Showing posts with label conservation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conservation. Show all posts
Can a marathon save a dying river in Manila?
Many believed a marathon can save a dying river. About 21,000 runners participated in a run last Saturday, November 7, 2009 in Manila to demonstrate their awareness and support to revitalize the life of Pasig River---- an important waterway in the huge city.
Aside from a tributary for transport, the Pasig River is important in providing drainage of water during typhoons and inclement weather. In the last tropical storm, 85% of the city was submerged. People realized the importance of a clean and unobstructed waterway to avoid disastrous flooding over the metropolis.
Tons of garbage illegally dumped in Pasig river choked the waterway's vitality. The filthy water is murky--- heavy with silt and sediments. Plastic refuse, pieces of discarded household items, and toxic chemicals accumulated in the natural habitat of fish and animals in the area, destroying much the ecosystem.
Along its banks stood squatter shanties that impeded the river flow. Government authorities had long tried to offer solution to the problem of pollution by relocating illegal dwellers for years but without much success. Funding for clean-up, dredging, public cooperation by law-abiding and socially conscious citizens are part of saving a river. (Photo Credit: Zimrilim) =0=
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Dying whale shark found in Manila Bay
An obvious setback to conservation, protection, and preservation of animals, the death of a 17 foot whale shark (butanding) in Manila Bay was a big loss. The huge female sea creature estimated to be about 2 years old and weighing about 1 ton had shown unexpected eye injuries and a few lacerations on the tail when found almost lifeless in the polluted waters of South Harbor.
"The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has classified whale sharks as vulnerable species, which means they face high risk of extinction in the wilds in the medium term. In the Philippines, the whale shark is protected by the Philippine Fisheries Code (Republic Act 8550) of 1998, which bans the fishing or taking of rare, threatened, or endangered species. Violators face 12 to 20 years of imprisonment and a P120,000 fine."--- Inquirer (11/02/09)
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are known to be docile animals which show extraordinary friendliness to human beings. They have been seen to frequent places like Donsol and Matnog, Sorsogon in Bicol. Possible causes of death include illnesses, entanglement in sea-fishing equipment, predation, and pollution.
Fishermen of the area and volunteers from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) attempted to revive the spotted gray-blue animal, but died soon after it towed to shore.
On examination of the remains, the whale shark harbored plastics and nails in its stomach prompting environmental authorities to theorize pollution as the probable cause of death. The whale shark subsists on planktons and krill found in the bay where polluting garbage and non-biodegradable debris abound. The death of the whale shark is another reminder that conservation of the environmnet including protection of sea animals must be pursued. (Photo Credit: Zamora, R/ Inquirer)=0=
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Nepenthes attenboroughii: tanom na na-nga-ngakan nin kino, aninipot, sagkod amamangui
“An dahon kan burak naserbing higda’an nin sarong nobya na ang Amang Diyos iyo an na-guibo---kurtina na pano nin olor, malumoy na mga hamot…”---Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778)
Naturaleza nin Kinaban
Talagang may mga tanom na na-nga-ngakan nin mga hayop. Haloy ng nadiskubre iyan--- panahon pa ni Carl Linnaeus. Tubong Uppsala, Sweden, gikan sa Unibersidad de Lund asin Harderwijk (Netherlands), si Linnaeus sarong mahigos na maestro. Siya nagpa-uso kan pag-adal, pag-grupo (taxonomic classification), pagdiskubri nin mga tinanom sa kinaban. Prominenteng nag-contribuir sa sciencia nin Botaniya. Saro sa mga enot na scientipikong nag-tukdo sa pag-apreciar kan kagayunan nin azul na planeta.
Experiencia sa Pilipinas
Kan tiempong Hapon an mga soldados na Amerikano tinukdu'an kun paano mabuhay sa kadlagan nin Pilipinas habang ang guerra ipinaglalaban. Inaram ninda ang mga tinanom sa gubat na pwedeng kakanon, mga yierbas na dapat dulagan ta nakakalason o tanom na na-nga-ngakan nin hayop o tawo!
Ang Amerikano natakot sa mga plantas na karneboro. Paglakaw ninda sa kadlagan, pirme sindang handa! Ang saindang sundang pirmeng matarom, an badil naka-kasa ingkaso. Arog sa takot sa halas o linta, ang mga guerrero maingat na naglikay. Kaipuhan ninda sa sobrevivir (survival) sa marambong na kagubatan.
An tanom na pitsil
Sa www.popsci.com, kan naka-aguing bulan, nabasa ko ang mga Nepenthes, sarong grupo nin plantas na natutuparan sa kadlagan kan Pilipinas. Sarong pagpaguiromdom nin natural na yaman kan satuyang isla sa Asia na dapat tang atamanon.
