Whale sharks are capable long-distance swimmers, but it turns out that a lot of them are also homebodies. A new study published Aug. 9 in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series that used chemical signatures found in whale shark tissue, combined with photographic identification, revealed that most members of the species, Rhincodon typus, dont swim more than a few hundred kilometers from a specific feeding site, at least when theyre young. Whale sharks are fully capable of swimming across oceans, but it seems like the juveniles, at least, are choosing not to, Simon Pierce, a marine conservation biologist with the Marine Megafauna Foundation in California and one of the studys authors, said in a statement. They like coming back to the same sites each year to take advantage of predictable feeding opportunities. A whale shark swimming off the coast of Mafia Island in Tanzania. Image Clare Prebble/Marine Megafauna Foundation/University of Southampton. Lead author Clare Prebble, a marine biologist at the University of Southhampton in the U.K., said whale sharks could swim 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) or more each year. And studies on the genetic makeup of whale shark populations hint that some sharks, at least at some point in their lives, peel off from the known gatherings of hundreds of sharks around favorite feeding sites to mix with other populations. Thus far, though, scientists have struggled to use tags to track individuals over long distances or time periods. One team had a breakthrough earlier this year when it traced the movements of

KUCHING, Malaysia For more than a decade, June Mary Rubis has worked on orangutan conservation in Borneo. The critically endangered apes face a bleak future there, hammered by habitat loss to plantations and mines, poached for the illegal pet trade, and exterminated by farmers. While working for an international NGO in Borneo, Rubis was involved in orangutan education programs for indigenous peoples. She interacted with the communities and studied their dynamic relationship with the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus). And as her understanding of the connection between indigenous peoples and orangutans deepened, she came to realize that most of the orangutan conservation work being done failed to accommodate the complexity of this relationship. Rubis also concluded that most conservationists unfairly blamed indigenous peoples for orangutan deaths. The communities thus felt discouraged from getting involved in efforts to protect the animal, she said. Thats when I felt were not really addressing the issue, and theres so many intersecting factors at play, said Rubis, a doctoral candidate with the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford in the U.K. and a member of the Bidayuh-Dayak ethnic group from the Malaysian state of Sarawak in Borneo. The Batang Ai landscape where the Iban indigenous group has lived and shaped these forests for more than 300 years. The region is also home to orangutans. Image by June Mary Rubis. Rubis gave a plenary talk at the 2018 conference of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation in Kuching, Malaysia, on July 1, titled

Mangroves are carbon warriors. These salt-tolerant forests of trees and shrubs are known to lock away far greater amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide than any other terrestrial forests, forming some of the most carbon-rich ecosystems on Earth. But not all mangroves store carbon the same way. A new study has found that where a mangrove forest grows determines how much carbon it socks away. While mangroves generally occur at the interface of land, sea and rivers, the coastal environments in which they grow that is, how the rivers, tides, waves and climate have shaped the coastal landforms can vary widely. Some mangrove forests are located in landscapes that are flooded by both river water and tides, for example. Some occur on open coasts experiencing both tides and waves from the sea. Others grow over limestone coral reefs or other carbonate landforms environments that receive little fresh water. These settings influence a number of processes, from the amount of nutrients that gets deposited in the soil to how much organic matter gets decomposed, among other things. Now, for the first time ever, a team of researchers has taken into account these differences to estimate mangrove forests storage of so-called blue carbon in their soil. Blue carbon is the carbon thats stored in the ocean or coastal ecosystems, including mangroves. While past estimates of blue carbon have done a remarkable job in delivering first order estimates of how ecosystems mitigate carbon enrichment in the atmosphere, we noted that the

For decades, researchers studying the global fishing industry had to cope with minimal data about what goes on out at sea. The oceans surface is so vast that most of what vessels do, especially once they are in international waters, goes unrecorded. Or at least, its not recorded in a way thats available to scientific and public scrutiny. Technological breakthroughs in recent years are putting an end to that. Marine scientist Boris Worm from Dalhousie University in Canada, who looks back on 20 years of research in this field, calls the trend one of the biggest revolutions in fisheries. What has changed is that more and more fishing vessels are equipped with a device that regularly sends out a so-called automatic identification system, or AIS, signal. The signal carries information about the vessel, like its name, country of origin, speed and position. More and more satellites in the sky, shot into orbit by companies like Spire and Planet Labs, exist to gather these messages. Today, the sector has reached a point where there is a pretty complete picture of where vessels are and where theyve been, at any given time, encapsulated in billions of individual AIS signals. At the same time, advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence are making it possible to see patterns in this glut of data. I felt right away this was a game changer, Worm said, recalling when a grad student in his lab proposed studying AIS signals. Worm and his team subsequently learned that

