I love to travel, mainly to Africa where I was born, I enjoy reading and playing bridge. I go for rambles in the countryside. I collect stamps and go to T'ai Chi classes. I love my two cats and my garden birds. I adore the African wildlife and try to help Conservation groups.
EU urged to review animal testing !
Animal rights groups say the EU directive needs updating. A world expert on primates, Dr Jane Goodall, has urged Europe to find alternatives to experiments on animals.
Speaking in Brussels, Dr Goodall called for work on "new ways of testing and experimenting that will not involve the use of live, sentient beings".
An EU directive on the protection of animals used for research dates back to 1986 and is due to be revised.
An estimated 11 million animals are used in experiments in the EU annually. The practice is highly regulated.
Many scientists argue that experiments on animals are vital in the development of treatments for crippling human diseases and conditions.
Dr Goodall, who has spent years studying chimpanzee behaviour, suggested a "Nobel Prize" for scientific breakthroughs that avoided experimentation on animals. She was speaking at an event organised by animal rights campaigners and a group of Euro MPs. Dr Goodall presented a 150,000-signature petition supporting her call.
A UK non-animal medical research body, the Dr Hadwen Trust, called for the EU to set up a centre of excellence in non-animal research.
The trust's spokeswoman, Wendy Higgins, said that "behind the scenes, researchers within industry and academia often reveal to us their deep disquiet about the extent to which animal research is portrayed as a gold standard".
The EU's Directive 86/609/EEC sets out controls on animal experimentation, including the rule that such tests "shall be performed solely by competent authorised persons, or under the direct responsibility of such a person".
It also says an experiment "shall not be performed if another scientifically satisfactory method of obtaining the result sought, not entailing the use of an animal, is reasonably and practicably available".
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Progress at UN biodiversity forum !
Nearly 200 countries have agreed on measures to protect the world's most threatened wildlife. At a Bonn conference they pledged to set up a deep-sea nature reserve and increase by tens of millions of hectares the area of land protected. The Convention on Biological Diversity meeting also agreed to prepare a firm position on the benefits and drawbacks of biofuels by the next forum in 2010.
But environmentalists said the outcome of the UN forum was unsatisfactory. They said progress was too slow compared to the threat to the world's species. Some 5,000 delegates from 191 countries attended the 12-day conference in the former German capital. They agreed to set up the deep-sea nature preserve, expand reserve land to an area that - if combined - would be almost twice the size of Germany.
Other agreed steps included a ban on experiments to boost plankton growth to reverse climate change, because of the potential risks to other animals. The delegates also pledged to set global standards for developing biofuels, a renewable energy that has been blamed for deforestation.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Berlin would commit 500 million euros (£392m) in funding for biodiversity work over the next for years, and another 500m euros each year after that. German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel admitted later that he had not expected "real progress to be made on so many points".
But environmentalists said the progress achieved at the conference was still failing the UN Millennium Development Goal, which aims to "substantially reduce" biodiversity loss by 2010.
Scientists have warned that many species are becoming extinct at a rapid rate.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Bug used to suck zoo animal blood !
A bloodsucking insect is being used to collect blood samples from animals at zoos, London Zoo has said.
Kissing bugs crawl onto the animal and release a pain-reducing enzyme as they bite and suck the blood from veins.
The "stress-free" method simplifies collecting blood from animals, who do not have to be sedated, the zoo said.
The pilot project, which is underway at London and Whipsnade zoos, has seen blood collected from a hippo, cheetah, giraffe, elephant and white rhino.
The "non-invasive" method is expected to make collecting blood samples from small animals easier as their size makes veins inaccessible.
The scheme is part of a study by Wuppertal Zoo in Germany and the insects are bred in a laboratory there.
The procedure has been tried on 32 species of zoo animals since the project was launched in Germany.
London Zoo's veterinary officer Tim Bouts said: "This pioneering procedure means we can take a stress-free blood sample from an animal that we would otherwise need to sedate or anaesthetise.
"The process is non-invasive and painless for the animal.
"It might take somewhere between 10 and 30 minutes to get a decent sample dependent on how hungry the bug is, how quickly it finds a blood capillary and how thick the skin of its host is."
The bugs are humanely killed after the blood samples are collected.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
NZ hedgehog assault man is fined !
A man who attacked a teenage boy with a hedgehog has been fined by a New Zealand court. William Singalargh, 27, had asked his victim if he wanted to "wear a hedgehog helmet" before hurling the animal at the 15-year-old on 9 February.