Si Stewart McPherson sagkod si Alistair Robinson, mga Britanikong dalubhasa (botanists) nin mga plantas nag-anuncio na pinangaran ki Sir David Attenborough (personalidad sa telebisyon, sarong mahilig man sa flora,) an misteriosong tanom sa kagubatan sa satuyang lugar----Nepenthes attenboroughii. Pambihira ang tanom na ini, pero magayon. Maka-nga-ngalas! Uyogon mo, na-nga-ngakan nin kino sagkod alibangbang!
Hilinga ang ang kagayunan kan Nepenthes sa mga retrato. An hitsura garo pitsil na nakolektang tubig sa ambon, ragiri, sagkod uran kan kagubatan. Makolor. Igua siya nin mahamis na taguk na gusto nin animales. Kun mapano ang pitsel kan Nepenthes nin tubig, nakakalamos ini nin mga namok, tanga, aninipot, gamo-gamo, paru-paro, kuto, mga bubuyog atbp.
Pag ang mga insekto nagadan sa pitsil, si sustansiya kan tinanom iyo ang nalusaw kan saradit na hayop. An proceso siempre luway-luway, hanggang mahigop kan Nepenthes an restos asin sustansiya kan mga insekto.
Tan’o ta maski ma-ulyas na kino pwedeng kakanon kan tinanom na ini? Kun an pistil kan Nepenthes dakula, an tubig hararom, pwedeng ang babu, halas, gamgam o ano man na hayop na daradakula mala’om sa pistil. Pwede sindang magkagaradan arog kan mga sadit na duli-duli sagkod mga amamangui.(Photo Credito Red Fern Natioal History/ www.popsci.com x 2)=0=
Nepenthes attenboruoughii among 120 species
Found in the remote mountain in Palawan, Philippines, Nepenthes attenboroughii was discovered in 2007 and was officially named this year after naturalist and TV personality David Attenborough. The plant enthusiast featured the species in his TV series Zoo Quest and also The Private Life of Plants in 1995. It’s one among 120 diverse species so far described by botanist-taxonomist Stewart McPherson in the last three years. About 30 of them are encountered in Palawan, most of them have not been fully studied and described in publcation.
The carnivorous plant produces enzymes that dissolve small mice and insects in a pitcher-like receptacle. The only pitcher plant larger than N. attenboroughii is N. rajah which British naturalist Spencer St John observed in Borneo to have drowned and digested a rodent in 1862.=0=
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Even the birds must learn how to fish
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." ---Lao Tzu
What the Chinese proverb says about people also applies to the birds. In this stunning picture, an osprey shows dexterity in holding a meal tightly on its sharp talons. Truly, nature teaches the feathered creatures to take care of themselves.
The bird of prey is caught in glorious flight after a successful fishing trip in a stunning photo by Wilfredo Lee/ AFP as it flies over the Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Friday, May 8, 2009.
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Kinunot---Bicol’s shark food & the way to environmental conservation
Bicolanos have a delicious way of cooking sharks.---fresh slices of the shark’s meat boiled with thick coconut milk, vinegar, chilies, and corns of black pepper. With a dash of salt, the native dish kinunot is accented with green pepper leaves or malunggay (Moringa.) They give the tropical cuisine its tasty flavor and smooth aroma when eaten with hot rice.
That’s what the fishermen of Donsol, Sorsogon did to a wayward rare megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) caught recently in the coast of Burias Island, a wildlife haven of whale sharks (Butanding,) dolphins. and giant manta rays. The sea hunters were out to fish for the usual bounty of the sea, but what they got last March 30, 2009 was an astounding surprise.
According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF,) the huge shark was the only one so far found in Sorsogon-Masbate, a fascinating area located in southern tip of Luzon in the Philippines. Measuring 4 meters long and weighing about 500-kg, the impressive fish with blue-gray exterior could be the 41st of its kind reported in the world.
“The first specimen was caught off Oahu, Hawaii in 1976. So different was it from all other sharks that it necessitated the creation of an entirely new family and genus – prompting the scientific community to hail it as the 20th century’s most significant marine find – rivaling the rediscovery of the coelacanth in 1938,” ---WWF. Philstar (04/07/09 Andraneda, K)
Evidently, many people of Bicol didn’t know the significance of their unexpected catch which unfortunately ended up in the cooking pan. Kinunot is tasty and very nutritious. Other than being food in the dinner table, conservationists however were quick to educate the townspeople of megamouth shark's bigger importance.
