This video from campaigning group Plane Stupid has just been released in UK cinemas. Grim viewing, which younger children might find upsetting, even if you tell them it’s all done on computers. I’m not letting my 11 year old see it, or she’ll never get on a plane again, no matter how necessary/useful it is. [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘Ecology (political)’
23/04/2009
TO CULL OR NOT TO CULL?
October 2007 The government’s chief scientist has suggested that a cull of all badgers in the South East of England would be a good idea. Many conservationists think this is daft, and that the rate of bovine TB would plummet if farmers stopped moving infected animals around. The farmers’ union (NFU) think it’s the badgers’ fault. You decide. BBC [...]
23/04/2009
AND FAREWELL TO THE BLUEFIN TUNA?
October 2007 Depressing BBC article about the threats of bluefin tuna stocks. The story, as ever, is one of over-fishing – even the Spanish Fisheries Ministry admits as much.
22/04/2009
WHAT SHOULD WE CONSERVE WHERE?
September 2007 Open access article from PLoS Biology looking at the harsh choices conservation policy makers have to make, and try to compare the different approaches. They conclude “We discover that one could protect many more plant and vertebrate species by investing in a sequence of conservation actions targeted towards specific threats, such as invasive species control and fire [...]
22/04/2009
ECUADOR
September 2007 The Yasuni national park in Ecuador is threatened by oil prospection. This article outlines the issues. Our 2nd Year field course to Ecuador helps provide an alternative income source for the local people. For an MEN article about the course, go here.
22/04/2009
ARE POLITICS AND CONSERVATION CONTRADICTORY?
September 2007 Excellent think-piece from Richard Leakey, Kenyan palaeontologist and wild-life expert.
22/04/2009
THE COMPLICATED STORY OF CONSERVATION IN AFRICA
September 2007 Excellent magazine article in Nature about the problems facing conservationists in Africa – because there are too many elephants. Depressing BBC summary of African Journal of Ecology article about how Africa’s national parks are failing in their mission. (You or your institution will need a subscription to both these journals to get past the abstracts.) Moving and sometimes [...]
21/04/2009
BAD NEWS FROM MALTA
May 2007 Somewhat distressing piece about the annual blast-em-up fest for hunters on Malta, who seem to take great delight in firing away at anything in the sky.
21/04/2009
RE-WILDING?
April 2007 Very useful review article from TREE about key arguments in interventionist conservation strategies, in particular around the concept of “re-wilding” - introducing species in order to recreate pre-human Pleistocene environments. You or your institution will need a subscription to get past the Abstract.
21/04/2009
PRIMATE RIGHTS?
April 2007 Interesting magazine article from the BBC website outlining the arguments for primates having rights. Or not.
