Posts Tagged ‘ecosystems’
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“A Force to Fight Global Warming”: CI-led paper in Nature
“Time and again, biodiversity conservation provides us with solutions to problems we didn’t even know existed yet. Climate change is shaping up to be the biggest example of this to date, with conservation benefiting us by both slowing climate change and lessening its impacts on people.” – Will Turner, Director of Global Priorities in CI’s Center for Applied Biodiversity Science At CI, we have made it our mission to conserve natural ecosystems and protect the essential benefits they provide for all life on Earth. This challenge is especially vital in the face of threats like climate change. This week, we are proud ... -
Food and Security on World Food Day
World Food Day 2009 falls on October 16th, and as the new coordinator of CI's Food Security program, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on some of the ways CI will be approaching the connection between nature and the food that everyone depends on. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO 2002) defines food security as a "situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life." To address this, CI's new ... -
Cheetah Sighting
Reason #17 why I love my job: not many people get to spend their lunch hour four feet away from a live cheetah. Then again, I suppose some people might see close proximity to a large, agile carnivore as less than desirable, but I trusted in the cheetah's more than capable handlers to control him. This 11-month old "cheetah ambassador" came as a visitor from the Columbus Zoo, along with an Anatolian shepherd dog that has been raised alongside the cheetah. The zoo staff has found that raising the dogs together with the cheetahs makes the cheetahs more relaxed and even-tempered ... -
Ecosystems Know No Bounds
In a recent news report, the Nicaraguan government announced that it will soon begin a $1 million project to reroute the San Juan River near the Costa Rican border – a river which has long been a source of dispute between Nicaragua and its neighbor to the south. A Nicaraguan development committee claims that 1,700 cubic meters (more than 5,577 cubic feet) per second of water flow – enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool every second – was lost from the San Juan after Costa Rica diverted it sixty years ago toward their own Colorado River. The rerouting project ... -
Global Security and the Climate
Whether they are facing stronger storms, agricultural declines or vanishing coastlines, communities and ecosystems across the globe are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. For years, CI has been sounding the alarm on the issue, emphasizing the need for immediate action in order to reduce the effects of climate change and empower communities to adapt to the changes that will occur. Now U.S. leaders agree on the direness of the situation. Military and intelligence analysts have acknowledged that climate change will pose an increasing threat to U.S. security as effects such as drought, flooding and food shortages cause ... -
Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape has been officially proclaimed by the President of the Philippines
I’m excited to announce that Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has extended the area of Palawan under formal protection and conservation by 30 percent with the recent signing of Proclamation 1815 last June 23, which officially created the 120,000-hectare (nearly 300,000 acre) Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape (MMPL). Mt. Mantalingahan is home to indigenous Palaw’ans and is the highest peak along the central spine of mountains in southern Palawan. This largely forested mountain range is critical for providing various benefits to local communities with an estimated Total Economic Value (TEV) of $5.5 billion. These ecosystems services include water, soil conservation, flood ... -
Day Six: Nearing the Caribbean
Hi turtle lovers, this is Rowdy Gaines, reporting live with Mr. Leatherback on the Great Turtle Race! The Race is getting very exciting! The turtles are all making moves toward the Caribbean, but employing very different strategies of how to get there. ON THE MAP: Don’t forget to follow the turtles on the race map! Billy is getting really close to the finish line in the northern Caribbean – will he finish soon? The other Racers hope not! Nueva Esperanza and Wawa Bear are still nearly tied and heading toward South America, with Estéban and Lindblad the Explorer trying to keep them in ... -
Day Three: Pushing South
Rowdy Gaines here on Day 3, and now the Race is really on – Lindblad has left the Gulf and is hot on the trail of the other 10 turtles! Nueva Esperanza and Wawa Bear are really making waves! TRACK THEM: Check out the race map. Billy continues his zig-zag southward, but is closer to the US coastline than the other turtles. Will his detour help him shave some time of his trip and win the Race? Cali is spinning in circles, maybe getting his bearings before making his move south. As the turtles all move out of Canada and into international waters in ... -
Day One: Off and Swimming
Hi, I’m Rowdy Gaines, reporting on the 1st day of the Great Turtle Race! The turtles are off and swimming! Almost all of the turtles started deep in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, so they have a long way to go – thousands of kilometers! – to reach the Caribbean. There was a bit of a bottleneck as the racers tried to get out into the open ocean, but several of the turtles are off to a fast start! ON THE MAP: Check out National Geographic's race map. Cali got a bit of a head start to help him after his ordeal of ... -
Let the Race Begin!
Welcome to the Great Turtle Race, brought to you by National Geographic and Conservation International, with field partner Canadian Sea Turtle Network! I’m Rowdy Gaines, ‘The Voice of Swimming,’ and along with Mr. Leatherback, we’ll be serving as the official Race commentators and will be calling the Race from start to finish! For the next 14 days, follow 11 adult leatherback turtles on their epic journey from feeding areas off Nova Scotia, Canada across the vast Atlantic Ocean south to breeding areas throughout the Caribbean. The first turtle to cross the finish line and enters the Wider Caribbean wins! While some turtles ...