Police said the boy was hit in the leg, causing a large, red welt and puncture marks in the confrontation the North Island city of Whakatane.
Singalargh was convicted of assault and offensive behaviour.
The court heard that when the boy's mother had intervened to protect her son during the attack, Singalargh pulled down his trousers and exposed his buttocks, AFP news agency reported.
He had denied throwing the hedgehog but Judge Ian Thomas preferred the evidence of witnesses who identified Singalargh by the bright orange trousers he had been wearing.
He was fined 700 NZ dollars ($545; £275), of which he was ordered to pay 500 NZ dollars ($389; £196) to the victim.
A more serious charge of assault with a weapon - the hedgehog - was dropped. It carried a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
It was unclear whether the hedgehog was still alive when it was thrown, though police said it was dead when collected as evidence.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Kestrel chicks delay £350m plan !
Five kestrel chicks at the top of a 150ft chimney stack are delaying work on part of a £350m gas terminal development. The nest was discovered by workmen about to start erecting scaffolding at the St Fergus gas terminal in Buchan.
Shell is undertaking a major refit at the site and work on the column is being delayed until the chicks leave. It could be another three months before they fly the nest. Workers will continue the refurbishment elsewhere.
A Grampian Police wildlife liaison officer was contacted along with Shell's own environmental office to ensure the correct procedures were followed.
BBC NEWS REPORT,
The world's rarest rhinoceros has been captured on film by a specially installed camera in the jungles of Java, Indonesia.
But the female rhino, which was accompanied by a calf, promptly charged the camera, sending it flying.
The animals are at severe risk of extinction, with only 60-70 animals left in the wild. A spokesperson for WWF said the footage provided an unusual glimpse of the rare beasts in their natural habitat.
Rachmat Hariyadi, who leads WWF-Indonesia's project in Java's Ujung Kulon National Park, said the motion-triggered camera "traps" were a useful way to observe the ways in which animals used their habitats, aiding conservation efforts.
But Stephen Hogg, also from WWF, who designed the hidden cameras, said he was puzzled by the rhino's attack.
"The assault on the camera still has us baffled because we specifically use infrared lights as the source of illumination when we designed and built these units so as to not scare animals away when the camera activates," he said.
Javan rhinos are found only in two locations; Ujung Kulong National Park is home to 90% of the total population.
Efforts are underway to create additional Javan rhino breeding groups by translocating a few individuals from Ujung Kulon to another suitable site.
This could help prevent an extinction caused by disease or a natural disaster, conservationists say.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Great tit finds home in ashtray !
The bird chose the cigarette bin despite an array of ready-made nests. Smokers visiting a nature reserve in Kinross have been told to make alternative arrangements after a Great Tit built a nest in a cigarette bin.
Despite a range of ready-made nest boxes around Vane Farm at Loch Leven the bird has opted for the bin outside the visitors' centre door.
Luckily the nest was spotted by a visitor who saw the bird emerge from the box before it was used by a smoker.
The RSPB said there are currently about four baby Great Tits in the nest.
Raymond Welsh, the visitor centre and coffee shop manager, said the birds were proving to be a huge attraction. He said: "A couple on holiday from England told me that a tit was nesting in the cigarette box. "At first I thought they were mistaken and that the birds were just looking for food. "Then I looked in the box and there she was sitting quietly on her nest. "It's just great that nature is everywhere."
Although Vane Farm has several CCTV cameras on nests around the site beaming images straight into the coffee shop, staff are unable to view the "Butt Bin" family as the box is sealed up and made of metal.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Monkeys have been able to control robotic limbs using only their thoughts, scientists report. The animals were able to feed themselves using prosthetic arms, which were controlled by brain activity. Small probes, the width of a human hair, were inserted into the monkeys' primary motor cortex - the region of the brain that controls movement.
Writing in Nature journal, the authors said their work could eventually help amputees and people who are paralysed. Lead researcher Dr Andrew Schwartz, who is based at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said: "We are beginning to understand how the brain works using brain-machine interface technology.
"The more we understand about the brain, the better we'll be able to treat a wide range of brain disorders, everything from Parkinson's disease and paralysis to, eventually, Alzheimer's disease and perhaps even mental illness."
With the probes inserted into the monkeys' motor cortices, computer software was used to interpret the brain's electrical impulses and translate them into movement through the robotic arm. This arm was jointed like a human arm and possessed a "gripper" that mimics a hand.