The WWF are working with Sorsogon and Masbate to protect the habitat of the endangered sharks and other precious treasures of the sea. At the same time the evnironmental group helps in developing eco-tourism which which is friendly to the animals and brings livelihood to the residents of the area.(Photo Credit: WWF/ Philstar) =0=
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Turning off the lights in defense of planet Earth
There’s a good feeling that can be derived from participating in the Earth Hour celebration----a campaign by environmental groups to bring consciousness for the need to conserve our planet’s resources. More than 50 years ago, we have recognized the polluting influence of human activity on earth and only lately that we’re made aware of global warming---a concept of environmental change that divides scientists and laymen---those who believe it is real and those who don’t.
On March 28, 2009, between 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM non-essential lights on the Eiffel tower of Paris, the acropolis of Greece, the ancient Pyramids of Egypt, the Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium of China, Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Basilica, the Roman Colloseum of Italy and the Empire State building of New York City will be dimmed to bring the message of saving the planet.
More than 2,800 municipalities in 84 countries worldwide agree to shut down lights for 60 minutes to mark Earth Hour so that people can “internalize” the issue of caring for the environment. In the Philippines, the streets of Manila together with a hundred more towns and cities will be blackened in solidarity to the Earth Hour.
“The Earth Hour event is a message of hope and action,” Cebu Archbishop Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal said. “We will send this message to our world leaders, so that we can look forward to a meaningful action on their part — an action that can spell a big difference for our world… According to DENR regional secretary Antonio Principe, the country expects to save at least 560 megawatts of power during the one-hour lights off period, equivalent to cutting down roughly 330 tons on carbon dioxide emission.”----Philstar (03/28/09/ Gatdula, D)
Whether global warming is just part of the normal cycle of the planet or a true man-made phenomenon, it is clear that humanity must work hard to lessen the pollution that foul our environment. The earth is now inhabited by about 7 billion people, a threefold rise in the last 300 years, capable of accelerating environmental damage on the irreplaceable lifeforms of the planet.(Photo Credits: dstueber; Wootang01; Ollik) =0=
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World’s largest egg up for sale
Believed to be the planet’s biggest egg laid in the 17th century by an elephant bird of Madagascar, the huge orb is up for sale in a Chelsea antique fair.
Offered for 5,000 pounds (about $7,000) in UK this week, the egg has a circumference of more than a meter. It is supposed to have been laid by a now-extinct flightless big bird larger than an ostrich ---scientifically called (Aepyornis maximus) which stands about 10 to 11 feet. The egg's volume is about 160x more than that of the chicken. (Photo Credit: wikipedia; http://wagerwebentertainmente/) =0=
Elephant Bird (Aepyornis maximus)
Source: Answers.com
(Aepyornithidae)
Class: Aves
Order: Struthioniformes
Suborder: Aepyornithes
Family: Aepyornithidae
Thumbnail description: Extinct, large, flightless birds of massive build, known only from fragmentary fossil remains
Size: Some species probably 10 ft (3 m), 880 lb (400 kg)
Number of genera, species: 2 genera; 7 species
Habitat: Thought to have inhabited woodland and forest in southwest Madagascar
Conservation status: Extinct
Distribution: Madagascar
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Baby whale shark (butanding) found in Sorsogon
The World Wide Fund (WWF) –Philippines, a nature conservation group, reports the rescue of a baby whale shark in Pilar, Sorsogon. The 15-inch sea creature locally called butanding was captured on Friday, March 6, 2009.
After documentation and making sure the animal wasn’t hurt, the baby butanding was released in deep waters by marine conservation officers. They said the encounter of the young for the first time in the area suggests Sorsogon is a breeding and birthing place for this animal.
At certain months of the year, tourists visit Sorsogon to watch adult friendly whale sharks interact with people. (Photo Credit: WWF)=0=
RELATED BLOG: "More of Andy's Whaleshark (Butanding)" Posted by mesiamd at 9/15/2008; "Encounter With Whaleshark (Butanding) at Pasacao, Camarines Sur" Posted by Andygimpaya at 9/15/2008
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New frogfish species found in Indonesia
A newly discovered odd frogfish called “psychedelica” which according to a University of Washington biology professor is a member of the antennariid genus, Histiophryne is discovered in Indoensia. The fish looks odd. Its pectoral fins on the underside appear like legs and its skin is covered by coral-like dendritic stripes which probably serve as a disguise in its biodiverse tropical habitat.
The colorful inhabitant of shallow waters is said to bounce like a rubber ball. It has a gelatinous fist-sized body covered with thick folds of skin that protect it from sharp-edged corals. It also has a flat face with eyes directed forward, like humans, and a huge, yawning mouth.---- Yahoo.News/ AP (02/28/09, McDowell, J)
Encountered in Ambon Island in Eastern Indonesia by scuba divers, the mustard-colored fish with cerulean blue eyes was reported by Ted Pietsch, in a paper which appeared in a recent publication of Copeia, the journal of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. A genetic study recognized this fish to be a new species. (Photo Credit: AP/ seaphotos.com/ David Hall)
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Hundreds of dolphins disoriented in shallow Philippine waters
There’s a great deal of empathy that was elicited by the sight of hundreds of dolphins stranded in shallow waters of Orion and Pilar, Bataan, somewhere close to Manila Bay in the Philippines. For reasons that aren’t clear, the docile and friendly sea mammals were stranded on Tuesday, February 10, 2008, unable to swim back to deeper waters.
