Originally published on EdenKeeper.org As endangered sea turtles are returning home to the gorgeous Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica, a new initiative to support conservation efforts is in full bloom at the Blue Osa Yoga Retreat. Expanding its vision as an enlightened eco-resort, Blue Osa has recently joined in to protect and conserve
Declaring that the sixth mass extinction has arrived, Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich confirms that species are disappearing off the face of Earth faster now than at any time since the mass extinction of dinosaurs. Calling for “fast action to conserve threatened species, populations and habitat before the window of opportunity closes,” Ehrlich and his team
World Wildlife Day not only offers a good opportunity to celebrate beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora. The day helps raise awareness of conservation and its many benefits to people as well. It also reminds us to step up the urgent fight against wildlife crime, with its wide-ranging environmental, economic, and social impacts. On December
Not much of a fish feast for the anyone with overfishing and pollutants in the waters. Thanks to Catholic Online.
BREAKING: Late this evening (8 pm EST, or tomorrow, March 31, at 9 am in Tokyo), something large and unpleasant will hit the fan about climate change. At a press conference in Yokohama, the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will release its Fifth Assessment Report on impacts of human activities on current and
If you’re looking for truly unique gift for your lover this Valentine’s Day, you might have to get a little primal. For the environmentally minded, the sounds of some of the Earth’s most endangered species might be a fitting reminder that we have a responsibility to the animal kingdom, and there’s no better place than
Officials open the 2013 UNFCCC meetings with determination and louder warnings…. (Photo source: http://ow.ly/qL43P) It’s time for the governments of the world to struggle with climate change policy again. Every year, late in November and early in December, representatives of 195 nations gather for two weeks to try to negotiate global responses to the increasingly
On September 22, 2013, the fourth annual World Rhino Day will be celebrated with special events organized both online and offline by zoos, NGOs, conservancies, schools, businesses, and concerned citizens. This year, the big day falls on a Sunday, which has prompted some celebrants to include Saturday, September 21 — making it a weekend of sharing
Did you know that World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in February? This year, the special day falls on February 16th — so be sure to mark your calendar if you haven’t already done so! World Pangolin Day is an opportunity for pangolin enthusiasts to join together in raising awareness about these
On September 22nd, the third annual World Rhino Day was celebrated, with over a dozen countries participating this year. World Rhino Day brought NGOs, zoos, rhino sanctuaries, and concerned citizens across the globe together to raise awareness and funds for the five species of rhinoceros — all of which are under threat from the
Thirty percent of the threatened species in the world are in that situation because of consumption in the developed world, according to new research from the University of Sydney. The researchers mapped the global economy to track the trade of goods that are implicated in biodiversity loss, such as coffee, cocoa, and lumber. “Our
Every year, the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and a committee of international scientists compile a list of their picks for the top 10 newly described species. The annual top 10 new species list has just been released for 2011. This year’s list includes: a new type of box jelly, a
There is still no end in sight to the rhino massacre in South Africa, as this year’s body count has now exceeded 400, surpassing the 2010 death toll of 333. Although arrests for rhino crimes have also increased, South Africa’s conviction rate is abysmally low: Less than five percent. According to The Telegraph, 229 of
Grizzly bears and the many people working to protect them received great news recently: Last week, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave its long-awaited ruling on whether the Yellowstone grizzly bear should lose federal Endangered Species Act protection (ESA). Thankfully, the 9th Circuit ruled in favor of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, agreeing that
Earlier this week, more than 20 participants from diverse areas – including advertising, public health, and wildlife trade – met at a workshop in Hong Kong to discuss strategies for reducing the demand for products made from endangered species. The seemingly inescapable appetite for endangered species is driven by the economic boom in countries such
1. Activists occupied KFC on two continents last week. More from the Dogwood Alliance: “Colonel Sanders and various woodland creatures made appearances at over 150 KFC restaurants across the country and various locations in Europe to deliver a message, ‘Stop destroying Southern forests for your throwaway packaging.’ The iconic KFC bucket and other KFC
In Malaysia, wildlife criminals can no longer claim ignorance as an excuse for their destructive activities, thanks to the installation of billboards in the heart of illegal wildlife trafficking hotspots. Photo © WWF-Malaysia The huge signs are located near the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex, one of the world’s oldest rainforests, located in northern Peninsular Malaysia. “The
Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), the same company Greenpeace influenced Mattel to stop working with, has been destroying Indonesian rainforests to make Paseo-brand tissue products. These tissues are in many major supermarket chains and as Greenpeace points out, “Paseo products have no recycled content — they’re made of 100% virgin tree fiber. Worse, those trees
One of the best news sources around, The Onion, had a great post recently on endangered blue butterflies and their efforts to bring humans with them:
The founder of Planetsave wrote a post here on Planetsave about a month and a half ago regarding his new project, Like it for Good. The essence of the project is that by “liking,” “tweeting,” “thumbing up,” etc. posts, you support companies and organizations helping the environment.