After some training, two monkeys - who had had their own arms restrained - were able to use the prosthetic limbs to feed themselves with marshmallows and chunks of fruit. The researchers said that the movements were fluid and natural.
The monkeys were able to use their brains to continuously change the speed and direction of the arm and the gripper, suggesting that the monkeys had come to regard the robotic arm as a part of their own bodies.
The success rate of the experiment was 61%. Dr Schwarz said: "In our research, we've demonstrated a higher level of precision, skill and learning. "The monkey learns by first observing the movement, which activates its brain cells as if it was doing it. It's a lot like sports training, where trainers have athletes first imagine that they are performing the movements they desire."
He said the research could eventually benefit the development of prosthetic limbs for people with spinal cord injuries or for amputees. He said: "Our immediate goal is to make a prosthetic device for people with total paralysis." "Ultimately, our goal is to better understand brain complexity."
Commenting on the paper, Professor Paul M Matthew from the Hammersmith Hospital, said: "The challenge of interfacing the billions of nerve cells in the brain that control the full range of limb movements directly with a mechanical prosthesis has seemed impossibly difficult.
"However, this important paper confirms that the brain controls movement just by planning where to go, rather than by directing individual muscles how to make the limb get there. "The study shows that fewer than 100 tiny electrical signals generated in the specialised area known as the 'motor cortex' can command even complex arm and hand movements.
"This moves the day when patients disabled after spinal cord injuries or amputations can use brain-controlled bionic limbs from the realm of science fiction towards science fact."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Zoo sends aid to pandas in China !
Owners of Edinburgh Zoo are sending emergency aid to a Chinese panda sanctuary which was devastated by this month's earthquake. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which owns Edinburgh Zoo, is the first in the world to offer aid to the Wolong Animal Sanctuary. Edinburgh Zoo is due to become only the eighth in the world to be given breeding-aged pandas from the reserve.
The pandas were to arrive in April 2009 but may come sooner due to the disater. Five staff at the China reserve were killed, pandas have been reported missing and road closures wiped out the feeding schedule.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland is sending money and satellite communications equipment to an emergency fund set up by the China Wildlife Conservation Association.
Iain Valentine, head of animals, conservation and education for RZSS, said: "The Wolong Nature Reserve has been left absolutely devastated. "We're very concerned for our friends and colleagues in Wolong as the area is still unstable.
"The National Park, as well as housing the Panda Conservation and Research Centre, is home to many people who live and work within the area. "We are concerned for the welfare of the people, of the pandas kept in the centre and the wild panda population living within the reserve."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Squirrel hunters set 1,000 traps !
Conservationists in Cumbria are to place 1,000 traps along the border with Scotland in an effort to stem the northward spread of grey squirrels.
The move is aimed at preserving numbers of native red squirrels, which have dwindled since greys were introduced into the UK in the 19th Century.
Sightings of reds have fallen in recent months in northern parts of Cumbria around Brampton, Carlisle and Longtown. The Save Our Squirrels (SoS) project will monitor the situation.
Simon O'Hare, of Northumberland-based SoS, said: "The north of Cumbria is now a real problem, with sightings of red squirrels dropping off in a lot of areas. "Anywhere approaching the Scottish border it is now a rare sight to see a red squirrel. "The main problem is greys using river corridors and coming across from the Newcastle area."
The live capture traps will be monitored at least once a day and any red squirrels trapped will be released. Greys carry a disease called squirrel pox, which is fatal for reds.
Last month three cases of the disease were found on the Queensberry Estate near Dumfries.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
No road skill makes hog road kill !
By Richard Black -Environment correspondent, BBC News website
Roads can be attractive yet dangerous places for hedgehogs. Hedgehogs are very poor at dealing with traffic, researchers have found, which could help explain why the species is declining fast in some parts of the UK. On average, they wait until a vehicle is about 17m (60ft) away before responding, and even then they freeze rather than trying to run away.
Annual surveys have shown that numbers have shrunk by about 50% in some areas. Experts say that loss of habitat and the lower number of hedges are a bigger factor than road kills. Even so, the death rate from traffic is significant.
"It's very difficult to get a good national estimate of the numbers killed on the roads each year," said David Wembridge, surveys director with the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES). "Our best estimate is that about 15,000 are killed each year on the roads, and that's probably about 1-2% of the national population," he told BBC News.
