Biodiversity Sunday - s3.amazonaws.com€¦ · demand,” Mary Rice, ... ˜ e center of origin...
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www.businessmirror.com.ph B2-3 BusinessMirror Sunday, March 17, 2013 Biodiversity Sunday B ANGKOK—A 12-day glob- al wildlife conference con- cluded on ursday after granting better protection to hundreds of threatened animal and plant species. More than 1,000 delegates at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) voted to introduce trade regulations for vulnerable ani- mal species—such as sharks, manta rays, tortoises and turtles—and re- jected proposals that would have al- lowed three species of crocodiles to be traded internationally. Cites meets every three years to dis- cuss how to regulate trade in plants and animals to ensure the survival of more than 35,000 species. Delegates to the conference represent 178 governments, businesses, non-governmental organi- zations and groups speaking for indig- enous peoples. Cites Secretary-General John Scan- lon said this year’s conference in Bang- kok was “a watershed moment” for the organization in realizing the serious- ness of wildlife crime and toughening measures against it. Five shark species are under severe threat because of the voracious market for shark fins, an expensive delicacy in Asia. “is is a major win for some of the world’s most threatened shark species, with action now required to control the international trade in their fins,” said Susan Lieberman of e Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-profit organization. “To- day was the most significant day for the ocean in the 40-year history of Cites.” Conservationists also placed con- trols on a range of rosewood and ebony wood from Asia, Central America and Madagascar that are exploited by illegal logging. Not all proposals for protecting animals were adopted. A US proposal to ban the international trade of polar bears failed to garner the two-thirds of votes needed to pass, while the con- vention was criticized for failing to is- sue strong measures against elephant poaching. Host country ailand and seven other Asian and African nations were criticized by Cites for failing to ade- quately crack down on the ivory trade and were asked to come up with “na- tional action plans” with targets to curb the trade across and within their bor- ders. ey must meet those targets or face trade sanctions next year. “Any discussions on legalizing trade in wildlife products—be it ivory, rhino horns, or tiger parts—accomplishes only one thing, which is stimulating demand,” Mary Rice, executive director of the British-based Environmental In- vestigation Agency, said in a statement. “Such rhetoric must cease immediately if we are to reverse the trend toward ex- tinction of these and other species.” e next meeting is to be held in 2016 in South Africa. B V I e Associated Press M OSCOW—A new form of microbial life has been found in water samples taken from a giant freshwater lake hidden under kilometers of Antarctic ice, Russian sci- entists said. Sergei Bulat and Valery Lukin said in a statement that the “unidentified and unclassified” bacterium has no relation to any of the existing bacterial types. ey acknowledged, however, that extensive research of the microbe that was sealed under the ice for millions of years will be necessary to prove the find and determine the bacterium’s charac- teristics. New samples of water retrieved from Lake Vostok earlier this year are expect- ed to be delivered to Saint Petersburg in May aboard a Russian ship. e Russian team reached the sur- face of the subglacial lake in February 2012 after more than two decades of drilling, a major achievement hailed by scientists around the world. They touched the lake water on Sunday at a depth of 3,769 meters, about 1,300 kilometers east of the South Pole in the central part of the continent. Scientists hope the lake might allow a glimpse into microbial life forms that existed before the Ice Age and could have survived in the dark depths of the lake, despite its high pressure and con- stant cold—conditions similar to those which also are believed to be found un- der the ice crust on Mars, Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus. At 250 kilometers long and 50 ki- lometers wide, Lake Vostok is similar in size to Lake Ontario. It is kept from freezing into a solid block by the kilome- ters-thick crust of ice across it that acts like a blanket, keeping in heat generated by geothermal energy underneath. Some have voiced concern that the more than 60 tons of lubricants and antifreeze used in the drilling may con- taminate the lake, but the Russian re- searchers have insisted that their tech- nology is environmentally secure. They said water from the lake rushed up the borehole once the drill touched the surface and froze, safely sealing the lubricants from the lake’s pristine waters. Bulat and Lukin said the research team has done a meticulous analysis of the samples to differentiate bacte- ria contained in lubricants from what they hoped could be a trace of new life forms. Initial