This week’s Round Up is an inspirational snapshot of both offline and online events undertaken by people all over the world to bring awareness to the plight of the planet’s remaining rhinos. The unifying message is one simple truth: “Rhino horn is NOT Medicine!”
In many parts of the world, including Kenya, the elephant population is drastically declining and it is humans that are to blame. Over the past two decades, the elephant population in Africa has declined from 1.3 million to an estimated population of 5,000. Poaching for ivory and environmental changes mark the primary human impact factors.
Unfortunately, the price of ivory is currently soaring to record levels, and this means that African elephants are more at risk than ever, as the Kenyan population attempts to improve its declining economy, which was affected considerably due to the global recession’s effect on tourism in the region. This poaching means that there are many immature elephants left without their mothers, or the means to survive.
Of course, we here at the Sierra Club love animals. To help share that love, we put together this amazing slideshow of endangered animals in photos by Joel Sartore. Some are cuddly-looking, some, even I admit, are slimy — all deserve protection.
Although touted by China as “conservation”, the country’s notorious tiger farms are actually commercial enterprises engaging in the internationally banned business of selling products derived from tigers.
The latest report published by the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC reveals that an alarming number of protected and endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles are openly for sale in Indonesia.
We’ve several cute and awe-inspiring animal videos for you this week, as always, but we’ve also got a handful of interesting and disturbing videos about animal cruelty and endangered species that I think everyone should watch. Check these videos out and the stories underneath them all.
With over 50, 000 photos (and counting) capturing over 100 mammal species from seven protected areas across Africa, Asia and the Americas…a global ‘hidden camera” research project is giving conservation biologists a rare glimpse into the ordinary lives of many endangered or threatened mammal species.The camera study, conducted by The Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network (TEAM), is helping to confirm what smaller, isolated studies have indicated: that habitat destruction is jeopardizing the biological integrity and diversity of many of the world’s mammals.
Here are some of the top animal stories and videos of the week (videos first). Enjoy! These first three are totally funny & cute…
Here are some top animal stories of the week (other than what we’ve covered already). Feel free to drop more stories or videos in the comments below if you have them.
Lions, these wonderful big cats — I think there isn’t anybody who has ever avoided their charm — could be extinct in just 15 years. Even though they are dangerous, they are lovable, too. But, unfortunately, there’s some really bad news: their numbers have been shrinking tremendously over the last 50 years! While, in 1960, there were a healthy 450,000 lions in wild, in 2010, were only 20,000! If that trend continued, lions would become extinct in just just over 10 years.
This irreverent video offers a hilarious solution to the very serious issue facing rhinos in South Africa.
Thanks to trophy hunt loopholes in South Africa, rhino horn smugglers have found a way to acquire their contraband legally.
As part of the sinister organized crime network that is controlling the illegal rhino horn trade, these “mules” (often women) are actually using “hunting safaris” as a front for running rhino horn from South Africa to Vietnam.
A former fellow writer on EcoWorldly.com (which is now EcoLocalizer), Rhishja Larson is the leading rhino expert I’ve ever run across. She knows rhinos! And, unfortunately, that means she knows more about the current rhino crisis than most.
Now, she and Saving Rhinos LLC have started a new campaign to bring critical rhino information and rhino crisis awareness to more people: Bust the Myth – Save the Species.