Recent research found that, despite having expanded into 90 percent of the worlds oceans, the industrial fishing fleets of the top 20 fishing countries in the world are catching less than a third of the fish they hauled in prior to 1950. Findings like these are increasingly calling into question the sustainability of how we exploit global fisheries even as the global human population continues to climb. The more humans there are on the planet, the more we will have to rely on fish as an important source of food and there are already about 3.2 billion people who rely on fish for 20 percent or more of their animal protein, which has driven 33.1 percent of the worlds fisheries to be operated at biologically unsustainable levels, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Another study, published earlier this month in the journal Science Advances, helps put a finer point on just why access to declining fisheries could be a major food issue going forward. The study, led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in the United States, shows that wealthy countries industrial fishing fleets dont just dominate Earths oceans, they have a virtual monopoly on them, especially on the high seas. The researchers found that vessels registered to wealthy countries are responsible for 78 percent of trackable industrial fishing in the waters of less-wealthy countries and a whopping 97 percent on the high seas, international waters that are outside of any one countrys

Plants and animals in the tropics are disproportionately threatened by a range of dangers, including habitat loss, overexploitation, and climate change, warn researchers writing in the journal Nature. Conducting an extensive review of academic literature, a group of scientists led by Jos Barlow of Lancaster University highlight the extent of biodiversity across the seas, savannas, and forests that lie between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. For example, they note that nearly 80 percent of the species within the ten groups of plants and animals they reviewed live in the tropics. But even this likely represents an undercount because most research efforts historically have been outside the tropics. The proportion of species found within tropical latitudes for ten taxonomic groups. Bars are color-coded to show the percentage of species ranges within the tropics. n gives the total number of species analyzed in each group. Only birds, amphibians and mammals have been comprehensively sampled. Numbers at the end of the bars give the precise percentage of species whose ranges overlap tropical latitudes, as shown in the bars The tropics also house the bulk of societal diversity, including 85 percent of the worlds spoken languages, and make vital contributions to globally important ecosystem services. Tropical forests and savannas, they remark, account for more than 60 percent of global net primary productivity and 40 percent of carbon storage, respectively. Coral reefs afford local populations with food and coastal protection, while rainforests like the Amazon are the engines of regional precipitation. For example, 70

We stayed quiet for a while because after the customary fine they never came back, said Markus, deputy head of the village council in Ongko Asa, a traditional Dayak village in East Kalimantan province, in Indonesian Borneo, that is resisting plans to mine coal in their traditional territory. But then they came back. Markuss village is one of six in the district of West Kutai whose leaders sought to apply customary law and penalize PT Kencana Wilsa, a coal mining company granted a business permit by the local government. According to opponents of the project, the permit was granted despite the lack of approval from the villagers. In 2010, the West Kutai district government granted PT Kencana Wilsa a permit to operate in six villages: Ongko Asa, Muara Asa, Geleo Asa, Pepas Asa, Juaq Asa and Muara Benangaq. But when the company came to the villages to announce its plans, it met with rejection. Tribal elders then gathered and decided to apply customary law and fine the company. At the time, Markus says, the company complied with requests from the village leadership, including paying the fine. The villagers thought the company would put to rest its mining plans. However, Markus says, following the payment of the fine, the company told the government that it had reached a consensus with local residents. In June 2018, mining company representatives, accompanied by officials from the local environment agency, came to map areas in the six villages. [The company] has the permit from the

An ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) stalking its prey. Passage of Bill PL 3,751 / 2015 would greatly endanger Brazils extraordinary biodiversity. Image by Rhett A. Butler Mongabay. What do the ocelot, giant anteater, cougar, and hyacinth macaw have in common? They all live within Brazils protected areas areas now at risk of losing their protected status if a newly written bill becomes law. Bill PL 3,751 / 2015 would set a five-year deadline for the resolution of land issues and disputes, such as land ownership conflicts, in protected areas. If issues are not resolved within that time frame, a protected area could have its protected status removed. In Brazil, there is a difference between creating a protected area and enforcing or implementing the protection of that area. When a protected area is first created, this does not immediately affect land ownership. Negotiations must be conducted with existing landowners and restitutions paid for the land to transfer it into government protection. This all happens in the implementation phase of the land protection process, which can take many years or even decades to complete. The new law, if passed by the National Congress and signed by the president, would short circuit this process. There are currently more than 100 protected areas that have not had their permanent status implemented. If this legislation was applied retroactively to these areas, over 17 million hectares (roughly 66,000 square miles) over half of all currently protected areas in Brazil would be at risk. Gandarela National Park. Brazil

