Find Scientists Oldest Human Samples Uncovered in the Americas Discovery Raises Questions About Theory of How Land Mass Was Populated 4/3/08 Scientists have found and dated the oldest human remains ever uncovered in the Americas -- a discovery that places people genetically similar to Native Americans in Oregon more than 14,000 years ago. Working with radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis, an international team concluded that fossilized feces found five feet below the surface of an arid cave are almost 1,000 years older than any previous human remains unearthed in the Americas. The samples were discovered close to a crude dart or spear tip chiseled from obsidian, as well as bones of horses and camels that were then common in the region. The researchers described their finding as a "smoking gun" in the long-running debate over when and where humans first inhabited the New World. The discovery, published today in the online edition of the journal Science, is a blow to the widely-held theory that the Clovis culture -- named after a site in New Mexico where its distinct artifacts and fluted spearheads were first identified in the 1930s -- was the first human presence in North America. Jenkins said that while the human DNA found in Oregon could be from ancestors of the Clovis culture, none of the distinctive Clovis-era technology has been found in the region.
Mountain gorilla groups usually consist of a silverback male, several adult females, and many youngsters. Males' backs turn silver at age 12.
Mountain gorillas in the Congo N = approximately 150 8 were killed in 2007 About 750 in the world Uganda 350 Rwanda 270 Congo 150 Poaching, disease, habitat loss, war >150 park rangers killed since 1994 when the civil war began
Goma, in eastern Congo, with the Nyiragongo volcano. Virunga National Park is nearby.
July 2007 a male and three females were killed in Virunga National Park
Silverback Rugendo and much of his family was killed in July 2007. Villagers carried him 3 hours for burial.
Ecotourism and gorillas
Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda $500 for a one-hour visit A year-long waiting list $8 million/year from entrance fees, much more from hotel, travel, food costs Gorilla population has increased 17% since 1989
A saiga calf stands next to its mother. Hunting has already endangered the saiga, an odd-looking, big-nosed antelope that lives in central Asia. Now, a study by the the Wildlife Conservation Society finds that a narrow, three-mile-wide migration route that connects two populations of saigas is now in danger of becoming blocked by herds of livestock, trucks and motorcycles.
Tibetan Antelope
(Pantholopos hodgsonii)
Conservation Situation
Decline from 1,000,000 to less than 75,000 since 1990s. It is listed in IUCN Red list as "Endangered" in 2000 It is listed in Appendix 1 under CITES except the State of Jammu and Kashmir (India). 10,000~20,000 Tibetan Antelopes are killed each year.
Distribution
Xinjiang
Ladakh
Tibetan Plateau The Roof of the World
Qinghai
Xizhang
(Tibet)
Migration
Males and Females segregate to different places during the summer (late April or May)
Summer Ground
Male Summer Ground Calving Ground
Female Female offspring
Winter Ground
Female Male
Tibetan Antelope Natural Reserve in KeKeXiLi in 1997 Tibetan Antelope were voted as one of the Olympic mascots for 2008 It is listed under ESA (Endangered Species
Act)
US Endangered Species Act Protects Tibetan Antelope Environmental News Network (press release), CA - Mar 29, 2006
Dr. George Schaller
BANG! BANG!
Target Population
200 Males (Fox et al. 1991) Ladakh (India)
"KeKeXiLi"
Few hundred (Schaller 19980)
29%(males), 53%(females), and 18%(young) 200 (males) / 0.29 = 690 (total population)
Vortex Results
Normal 38 survived ; 162 go extinct (Median time to first extinction : 42 years) 1 Catastrophe 10 survived ; 190 go extinct (Median time to first extinction : 37 years) 2 Catastrophes 6 survived ; 194 go extinct (Median time to first extinction : 37 years) Poaching (Harvest) 0 survived ; 200 go extinct (Median time to first extinction : 5 years)
Solutions
Urge State of Jammu and Kashmir to prohibit the trade of Tibetan antelope or Shahtoosh. Maintain or improve the ability of protection in natural reserves.
Stop demands!! Your help!!
