New monkey species discovered in the Amazon

The discovery of a new type of titi monkey was made in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil. Scientists on an expedition backed by WWF-Brazil to one of the last unexplored areas in the west of Brazil have discovered the new species of monkey. (Photograph Julio Dalponte/WWF)

A monkey sporting a ginger beard and matching fiery red tail, discovered in a threatened region of the Brazilian Amazon, is believed to be a species new to science.

The primate was found in relatively untouched pockets of forest in Mato Grosso, the region that has been worst-affected by illegal deforestation and land conflicts. Julio Dalponte, the scientist who made the discovery, said it showed the extraordinary biodiversity of the area and the vital importance of conservation.

The expedition, backed by conservation group WWF, also found probable new fish and plant species, all of which are now being studied. "We have taken an important step towards gaining better knowledge of the fauna in the western Mato Grosso region, which is still a puzzle with many pieces missing," said Dalponte.

The new animal is a type of titi monkey (left), many of which have startling facial hair. As a group, they have only recently become known to scientists, with 25 of the 28 species discovered since 1963. Finding new species of monkey is still relatively rare, with only about one a year found internationally.

The expedition scientists observed 47 already known mammal species, including jaguar, anteaters and armadilloes, as well as hundreds of different birds and fish.

This week, a separate study found that the total number of species inhabiting the planet is about 8.7 million, of which 90% are as yet undiscovered. Most of the land animals yet to be identified are insects but scientists say that finds of large new animal species, such as the new titi monkey, illustrate our limited our knowledge of the planet's biodiversity. (Right: another species of a titi monkey)

The activities of humans, such as the destruction of habitat, are driving tens of thousands of species to extinction each year, a rate comparable with the great mass extinctions that have occured in the Earth's distant past. .


Source:
The Guardian,"New monkey species discovered in the Amazon", accessed August 29, 2011

China consumerism latest threat to Africa's elephants: report

China's fast-growing consumerism and lax policing of ivory laws are the latest threats to wild elephant populations, said an author of a recent report on endangered species.

Poaching of elephants and other species has increased in Central African countries, with products headed mainly to Asian markets and for the bush meat trade.

Esmond Martin and Lucy Vigne, authors of the report that was presented at a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Geneva in mid-August, visited ivory carving factories and stores in southern China in January.

They compared the data with that which they had collated in previous visits going back to 1985.

Despite rigorous laws controlling the sale of ivory in China, the industry was booming and much of it appeared to be unregulated, they found.

"Chinese authorities produced in 2004 a system where every piece of ivory must have an identification card ... What we found in southern China was that 63 percent of at least 6,500 ivory pieces being sold did not have the appropriate identification card and thus was illegal," Martin said at his home in Nairobi last week.

The imposition of controls over ivory sales won China CITES approval to buy and sell ivory from legal stocks and in 2008 China imported 62 tons of elephant ivory from CITES-approved auctions in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.

But of 80 outlets that Martin and Vigne visited, only eight had compulsory ivory identification ards on display.

"Perhaps two-thirds of all ivory being sold in southern China today is illegal because it doesn't have proper identification," said Martin, who monitors the sale of elephant ivory and rhino horn around the world.

CHINESE GETTING RICHER

uelling the illegal trade in ivory, according to Martin, is a growing demand from China's consumer class.

"When I first went to China in 1985, 99 percent of the ivory being sold was being sold to foreigners. Now, by far the majority of the ivory being sold in southern China is being bought by Chinese because the Chinese like ivory and they are now wealthy enough to purchase it," he said.

Martin said he was concerned by the way unregulated demand in China has led to rising prices forivory and fueled poaching of elephant herds in Africa.

"Its about $750 a kilo now, compared with maybe $300-$400 a few years ago and this puts added pressure, added incentive by the poachers and traders in Africa to go after elephants."

It is not just elephants that are being killed.

"People are being killed in the field trying to kill elephants, government officers are being killed as well by poachers, this trade is encouraging massive corruption in Africa and people are being bribed and removed in order to get the stuff out of the continent and over to China," Martin said.

A CITES report released in Geneva last week said the highest levels of elephant poaching since 2002 were recorded in 2010, with central Africa of most concern. CITES officials announced the creation of a $100 million fund to enhance law enforcement and secure the long-term survival of elephant populations.

As for China, it can be part of the solution, Martin said. "If Chinese officials and traders can tighten their controls and law enforcement, they can reduce the illegal ivory trade in China."

Source:
Reuters,"China consumerism latest threat to Africa's elephants: report", by Tom Kirkwood, accessed August 29, 2011
Images courtesy of Traffic, Cites, UN, AFP, the Guardian, and especially Bush Warriors A Global Voice For Wildlife, which is an excellent resource on illegal poaching.

Alaska files notice of appeal on polar bear listing

The state of Alaska filed notice on Friday that it will appeal a federal judge's ruling upholding the listing of polar bears as a threatened species.

The state, which maintains that U.S. Endangered Species Act protections are not warranted for polar bears, sued the federal government in 2008 to overturn the Bush administration's decision to list the animal as threatened.

That decision was based on what the U.S. Department of Interior said was the rapid warming of the Arctic climate and the melting of summer and fall sea ice that it considered crucial to polar bears' habitat.

