The Priority Conservation Areas in the study are 10 of the 19 places that WWF has determined are priority places for conservation. They are parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and South America.

Rural areas retain the highest levels of fertility on the planet, but also suffer high rates of maternal and infant mortality, morbidity, a host of tropical illnesses, and malnutrition, and generally receive little or no access to health care. Women may want planned families, but there are no services to help them achieve it. Also, subsistence farming often involves child labor and thus parents want lots of kids.

The study reports that despite unprecedented rates of rural out-migration in recent years, the destruction of the world’s most biodiverse forests has continued unabated. While many local communities in remote areas of high biodiversity have been stewards of their environment for generations, population growth often places new pressure on natural ecosystems. As new areas for agriculture or subdivisions become developed land, greater pressure is placed on natural resources.

While the basic ideas in the study are not new, applying them specifically to the highest priority conservation areas is new. Now WWF and other NGO’s can identify which areas need social services the most, as part of their ongoing efforts to preserve biodiversity.

Two thirds of surveyed voters in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming stated that these natural resources are fragile and must be cared for and protected. Two thirds (perhaps the same people) of voters believe current laws protecting air, land and water should be strengthened or better enforced.

Overall, the survey indicates most voters consider environmental protection and a strong economy to be compatible goals. The survey reports that a majority of the people voted for clean energy over coal, and suggested they wouldn’t mind spending $10 more a month to get clean energy. Further, the New America Media reports that over two-thirds of voters said they believe renewable energy will create, not cost jobs.

This is good news that the government should use to guide its decisions and actions.

Both projects fit in with UNEP’s theme “Forests for People, Forests for Green Growth” in support of the 2010-11 International Year of the Forests. Both groups fulfilled a majority of the theme’s criteria, such as:

•  Promoting the conservation and sustainable management of forests;
•  Contributing to a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions caused by deforestation;
•  Maintaining forest ecosystems to improve resilience to climate change;
•  Supporting pro-poor development, especially among forest-dependent communities;
•  Conserving biodiversity and helping secure ecosystem services.

In particular, AFISAP is focused on preserving the forests on a 52,000-hectare concession within the Mayan Biosphere Reserve in the San Andres area which plays a critical role in regional conservation and has the world’s highest concentration of jaguars.

MDI-Nepal has introduced agroforestry to help improve crop productivity and water irrigation systems as well as reduce soil erosion on the forested hills and mountainous areas of their country.

Many forestry projects are stalled or stopped completely each year due to court battles and clashes between logging and protection groups. These roadblocks need to stop for the well-being of both the economy and ecosystems.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, a new federal plan will place science over politics through compromise. Natural resources, water and habitats will continue to be protected without killing industry. The key to this strategy is that scientists will be consulted before mining, drilling or logging occurs in order to diminish environmental damage. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack explains that political pressure will be alleviated by focusing on how to make forests more resilient from the get-go, as opposed to waiting until environmental damage is done to take action.

The new Forest service rules include comments from lengthy public roundtable discussions, and will undergo a 90 day comment period. The U.S. is a nation that is constantly distracted by political infighting. I hope (and am confident) that in this case, science will trump all.

Sadly, however, sharks are killed by the millions to provide fins for shark fin soup, which the Miami Herald reports is increasingly popular. Up to 73 million sharks are killed each year in what is a very un-sustainable fishery.

In March 2010, commerce was chosen over conservation at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Then there was hope. The Maldives created a 35,000 square mile Indian Ocean shark sanctuary. Later in 2010, protective measures for eight sharks were adopted at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.

Then the presidents of Honduras and Palau challenged other UN world leaders to establish additional sanctuaries and to stop the practice of finning, where a shark’s fins are cut off and then the shark is thrown back into the sea to die. At the end of 2010, the U.S. Congress stepped up to the plate and passed the Shark Conservation Act which increases shark conservation efforts and helps stop finning.

Now we need more countries to take responsible actions to help preserve the remaining sharks.

The problem with lionfish is that they have voracious appetites and eat other fish species. They also are rapid breeders, and females can lay up to 2 million eggs a year. With no known predators, there’s no natural way to stop the lionfish from taking over entire areas and wiping out natural fish species. Unless humans step in and kill lionfish, which is becoming known as a tasty fish.

Invasivores, as the New York Times calls them, could play a very useful role in helping to control lionfish and other invasive species. Aside from lionfish, some fisheries biologists are suggesting the Asian carp be renamed to “Kentucky Tuna” to make it appealing to diners.

