On November 21 of this year, a federal judge rejected the state of Alaska’s 2010 lawsuit that tried to strip Endangered Species Act protections for Cook Inlet beluga whales. The judge decided that the best available science supports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s determination that Cook Inlet beluga whales are in danger of extinction. While hunting was initially considered the cause of the significant decline of belugas in the Inlet, the population has continued to decline after hunting ceased in 1999.

The Alaska Center for the Environment, the Center for Biological Diversity, Cook Inletkeeper, Defenders of Wildlife, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the North Gulf Oceanic Society, represented by Trustees for Alaska, intervened in the lawsuit to defend the beluga listing against the state’s attack.

Once numbering 1,300, there are now only 300 to 400 Cook Inlet belugas. This diminished population faces many threats. Cook Inlet, which borders the city of Anchorage, is the most populated and fastest-growing watershed in Alaska, and it is subject to significant offshore oil and gas development in beluga habitat. Additionally, the proposed billion-dollar Knik Arm Bridge will directly affect the belugas, and port expansion and a proposed giant coal mine and coal-export dock would also destroy key beluga habitat.

While there are four other beluga whale populations in Alaska, Cook Inlet belugas are a genetically unique and geographically isolated population of whales that live in Alaska’s Cook Inlet. The whale’s population decline has been so severe that in 2006 the International Union for Conservation of Nature placed the Cook Inlet beluga on its “red list” of endangered species. The U.S. Marine Mammal Commission repeatedly requested that the Fisheries Service list the species under the Endangered Species Act. The whales were finally listed as an endangered species in 2008.

“The Cook Inlet belugas are an iconic species in Alaska and it is now absolutely essential that we protect them and their habitat if the population is to survive,” said Taryn Kiekow, staff attorney with NRDC.

Ecojustice, Sierra Club BC and the Wilderness Committee recently stated  that the BC government’s Species at Risk Task Force report makes weak recommendations that fall far short of the legal protection needed by BC’s 1,900 at risk species.

The 34 page report points to climate change, degraded ecosystems, limitations to current conservation approaches and difficulties in protecting species on private land as the main threats to BC wildlife. But the report falls short by not calling for a stand-alone endangered species law.

“It’s too little, too late for endangered species” said George Heyman, Executive Director of Sierra Club BC.

BC has over 1,900 species at risk, including grizzly bears, spotted owls, phantom orchids, Vancouver Island marmots and killer whales. BC is home to 75 per cent of Canada’s bird species, 70 per cent of its freshwater fish species and 66 per cent of its butterfly species. Currently, 87 per cent of species at risk in BC don’t receive any protection under either provincial of federal laws.

“Endangered species in BC need real action – and they need it now,” suggested Gwen Barlee, policy director with the Wilderness Committee.

According to Conversation International, this International Union for Conservation of Nature(TM)-backed conservation plan is the first endorsed by the governments from these nations.

“Both our governments recognize the great importance of biodiversity conservation in safeguarding our natural heritage, and we have therefore been closely involved in the development of this conservation action plan,” said Republic of Cameroon Minister of Forestry and Wildlife Prof. Elvis Ngolle Ngolle.

A collection of zoos, universities and NGO’s have agreed on a priority list of sites and conservation actions urgently needed to secure the remaining wild populations. “The action plans set out the priority sites and actions that need to be instigated if we are to stem the decline in this chimpanzee,” said Bethan Morgan, Ph.D., head of the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research’s Central Africa Program and lead author of the action plan.

In addition to identifying priority actions specific to each site, the plan considers region-wide actions, such as improving transboundary collaboration and law enforcement, a need for additional conservation research, participation and support of local people, additional recruitment and training of rangers and improving community livelihoods. All these are solutions for saving endangered animals, plants and spaces.

“By highlighting chimpanzees as ‘flagship’ species, we will be protecting much of the remaining biodiversity in these areas,” said Federal Republic of Nigeria Minister of Environment John Odey.

