Amazon deforestation has almost doubled this year

The destruction of the world’s largest rainforest has grown for the fifth month in a row, revealed new government data. So far this year, an area twice the size of Greater London has been destroyed – an estimated 3,032 square miles – as loggers grow increasingly emboldened under right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Brazil’s leader has pushed for the Amazon to be developed and threatens to scale back the powers of environmental agency Ibama, said environmentalists on Friday. Tasso Azevedo, coordinator for the deforestation mapping initiative MapBiomas, has blamed the alarming figures on Bolsonaro. He told Reuters: ‘Deforestation is continuing at a pace that is double that of years past. ‘I think this is because of the messages the president continues to send.’

Bolsonaro and environment minister, Ricardo Salles, blamed ‘previous governments’ for the rise in deforestation. They said budget cuts had been made to agencies such as Ibama before they took office on January 1. The human-caused devastation is all the more troubling given the region was struck by the worst forest-fires this decade, which torched through the Amazon in August. Brazil’s response to the fires provoked global outcry and left many world leaders questioning why the South American nation did not do more to protect the rainforest.

Scientists believe fires are linked to deforestation, with people often clearing timber and then setting the remains alight to clear land for ranching or farming. The rate of deforestation is expected to recede with the onset of the wet season, which traditionally begins in October. Paulo Barreto, a researcher affiliated with the non-governmental organisation Imazon said: ‘The big question now is what will be done to prevent this next year.’

Metro London – https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/12/amazon-deforestation-almost-doubled-year-10906508/

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/

Stunning Oak Flat in central Arizona’s Tonto National Forest is sacred land to Western Apache tribes and provides habitat for imperiled species including the Arizona hedgehog cactus, yellow-billed cuckoo and narrow-headed garter snake. And thanks to its beautiful rock formations, it’s world renowned for rock climbing.

But this precious natural resource is threatened by a massive copper mine. Will you speak up for Oak Flat?

The Rio Tinto mining company wants to excavate a massive underground mine that would leave a crater more than 2 miles wide and 1,000 feet deep, destroying sacred sites and recreation areas.

The company’s insatiable groundwater pumping would drain the regional aquifer and dry up nearby Ga’an Canyon, another sacred site that’s also critically important to the region’s wildlife.

The Tonto National Forest is taking comments from the public on the environmental impact statement for the mine. Now’s the time to raise your voice to protect sacred sites and public lands that will be destroyed by this colossal boondoggle.

Tell the U.S. Forest Service: Oak Flat cannot be sacrificed.

Take Action:

https://act.biologicaldiversity.org/onlineactions/5RrmitYwMUyy60QnfC8NVg2?sourceid=1005295&utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&emci=765da693-54e9-e911-b5e9-2818784d6d68&emdi=d48a7247-16ec-e911-b5e9-2818784d6d68&ceid=736440&contactdata=8w4J64VdHmUvfiVahxfUkvwWQH0IgxXAYikvjsMSanH46N%2br2tofjGrbHCL4%2fsIRX%2fHVFznmT7HX1TqVNerTYdlR6%2bSCg%2bhxq10jpP81%2beHgbYn0w1MXISPOTXLTPVHZ

Badger culling may increase spread of tuberculosis, say researchers

Culls cause badgers to roam further, potentially worsening risk of disease in cattle

Badgers start to roam much further afield when culling starts nearby, research has found, potentially increasing the spread of bovine tuberculosis, the disease culling is meant to control.

The findings raise questions about the government’s culling strategy, begun in 2011 and intended to reduce the harm to dairy herds from a rising incidence of bovine TB in hotspots around the country. Last month the government announced a major extension.

However, farmers disputed the findings and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the cull had been shown to be effective.

Surviving badgers in populations that were culled covered nearly two thirds more land each month than they did before the culling began, and the likelihood of a badger visiting neighbouring territories each night increased twentyfold, according to the study from the ZSL’s Institute of Zoology. The increase in badgers’ range came despite the animals being less likely to leave their setts overall in the aftermath of a cull, making them less visible to the marksmen carrying out the culls.

The study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, covered 67 badgers on 20 cattle farms in areas of Cornwall both with and without culling, from 2013 to 2017.

Lord Krebs, whose landmark review of the science of bovine TB in the 1990s resulted in a 10-year trial of culls, said: “This research shows how important it is to find out about badger behaviour. It shows that culling badgers can cause surviving individuals in an area to move around more, and as a result they could come into contact with infected cattle and help to spread TB. The ill-thought-out plan to control TB by killing badgers could therefore backfire.”

