Birds in the news

Lately there have been quite a lot of birds in the news. Actually, I just realized a couple of minutes ago. I was going to give this post the title of Anthropogenic Bird misuse, but that would have come across the wrong way. I rather just point out that concern on a unusual natural resource like Birds, is now sufficiently established as to make a few headlines. Here some examples from today’s BBC website:

German dioxin scandal: More contamination than feared

 

Well, here the threat is more focused on human health, but still it will make people think a bit more about how that chicken or egg they are consuming is raised or in what conditions it is laid. Lets just hope that the dioxin levels are as inoffensive as authorities have indicated.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12120321

 

Mysterious bird deaths hit Sweden

Now Sweden gets this phenomenon that had been observed in the US a few day ago, where it has been linked to firecrackes on New Year’s eve. Unless swedish people use a non-gregorian calendar, this could hardly explain what has happened here.

Sweden: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12118839

USA: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12105157

 

Saudi Arabia ‘detains’ Israeli vulture for spying

This one actually got me to smile. It looks as if a monitoring project has been upplayed into a spying drama. It makes me wonder in how many other ways scientific work can be misleading to the public.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12120259

 

Showcasing biodiversity to raise awareness?

Costa Rica is issuing all new banknotes, partially to replace the old ones, but also because inflation has gained on the economy making it necessary. This is rather common in Latinamerican nations: inflation and currencies that involve a lot of ceros, yes, before the comma/period.

The new bills are not out yet, but in digital they look quite good. The front is dedicated to a notable historical character, while the back shows a habitat/ecosistem. The 1,000 colones bill depicts the tropical dry forest, one of the most endangered life zones of the central American isthmus.

On the reverse of the 2,000 colones bill, the coral reefs are illustrated. These are rare in Costa Rica and are under severe threat from erosion caused by deforestation, tectonic rising of plates and last but not least climate chage. In addition there is a shark on it, reminding of the ongoing sharkfin fishing in Costa Rica.

The 5,000 colones bill portrays mangroves. Costa Rica is lucky to have large extentions of these, but they are also the least protected. In addition these ecosystems have to deal with contaminated rivers as almost no waste water is treated in the country. Still, a mangrove’s resilience is astonishing since they keep processing heavy loads of organic matter, as one of the most productive habitats on the planet.

On the 10,000 bill the classic rainforest is shown. It is the most common, but also the one that has suffered most from deforestation. Most of the remaining forests -and species, like the sloth- are isolated and just now efforts to link them are starting to arise.

The páramo is seen on the 20,000 colones note. No other ecosystem in Costa Rica can boast as much endemism as this one. These high altitude islands are isolated from similar habitats in north and south America and frecuently among themselves. Climate change will make these a true conservation challenge, as species will have no chance to escape rising temperatures.

On the 50,000 bill one can find the iconic Morpho butterfly in the cloud forest. This is probably one of the first ecosystems in Costa Rica to evidence scientifically proven extictions caused by anthropogenic disturbance. More species will surely follow if current efforts are not multiplied.

The Costa Rican Central Bank launches the new banknote-set  as a recongnition of the country’s biodiversity. I say lets go further, lets raise awareness. Biodiversity is the true richness, not the bill.

Images from the official site of the Costa Rican Central Bank. Read more: Nueva Familia de Billetes del Banco Central de Costa Rica.

Re-cycle?

Christmas. New Years. The cycle repeats.
Yet, those yearly news summaries resemble so many others from past years: natural desasters, war, hunger, economical crisis. Mind you, climate change is a recent addition, but after COP16 in Cancún, it is in clear danger of becoming a further topic in the list.

Humans normally learn from experience. In rare cases people can anticipate situations and prevent them. But the list above shows no evidence for any of these statements. Why? Was Einstein right when he said that he was only completely certain of the infitiness of the universe and of the stupidity of humans?

This is a rather depressing thought at the beginning of the year, you may think. But no, I argue. This is exactly the correct way to start it. Look your issues in the eye, confront them. Will humanity ever? Yes, it does every day! There are people out there doing their part and contributing to the cause. Are we?

So I leave this thought, as a motivation for 2011. What is being done? How can we be inspired? What are we doing to learn, to improve, to help?

Have you thought about it?

I wish much health, success and happyness in 2011.