Scientists from Royal Holloway, University of London, studied the response of hedgehogs to traffic on a stretch of road in Windsor Great Park during nights when the park was traffic-free. They could see how and when the animals reacted to noises such as engines starting, and to headlights.
The first instinct, as with the proverbial "rabbit in the headlights", was usually to freeze or hunker down. While that may work with their natural enemies, it is unlikely to be an effective way of avoiding fast-moving traffic.
Even when they did move, they left it so late as to have little chance of escape. Yet paradoxically, the animals may find roads attractive places. "Having watched hedgehogs at work on roads, I would say it all comes down to having short legs," said Hugh Warwick, an independent ecologist who has studied the creatures around the UK. "You have a choice of cold dew-laden grass at the road's edge, or nice warm tarmac - which are you going to go for?
"Also, insects and so on are attracted by the warmth, so you get a meal at night too." Short of banning cars, he suggested, there was little that could be done to make roads more friendly to hedgehogs. Overall, however, researchers believe changes to the landscape are a more important factor in the species' demise.
The ongoing use of once natural countryside for housing and other development, the tidiness of the urban garden, and the reduction in hedges across rural land may all be driving numbers down.
Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
RSPB unveils cliff bird reserve !
The cliffs are inhabited by birds including puffin and shags. Cliffs at the British mainland's most northerly point have become RSPB Scotland's latest nature reserve. Dunnet Head in Caithness is home to seabirds including kittiwakes, guillemots and puffins. Management of the 27-hectare site has been handed over to the RSPB by landowner Ben Colson.
The RSPB said it hoped to improve tourism facilities at Dunnet Head to encourage more people to visit the area. Dunnet Head, which lies further north than John O' Groats, is a nationally important home for a large variety of seabirds. It really is a lovely site for wildlife, and the geographical significance makes it even more special -Pete Mayhew, RSPB Scotland.
Mr Colson said: "Dunnet Head is an amazing place with which my family - and many others - feel a real bond. "We're delighted to be able to pass the reins of managing such a special area over to an organisation which will ensure both wildlife and people are catered for.
"Dunnet is rich in wildlife and in history and we're happy to be able to work with an organisation whose ambitions for the site match our own."
Pete Mayhew, RSPB North Scotland senior conservation manager, said: "The seabird city at Dunnet Head is a few miles further north than John O' Groats, and we're delighted to take over the management of the site.
The area is said to be an important settlement for many seabirds.
"As well as the seabirds, we also hope to manage the land on top of the cliffs to provide habitat for corncrake, great yellow bumblebee and twite. "There aren't really any facilities for visitors at the moment but we're looking at how we might be able to provide these in the future, in which case we'd hope that Dunnet Head might become an important stop off for visitors to the far north.
The cliff-top grassland has in the past been grazed by sheep, with other areas providing a kitchen garden for those who lived and worked at Dunnet Head during World War II.
The red sandstone cliffs exceed 90m in height in places but are mostly between 30m and 60m high.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Six chicks hatch at harrier nest !
The nest is monitored 24 hours a day by volunteers. Six eggs laid by a rare hen harrier have hatched at a nest site in Northumberland.
The bird and its mate are nesting in North Tynedale, where more than 30 volunteers are helping experts protect them from illegal human interference. The Northumberland nest is one of only a handful of successful breeding pairs in the UK.
The RSPB said all the eggs laid had hatched - the first egg on 15 May, with the last chick only emerging on 23 May.
Earlier this month, the government confirmed hen harriers as England's most seriously threatened bird of prey. As a result, they are now included on the government's list of species considered of principal importance for conserving England's wildlife.
Phil Curtis of the RSPB, who is organising the nest watch, said: "We are thrilled to have six healthy hen harrier chicks in a nest in Northumberland. "It's a great result for all the volunteers who have helped out with the nest watch so far this spring. "With so few harriers nesting in England, every chick is precious and we will be keeping our fingers crossed that the youngsters make good progress over the coming weeks."
Last year, the Tynedale harriers raised five chicks at their nest - one of only 15 successful nests recorded by the RSPB in 2007 .
The Northumberland Harrier Nest Watch is a partnership between the RSPB, and Forestry Commission with support from the Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club, BBC Wildlife Fund, SITA Trust, Egger UK and Tynedale Council.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Cat puts Japan rail firm on track !
A loss-making Japanese railway company is back on track thanks to the popularity of a stray cat. Wearing a black cap and posing for photos with passengers, Tama the tabby is credited with boosting Wakayama Electric Railway's revenue by 10%.