studies only spotted bac- teria associated with the lubricants, but scientists said they eventually found one bacterium that didn’t fall into any of the known categories. e researchers said that the small size of the initial sample and its heavy contamination made it difficult to con- duct more extensive research. ey voiced hope that the new samples of clean frozen water that are to arrive in Saint Petersburg this spring will make it possible to “confirm the find and, per- haps, discover new previously unknown forms of microbial life.” A US team that recently touched the surface of Lake Whillans, a shal- lower subglacial body of water west of the South Pole, also found microbes. e scientists are yet to determine what forms of bacteria they found. AP Wildlife meeting gives hundreds of species protection Mysterious bacterium found in Antarctic lake A THAI worker stands by dried shark fins on display at a restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. Conservationists at a global wildlife conference on Monday voted to regulate the trade of shark species that have been threatened because their fins are used to make expensive delicacies in Asia. Delegates at the triennial meeting in Bangkok of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora adopted the proposals to put the oceanic whitetip, hammerhead and porbeagle sharks on a list of species whose trade is closely controlled. Signs written in Chinese and Japanese read: “Restaurant, shark fin restaurant.” AP B S T Correspondent T HE Philippines is among the six countries in the Coral Tri- angle—the home of the richest marine biodiversity in the world. Among these countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste and the Philippines), the Philippines is at the apex, which makes it the “center of the center of marine biodiversity” in the world. Among the 10,000 species studied by the Global Marine Spe- cies Assessment, a third are found in the country. Dr. Kent Carpenter, professor of Biological Sciences in Old Dominion University, said on Wednesday at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute that there are four hy- potheses for the analysis of why the Philippines is the global epicenter of marine biodiversity, namely, the area-accumula- tion hypothesis, area-overlap hypothesis, the center of origin and the area of refuge. Carpenter said in his lecture, titled “Philippine Habitat Rich- ness as an Explanation for its Global Epicenter of Marine Biodi- versity,” that the unique geology of the Coral Triangle explains the area-accumulation hypothesis. e number of isolated islands in the Pacific Ocean are key source of species which mainly works in isolation and, because of the strong equatorial current, the species are washed in the Coral Triangle, thus, making their number increase. In the area-overlap analysis, Indian and Pacific Ocean biota are mixed, thus, creating or exchanging species in the area. e center of origin hypothesis explains that speciation occurs very rapidly in the Coral Triangle. e study works to find if there are patterns of population genetics throughout the years. Carpenter, also the manager of International Union for Con- servation of Nature (IUCN) Global Marine Species Assessment, said that if one has more area of habitat, one can support more marine species and this is where the most important hypothesis comes in. e Philippines is the area of refuge for many species in the world. Shallow water habitat and Continental Shelf Habitat is in the Coral Triangle, but the most significant finding was the coast- line length of the Philippines. e Philippines has the highest concentration on any tropical country in the world and has almost the same concentration of coastline length of the United States. e mathematical model made by Carpenter in his research shows that the concentration of species is related to the coastline length. It makes a good representation of why Philippine habitat for marine species is complex. He said that warmer waters attract a lot of species. Another sig- nificant finding is that the sea-surface temperature of the Philip- pines has been a factor for evolution, extinction and specification of marine species. Threats to marine biodiversity AS a US Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines in the 1970s, Carpenter started his research project with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. He concentrated on the relationship of coral habitat to the fisheries in coral reefs in Cebu and Bohol. He told the BM that he made a new study in 2011 in Cebu and Bohol and noted the extremely dramatic decline in species compared to his first research data in 1975. In some places like Olango Island, the number decreased to 80 percent. He also said that there has been a constant decline in species in the Philippines. He said the aquarium-fish industry is one reason for the extinction of fishes in the country. Urbanization, habitat destruction like dynamite fishing and overfishing have been causes of the decline of the species. “ere are many ways in expanding industries. ere are