Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee and Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson declared that the government has decided not to remove any land from Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act (which provides protection) for the purposes of further mineral exploration or extraction.

Numerous rare species were threatened by the proposal, including top priority EDGE Amphibians Archey’s frog (Leiopelma archeyi) and Hochstetter’s frog (L. hochstetteri). These prehistoric frogs have survived mass extinctions and represent half of New Zealand’s native amphibian fauna, but are currently struggling to cope with increasing human pressure. Years of work have gone into preventing the extinction of these remarkable frogs, so it is fantastic that these efforts have not been in vain.

The areas proposed for mining exploration included several long-term frog monitoring sites representing over 40 years of the best data on frog populations anywhere in the world. In addition the proposed mining area includes the ‘type’ locality of Archey’s frog (Tokatea on the Coromandel Peninsula) and Hochstetter’s frogs (Coromandel Peninsula). Archey’s frogs only occur in two areas and the Coromandel is considered the ‘stronghold’ population.

The government received 37,552 submissions on its discussion paper. “The vast majority of submissions were focused on the proposal to remove 0.2 per cent of land from Schedule 4 to allow for wider mineral prospecting on those sites,” Mr Brownlee said. “Most of those submissions said we should not remove any land from Schedule 4.  We heard that message loud and clear.”

Ms Wilkinson said the government had agreed to continue with its proposal to add 14 areas totalling 12,400 hectares of land to Schedule 4. In addition, in the future all areas given classifications equivalent to current Schedule 4 areas (such as national parks and marine reserves) will automatically become part of Schedule 4, receiving the protection listing provides. Ms Wilkinson also confirmed that the idea of mining in national parks in New Zealand was “off the table”, now and in the future.

This decision represents a fantastic victory for the conservation of these ancient frogs, but actions are still required both within and beyond protected areas to guarantee the survival of these species. We look forward to supporting continued efforts to protect the New Zealand frogs.

You can support conservation of the world’s most unusual threatened species by donating here.

Fortunately, the ZSL EDGE programme is collaborating with University of Colombo and the Open University of Sri Lanka to bring conservation focus to this species and its remaining habitat. The overall programme is being monitored by the National Steering Committee on slender loris appointed by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resource, Sri Lanka.

A major objective of the project is to provide the first spatial data on loris species at this scale in Sri Lanka allowing questions regarding habitat use, forest preferences, and distribution to finally be answered. To focus attention and resources on this mammoth task, seven hypotheses were selected for slender loris occupancy monitoring:

1 - Loris occupancy is highest in lowland rainforest ecotype compared to sub-montane and  montane, 2 - Loris occupancy is  related to connectivity to other habitat patches 3 - Protected and managed areas have greater loris occupancy than gazetted but unmanaged and unprotected areas, 4 - Loris occupancy is highest in secondary forest compared to primary forest and agroforestry systems, 5 - Loris occupancy changes according to patch size, 6 - Loris occupancy is highest in forest with highest substrate connectivity than moderately connect and no connection; 7 – Different loris species has difference occupancy.

The first round of the occupancy monitoring programme for slender lorises was completed in March 2010. Nocturnal transect surveys (2km each) were repeated across some 115 forest patches in the wet zone and intermediate zone of the country – totaling over 1000 surveys!

The team are now beginning to process and interpret a huge amount of data, to reveal some of the secrets of loris life. One early success has been the rediscovery the virtually unknown Horton Plains slender loris (Loris tardigradus nycticeboides). Originally documented in 1937, there have only been four known encounters in the past 72 years. The rediscovery and capture by the team (working under the ZSL EDGE programme) has resulted in the first detailed physical examination of this sub-species.

The Horton Plains slender loris is evidently extremely rare and was only found after more than 200 hrs of nocturnal transect surveys in the known habitat. The red slender loris is a focal EDGE species, and the rarity of L. t. nycticeboides resulted in it being listed as one of the world’s 25 most endangered primates.

More results of the fieldwork will follow in the next blog………

Elephant-shrews (or sengi’s) are so-named because they have long, flexible trunks, and when you see them in action they are actually surprisingly elephantine! Funnily enough, recent studies show that elephant shrews are in fact more closely related to elephants than to the shrew and hedgehog family with which they had been traditionally associated.

The golden-rumped elephant shrew is the largest species in the group, at about the size of a small cat, with long spindly legs and, as its name suggests, a distinctive golden-coloured bottom.

Unusually for a small mammal, golden-rumped elephant shrews are monogamous, pairing with their partner elephant-shrew until one of them dies. Each pair has its own territory which they defend sex-specifically.