Fishermen and town folks from neighboring villages came in droves to help drive the melon-head dolphins, numbering about 200 to 300, back to sea. Admirably, the villagers followed the appeal of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to help and not harm the marooned animals.
“The unusual occurrence may have been triggered by a sea quake that could have damaged the dolphins' eardrums and disoriented them, or the pod could have been following a sick or injured leader, Malcolm Sarmiento, director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said in a telephone interview.”----AOL News/ AP (02/10/09, Marquez, B; Cerojano, C)
Though the group of agile air-breathing animals eventually made it to the open sea, there were three dolphins found dead. One was pregnant and one was a young baby. According to the animal doctor who examined the remains, two adult dolphins revealed fractured eardrums. (Photo Credit: Malaya) =0=
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Buhi's tabios---world's smallest edible fish still suffers excessive predation
Despite protective ordinances to help tabios thrive, the smallest edible fish in the world (Mistithys luzonensis) is still threatened by extinction in Camarines Sur. Also known as sinarapan, the fish is still under strain in its natural habitat in Lake Buhi because of over-grazing and changes in its fresh-water home.
“Ronilo H. Leal, lake management officer of Buhi town local government unit (LGU), pointed out to the rampant use of motorized post nets in the 1980s which he said totally banished the sinarapan from Lake Buhi in the 1980s.
Going by the 10 percent fish-cage occupation required by the zoning provision of RA 8550, the proliferation of fish cages here have exceeded what the law requires, occupying some 20 percent of the 1,800-ha area of Lake Buhi (located 300 ft. above sea level), according to Leal. ----Bicol Mail (02/05/09, Escandor J. Jr; Davila, J. R.)
Aside from excessive hunting by local fishermen in Buhi, Camarines Sur, the construction of fish cages to raise commercial tilapia altered fish habitat, decreasing and crowding the small tabios. The edible goby which measures about 10 mm. and inhabits the 18-hectare lake in Bicol is a delicacy in the area. It also thrives in adjacent fresh water sanctuaries like Lake Bato, Manapao and Katugday.
Sinarapan almost disappeared in the 1980s and the local government resorted to setting free tabios fries on the lake to augment its population. Though the program had been so far partially successful, excessive fish harvest persisted. Natural predation by other fish species continued to pose problems against the fish survival.
Collective effort to save the fish is on going, but unless measures to protect sinarapan are implemented, extinction (though conservation urgency is low at this time,) is still possible. (Photo Credit: Nindy2008; Lake Buhi, PD x2) =0=
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UP’s plant-man extraordinaire
For a combination of inventiveness, diligence, and genius, Leonard Co turns out to be a gem which brings gladness and admiration to those who know him. The state university’s unique botanist is a rarity who rivals the reclusiveness of Rafflesia leonardi, a diffident flower in the hinterlands of Kidapawan, Mindanao named after him. Leonard Co is known to many Ibalonians for good reasons.
Lorna Vigil and Annelee Badiola-Lojo. M.D. remember him as a co- member of Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral sa Pilipino (SAMAPIL,) a socio-cultural organization in the UP campus. Ibalon doctors like Arnel V. Malaya, Julius A. Lecciones, Ray R. G. Rayel, Nestor A. Valenciano, Andy Gimpaya, and many others may have striking memories of the amazing guy of Botany who frequented the Science pavilion. Leonard was there to beguile them of his plants. A likeable personality with a prodigious drive to teach, the smart Leonard immersed himself in the world of the flora, his pure love and abiding source of satisfaction.
“The Last Dodo of Botany”
by Lorna Vigil
Leonard L. Co inspires many who know him. More than three decades after I met him the first and only time, when I was a young freshman, he still has this extraordinary liking for plants. No one doubted his expertise in botany, though in UP, for him, other subjects outside botany were irritations; they stood on the way of his focus. With a passion for nature and stubborn insistence to pursue science in his own terms, it took him 32 years to get his BS diploma ---a proof of his real mettle and purpose.
Diliman’s plant-man extraordinaire has brought some of life’s important lessons ---- the most compelling perhaps is that outstanding men like him do persist and prevail. Ignoring physics and math, Leonard’s unusual years of study has gained him recognition more than he could imagine. A phenomenal gift of our school to science, his ability is now at work in the Conservation International and the UP Herbarium. With much to share, here is what he said that I find very interesting:
“O nga pala, nakalimutan kong magpakilala aside doon sa organizational affiliations ko,” says Leonard whose school ID goes back few decades ago: 72-00993, BS Botany.