“This action plan is the culmination of years of hard work and will hopefully bring attention to this little-known subspecies of chimpanzee, which is restricted to the Guinean Forests of West Africa, one of the richest and most endangered places on Earth,” said Dr. Russell A. Mittermeier, chairman of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group and President of Conservation International, which helped to fund the action plan.

American Bird Conservancy’s main priorities include focusing on birds that are highly endangered and have a highly restricted range. The organization also chairs the Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE), Daniel told me. “AZE has identified birds (and other organisms) such as the pale-headed brush-finch that are very endangered and are 95% restricted to one last known site. The point of that is that if we were to lose that one site, then you would lose the species. So by identifying AZE sites, we’ve identified the line in the sand, the front line in the battle for conservation where we need to defend first against extinction.”

Photo: A. Somoza

The Pale-headed Brush-Finch was one such bird that triggered an AZE ranking. “AZE began working with our partner, [Ecuador’s] Fundación Jocotoco, on this bird because we were all concerned about it,” Daniel continued. The reserve was established in 1999, and American Bird Conservancy has been involved with it for years.

Daniel has actually been to the Brush-Finch’s reserve. “It’s a very unusual place,” he commented. Whereas most brush finches live in cloud forests, “there are a few that live in drier forests in western South America, and this is one of them”. The landscape is like a humid enclave in an otherwise arid area. “And this bird is one of those that is just sort of on the edge of where forest or scrub can even grow.” The landscape is also degraded, which leaves little habitat for the bird. But the real problem, researchers found, was that their nests were being taken over by the more abundant cowbirds. “What they do is they fly in from the outside and search for the nests of these brush finches and lay their eggs in the nests. Sort of like an old world cuckoo. And then the parents will raise the cowbird chicks to the detriment of their own.”

So two major things were done, with ABC, World Land Trust – U.S.,  and other support. The land was purchased so it became a reserve, and the number of cowbirds was reduced. Similar to how they help endangered songbirds in the U.S.

So in a little over ten years, the Pale-headed Brush-Finch population has increased from fewer than 40 to over 100 pairs. While that is good news, the bird still has a small population and isn’t out of trouble yet. “The endangered status is still very significant and means that more work is needed to help protect this bird and people should not stop worrying about this bird. It basically means that we’re doing the right things. That this bird is now on a better trajectory, but we shouldn’t let up,” Daniel concluded.

In developed countries we take our fresh, clean water for granted. We always expect the water to flow when we turn on the tap. We spend little time considering how important our rivers are to our existence. And this lack of consideration has led to the neglect and destruction of our waterways, the impact of which is much more far reaching than most of us can imagine.

American Rivers recently released their annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers Report of 2011 and as the title suggests, the news is not good. The report notes that 65 per cent of drinking water in the U.S. comes from rivers and streams, but that many are too polluted to use for this purpose. The ten most endangered rivers include Susquehanna River, Bristol Bay Rivers, Roanoke River, Chicago River, Yuba River, Green River, Hoback River, Black Warrior River, St. Croix River, and the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. The Mississippi River received Special Mention. These rivers criss-cross the country from Washington State to Maryland, and from Wisconsin to Alabama. Six of the rivers are threatened by mining activities or natural gas extraction and clean water along with returning salmon runs and healthy wildlife are what’s in jeopardy.

Things are just as bad in Canada. The Outdoor Recreation Council of BC also released their Most Endangered Rivers List for 2011, and they list 12 endangered rivers in BC alone. The most common threats to BC rivers are development and hydro electricity dams.

The messages to be taken from both these reports are that first we must recognize the importance of our rivers and streams, and then we must do more to protect them for future generations. If more is not done sooner rather than later, water could very well start playing the same role in the headlines that oil does now.

Researchers found that one-third of wild condors are suffering from chronic lead poisoning at levels that cause toxicological effects and sublethal impacts. The amount of lead in free-flying condors, which can scavenge on carcasses tainted with lead ammunition fragments, differs markedly from that in pre-release birds.