This is a cool video I thought I’d share with you animal & planet lovers (and especially you penguin lovers).
Well, Russia is one key actor threating grey whales with extinction, but it has also taken a step forward in protecting the critically endangered species. “Companies seeking oil extraction rights to a newly available concession off Russia’s Sakhalin Island will not be permitted to conduct activities while Western gray whales are present,” WWF wrote last week.
These are the cutest little guys (or girls). Have to love that WWF could set up a hidden camera there and get these candid, in-the-wild videos of these Sumatran tiger cubs. Of course, the reason it has to do so is not so uplifting. As is mentioned towards the end of the video, “This forest is under imminent threat of being cleared by the pulp and paper industry, despite being designated a ‘global priority Tiger Conservation Landscape’.”
Seriously, talk about an inspirational story. 6-year-old Aghelos Kouvaras was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma last September after a tumor was discovered in his abdomen. While undergoing treatment for the disease most of 1st grade, Kouvaras read about animals, and especially penguins, to stay in good spirits.
Kovaras has now beaten cancer and his next goal is to save penguins (no small task, but hey, neither is what he just did).
You can’t be surprised, given that our Congress people seem completely mad (and not just because of NCAA basketball), but, yes, they really are attacking the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and a number of iconic animals.
Luckily, Earthjustice, a leading non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to protecting the Earth and its resources, is working hard to rally U.S. citizens and stop the assault. And it’s come up with a really innovative, fun way of doing so.
Becky Striepe of our sister site Ecoscraps recently shared a pretty amazing photo of the plastic contents of a juvenile green sea turtle’s stomach (shown above).
Tristan da Cunha is known as “the most remote inhabited island in the world.” Situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, its nearest land neighbor — South Africa — is 1,750 miles away. South America comes in second at a whopping 2,088 miles away.
Yes, the eastern cougar has been declared extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It’s very sad news, indeed, but in a world that is in the midst of the 6th mass extinction, it is not even close to a surprise. In 1973, the eastern cougar was listed as an endangered species. But it
Jeremy Bloom of our sister site Red, Green, and Blue reported yesterday on Japanese whalers’ apparent retreat in the middle of this year’s whaling season, and shared the news here on Planetsave as well. It is still unclear if the hunting season is finished or only suspended, but there is strong indication that it is
Good news from the high seas: After repeated run-ins with the anti-whaling Sea Shepherd Society that have prevented its whaling fleet from a successful hunt, Japan’s government announced it is suspending whaling, possibly for the rest of the season. Whaling was banned under an international agreement in 1986, but Japan has exploited a loophole in the
Good news from the high seas: After repeated run-ins with the anti-whaling Sea Shepherd Society that have prevented its whaling fleet from a successful hunt, Japan’s government announced it is suspending whaling, possibly for the rest of the season. Whaling was banned under an international agreement in 1986, but Japan has exploited a loophole in the
Some of the top green living, activism, and clean energy stories from the past day or so: Activism Greenpeace Gives Facebook “Unfriend Coal” Deadline Greenpeace has been pushing Facebook to “unfriend coal” and go the route of clean energy for awhile. Facebook, for the most part, hasn’t listened. Greenpeace is now telling Facebook it should
Some of the top climate change and environmental stories of the last day or so: Climate Science Graph of the Day: Greenland Ice Sheet Mass Changes Good info and graphs on the page above, but thought I’d share the 3 videos from the post here for you to check out just in case you don’t feel
Here are some top global warming and environmental stories from the last day or so: Global Warming Politics Anti-Koch Rally (or Rallies) A great video on the Koch Brother Billionaire Bash protests and Uncloak Koch Rally from the other 98%: More on Schmitt We covered a couple pieces going into depth on astronaut Harrison Schmitt’s
Following the Japanese governments admission and apology for embezzlement related to Japan’s whaling policy and industry (whaling officials finally acknowledged accepting whale meat ‘gifts’ from the company conducting whale hunts, Kyodo Senpaku), Greenpeace is urging the initiation of an official investigation into this matter. As the ailing and fraudulent ‘scientific’ Japanese whaling fleet conducts a