The National Farmers’ Union said the ZSL study was small and covered only one county, and that it was “vital” the cull should continue to be rolled out across the country.

Stuart Roberts, the vice president of the NFU, said: “Culling badgers has a proven impact on TB outbreaks among cattle – the aim must be to get rid of this awful disease. Previously published peer-reviewed research, and anecdotal evidence from farmers in these areas, indicates strongly that TB is being reduced as a result of controlling the wildlife which carry and spread the disease.”

He added: “We do not see similar convincing outcomes from vaccination. Vaccination may have a role to play in areas where TB hasn’t taken hold but it cannot cure a sick badger so, in areas where TB is endemic, culling is vital.”

Nearly 33,000 cattle were slaughtered in England last year because of bovine TB, and 3,600 farms were newly affected by the disease, according to the NFU.

Bovine TB is the greatest threat to animal health in the UK, according to Defra. A spokesperson said the culling policy already took into account the potential increase in badger movement, by intensively culling across a given area, and that research showed it was effective. “Bovine TB [costs] taxpayers over £100m a year and causes devastation and distress for farmers and rural communities,” they said. “There is no single measure that will provide an easy answer and we are pursuing a range of interventions to eradicate it by 2038, including tighter cattle movement controls, regular testing and vaccinations.”

Defra’s research has found a 58% reduction of bovine TB in the area culled in Gloucestershire, compared with unculled areas, while there was a reduction of a fifth in Somerset, after two years.

TB bacteria can remain viable over long periods in the environment, meaning that if infected badgers are roaming further after a cull, as ZSL found, this could create new sources of infection for months afterwards. The changes in behaviour were noted by the researchers as soon as the cull started in a given population, meaning even badgers that are subsequently killed in the cull could have spread the disease much further than if they had remained undisturbed.

Arthur Thomas, the campaigns manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said: “This report raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of the badger cull policy. We believe that the evidence against the culling of badgers as a response to bovine TB is well established and overwhelming. Government must act quickly to put a stop to an ineffective and inhumane practice.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/09/badger-culling-may-increase-spread-of-tuberculosis-say-researchers

Past links on this issue:

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/09/12/england-bovine-tb-up-by-130-higher-than-when-badger-culls-began-badgers-being-killed-to-pacify-farmers-while-they-take-no-responsibility-for-biosecurity/

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/09/09/england-badger-cull-vet-says-badger-culls-caused-immense-pain-bovine-tb-rates-have-increased-in-some-areas-where-culling-is-done-thus-probably-not-effective-other-solutions-needed/

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/01/13/england-positive-news-for-badgers-the-national-trust-will-not-allow-culling-on-its-land/

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2018/12/20/england-scientists-accuse-officials-of-cherry-picking-data-to-defend-badger-cull/

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2018/09/30/england-secret-filming-reveals-hidden-cruelty-of-licensed-badger-culls/

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2018/10/21/england-that-the-bovine-tb-government-strategy-is-working-called-untrue-by-vets-and-animal-specialists/

We covered this back in January:

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/01/14/canada-our-largest-intact-old-growth-forest-is-literally-being-turned-into-toilet-paper/ 

Dear Mark,

There’s no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it: We are flushing Canada’s Boreal Forest, one of the earth’s greatest defenses against climate change, down the toilet.

The majestic boreal forest stores huge amounts of our climate-busting carbon pollution, but it’s being cut at a dizzying rate — much of it for toilet paper.

Toilet paper brand Charmin uses absolutely no recycled paper in its toilet paper… just 100% virgin forest fiber from the boreal forest. This destroys its trees, hurts the livelihood of hundreds of Indigenous communities, and threatens the iconic boreal caribou, billions of songbirds, and other wildlife that call this ancient forest home.

All to make a product that people use once before they flush it away. This has to stop.

Hundreds of thousands of people have called on Charmin’s manufacturer, Procter & Gamble (P&G), to stop this “tree-to-toilet pipeline”. And on Tuesday, October 8th, NRDC will be on the ground at P&G’s annual shareholder meeting, demanding they listen to our collective voice. Will you add your voice as well?

As P&G holds its shareholder meeting, send the company a message that you won’t let them continue flushing our forests down the toilet!

Here’s the deal: every American uses nearly 3 rolls of toilet paper a week on average, and much of the pulp for toilet paper and other tissue products come from the boreal forest.

