected area for the Ross Sea it is clearly pro-conservation, as the video, The Ross Sea, Antarctica, demonstrates. While Ballard isn't taking a public position on what the convention should do, because the Antarctic is pretty much the last accessible place on Earth that hasn't been completely altered by humanity, he is concerned about a potential loss that echoes beyond Adèlie colonies. 'From a scientific perspective, it's a tragedy to lose this place, last reference point.' Ballard laments. 'From a cultural perspective, a human value perspective, I think people can understand it's probably not a good idea to destroy every ecosystem on the planet.'"

Biologist Tracks Walruses Forced Ashore as Ice Melts. By Annie Feidt, NPR, September 26, 2010. "Earlier this month, tens of thousands of walruses crowded onto a sandy stretch of beach on Alaska's northwest coast. The animals were forced to swim to shore after the Arctic Sea ice they usually live on disappeared from the Chukchi Sea. It's a phenomenon that was unheard of five years ago. Anthony Fischbach, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, is trying to get a handle on what the dramatic change in behavior could mean for the species long-term."