Threatened primarily by habitat destruction, the golden-rumped elephant shrew’s forest habitat has become highly fragmented, and most remaining areas are thought to be too small to support viable populations. The only sizeable areas of forest are under pressure from practices such as tree and pole cutting, and encroachment for agriculture. Elephant-shrews are known to shelter from predators in hollow trees. However, many of the trees favoured by the species are being removed by woodcarvers who supply the tourist industry with carvings of African wildlife. The removal of these trees mean less hiding places for the elephant-shrews, making them more vulnerable to predators – both natural and introduced (e.g. dogs).

The EDGE of Existence programme has supported a young Kenyan scientist, Grace Wambui Ngaruiya, through the EDGE Fellows programme. Grace assessed the status and population size (presence, distribution and abundance) of the golden-rumped elephant-shrew in the poorly known Boni and Dodori Forests on the Kenya-Somalia border. She also gathered critical data on the threat processes impacting the habitats and elephant-shrew populations in this region, one of the two major sites this elephant-shrew is found along with the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest further south.

To help conserve remarkable and overlooked species and to support young aspiring conservationists, please become an EDGE Champion or donate here.

The Luristan newt is the smallest of the four Neurergus salamanders, a colourful and attractive group found in the Middle East. Their attractive colouration warns predators of their toxic skin secretions. This species lives in just three fast-flowing spring-fed streams in the southern Zagros Mountains, Iran, which run through very arid shrubland. However, the newt has disappeared from one of these streams, further restricting the population. Fewer than 1,000 adult newts are thought to survive.

Male Luristan newts perform a courtship dance for females, undulating the tail in front of the female. The female lays eggs under rocks in the stream; the larvae that emerge are adapted to the fast-flowing water with conspicuously long tails which help them swim against strong currents. They develop for about a year in the stream, spending their first winter in water before metamorphosing into the adult newt.

This species is threatened by habitat loss, which is occurring as a result of wood extraction for small-scale subsistence use. The Luristan newt is extremely sensitive to environmental change because they live in arid, marginal conditions. The effects of recent severe droughts have negatively impacted this species, which depends on spring-fed streams for breeding.

Over-collection is also a major threat - this attractive newt is in demand for the international pet trade and it appears that individuals caught in the wild are being illegally exported out of Iran for this global market. The threats are estimated to have caused a decline in the population of over 80% in ten years, and this newt is now restricted to a very small area.

On Sunday March 21st this year delegates at the CITES conference in Doha, Qatar, voted unanimously to list the Luristan Newt in CITES Appendix I, in a fantastic step forward in the conservation of the species. As a result, trade in the Luristan newt is now illegal except in very exceptional circumstances when a license is required.

To help support conservation of threatened and unique EDGE species, please donate here.

Tragically we have already been witness to the extinction of the Yangtze River dolphin or Baiji. Efforts to better understand the key factors threatening the Ganges River dolphin with extinction have already begun in the Assam region of India, however funding has recently been secured to extend research down into Bangladesh throughout the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli river systems. Funding is for a three year PhD project based here at ZSL but in collaboration with Julia Jones of University of Bangor, and Dr. Simon Northridge of the Sea Mammal Research Unit in St. Andrews. The project shall build upon some of the current research being done by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Bangladesh Cetacean Diversity Project which has already started documenting habitat preferences, abundance hot spots, and resource use in this species.

This species is considered to be particularly threatened by overfishing (incidental by-catch, direct exploitation, resource depletion), and high industrial and agricultural pollutant loads may also have a severe impact on dolphin immunocompetence and fertility. However, although these threat processes are known to constitute major causes of mortality in cetacean populations worldwide, almost no information is available on the interactions of Ganges River dolphins with fisheries or fish stocks, and similarly little is known about either observed levels or predicted health effects of persistent organic pollutant loads in the species. In the absence of such data, it is effectively impossible to assess the conservation status of the species across its range, or to develop appropriate sustainable recovery strategies.

The purpose of this project is to identify patterns and drivers of river dolphin mortality, and the relationship between regional river dolphin abundance and the status of commercially significant freshwater fish species (e.g. hilsa shad). Data on the timing, cause and distribution of river dolphin mortality events (including both incidences of by-catch and other events) will be gathered during an extensive interview survey of knowledgeable informants from riverside fishing communities across Bangladesh. During the survey additional data shall be collected on fishing gear type and use in different parts of the river system during both high- and low-water seasons, data on fish catch size and composition for target fisheries representing important resources for local communities. Further data on fishing gear use, and landings shall be obtained from the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute. In order to look at pollutant loads in the dolphin, tissue samples shall be obtained from carcasses and returned to the UK for analysis.

The findings of this study shall both provide an important insight into the major factors contributing to the decline of this highly threatened species and therefore identify appropriate conservation recommendations, but shall further develop the effectiveness of monitoring  techniques employed when studying cryptic, aquatic species such as this.