This very forest holds more than 300 billion tons of carbon in its soils, plants, and wetlands — making it one of our planet’s best natural defenses against climate change.

But the roughly one million acres of land being logged every year puts the hundreds of Indigenous communities’ way of life and the survival of threatened boreal caribou in peril.

P&G should be using more recycled paper in its products. It should not be putting Indigenous communities, our climate, and boreal caribou on the line to make a product that’s used once, then flushed down the toilet. So, while NRDC will be at their shareholder meeting demanding they dramatically reduce the virgin pulp content in its products and increase the use of recycled materials, we need you to share your demands as well:

Sign the petition and show P&G that the world won’t let them accelerate climate change just for profit.

Thank you for being with us on this important issue.

Shelley Vinyard
Boreal Corporate Campaign Manager, NRDC

Victory for Whales and Dolphins! TripAdvisor Stops Selling SeaWorld Tickets

Posted by Cassandra Cyphers | October 3, 2019

In a landmark move, travel giant TripAdvisor and its subsidiary Viator announced the end of all commercial relationships with entities involved in keeping dolphins and whales in captivity.

After a thorough evaluation of scientific research on the well-being of captive cetaceans (dolphins, whales and porpoises), TripAdvisor and Viator will discontinue advertising for companies that breed or import these animals.

“Whales and dolphins do not thrive in limited captive environments, and we hope to see a future where they live as they should—free and in the wild,” said President of TripAdvisor Experiences and Rentals Dermot Halpin.

In recent years, companies like SeaWorld have come under fire for their captive orca programs in particular. The documentary “Blackfish” highlights the suffering of SeaWorld’s killer whales, trapped in the wild and ripped from their families. In their natural habitat, the highly intelligent creatures swim dozens of miles daily. In captivity, they live much shorter, sicker and more stressful lives.

“The ‘Blackfish Effect’ continues,” said Animal Welfare Institute marine mammal scientist Dr. Naomi Rose. “As more companies such as TripAdvisor reflect the growing public consensus that using captive whales and dolphins to entertain people is anachronistic and inhumane, at some point the marine theme park industry will have to get on board. Cetaceans do not belong in captivity.”

TripAdvisor joins the ranks of travel companies like AAA Northeast, Virgin Holidays, Southwest Airlines, and others that no longer promote captive whale and dolphin entertainment.

The company hopes to promote the eventual end to dolphin and whale captivity by supporting “seaside sanctuaries” as an alternative way to experience marine mammal wildlife.

“Seaside sanctuaries have enormous potential, but they need more backing from the tourism industry,” said Halpin. “As long as facilities with captive whales and dolphins continue to profit from keeping these animals in smaller, cheaper and less natural living environments, then they don’t have enough incentive to adopt serious change. We hope our announcement today can help turn the tide.”

The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to permanently ban offshore drilling in the Pacific, Atlantic, and eastern Gulf of Mexico. Both bills passed and are on their way to the Senate.

If passed, this legislation will be an incredible victory for marine wildlife and ocean ecosystems. Offshore drilling causes habitat destruction, ocean acidification, and oil spills, resulting in immense loss of wildlife and damage to coastal communities.

Mark, we need your help to thwart President Trump’s plans for expanded offshore oil drilling. Will you email your Senators today and urge them to pass this critical legislation?

H.R. 1941, the “Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act of 2019,” would permanently block offshore oil and gas leasing in the Atlantic Ocean, Straits of Florida and the Pacific Ocean. H.R. 205 would amend the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to permanently block offshore oil and gas leasing off the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Our diverse marine ecosystems are already imperiled as a result of human-driven climate change. We cannot let the Trump administration continue to expand offshore drilling – to the benefit of the oil industry and huge detriment of wildlife, and indeed all life – and increase the burning of fossil fuels at a time when we need to be curbing use dramatically to slow the climate crisis.

Marine wildlife, including endangered sea turtles, dolphins, whales and sea birds, will continue to be injured and killed senselessly if we don’t put a stop to President Trump’s plans to expand offshore drilling.

Please, urge your Senators to act NOW for marine wildlife … for our irreplaceable oceans … and for our future generations. Tell your Senators to vote YES on H.R. 205 and H.R. 1941, and enact a permanent ban on offshore drilling in nearly all U.S. waters.

TAKE ACTION

https://act.seaturtles.org/page/13455/action/1?ea.url.id=307353 

For the oceans that sustain us all,

     Stepph Sharpe
Development Associate
Turtle Island Restoration Network