Things related to the web of life; ecology; wildlife; endangered species
"Amid complaints of environmental harm and pressure from a federal court, U.S. agriculture regulators are considering a compromise approval for genetically altered alfalfa that would allow the crop to be grown with certain restrictions aimed at protecting non-GMO crops, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Thursday."
"A federal judge yesterday threw out a federal scientific study that forms the basis for protecting the delta smelt in California's sprawling Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta."
"Contrary to pessimistic assertions that polar bears are doomed because summer sea ice has melted past the point of no return, a new study concludes that significant curbs in carbon emissions would effectively cool the planet, rebuild ice and save the Arctic habitat and the bears in it."
A coalition of some 60 environmental, fisheries, and consumer groups want to know whether the Canadian government is undertaking a risk assessment before allowing AquaBounty's genetically engineered eggs to be grown on Prince Edward Island.
The environmental groups' request for GPS information about where the introduced, protected Mexican grays had killed livestock was denied on grounds that data collected by Wildlife Service personnel visiting private ranch property is exempt from FOIA requests.
The musk ox, an Arctic species that is a holdover from the Pleistocene, survived terrible climate changes when mastodons and sabertooths went extinct. That may be as much a result of its social structure as its shaggy coat.
"Manatees died in record-breaking numbers this year, but not from being hit by boats or poisoned by Red Tide. Instead, the largest group of the 699 manatees that were killed as of Dec. 5 were done in by bad weather."
"They call it the 'Jaws' effect. Inspired by the 1975 movie about a great white shark that terrorized a tourist town, waves of fishermen piled into boats and killed thousands of the ocean predators in shark fishing tournaments."
"Beetles killing trees in North America, blue tongue disease ravaging livestock in Europe, and borers destroying African coffee crops are examples of migrating invasive species not getting enough attention at global climate talks, scientists said on Wednesday."
"To protect the declining population of the western Steller sea lion, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will restrict commercial fishing for Atka mackerel and Pacific cod, the animal’s main source of food, off parts of the Alaska’s western Aleutian Islands."
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