The information of movie: KeKeXiLi Mountain Patrol www.mountainpatrolmovie.com
Palm oil: the biofuel of the future driving an ecological disaster now Ian MacKinnon in Kalimantan Wednesday April 4, 2007 The Guardian The numbers are damning. Within 15 years 98% of the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia will be gone, little more than a footnote in history. With them will disappear some of the world's most important wildlife species, victims of the rapacious destruction of their habitat in what conservationists see as a lost cause. Yet this gloomy script was supposed to have included a small but significant glimmer of hope. Oil palm for biofuel was to have been one of the best solutions in saving the planet from greenhouse gases and global warming. Instead the forests are being torn down in the headlong rush to boost palm oil production. The numbers are damning. Within 15 years 98% of the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia will be gone, little more than a footnote in history. With them will disappear some of the world's most important wildlife species, victims of the rapacious destruction of their habitat in what conservationists see as a lost cause.Yet this gloomy script was supposed to have included a small but significant glimmer of hope. Oil palm for biofuel was to have been one of the best solutions in saving the planet from greenhouse gases and global warming. Instead the forests are being torn down in the headlong rush to boost palm oil production. http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2049687,00.html
Just a few years ago, politicians and environmental groups in the Netherlands were thrilled by the early and rapid adoption of ''sustainable energy,'' achieved in part by coaxing electrical plants to use biofuel -- in particular, palm oil from Southeast Asia. Spurred by government subsidies, energy companies became so enthusiastic that they designed generators that ran exclusively on the oil, which in theory be would cleaner than fossil fuels like coal because it is derived from plants. But last year, when scientists studied practices at palm plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia, this green fairy tale began to look more like an environmental nightmare. Rising demand for palm oil in Europe brought about the clearing of huge tracts of Southeast Asian rainforest and the overuse of chemical fertilizer there. Worse still, the scientists said, space for the expanding palm plantations was often created by draining and burning peatland, which sent huge amounts of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Considering these emissions, Indonesia had quickly become the world's third-leading producer of carbon emissions that scientists believe are responsible for global warming, ranked after the United States and China, according to a study released in December by researchers from Wetlands International and Delft Hydraulics, both in the Netherlands. The demand for palm oil in Europe has soared in the last two decades, first for use in food and cosmetics, and more recently for fuel. This versatile and cheap oil is used in about 10 percent of supermarket products, from chocolate to toothpaste, accounting for 21 percent of the global market for edible oils.
Hunters are paid 150,000 rupiah [8.30] for the right hand of an orangutan to prove they've killed them.
Impacts of Soybean Expansion in the Hotspots: the Cerrado
Problem Solving CONS University of Maryland
Investment & Trade in Commodities and Impacts on Biodiversity
A case study of Soybean in the Cerrado
Problem Solving CONS University of Maryland
Outline Global Soybean Market Soybeans in Brazil: the Cerrado Environmental and Socioeconomic Impacts Projections & Recommendations
1. Global Soybean Market
Soybeans: A Miracle Crop
16%
Vegetable oil... Biodiesel
12%
Many products (ex.Tofu)
70%
Animal feed
Source: ASA
Affluence
World Meat Consumption
Kg per capita
Source: FAO
Per Capita Meat Consumption
Source: FAO
Kg per person per year
Global Soybean Production