smart ways and non-smart ways. Unfortunately, the Philippines has much more to lose than anybody else and the Philippines has lost a lot,” he said. Alternative ways THE Department of Agriculture and the United States Agency for International Development have funded a project called the Ecosystems Improved for Sustainable Fisheries (Ecofish) headed by Geronimo T. Silvestre. e Ecofish aims to address the problems in marine ecosystem degradation, fish stock depletion and poverty in small-scale fisheries sector in the Philippines. ey have eight sites in the country from Lingayen Gulf to Tawi-Tawi. In an interview with Silvestre, he said Ecofish has also been helping fishermen on proper fishing methods through seminars and workshops. Also, they give them alternative means of livelihood. He said good governance from the top down to the municipalities should be observed. He added that the national system is strong because of the existence of laws but the problem is the implementation. He cited concerns on funding from the national level, which takes time to reach the local level, and at small amounts. Silvestre said the fishermen should have a better understanding and management of fish capture and harvest, give limits and implement these limits. Also, he encourages them to go into aquaculture like planting seeweeds, plankton-eaters like bangus and limit aquaculture to high-value species. reats to PHL rich marine biodiversity DR. Kent Carpenter, professor of Biological Sciences in Old Dominion University in Virginia and manager of IUCN Global Marine Species Assessment, speaks at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute on “Philippine Habitat Richness as an Explanation for its Global Epicenter of Marine Biodiversity.” STEPHANIE TUMAMPOS IN this photo provided by Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of Saint Petersburg, Russian researchers at the Vostok station in Antarctica pose for a picture after reaching subglacial Lake Vostok. Scientists hold the sign reading “05.02.12, Vostok station, boreshaft 5gr, lake at depth 3,769.3 meters.” Russian scientists said that a new form of microbial life has been found in water samples taken from the giant freshwater lake hidden under kilometers of Antarctic ice. AP
Transcript of Biodiversity Sunday - s3.amazonaws.com€¦ · demand,” Mary Rice, ... ˜ e center of origin...
www.businessmirror.com.ph B2-3BusinessMirror Sunday, March 17, 2013
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BANGKOK—A 12-day glob-al wildlife conference con-cluded on � ursday after granting better protection to hundreds of threatened
animal and plant species. More than 1,000 delegates at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) voted to introduce trade regulations for vulnerable ani-mal species—such as sharks, manta rays, tortoises and turtles—and re-jected proposals that would have al-lowed three species of crocodiles to be traded internationally. Cites meets every three years to dis-cuss how to regulate trade in plants and animals to ensure the survival of more
than 35,000 species. Delegates to the conference represent 178 governments, businesses, non-governmental organi-zations and groups speaking for indig-enous peoples. Cites Secretary-General John Scan-lon said this year’s conference in Bang-kok was “a watershed moment” for the organization in realizing the serious-ness of wildlife crime and toughening measures against it. Five shark species are under severe threat because of the voracious market for shark fi ns, an expensive delicacy in Asia. “� is is a major win for some of the world’s most threatened shark species, with action now required to control the international trade in their fi ns,” said
Susan Lieberman of � e Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-profi t organization. “To-day was the most signifi cant day for the ocean in the 40-year history of Cites.” Conservationists also placed con-trols on a range of rosewood and ebony wood from Asia, Central America and Madagascar that are exploited by illegal logging. Not all proposals for protecting animals were adopted. A US proposal to ban the international trade of polar bears failed to garner the two-thirds of votes needed to pass, while the con-vention was criticized for failing to is-sue strong measures against elephant poaching. Host country � ailand and seven other Asian and African nations were
criticized by Cites for failing to ade-quately crack down on the ivory trade and were asked to come up with “na-tional action plans” with targets to curb the trade across and within their bor-ders. � ey must meet those targets or face trade sanctions next year. “Any discussions on legalizing trade in wildlife products—be it ivory, rhino horns, or tiger parts—accomplishes only one thing, which is stimulating demand,” Mary Rice, executive director of the British-based Environmental In-vestigation Agency, said in a statement. “Such rhetoric must cease immediately if we are to reverse the trend toward ex-tinction of these and other species.” � e next meeting is to be held in 2016 in South Africa.