“Bilang the quintessential 'Bobo ng Diliman' who refused to let physics and math mess up with my own brand of education, ngayong taon lang ako grumadweyt. I’m the last dodo bird of the now extinct BS Botany program.”
Naging myembro ng SAMAPIL noong huling dako ng 1973, dahil sa personal appeal nito sa akin bilang kanlungan ng kritikal pero malikhaing porma ng dissent. Naively, inassume ko na pwede rin akong mahawa sa abilidad ng mga manunulat na kasapi dito.
Well, obviously hindi sapat yun and I ended up doing something else in botany and conservation science. At any rate, SAMAPIL ang unang legal na organisasyong sinalihan ko sa UP matapos ibaba ang martial law.
Palagay ko'y ipinanganak din akong artist, pero ang medium na kadalasang ginagamit ko ay oil--- cooking oil to be exact. Mahilig akong magluto (at kumain). Aside from plant specimens, I collect all sorts of protest and national liberation songs (banyaga man o dito sa Pinas, at salamat sa limewire, dumarami na ang acquisitions ko).
‘Di ako marunong bumasa ng nota, pero natutunan kong tumugtog ng oido sa harmonica (nakakainis nga lamang at ine-equate ang instrumentong ito sa pamumulubi). Inggit to death ako pag nakakakita ng mga virtuoso sa classical guitar, piano at violin.
Pasensya na po kung di ako nakakasali sa inter-aksyon ninyo sa e-group o mga jammings. Madalas kasi sa hindi, andun ako sa natural habitat ko sa mga bundok at natitira pa nating kagubatan. Pero keep in touch at tuloy lang ang pagpapadala ng mga jokes na mahirap ipagwari sa katatawanan at realidad ng buhay.
Masaya ako dahil nabigyang halaga ang aking kaunting kontribusyon sa Botany na naging pangunahing argumento ng mga supporters ko sa Institute of Biology, sa College Assembly hanggang University Council para magawaran ng UP diploma nung nakaraang graduation (2008). Kahit man lolo na akong uugud-ugod nabigyan na rin ng BS (after 32 years haha!). O ano, astig na rin akong UP grad tulad ninyo!---Leonard L. Co, Conservation International- Philippines; Herbarium, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines. (Photo Credits: Josefontheroad; JulieBarcelona)=0=
RELATED BLOG: "Pygmy tarsier of Indonesia rediscovered after 85 years & a five-petalled mountain flower in Mindanao, Philippines named" Posted by mesiamd at 11/23/2008
Pygmy tarsier of Indonesia rediscovered after 85 years & a five-petalled mountain flower in Mindanao, Philippines named
The Indonesian Pygmy Tarsier (Tarsius pumila)
This week, Indonesia’s pygmy tarsier (Tarsius pumilus), the close cousin of the Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta,) is reported to be thriving in the tropical forest of the island of Sulawesi. Said to be extinct since 85 years ago, the small primate which looks like a monkey approximates the size of a mouse, weighing about 2 ounces and measuring 4 inches.
The nocturnal tailed animal which lives on trees mainly thrives on insects but also eats small crustaceans, lizards, and other tiny animals. Covered by thick brown-gray fur reminiscent of the "gremlins," it has a characteristic big pair of eyes, proptosed like oversized shiny buttons.
A group of scientists headed by Texas A & M University Sharon Gursky-Doyen have been following up the pygmy tarsiers until they captured three which were fitted with radio collars for more studies.
Coincident to the rediscovery of the pygmy tarsier is the identification of a new plant species which grows in Cagayan, Philippines. Named after Leonard Co, a botanist of the Conservation International, Rafflesia leonardi is unique for its 5-petalled parasitic blooms with no leaves, stems, and roots.
Rafflesia leonardi
Found in the rainforest of Kidapawan, Mindanao, 300 to 700 meters above sea level in the environs of Mount Apo, the rare flower fully blooms in about 10 months and wilts in 7 days. The new species which was identified last May 2008 is the 4th Rafflesia discovered in Luzon and the 8th in the country.
Two things come to mind. First is the growing need for nature conservation in the face of the dangers of extinction of both fauna and flora. Second, human interference (i.e. loss of habitat, predation, pollution etc.) in the lives of these plants and animals may have both beneficial and deleterious consequences which may affect species survival. (Photo Credits: YahooNews/SharonGurskyDoyen; YahooNewsPhilippines; Mediatejack) =0=
The Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta)
"Outside the Philippines, a number of relatives of the Philippine tarsier can be found, among them the Bornean tarsier (Tarsius bancanus) of Borneo and Sumatra, the spectral tarsier (Tarsius spectrum), the lesser spectral tarsier or pygmy tarsier (Tarsius pumilus), and Dian's tarsier (Tarsius dianae) of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The pygmy tarsier, by the way, is considerably smaller than the Philippine tarsier, while the pygmy mouse lemur, found only in Madagascar, is now being recognized as the smallest primate in the world.