The project will officially start at the beginning of October, but work is already underway to plan for a field season in early 2011. A one month trip is planned for November/ December 2010 in which Dr. Sam Turvey (project principal supervisor) and Nadia Richman (PhD student) will go to Bangladesh to meet with the WCS team and discuss the logistics of fieldwork across the country.

There has been considerable dispute over where the fossa sits in the mammal evolutionary tree - it was originally classified as a felid due to its cat-like head and body shape (actually a result of convergent evolution), but was then moved to the family Viverridae which contains civets and genets. Finally, the fossa was assigned to the Eupleridae, a small group of Malagasy carnivores which also contains the falanouc.

The family Eupleridae contains just eight living species, thought to have evolved from a single ancestor which colonised Madagascar from the African mainland 18 - 24 million years ago.

Madagascar’s largest carnivore, the fossa is unusual-looking, rather like a cross between a dog and a cat. Active both during the day and at night, its diet consists mostly of small mammals and birds, but also includes reptiles, frogs and insects. It is a powerful predator, and has keen senses of vision, hearing and smell. An excellent climber, the fossa uses its long tail (almost the same length as its body) to provide balance when pursuing lemurs through the trees, which it climbs with its cat-like retractable claws.

Fossas have a very unusual mating system - a single female will exclusively occupy a site high in a tree, below which a number of males congregate. The males compete for mating rights and over the course of a week the female will mate with a number of different males. Once the original female has left, a new female will take over the site and, like her predecessor, mates with the males there. These ‘mating trees’ are used for many years.

Sadly the population of fossa is estimated to be fewer than 2,500, separated between several smaller groups, the largest of which probably has fewer than 400 fossa. The species’ forest habitat continues to be lost and fragmented, largely as a result of conversion of forest to agricultural land, and from logging, and fossa are also killed as a pest because they sometimes prey on domestic fowl.

A captive breeding programme has been established for the fossa - check out some brilliant footage of young fossa here - but protection of large, in-tact forest habitat is still required to guarantee the future of this wonderful creature.

The EDGE of Existence works to raise awareness and implement conservation actions for unusual threatened species that are overlooked by existing conservation initiatives.

To help conserve these forgotten species, please donate here.

Its all part of the IUCN involvement with the “International Year of Biodiversity” so please do check out and download the information which is available here (If your reading this after the 17th of June then go here). The whole of the last survivor’s team feel extremely privileged to have one of our species honoured in this way.

I’m off back to the UK for a while for mostly a holiday although I will also be doing a series of talks along with Sam Turvey during an exhibition of incredible images by some outstanding photographers from the Dominican Republic who have kindly donated their work (which will be on sale) to the project. It’s all part of our celebration of international year of biodiversity. For more information about the event in July click here and to book tickets go to http://www.londonapothecary.co.uk/special.php

The BBC coverage we have had this month has been truly amazing and has brought the work we are doing into the limelight. We cannot thank Rebecca Morelle and Simon Hancock from the BBC enough for all the hard work that they put into this. They are now officially honorary members of “The Last Survivors” team for life.

I mentioned in my blog in May that the rainy season appeared to be late this year but it has now arrived in earnest. It delayed some of our field work for a bit but Pedro managed to get out last week into Bahoruco to look for evidence of our two species in some tough to get to sites. Despite getting soaked for two days in a row they managed to get all the work done. While they were in the field they came across the remains of a solenodon, unfortunately it was mostly just bones so it is difficult if not impossible to figure out exactly what the cause of death was. There are quite a few to choose from unfortunately, dogs or poison to name two. Of course it may have been an entirely natural death – lets hope so!

One of the project partners, Dominican Republic National Zoo (ZOODOM) has had visitors from the UK. Namely Pam Broughton from the North Wales Bird Trust who runs a collaborative project doing research and trying to conserve the Ashy faced Owl (Tyto glaucops). This stunning bird is yet another of the amazing species that is only found on this Island. Since her return to the UK she has been spreading the word of our work while we in turn have promised to keep an eye out for any signs of all five owl species found here while we are out in the field. Potentially some of these owl species could be natural predators of solenodon! Pam has also managed to do some fund raising for us, thanks!!!

Cristina, who I told you about in my last blog, has done some amazing work while she has been out here with us. She has managed to interview about 250 people across nine communities near one of the national parks in just under two months. Her contribution to the project in terms of giving us some sturdy base line data on the level of awareness and perception of the two species will prove very valuable indeed.

We have continued to forge away in our efforts to form links with a variety of research and educational institutions in the Dominican Republic. These should be formalised over the coming weeks and will give us a base from which to make sure that the benefits of our work reach as wide an audience as possible. On that note, we will be joined by Rebecca Coe who is an educational officer from ZSL London Zoo for three weeks in August. We are looking forward to Rebecca’s arrival already, she will be advising and guiding our educational program aimed at kids and young adults.