The research also demonstrates that lead exposure causes chronic, long-term health effects in condors as well as acute poisonings. Lead-poisoned condors must routinely be removed from the wild and subjected to stressful chelation treatment to save their lives.

The good news is that one study found that since lead ammunition was banned in condor habitat since 2008, lead has been effectively removed from the habitat. As a result, lead poisoning in condors, golden eagles and turkey vultures has been significantly reduced in those areas.

There are safe and available nontoxic alternatives for hunters and anglers that could be used in place of lead. Last November the Center, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and the hunting group Project Gutpile, filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to regulate the use of toxic lead from hunting ammo and fishing gear that frequently poisons and kills eagles, swans, cranes, loons, condors, and other wildlife. Sadly, the EPA denied a formal petition to ban the lead in the ammo and tackle, in spite of nearly 500 peer-reviewed scientific papers showing the ill effects of continuing to use lead.

So there’s a campaign on to end the use of toxic lead ammunition and fishing tackle. So far, 117 organizations in 30 states have joined the call for a federal ban on lead ammunition and fishing tackle to prevent wildlife poisoning and safeguard human health. Hopefully the government will listen to them and enforce a lead ban.

A four-day workshop involving international conservation groups and delegates happened last week at the Singapore Zoo, with the aim of setting the agenda for endangered Asian turtle conservation in the next decade.

The last meeting was held 10 years ago in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and this year’s meeting agenda included discussions about what has, and hasn’t, helped protect turtles and prevented extinction of the species.

The workshops included reports on the current status of turtle populations in different countries, an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Listing session on individual turtle species, and Trade Status Reports. An open forum on conservation priorities was planned for the end of the workshop for participants to discuss interesting ‘what if’ scenarios.

Human encroachment, combined with over-hunting and the illegal wildlife trade are the major threats to turtle populations that were discussed.

Trivia Tip: Although this article referred to all of them as turtles, the technical truth is that turtles generally live in the sea, while tortoises are land dwelling. Terrapins are found in fresh or brackish water.

The biggest threats to turtles are habitat loss, overexploitation of wild turtles for human use, invasive species/diseases and climate change. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) are working hard to raise awareness on this difficult issue, and have launched a campaign proclaiming 2011 the ‘Year of the Turtle,’ according to Connecticutplus.com. Connecticut is home to seven endangered turtle species. The state will help PARC spread the word on the turtle plight from local to federal officials.

The key to turtle recovery is for us to take action on behalf of these helpless animals! We must ban together, protect habitats, and manage turtle species and crisis situations such as natural disasters (oil spills, etc). We must become tough as turtle shells and serve as a protective barrier.

Just last year, environmental groups such as Greenpeace gave Golden Agri-Resources a low score since the company allegedly cleared forests that were home to endangered species. With annual sales of $2.3 billion, Golden Agri-Resources is the largest palm oil producer in Singapore, which is the world’s largest producer of palm oil. Its operations are so large that they contribute to climate change.

Such a move by the company in favor of the forests comes only after groups such as Greenpeace alleged Golden Agri-Resources was conducting illegal forest clearing. The green campaigns resulted in the company losing some large clients such as Nestle, Unilever and Burger King.

Although this move towards sustainable palm oil is good news, you can imagine green groups having a “we’ll believe it when we see it” response. Greenpeace will be watching to help ensure the company lives up to this promising news announcement.

If you watch the Cutest Cat in the World video, you then get a choice of 7 more videos. My favorites are Beyond The Myth Clips 1, 2 and 3, which show great footage of endangered snow leopards in the wild. The cats are magnificent, and the equipment being used to film them is impressive. Warning, though – the 3rd video clip ends sadly. 

Below the Snow Leopard videos on the Society’s webpage is a great video about the Scottish Wild Cat. The wild Scottish Highlands are home to an array of endangered animals that once called all of Britain its home, the video tells us.  The Wild Cats’ gene pool has been diluted by breeding with domestic cats, which may sometimes also pass along disease.  There are only about 400 wild cats left today, and captive breeding is important to keep them alive and healthy.