The tarsier was first introduced to Western biologists through the description given to J. Petiver by the missionary J.G. Camel of an animal said to have come from the Philippines (Hill, 1955). Petiver published Camel's description in 1705 and named the animal Cercopithecus luzonis minimus which was the basis for Linnaeus' (1758) Simia syrichta and eventually Tarsius syrichta. Among the locals, the tarsier is known as "mamag", "mago", "magau", "maomag", "malmag" and "magatilok-iok"." Source: Bohol.com/Philippine Tarsier Foundation.
RELATED BLOGS: "Palawan wildlife faces near extinction" Posted by mesiamd at 9/14/2008; "Despite conservation effort, 1/3 of world’s coral reefs face danger of extinction" Posted by mesiamd at 10/23/2008
This week, Indonesia’s pygmy tarsier (Tarsius pumilus), the close cousin of the Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta,) is reported to be thriving in the tropical forest of the island of Sulawesi. Said to be extinct since 85 years ago, the small primate which looks like a monkey approximates the size of a mouse, weighing about 2 ounces and measuring 4 inches.
The nocturnal tailed animal which lives on trees mainly thrives on insects but also eats small crustaceans, lizards, and other tiny animals. Covered by thick brown-gray fur reminiscent of the "gremlins," it has a characteristic big pair of eyes, proptosed like oversized shiny buttons.
A group of scientists headed by Texas A & M University Sharon Gursky-Doyen have been following up the pygmy tarsiers until they captured three which were fitted with radio collars for more studies.
Coincident to the rediscovery of the pygmy tarsier is the identification of a new plant species which grows in Cagayan, Philippines. Named after Leonard Co, a botanist of the Conservation International, Rafflesia leonardi is unique for its 5-petalled parasitic blooms with no leaves, stems, and roots.
Rafflesia leonardi
Found in the rainforest of Kidapawan, Mindanao, 300 to 700 meters above sea level in the environs of Mount Apo, the rare flower fully blooms in about 10 months and wilts in 7 days. The new species which was identified last May 2008 is the 4th Rafflesia discovered in Luzon and the 8th in the country.
Two things come to mind. First is the growing need for nature conservation in the face of the dangers of extinction of both fauna and flora. Second, human interference (i.e. loss of habitat, predation, pollution etc.) in the lives of these plants and animals may have both beneficial and deleterious consequences which may affect species survival. (Photo Credits: YahooNews/SharonGurskyDoyen; YahooNewsPhilippines; Mediatejack) =0=
The Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta)
"Outside the Philippines, a number of relatives of the Philippine tarsier can be found, among them the Bornean tarsier (Tarsius bancanus) of Borneo and Sumatra, the spectral tarsier (Tarsius spectrum), the lesser spectral tarsier or pygmy tarsier (Tarsius pumilus), and Dian's tarsier (Tarsius dianae) of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The pygmy tarsier, by the way, is considerably smaller than the Philippine tarsier, while the pygmy mouse lemur, found only in Madagascar, is now being recognized as the smallest primate in the world.
The tarsier was first introduced to Western biologists through the description given to J. Petiver by the missionary J.G. Camel of an animal said to have come from the Philippines (Hill, 1955). Petiver published Camel's description in 1705 and named the animal Cercopithecus luzonis minimus which was the basis for Linnaeus' (1758) Simia syrichta and eventually Tarsius syrichta. Among the locals, the tarsier is known as "mamag", "mago", "magau", "maomag", "malmag" and "magatilok-iok"." Source: Bohol.com/Philippine Tarsier Foundation.
RELATED BLOGS: "Palawan wildlife faces near extinction" Posted by mesiamd at 9/14/2008; "Despite conservation effort, 1/3 of world’s coral reefs face danger of extinction" Posted by mesiamd at 10/23/2008
My caged munias & the birds in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s mind
The captive munias (rignos, mayas; chestnut mannikins,) didn’t escape my mind when I read the old elegant lines from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s paean for the birds, part of what he wrote in May-Day and Other Pieces. The 19th century American essayist-poet’s beautifully crafted words made my heart thumping as thoughts of childhood crossed my mind. All the birds which I wanted as pets died. I was regretful. From the ugly experience, I wondered if I truly learned wholesome values mentioned by the great inspiring American writer-philosopher in the following lines:
“O birds, your perfect virtues bring,
Your song, your forms, your rhythmic flight,
Your manners for your heart’s delight,
Nestle in hedge, or barn, or roof,
Here weave your chamber weather-proof,
Forgive our harms, and condescend
To man, as to a lubber friend,
And, generous, teach his awkward race
Courage, and probity, and grace!”