Right, I’m off to pack but I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of Pedro and the rest of the team. I doubt I’ll be missed at all although I am already looking forward to returning in July to find out what has been going. I’ll no doubt not be able to resist check in on the blog to find out!

This bat constitutes the sole known representative of an entire family of bats (Craseonycteridae). It is thought to have last shared a common ancestor with other species around 43 million years ago, which is before the Himalayan Mountains had even started to form!

These bats roost at the back of small caves or remote caverns. Group size varies from as few as 10 individuals to as many as 500. At dawn and dusk the bats leave their caves for around 20-30 minutes to forage for food. The bats primarily use echolocation to hunt small insects on the wing, although they may also glean small spiders and beetles from plant leaves - the bumblebee bat has wide wings with long tips which allow it to hover like a hummingbird. The normal foraging range appears to be limited to an area of around 1 km from the roost site.

There are thought to be around 2,000 bats remaining in Thailand. The status of the species in Burma is unknown. Although the species may be locally common in both countries, it has a very restricted distribution and is therefore vulnerable to a range of threats. Some populations declined following tourist disturbance of certain roost sites throughout the 1970s, collection for scientific purposes and the sale of bats as tourist souvenirs. Today, the main threat to the Thai population comes from the annual burning of forest areas near the caves.

EDGE has contributed to the conservation of this species through support of EDGE Fellow Piyathip Payapan. Piyathip’s project focused on questions about the specific characteristics of roost sites and roost caves that the bat requires and their behaviour while staying in the roost caves. This is critical for effective conservation because bumblebee bats spend more than 90% of their lifetime in roost caves.

Under her EDGE Fellowship, Piyathip investigated roost selection of the bumblebee bat and determined activity patterns and time activity budget for roosting activities of this species. Piyathip compared roost sites with non-roost sites and determined which specific characteristics (e.g. geographic location, elevation, position, direction etc) play the most significant role in determining roost selection. Roosting behaviour, activity patterns and activity budgets was determined by comparing roost sites with different levels of human disturbance, and recording activity using infrared-illuminated closed circuit television (IR-CCTV).

To support EDGE conservation projects, please donate here.

Storm the Charts is doing something different for music - raising the profile of new and independent bands and their songs, with the aim of getting them into the charts. More than 500 bands and musicians have put themselves forward, and through an interactive facebook group and online voting 40 bands are being picked to see how many can get in the top 40 chart in the same week.

You have just 9 days left to vote for bands you want to see in the charts, so pick your favourites here: http://stormthecharts.com/

And join the facebook group for updates!

Once the final 40 bands have been announced the campaign will build up to a download week, starting on June 27th. This is when everything is going to get frantic - members of the facebook group (and beyond) will download their favourite of the chosen 40 songs, and the hope is that even one of the Storm the Charts ‘top 40′ gets into the national top 40 singles chart.

We’d like to thank the campaign, which has already raise over £1,000 for EDGE conservation projects, and can’t wait to hear the final line-up for the download week. It is getting very exciting!

In the words of campaign leader, Wes White ‘Like the musicians in our polls, the animals EDGE supports are often overlooked, sometimes strange and sometimes beautiful.’

Click here to donate on the campaign’s JustGiving page or buy a t-shirt and the profits will go to EDGE.

]]> http://www.edgeofexistence.org/edgeblog/?feed=rss2&p=853 http://www.edgeofexistence.org/edgeblog/?p=852 http://www.edgeofexistence.org/edgeblog/?p=852#comments Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:13:25 +0000 Sally Wren http://www.edgeofexistence.org/edgeblog/?p=852 Four top priority EDGE species have been highlighted in a unique fashion collection, Simply Rare, which features the long-beaked echidna, slender loris, saiga antelope, and long-eared jerboa.

Student Rachel Browne designed the pieces as part of her final collection for her degree at the Arts University College Bournemouth.

Rachel wanted to highlight the plight of these animals through her work, saying “I didn’t realise just how many of these animals I had never seen before… hopefully through my chosen medium this will show how we are endangering these unique creatures lives, and in turn gain support.”

In Rachel’s words:

Simply Rare is a six outfit collection inspired by the vast number of unknown endangered species that span our natural world. The aim of this collection is to show the plight of four of these unique creatures before they disappear forever, silently and in the shadows. It is important to portray this issue to a wider audience so others become aware of the situation and see just how special these animals truly are. To produce this vision a variety of nine individual prints have been beautifully created with a mixture of hand crafted and digital processes to create a quirky, one of a kind collection.

Rachel has already achieved her aim of raising awareness - her saiga antelope terrence skirt was featured in the Sunday Express fashion supplement on May 30th and on the Express website.

We wish Rachel the best of luck for tomorrow when she will be showing the collection at Graduate Fashion Week.

To support EDGE conservation projects for forgotten species, please donate here.