Washington, D.C.-based U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan upheld the endangered listing in a June ruling.

Alaska Governor Sean Parnell, a Republican, said on Friday that the listing was flawed because polar bears have thrived through past climate changes.

The world population of polar bears has grown from a low of between 8,000 and 10,000 in the late 1960s to the current count of about 20,000 to 25,000, Parnell said.

"The Endangered Species Act was not intended for species that are healthy with populations that have more than doubled in the last 40 years," Parnell said in a statement.

Alaska's court challenge was consolidated with other lawsuits filed by organizations that oppose the listing, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Petroleum Institute and hunting group Safari Club International.

The Safari Club and other plaintiffs filed their notices of intent to appeal in Judge Sullivan's court on Thursday, one day before Alaska did the same.

The state and oil companies have argued that Endangered Species Act protections for polar bears diminish opportunities for Alaska energy development.

Rebecca Noblin is an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group that had sued to win the threatened listing.

"We don't think the appeal has any merit," Noblin said. "The science pretty clearly shows that polar bears are threatened with extinction and should be listed."

She acknowledged that polar bear populations have increased since the 1960s, but said that credit lies with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (right, click on image for larger view), which outlawed sport hunting of polar bears in the United States.

Now, melting sea ice poses new and dire dangers to polar bears, she said.

"Just because they rebounded from one threat doesn't mean they are not susceptible to another threat," she said.


Source:
Reuters,"Alaska files notice of appeal on polar bear listing", accessed August 28, 2011

From the Inbox - Tell Congress to take the Clean Air Promise

Visit NRDC's Action Center at www.nrdc.org/action
Donate Join NRDC and help protect the planet's wildlife and wild places Explore Subscribe to NRDC Online, our weekly newsletter, for news you can use Plug In Connect to Switchboard, the NRDC blog Reach Out Send messages in style with our beautiful nature postcards Update Use your Action Center Profile to manage your subscriptions and personal info August 24, 2011 Tell Congress to make the Clean Air Promise Infants and children are especially at risk from air pollution. Compared to adults, children breathe more air and spend more time outside, and their developing bodies are more susceptible to harm from pollution. Nearly 37 million children live in areas with unhealthy polluted air, and many pollution- associated illnesses have been on the rise. Yet polluters and their allies in Congress have been fighting efforts to reduce toxic industrial pollution and trying to weaken existing clean air protections. These efforts will likely intensify when Congress returns this fall. That’s why NRDC has joined other public health, advocacy and environmental organizations in the "Clean Air Promise," a national campaign to protect the health of children and families across the country from dangerous air pollution. As part of this campaign, we will be asking elected officials, and later corporate and industry leaders, to promise to support clean air protections. What to do Send a message urging your senators and representative to make the Clean Air Promise to protect children from dangerous air pollution.

From the Inbox - Thank you so much - NPCA Petition Drive

Thanks to You, We Did It! Visit the National Parks Protection Project Dear Supporter, We did it! Last week, I asked you to help put us over 100,000 supporters who say NO WAY to more cuts in national parks funding. And you responded in a big, big way. As I write this, we’re up to 105,000 petition signers and counting! This is by far the most successful petition drive we've ever had in our nearly 100 year history. We owe that success entirely to you. Thank you so much. Thank you for standing with NPCA to tell Congress that our national parks have already seen their share of budget cuts--more than $140 million in the last year alone. In the coming weeks, we will be distributing the petition and signatures to key decision makers in Congress. Your action will help protect hundreds of our nation’s most special places, from the awe-inspiring stillness of the Everglades at sunrise and the emotional power of the monuments on the National Mall… for all of us and future generations to come. I know Congress is listening--because you insisted on making your voice heard. From all of us at NPCA, thanks again for urging our leaders in Washington to hold the line on funding for one of our country’s great success stories! Sincerely, Thomas C. Kiernan President Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter

From the Inbox - You can still support clean air standards

Dear Supporter, What a great turn out—all in support of Clean Air! This past week of clean air action has surely shown Congress that we—as concerned citizens—are NOT going to back down when it comes to clean air standards. Hundreds of supporters called their member of Congress, wrote letters to the editors of their local newspapers, sent their representatives Facebook and Twitter messages, and even showed up at their district offices to talk about protecting our rights to clean air. While EDF’s National Week of Action for Clean Air might be over, we still need your ongoing support to win this fight. Even if you weren’t able to get out this week, there are plenty of things you can do. Check out the slideshow of all the clean air activists doing their part Send us your pictures of you taking action, holding a clean air sign, or just enjoying the outdoors on a clear sunny day. Tell us your story. Do you have asthma or some other respiratory illness? Do you live in a community with bad air quality? Do you worry about the air you breathe? Tell us about it. Donate today to help EDF fight back. You realize air is a shared commodity, and shouldn’t be owned by big, dirty corporations. With your help, we can keep the pressure on and save our right to breathe clean, healthy air! Thank you for your incredible support.

Thank you for your incredible support,

Sam Parry
Director, Online Membership and Activism

Environmental Defense Action Fund 1875 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20009 1-800-591-1919