---from May Day and Other Pieces by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
I felt remorse over keeping those mayas in a small bamboo cage. For measly 5 centavos each, I bought the tiny birds at the gate of the grade school where I studied. At home, I was excited to play with the popular avian species which frequent the grasses and rice paddies of Bicol. With fast wings ready to fly, their feet were restrained by strings tied on my hand.The mayas were good to see inside the bamboo cage on the window sill. Each time I went near, feathers hummed like the sound of an electric razor. Brighter and more vibrant than Joseph’s dream coat, their fluffy feathers and tiny feet were wonderful.
I sensed their fear and boredom even if I fed them with rice grains from the fields. It was stupid of me to egg them to bathe in a water basin the way ducks do in the marsh. Recalling how they groomed when rain left pools of water on the pavement outside, I watched them flap their fiery brown wings. I craved that they lay eggs in a nest I made from dried zakate leaves.
Their silvery beaks were no match to the rigid bamboo enclosure which they tried to break. Their brown puzzling eyes sought every little chance to escape and be free. If they could speak, they might have insisted flying up the lemon tree or have them build nests in a bush as thorny as the bougainvilleas. I heard them burst in a beautiful song with the soul of a passing breeze. In spite of my watch, all of them didn’t last. One after another, they died.
Although I was pure and diligent in my care for the munias, I knew they succumbed to stress. The alert birds badly needed liberty and they might have been distressed like the idle prisoners in jail. So self-absorbed of having them, I couldn’t resist keeping them in the cage. At that age, I had little idea what cruelty meant.
Nobody convinced me that my effort to make the birds happy made them even more sad. Had I known, I would have treated them humanely by just setting them free. As Ralph Waldo Emerson whose respect for nature and God were strong when he wrote years ago, I couldn’t resist saying, “forgive our harms, and condescend.” (Photo Credits: Edmondcv210;____; neon2rosell; CharlesLam; floridapfd; GurpalKaher; Nils) =0
Despite conservation effort, 1/3 of world’s coral reefs face danger of extinction
Palawan’s Tubbataha National Marine Park is designated by the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as one of the World's Heritage sites. It is being considered among the planet’s 7 new natural wonders. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) vice chair Lory Yap (Philippines) said the fish biomass in the reef practically doubled from 2004-2005 through regulated tourism and wildlife management.
Yet, in a separate report, 45 poachers were recently nabbed by marine park rangers in the area. The poachers attempted to bribe their way to gather an endangered sea-shell called samung (Tochus noliticus.) used to make commercial buttons and jewelry, sought for by traders in Cebu.
Conservation proponents continue to face an uphill battle against people who disregard efforts to protect and save the environment. More than 200 samung collectors this year have been apprehended in Tubbataha Reef in violation of an international agreement which penalizes violators to up to 12 to 20 years in prison. In spite of such effort, about a third of the world’s coral reefs still face extinction because of climate change, sedimentation, and human intrusion. The ominous environmental changes and build up of pollution have hampered the reefs to rebuild, preventing fish and other marine life to thrive. Philstar (10/22/08, Ercheminada, P)
According to WWF spokesman, Gregg Yan, a kilometer square of undamaged coral reef can produce as much as 30 tons of seafood yearly for the sustenance of the people, but it depends on how much the reef is preseved and kept healthy. Meeting in Manila, government officials and wildlife experts from countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands seek ways to save the world’s richest marine region which encompasses parts of Sulu-Sulawesi, South China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. Obviously, in terms of wildlife conservation, a lot has still to be done. (Photo Credits: melhins; courtneyplatt; mikebond) =0=
UPDATE: 10/24/08: The US government pledged a total of $39.45 million to save the world’s greatest coral reef (Coral Triangle) which borders six countries, including the Philippines. This was announced by US Ambassador Kristie Kenney putting the total pledges to $450 million from collective contributions from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, US Agency for International Development and the Australian Agency for International Development. =0=
A. J. Kilmer's "A poem as lovely as a tree"
TREESI think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
Alfred Joyce Kilmer
A Catholic American poet, writer and lecturer born in New Brunswick, N.J. and educated at Rutgers College and Columbia (B.A., 1908,) Alfred Joyce Kilmer lived from December 6, 1886 to July 30, 1918. His most famous poem “Trees,” was published in Trees and Other Poems (1914.) He served in the military and was deployed in Europe during the World War I.When the United States involved itself in war, in 1917, Alfred Joyce Kilmer, in an expression of patriotic duty, joined the Seventh Regiment of the New York National Guard. While on a military mission in France, he was killed by a fatal sniper's bullet at a young age of 31, leaving behind his wife Aline Murray and five children. Posthumously, he was awarded the Coix de Guerre (Cross of War) by the French Republic for his valor.