The idea of eating invasive species is not new, but it may hold a conservation key to help natural species survive. And both meat eaters and vegans can participate. Vegans can dine on salads that include weeds such as the field mustard or turnip mustard plant Brassica rapa. Or parts of dandelions.

Human appetites have been proven to be powerful forces in nature. Let’s use them to eliminate invasive species!

In the good news category is the 187,000 square miles of Alaska that was set aside by the Obama administration as a critical habitat for polar bears. This may add restrictions to future offshore oil and gas drilling in the future.

The UK created 15 new marine protected areas, where human activity is banned or restricted. Reefs, sandbanks and sea caves will be protected, as well as the marine life that makes them home.

Also in the UK, biologists celebrated the record number of bitterns that had flown in from northern Europe. As well, the pine marten enjoyed an enlarged range.

On the downside, British scientists published a list of “100 Weird Mammals under threat of extinction”. The list included the Long-Beaked Echidna, which is one of the most primitive mammals on the planet and lays eggs like a reptile. Also listed was the Saola or ‘Asian Unicorn’, which was unknown to western science until 1992.

The bad news also includes the plight of the world’s amphibian species, a third of which faces extinction.

More bad news involves sharks being caught in large numbers solely for their fins, and then they are often released back into the ocean for a slow death. 2010 reports also revealed Asian appetites for tiger parts means the current population of around 3,200 is facing serious threats. As well, the fight to save rhinos faces increasingly sophisticated poachers.

African bushmeat activities are decreasing the population of many animals, including chimpanzees. On the other hand, mountain gorillas in Virunga national park have increased their numbers due to intense efforts to reduce poaching and disease.

Happy New Year 2011. Let’s make this year a great one for conservation.

The mission of the IUCN is to coordinate a consultation process leading to a standardized system that will facilitate comparable geographic analyses that separates ecosystem risk assessment from the definition of conservation priorities.

The general consensus in the scientific community is that species Red Lists have been a success, leading to a 20% decline in extinction rapidity. However, some people are skeptical and insist that it will be difficult to come up with a similar set of ecosystem definitions that will survive political pressures and challenges. Overall, the ability to identify and map threatened ecosystems would be very useful according to Luz Esther Sanchez, a marine biologist and ecologist interviewed by the Washington Post. Sanchez explains that areas such as the Venezuelan Mangroves (threatened by sediment and pesticides) are often ignored in favour of more publicized issues that deal with specific endangered species.

Conservation agriculture has been practiced for decades in nations from Canada to India and is now being adapted to meet the needs of small-scale impoverished farmers in Asia, Africa and South America. While conventional farming practices rely on technology and pesticides, the CA method is based on the principles of minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and regular crop rotations to achieve sustainable, profitable harvests. In many developing nations machinery is scarce and farmers find it difficult to plant/harvest in an unstable political climate plagued by malnourishment and poverty. Conservation Agriculture forgoes ploughing in favour of more traditional planting mechanisms such as rippers and basins while relying on residue from previous crops to fertilize the soil. CA also protects against the harsh effects of climate change (drought, flooding) by improving water infiltration into soil which leads to healthier, stronger crops.

On average, according to The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), CA yields are 80% higher than those reaped by traditional methods in developing nations. Each of the participating villages in the Zimbabwe study produced an average yield surplus of approximately 78 MT (metric tons) which shows that poor farmers can increase and stabilise crops in marginal lands under this system.

Challenges to adopting CA methods include reluctance to doing away with the perceived ease of plough technology, weed control, and competition for crop residues. However, dire economic and environmental situation in the world requires that struggling farmers be assisted in finding real sustainable solutions for agriculture issues. I believe that Conservation Agriculture is the first step in a long journey towards success.

This led me to research the results of last week’s Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. Have you heard the Summit had a successful conclusion? World leaders and tiger countries endorsed a major plan to double the numbers of tigers in the wild by 2022. The Global Tiger Recovery Programme  has received a commitment of $127 million to help save the world’s remaining tigers, reports the World Wildlife Fund.

Further, the World Bank offered a $100 million loan package to three tiger range countries for conservation work, and the Global Environment Facility offered to provide up to $50 million in grant funding for tiger habitat conservation.

With all this funding, it is expected that anti-poaching and anti-trafficking work will be ramped up in the 13 tiger range countries. The last remaining refuges of tigers will be protected, and tiger monitoring will be increased. Let’s hope that this support will accomplish their goal of doubling the number of our world’s tigers by 2022.