The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who seek them
Conservation
Madagascar’s Rainforests
Dec 10th
Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island, lies in splendid isolation some 480 km (300 mi) off the south east coast of Africa, in the Indian Ocean. Its separation from Africa occurred between 150-180 million years ago, and produced the extraordinarily high levels of endemic species of flora and fauna for which the island is famed. Much of Madagascar’s forest cover has been destroyed during the last hundred years – 50 per cent of it since 1950. This deforestation is directly linked to coffee cultivation: because the most fertile land is used for export crops, the local inhabitants are obliged to clear the forested slopes for their own subsistence farming. More >
Conservation – Africa
Sep 2nd
Africa’s forests and savannahs are famed for the richness of their primate radiations and carnivore and ungulate guilds – from the cercopithecine monkeys of West and Central Africa to the white-eared kob and tiang migrations of southern Sudan.
Recent years have seen some notable conservation successes: creation of protected areas in Madagascar and Central Africa, successful species conservation in southern Africa, and solid park management and re-bounding tourism in East Africa. The moves to protect the Congo Basin rainforest from logging and the bushmeat trade continue to gather momentum. More >
Endangered Species – Extinction
Aug 20th
“Extinction is for ever” used to be a green movement slogan. It is no longer completely true. Thanks to the wonders of genetic engineering, it is becoming possible to recreate lost creatures provided we have their DNA. The quagga, a species of zebra whose last member died in Amsterdam Zoo in 1883, is one animal that might get the recreation treatment soon.
In case you are wondering, it is far trickier to do this with long-extinct animals with no living relatives, for example dinosaurs. One reason is that the plants they used to eat have also gone extinct and those that exist today might be toxic to them. More importantly, you need a near relative to give birth to the revived species. More >
Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Tanzania
Aug 4th
Centered around the collapsed crater of an ancient volcano in the southern part of the Great Rift Valley, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a stunningly beautiful landscape that holds a fantastic range of wildlife.
There are good populating of lion and cheetah, as well as resident wildebeest, zebra, eland, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles, mountain reedbuck, hippo, black rhino, hartebeest, elephant, spotted hyena, jackal and buffalo.
Twice a year, millions of migrants pass through on their way to and from the Serengeti, following the rains that bring fresh pasture. More than 550 species of birds have been seen in the park, with the flamingos of Lake Magadi being perhaps the most special. More >
Kenya Lake Nakuru – Flamingos
Jul 28th
Lake Nakuru, home to Kenya’s iconic flocks of greater and lesser flamingos, is shrinking, and so is the flamingo population. Just six years ago one million flamingos fed in Lake Nakuru’s shallow waters, but in October 2006, an estimated 500,000 were observed. Earlier in 2006, in the dry season, there were estimated 30,000 to 40,000, and many flamingo carcasses were found near the lake.
Lake Nakuru may have lost about half of its water in the past few years, leaving a salt-encrusted rim. Causes of the die-off are not well understood, and include deforestation in the watershed area and years of draught. Some birds are believed to have relocated to other lakes in the Rift Valley, meaning that the entire population, although now split, may still be strong. However, at Lake Bogoria, heavy rains swelled creating less dense concentrations of lake algae, and flamingos were only consuming a tenth of their daily food needs, weakening that lake’s population as well. More >