B V I� e Associated Press
MOSCOW—A new form of microbial life has been found in water samples taken from
a giant freshwater lake hidden under kilometers of Antarctic ice, Russian sci-entists said. Sergei Bulat and Valery Lukin said in a statement that the “unidentifi ed and unclassifi ed” bacterium has no relation to any of the existing bacterial types. � ey acknowledged, however, that extensive research of the microbe that was sealed under the ice for millions of years will be necessary to prove the fi nd and determine the bacterium’s charac-teristics. New samples of water retrieved from Lake Vostok earlier this year are expect-ed to be delivered to Saint Petersburg in May aboard a Russian ship. � e Russian team reached the sur-face of the subglacial lake in February 2012 after more than two decades of drilling, a major achievement hailed by scientists around the world. They touched the lake water on Sunday at a depth of 3,769 meters, about 1,300 kilometers east of the South Pole in the central part of the continent. Scientists hope the lake might allow a glimpse into microbial life forms that existed before the Ice Age and could have survived in the dark depths of the lake, despite its high pressure and con-stant cold—conditions similar to those which also are believed to be found un-der the ice crust on Mars, Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus. At 250 kilometers long and 50 ki-lometers wide, Lake Vostok is similar
in size to Lake Ontario. It is kept from freezing into a solid block by the kilome-ters-thick crust of ice across it that acts like a blanket, keeping in heat generated by geothermal energy underneath. Some have voiced concern that the more than 60 tons of lubricants and antifreeze used in the drilling may con-taminate the lake, but the Russian re-searchers have insisted that their tech-nology is environmentally secure. They said water from the lake rushed up the borehole once the drill touched the surface and froze, safely
sealing the lubricants from the lake’s pristine waters. Bulat and Lukin said the research team has done a meticulous analysis of the samples to diff erentiate bacte-ria contained in lubricants from what they hoped could be a trace of new life forms. Initial studies only spotted bac-teria associated with the lubricants, but scientists said they eventually found one bacterium that didn’t fall into any of the known categories. � e researchers said that the small size of the initial sample and its heavy
contamination made it diffi cult to con-duct more extensive research. � ey voiced hope that the new samples of clean frozen water that are to arrive in Saint Petersburg this spring will make it possible to “confi rm the fi nd and, per-haps, discover new previously unknown forms of microbial life.” A US team that recently touched the surface of Lake Whillans, a shal-lower subglacial body of water west of the South Pole, also found microbes. � e scientists are yet to determine what forms of bacteria they found. AP
Wildlife meeting giveshundreds of species protection
Mysterious bacterium found in Antarctic lake
A THAI worker stands by dried shark � ns on display at a restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. Conservationists at a global wildlife conference on Monday voted to regulate the trade of shark species that have been threatened because their � ns are used to make expensive delicacies in Asia. Delegates at the triennial meeting in Bangkok of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora adopted the proposals to put the oceanic whitetip, hammerhead and porbeagle sharks on a list of species whose trade is closely controlled. Signs written in Chinese and Japanese read: “Restaurant, shark � n restaurant.” AP
B S TCorrespondent
THE Philippines is among the six countries in the Coral Tri-angle—the home of the richest marine biodiversity in the world. Among these countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua
New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste and the Philippines), the Philippines is at the apex, which makes it the “center of the center of marine biodiversity” in the world. Among the 10,000 species studied by the Global Marine Spe-cies Assessment, a third are found in the country. Dr. Kent Carpenter, professor of Biological Sciences in Old Dominion University, said on Wednesday at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute that there are four hy-potheses for the analysis of why the Philippines is the global epicenter of marine biodiversity, namely, the area-accumula-tion hypothesis, area-overlap hypothesis, the center of origin and the area of refuge. Carpenter said in his lecture, titled “Philippine Habitat Rich-ness as an Explanation for its Global Epicenter of Marine Biodi-versity,” that the unique geology of the Coral Triangle explains the