While it might lack the coordinated attacks that lions or wolves can mount against their prey, a species of coral has shown that it, too, can pull together a collaborative hunting effort. A team of scientists recently reported in the journal Ecology that coral species called Astroides calycularis can capture mauve stinger jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca). Although both species have been known for years, we had no idea that the coral could catch and eat these jellyfish, Fabio Badalamenti, a marine ecologist with the Italian National Research Council in Rome and a co-author of the study, said in a statement. Its the first time that scientists have documented this type of collective behavior, Badalamenti and his colleagues write. Astroides calycularis orange corals capture and eat a mauve stinger jellyfish. Image by Fabio Badalamenti/Italian National Research Council. A. calycularis, sometimes called orange coral for its brilliant color, lives only in the western Mediterranean Sea, where it latches onto vertical walls and the sides of underground caves in tightly packed groups. Most often, the polyp extending out from the rocky surface to which the coral has fastened itself measures 4 or 5 millimeters (0.16 or 0.2 inches), the authors write, though it can grow to twice that length. Between 2010 and 2017 in different places throughout the Mediterranean, the team noticed that currents sometimes trap a common type of jellyfish called the mauve stinger against walls or in the overhanging roof of an undersea cave covered with A. calycularis coral. Moving in for a closer

JAKARTA Songbird owners in Indonesia are up in arms over the recent inclusion of hundreds of bird species in the national list of protected animals. The owners plan to protest outside the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in Central Jakarta on Aug. 14, according to the Indonesian Songbird Fan Club (FKMI), a coalition of owners groups. The move comes in response to the ministrys expansion of the list of protected species to 919, from 677 previously. The majority of the listed species, which are prohibited from being traded or hunted, are birds, at 562, including species typically caught and caged for the popular and highly lucrative songbird trade. These include the white-rumped shama (Kittacincla malabarica), greater green leafbird (Chloropsis sonnerati) and straw-headed bulbul (Pycnonotus zeylanicus). We call for the support and participation of all songbird fans, including bird sellers who have been immediately impacted [by the updated regulation], the head of the songbird owners group Indo Jaya Nusantara, who is identified as Christ Murdoch, said in a statement on Omkicau, one of the biggest songbird enthusiast forums in Indonesia. The FKMI has also taken its movement to Facebook and Twitter, where it is spreading the hashtag #TolakPermenLHK20, short for Reject ministerial regulation No. 20. A greater green leafbird is spotted in south of Jakarta, Indonesia. Image by Melindra12/Wikimedia Commons. The group says the ban on buying and selling commonly traded songbirds lacks scientific and cultural bases. It says several species included in the update are currently bred on a large

More than 90 institutional investors managing more than $6.7 trillion in assets have called on the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil to strengthen its standards, including by banning deforestation. The investors outlined their demands in a letter to the RSPO, the worlds largest association for ethical production of palm oil, a ubiquitous commodity found in everything from chocolate to laundry detergent. The RSPO is an association whose members consist of companies up and down the palm oil supply chain, from plantation and milling companies to consumer goods firms that use palm oil in their products. Some banks and NGOs are also members. The RSPO certifies palm oil produced by its members as sustainable if it meets certain criteria. At present, members are allowed to clear certain kinds of forest to make way for their plantations. Indonesia, the worlds top palm oil producer, has one of the highest rates of forest loss. The investors want the RSPO to ban clearance not just of some types of forest, but of all forest. (The term used in the letter is high carbon stock forest, which is essentially a reference to all forest.) They also want to the RSPO to mandate that companies come up with management plans for the conservation of forest in their concessions. Our investment portfolios include companies that have significant exposure to deforestation risks and therefore, have made robust no-deforestation policies and strong commitments to sourcing sustainably certified palm oil, the investors write. Further, the investors want the RSPO to