In North Carolina, a place Kilmer never visited, he was honored with the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, a protective reserve of ancient trees, one of the few of its kind in North America. Upon his death, he was interred in the Oise-Aisne Cemetery, Fere-en-Tardenois, France. Source: Alfred Joyce Kilmer and His Memorial Forest by Steve Nix (About.com)
There is a bit of nostalgia reading A. J. Kilmer’s poem “Trees.” At this time of the year when autumn progresses in full season, this piece of vintage literature brings a special resonance. The poem with its conservative tone and rhyme seems sentimental and ancient to the reading taste of the present generation, but look at the changing trees mimicking the flowers in the photo. They are the same radiant trees reaching for the sky that a nature-beholder from Brunswick, New Jersey paid tribute to about a century ago. Like a God-believing outdoorsman of this day, he is more relevant now with the environmental movement and the effort to save the plants and trees of the planet. (Photo Credits: dabadoo; USFS; tobi et. al) =0=
Weight-lifting parrot
In Shenyang, China red-feathered parrot make full use of the beak to lift a barbell to the delight of onlookers. Photo Credit: Time.com/EPA =0=
More of Andy's Whaleshark (Butanding)
About this time of the year till December to May, the Butandings (Rhicodon typus,) the huge whale sharks come around to their usual haunts in Bicol in the farthest tip of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Many sightings of these gentle creatures which can grow to about 15 to 40 feet are in Sorsogon Province particularly in towns of Donsol, Pilar, Castilla, Magallanes, but may occasionally be encountered in the neighboring seas like in Camarines Sur, Albay and as far as Bohol in the Visayas and parts of Mindanao.
Harmlessly docile and friendly, the butandings allow people to go near and swim with them. With characteristic white spots (reminiscent of leopards,) on their gray-blue bodies, they quietly feed on minute planktons and krill abundant in the area at certain times of the year.
Supervised tours to see this giant wonders of the sea are available in the area. For more information, check the PDOT web site at www.wowbicol.com, call (63) 52 435-0085 or e-mail dotr5@globalink.net.ph. The Donsol Tourism Office in Dancalan headed by Salvador Adrao Jr. can also be contacted (0927) 233-0364. Snorkeling gears can be rented from the resorts.=0=
Palawan wildlife faces near extinction
In the illegal bird trade, each of them have a measly price tag between P2,000 and P5,000 ($50-120) and the white feathered Philippine cockatoos are ravenously hunted and have become critically endangered. Victims of bird fanciers who seek them for their astonishing beauty, the birds are losing habitat due to forest destruction in Palawan, Philippines. The talking black mynah (Gracula religiosa ssp. palawanensis,) the blue-headed parrot with flaming red beak and bright green plummage (Thanygnathus lucionensis,) and the cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygi,) a helmet-crested white psittacine wonder with a flamboyant red undertail---all Gods’ irreplaceable gifts to our planet, are being decimated like other threatened avian species worldwide.
“Palawan is covered by a special law, Republic Act No. 7611, which categorizes old growth forests and areas above 1,000 meters in elevation as “core zones,” or areas exempt from human development.
There is a mismatch in the protected area systems and the requirements of important species. All threatened species in Palawan live in what had been designated as buffer areas and these are open to exploitation, primarily mining….alluding to dozens of mining applications all over Palawan, particularly in the nickel and chromite-rich southern Palawan….not taking into consideration Palawan’s endangered species. It is easier to secure a mining permit than to request for a permit to conduct scientific expeditions” ---Aldrin Mallari, ornithologist (Inquirer, 09/14/08, Anda,A)
Scientists and conservationists warned of the imminent extinction in a three-day conference participated in by an international group of bird-watchers and conservation experts.
Monitoring illegal traffic of birds and wildlife, Katala Foundation, a conservation group, disclosed three groups of wildlife traders in the chrome and nickel-rich island of Palawan where the famous pristine Tubbataha Reef is also located. According to Katala, 13 mammalian species and 11 bird species are critically at risk of being permanently wiped-out because of deforestation, bird captures, and human intrusions which lead to black market sales in Manila and elsewhere.
Without the support of the community and the government, the extinction of these species seems inevitable. Alarmed experts are pessimistic if appropriate legislation without implementation and sluggish wildlife education can ever do enough to preserve and rescue wildlife from danger. Photo Credits: Palawan Council for Sustainable Dev't; nicky; Borneo@27)=0=
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