area-accumulation hypothesis. � e number of isolated islands in the Pacifi c Ocean are key source of species which mainly works in isolation and, because of the strong equatorial current, the species are washed in the Coral Triangle, thus, making their number increase. In the area-overlap analysis, Indian and Pacifi c Ocean biota are mixed, thus, creating or exchanging species in the area. � e center of origin hypothesis explains that speciation occurs very rapidly in the Coral Triangle. � e study works to fi nd if there are patterns of population genetics throughout the years. Carpenter, also the manager of International Union for Con-servation of Nature (IUCN) Global Marine Species Assessment, said that if one has more area of habitat, one can support more marine species and this is where the most important hypothesis comes in. � e Philippines is the area of refuge for many species in the world. Shallow water habitat and Continental Shelf Habitat is in the Coral Triangle, but the most signifi cant fi nding was the coast-line length of the Philippines. � e Philippines has the highest concentration on any tropical country in the world and has almost the same concentration of coastline length of the United States. � e mathematical model made by Carpenter in his research shows that the concentration of species is related to the coastline length. It makes a good representation of why Philippine habitat for marine species is complex. He said that warmer waters attract a lot of species. Another sig-nifi cant fi nding is that the sea-surface temperature of the Philip-pines has been a factor for evolution, extinction and specifi cation of marine species.
Threats to marine biodiversityAS a US Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines in the 1970s, Carpenter started his research project with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. He concentrated on the relationship of coral habitat to the fi sheries in coral reefs in Cebu and Bohol. He told the BM that he made a new study in 2011 in Cebu and Bohol and noted the extremely dramatic decline in species compared to his fi rst research data in 1975. In some places like Olango Island, the number decreased to 80 percent. He also said that there has been a constant decline in species in the Philippines. He said the aquarium-fi sh industry is one reason for the extinction of fi shes in the country. Urbanization, habitat destruction like dynamite fi shing and overfi shing have been causes of the decline of the species. “� ere are many ways in expanding industries. � ere are smart ways and non-smart ways. Unfortunately, the Philippines has much more to lose than anybody else and the Philippines has lost a lot,” he said.
Alternative waysTHE Department of Agriculture and the United States Agency for International Development have funded a project called the Ecosystems Improved for Sustainable Fisheries (Ecofi sh) headed by Geronimo T. Silvestre. � e Ecofi sh aims to address the problems in marine ecosystem degradation, fi sh stock depletion and poverty in small-scale fi sheries sector in the Philippines. � ey have eight sites in the country from Lingayen Gulf to Tawi-Tawi. In an interview with Silvestre, he said Ecofi sh has also been helping fi shermen on proper fi shing methods through seminars and workshops. Also, they give them alternative means of livelihood. He said good governance from the top down to the municipalities should be observed. He added that the national system is strong because of the existence of laws but the problem is the implementation. He cited concerns on funding from the national level, which takes time to reach the local level, and at small amounts. Silvestre said the fi shermen should have a better understanding and management of fi sh capture and harvest, give limits and implement these limits. Also, he encourages them to go into aquaculture like planting seeweeds, plankton-eaters like bangus and limit aquaculture to high-value species.
� reats to PHL richmarine biodiversity
DR. Kent Carpenter, professor of Biological Sciences in Old Dominion University in Virginia and manager of IUCN Global Marine Species Assessment, speaks at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute on “Philippine Habitat Richness as an Explanation for its Global Epicenter of Marine Biodiversity.” STEPHANIE TUMAMPOS
IN this photo provided by Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of Saint Petersburg, Russian researchers at the Vostok station in Antarctica pose for a picture after reaching subglacial Lake Vostok. Scientists hold the sign reading “05.02.12, Vostok station, boreshaft 5gr, lake at depth 3,769.3 meters.” Russian scientists said that a new form of microbial life has been found in water samples taken from the giant freshwater lake hidden under kilometers of Antarctic ice. AP
