Animal Conservation - Page 9

46 years worth of satellite imagery has shown that Canada’s Peace-Athabasca Delta has been slowly drying. This has driven the decline of the muskrat, and may have repercussions for the many species that prey on it.

A major cull of the endangered Mauritius flying fox has been announced to prevent fruit crop damage, however new research has found the bat is responsible for only some damage, and could be managed effectively without the need to cull.

New genetic analysis has discovered that northern and southern white rhino populations have had contact throughout history. This means that genes from southern white rhinos could be used to successfully rescue their critically endangered northern cousins.

The damming of the Yangtze River has been shown to have caused declines in population size and spawning ground capacity of the critically endangered Chinese sturgeon.

Nature’s defence mechanism, evolution, cannot keep up with the extermination of species by humans. If conservation efforts are not improved, so many mammal species will go extinct in the next five decades that nature will need 3-5 million years to recover.

Lemurs are some of the world’s most endangered animals. But they play a vital role in their ecosystems, and a new study has shown that saving them may be the key to saving Madagascar’s largest trees.

In some parts of the world, the loss of suitable habitat is causing land-based bird populations to be confined to protected areas, raising the risk of their extinction.

A new tool has been developed by researchers in Canada that determines which conservation actions help the most species and ensures that limited funds are well spent.

Forensic fingerprinting techniques will now be used in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade. The new techniques will allow fingerprints from pangolin scales to be lifted so poachers and smugglers can be brought to justice.