The firm had to axe all staff at Kishi station in western Japan two years ago. But Tama stuck by her post and was rewarded with promotion to station manager. The pet mascot even has her own office, a former ticket booth.
The feline, who was born and raised at the station in the city of Kinokawa, Wakayama prefecture, is living proof of the Japanese belief that cats are good luck. "She never complains, even though passengers touch her all over the place. She is an amazing cat. She has patience and charisma. She is the perfect station master," said Yoshiko Yamaki, a spokeswoman for the rail company.
The nine-year-old - who receives cat food in lieu of a salary - won national stardom last year when the firm formally appointed her as "station master".
Since then passengers have been gradually returning, recently rising 10% to about 2.1 million a year. The cat has spawned a range of popular merchandise, including a picture book called: "Diary of Tama, the Station Master."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Beavers to return after 400 years !
Up to four beaver families will be released at lochs in Argyll. The European beaver is to be reintroduced to Scotland for the first time in more than 400 years, the Scottish Government has announced.
Environment Minister Michael Russell has given the go-ahead for up to four beaver families to be released in Knapdale, Argyll, on a trial basis. The beavers will be caught in Norway and released in spring 2009. Mr Russell said: "This is an exciting development for wildlife enthusiasts all over Scotland and beyond."
The beavers, which will be captured in autumn 2008, will be put into quarantine for six months before three to four families are released. Five lochs have been proposed for the release. This will be the first-ever formal reintroduction of a native mammal into the wild in the UK.
The trial will be run over five years by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) monitoring the project. Mr Russell added: "The beaver was hunted to extinction in this country in the 16th Century and I am delighted that this wonderful species will be making a comeback. "They are charismatic, resourceful little mammals and I fully expect their reappearance in Knapdale to draw tourists from around the British Isles and even further afield.
"Other parts of Europe, with a similar landscape to Scotland, have reintroduced beavers and evidence has shown that they can also have positive ecological benefits, such as creating and maintaining a habitat hospitable to other species."
Scottish Natural Heritage will closely monitor the progress of the beavers over the next five years to consider the impact on the local environment and economy before any decision on a wider reintroduction.
Professor Colin Galbraith, director of policy for SNH, said: "The decision is excellent news. For the first time we will have the opportunity to see how beavers fit into the Scottish countryside in a planned and managed trial.
"No other beaver reintroduction project in Europe has gone through such a long, and thorough, process of preparation, assessment and examination." Prof Galbraith added that although beavers had been spotted in the wild in isolated cases, they had usually been caught and returned to zoos.
Allan Bantick, chairman of the Scottish Beaver Trial Steering Group, said it was a "historic moment" for wildlife conservation. "By bringing these useful creatures back to their native environment we will have the chance to restore a missing part of our wetland ecosystems and re-establish much needed natural processes," he said.
David Windmill, chief executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: "It is a strong and visible sign of the Scottish Government's commitment to carrying out conservation in Scotland and re-building our depleted biodiversity."
Simon Milne, chief executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said the challenge was now for the licence holders to raise funds for the project.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Mexico shark attack kills surfer !
A shark has killed a 21-year-old surfer off a beach west of Mexico's Acapulco resort, less than a month after another fatal shark attack in the area.
Osvaldo Mata Valdovinos died after his left hand was bitten off and his leg broken by the shark, officials said.
Friends swimming with him at Pantla beach near Zihuatanejo saw a 2m (6ft) shark pull him underwater, police said.
Last month, a US tourist died after a shark bit him near Troncones beach, a few miles away.
Zihuatanejo's civil protection director, Jaime Vazquez, told the Associated Press surfers at Pantla beach has seen fins in the sea shortly before the attack.
He said Mr Mata bled to death from a 12-inch (30-cm) wound in his thigh, left as the shark broke his femur.
His friends brought him back to the shore, but he lost consciousness and died before medics arrived, police told AP.
Shark attacks are rare off Mexico's coast, and the two deaths have raised fears in the area around the Pantla and Troncones beaches, which are 150 miles (240km) from the famed Pacific resort Acapulco.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Council kicks up pet skunk stink !
People stop to take photos of Ichi the skunk when out in Aberdeen. A woman who has been turning heads by taking her pet skunk for a walk on a lead has been told by a council that it has to go, BBC Scotland can reveal.