As development in Thailand is increasing, so is deforestation. Acres of forests are cleared for contract farming, habitats are torn down to make room for new factories, and soil is eroded, causing massive flooding during the rainy season. But amid the environmental wreckage, some trees remain untouched. These trees are wrapped in iconic bright orange robes and deemed sacred, protected from harm and destruction. These trees have been ordained as monks. At a time when Pope Francis is calling upon religious leaders to step up as environmental advocates, Thai Buddhist monks are answering the call. Through rituals like tree ordinations, some monks in Thailand are integrating Buddhist principles into the environmental movement in order to garner support from their followers and encourage sustainable practices. Dr. Susan Darlington, professor of anthropology and Asian studies at Hampshire College in the U.S. and author of the book The Ordination of a Tree, explains that protecting trees is a form of merit-making, an important practice in Buddhism. By accumulating merit through performing good deeds, Buddhists are ensuring a better next life and taking a step closer to reaching enlightenment and, ultimately, Nirvana. An ordained tree wrapped in the orange robes of a Buddhist monk found in a forest of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Image by Kiley Price. Making merit is extremely important for Thai Buddhists, Dr. Darlington said. They see [tree ordination ceremonies] as an act of making merit, which can help with rebirth and, in some cases, having a better life now. One of

Aerial view of new Cerrado forest clearing. Roughly half the deforestation occurring in the Cerrado is legal, say analysts, highlighting the need for legislation to protect this biome important for its biodiversity, aquifers and carbon storage. Image by Rhett A. Butler / Mongabay A handful of companies account for half of South American exports of major commodities including soy, palm oil, cane sugar and cocoa according to a new report by the Stockholm Environment Institute and Global Canopy. Soy production has expanded rapidly in Brazil, where exports are dominated by just six companies, with the majority of those exports feeding the ever-expanding Chinese demand for the oily bean. The Trase Yearbook 2018 is the first in an annual series of reports tracking countries and companies involved in the trade of commodities such as soy, sugarcane, and maize, and assessing the deforestation risk associated with those crops, using data collated as part of the Transparency for Sustainable Economies (Trase) platform. While the report itself is making news, so is Trase a relatively new tool developed jointly by international non-profit organization (NGO) Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Global Canopy to improve transparency in supply chains globally. Until the advent of Trase, the tracking of commodities by investors, environmentalists, economists, journalists, consumers and other interested parties was largely hit and miss. With Trase a commodities supply chain can often be identified with a couple mouse clicks. Linking commodities to deforestation Significantly, Trase offers the first [ever] systematic accounting of

Pesky itchiness caused by parasitic worms may have driven one of Madagascars lemur species to come up with a natural remedy. New research, published July 30 in the journal Primates, suggests that red-fronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) apply millipede secretions to parts of their bodies, a process called self-anointment. Self-anointment combined with eating millipede secretions may be a way of self-medication by red-fronted lemurs, Louise Peckre, a primatologist at the Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Gttingen, Germany, and the studys lead author, said in a statement. A red-fronted lemur in Kirindy Forest. Image by Louise Peckre/Leibniz Institute for Primate Research. In 2016, Peckre was in the midst of several months of field observations of red-fronted lemurs, a near-threatened species according to the IUCN, in central Madagascars Kirindy Forest, when hordes of millipedes exploded from dormancy. Kirindy is dry most of the year, but during the Southern Hemispheres summer, it gets hot and rainy for a few months. This first substantial rain of the season probably spurred the appearance of the millipedes. Right after this happened, Peckre watched as six lemurs, from two different groups, made apparent use of the bounty. A lemur would grab a millipede and chew part of it, creating an orange substance as it mixed with saliva. The lemur would then rub its fur and the area around its genitals, including the anus. Then it would bite the millipede again and repeat the sequence, typically switching the hand it held the millipede in, back and forth. Sometimes, though

Laos will suspend new hydropower projects and carry out safety inspections of all existing dams, the government announced last week. The Aug. 7 decision came in the aftermath of the collapse of a hydroelectric dam in the countrys south on July 23. The dam failure caused devastating floods in both Laos and Cambodias Stung Treng province, which lies downstream of the dam. Thirty-one bodies had been recovered and 130 people were still missing as of August 7, according to Lao government figures. The government also estimates that 13,000 people have been affected by the disaster, around 7,000 of whom will need to be rehoused. Despite the announcement, the six-month prior consultation process for the proposed 770-megawatt Pak Lay hydropower project on the Mekong mainstream in Laos kicked off on August 8, according to the  Mekong River Commission, the inter-government agency that manages water resources in the Mekong Basin. Operational and planned dams along the Mekong River. Image courtesy of Map for Environment. Placing blame The inspection committee will investigate the cause of the July 23 disaster, assess the quality of nearly 50 dams currently in operation and investigate new dams being built or considered, officials say. In the meantime, the government will suspend new investments in hydropower projects. A committee will also be set up to investigate the responsibility of government officials in approving the construction and disaster-warning systems for the now-collapsed dam, which is part of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower project in the Lao provinces of Champassak and Attapeu.