250 200 150 100 50 0 1964 1970 1980 1990 2000 2005 Paraguay India China Argentina Brazil US
Exports: Paraguay 95%, India 34%, China 0%, Brazil 71%, Argentina 87%, US 40%
Source: FAOSTAT
Millon tons
Trade in Soybeans
Million tons
2. Soybeans in Brazil: The Cerrado
Soybean Production in Brazil
Source: FAS-USDA (2006)
Investment & Financial Aid
Facilities & Plants
857.7 + 464 Mil. US$ Crushers
Transportation
1.6 + 2.3 Bil. US$ Crushers, Govt., WB
Research
8.2 Mil. US$ Govt. (Embrapa, MST)
Robert Wisner
Credit line
11 + 2.3 Bil. US$ Govt., BNDES, Banco do Brazil
Biodiesel
+ 17 Bil. US$ Govt., private
Infrastructur e
Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA)
BR - 163
Source: Greenpearce, 2006 Source: RTRS
Biodiesel
AgroEnergy Policy - 2005 2008 B2 2013 B5
Various Feedstocks Soybeans Supported
Source: www.biodiesel.org.br
Soybean Expansion in the Cerrado
Cheap and flat lands Predictable rainfall Longer growing season Old and poor soils Tropical climate Disease/ pest problems Asian Soybean Rust
Source: RTRS
Genetically Modified Soybeans
3. Environmental and Socio- Economic Impacts
Hotspot: The Cerrado
60% of Brazil's Soybean Production
Biodiversity Hotspot
Savanna/woodland/ dry forests ecosystem Fire regimes, dry seasons, poor soil Unique diversity and endemism
Source: MiMA
Hotspot: The Cerrado
Gallery forests Rich plants - 50% are endemic Giant Anteater, maned wolf
Source: Nogveira & Hulle
Courtesy: Leo Oliviera
Hotspot: The Cerrado
Gallery forests Rich plants - 50% are endemic Giant Anteater, maned wolf
Source: Nogveira & Hulle
Wikipedia Commons
Loss of Habitat
Deforestation"Desmatamento"
1970-1975: Deforestation rate: 4M ha/year Current rates: 2,2 3M ha/year By 2030 ...the Cerrado is projected to be gone Currently 21% of Intact extent left 1.7% of Cerrado is protected (3.3M)
Source: Machado, 2004
Habitat = biodiversity Habitat = disturbs fire regime
Loss of Biodiversity
Estimated Number of Endemic Species Extinctions in the Cerrado to Date
Plants Total 4400
4400 4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 Endemic Threatened P.Extinct 15 1458
Vertebrates Total 117 Predicted Extinct 39 1458
Predicted Extinct
Vertebrates 39 out of 117
Sources: Brooks et al. 2002; Klink & Machado 2005; CI
Impacts of Agriculture
Irrigation Agrochemical Runoff Erosion and Sedimentation in Pantanal Water Retention 20% less
Genetically Modified Organisms A whole new can of worms Genetic pollution
Source: RTRS
Impacts of Paving BR163
Illegal Logging - Deforestation Example Government Protected Areas ABIOVE, ANEC Moratorium on soy from Amazon
Source: WWF
Loss of Ecosystem Services
Carbon Sequestration
Carbon emissions = 50 million tons annually
Opportunity Cost US$ 20/tons C EU carbon market
Cerrado Watershed
Hydrological cycle and Pantanal flood areas
Medicinal Plants Ecotourism (Birdwatching) Ornamental and Floral
Source: WPTJ
Socio-Economic Impacts
GDP Soybean industry = 6% of GDP Employment 5.5 million people (value chain) 1 farmer/100-200 ha = Rural Growth Big crushers Inequality persists Slavery Brazil 2002 = 5,500 cases Mato Grosso = 700 cases (120 for land clearing) Indigenous Enawene Nawe Indians & Xingu Displacement Human health impacts
Source: MMA
5. Projections & Recommendations
Projections
Brazilian Soybean Expansion
Worldwide picture More demand for protein, competition for land (biofuel), high prices, scarcity.
Source: FAOSTAT
Source: Dros 2004
2006 soybean production: 224 Mtons Projected for 2020: 303 Mtons
Recommendations
CERRADO ACTION PLAN (CAP)
CONSERVATION & RESTORATION SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT PERCEPTIONS AND EDUCATION
Scientific restoration for compliance Prioritize Conservation units in the remaining Cerrado Trading area under forestry code
Ecological ICMS tax Encouraging the productive use of abandoned and degraded Sustainable land Planning Landuse
Sustainable investment Guide GrainMap: Trade & Investment Radar Certification of agroindustry in Cerrado
Dissemination of case studies on sust. investment Change the image of Cerrado Change the Perception of Conservation