Hannah Chapman, 23, takes de-scented Ichi for walks in Aberdeen. People have been stopping her to take pictures of the unusual sight in the Rosemount area of the city.
However, an Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: "Miss Chapman does not have permission to keep a skunk in her council flat." She can appeal.
The spokeswoman said: "She has been told that she cannot keep the animal in a council property. Miss Chapman has been given seven days notice of this. "If she wishes to, Miss Chapman can submit a letter to the council appealing against the decision. If she does so, the situation will be reviewed."
Hannah explained: "I just had the council round and they said they would not give me permission. "If she is not got rid of then they will come round and take her. "If the worst comes to the worst I will have to think about moving - there's no chance of getting rid of Ichi."
Hannah said that she was often given funny looks when she was walking her pet, and that people sometimes thought Ichi was an odd-looking dog, cat or gerbil. Hannah's pet has been de-scented so she can run around her home without a risk of smell. She said: "People are always stopping me on the street asking to take a photo. But they keep their distance because they think she is going to spray. She certainly raises a few eyebrows."
She added: "Ichi is very jealous and on a number of occasions has bitten my boyfriend's fingers. "I feed her vegetables, meat, chicken, natural yoghurt and insects, but she loves sugar-snap peas and worms."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
A stray parrot was reunited with its owner in Japan after repeating its name and address at the local veterinary clinic that took it in, police said.
Police captured the red-tailed African Grey, Yosuke, earlier this month after a woman called to say it was sitting on a fence in her backyard near Tokyo.
The parrot was then handed over to the animal clinic to be cared for.
It began by greeting people and singing popular children's songs, before repeating its name and address.
Police matched the name with its owner, who was reunited with Yosuke earlier this week.
The parrot had become lost two weeks ago after flying out of its cage in Nagareyama city, Chiba prefecture, near Tokyo.
"I'm glad I had taught him my address and name," the Daily Yomiuri newspaper quoted his owner as saying.
The African Grey parrot is considered one of the most intelligent birds and is said by experts to have the cognitive ability of a six-year-old.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Sharks swim closer to extinction !By Richard Black - Environment correspondent, BBC News website.
More than half of the world's ocean-going sharks are at risk of extinction, a new analysis concludes. Specialists with IUCN (formerly the World Conservation Union) found that 11 species are on the high-risk list, with five more showing signs of decline. Sharks are particularly affected by over-fishing as they reproduce slowly. The scientists are calling for global catch limits, an end to the practice of removing fins, and measures to minimise incidental catches (bycatch).
With sufficient public support and resulting political will, we can turn the tide - Nicholas Dulvy, SSG.
"There's this idea that because these are widely ranging species, they're more resilient to fishing pressure," said Sonja Fordham, deputy chair of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG) and policy director for the Shark Alliance conservation group. "In fact they're becoming species of serious concern because there are no international catch limits for sharks. There are intense fisheries on the oceans, and they remain pretty much unprotected."
The SSG assessed data on the 21 species of sharks and their close cousins, the rays, that swim in upper portions of the open ocean where they are exposed to fishing fleets. Of the 21, one - the giant devilray - is assessed as Endangered, and 10 are Vulnerable. A further five are listed as Near Threatened, which means the signs of decline are not serious enough yet to merit a full listing.
The classifications are based on a range of criteria that look at past or forecast declines in population size. For example, a population shrinking by 50% in 10 years would usually qualify as Endangered. Some of these species have been assessed before; but for others, including the three species of thresher sharks with their spectacularly long tails, the dangerlisting is new. The main threat to sharks is fishing, both accidental and targeted.
The three thresher species are newly judged as Vulnerable to extinction "They used to be taken as bycatch by boats targeting tuna and swordfish," said Ms Fordham. "But now as those species are declining we're seeing more fishermen targeting sharks. "Porbeagle and shortfin mako are targeted for fins and meat; species like blue shark are likely to be finned, but particularly in Europe we're seeing more blue shark being landed."
Several of the bodies that regulate fisheries in international waters - the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) - have set up measures to curb shark finning, but there are different standards in place, a situation that enables fishermen to work around the regulations.
As East Asian economies boom, conservation groups say the market for fins is increasing. "Fishery managers and regional, national and international officials have a real obligation to improve this situation," commented Nicholas Dulvy from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, the report's lead author. "But it doesn't have to be like this. With sufficient public support and resulting political will, we can turn the tide."
The report was released at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting in Bonn, and will be published in the journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. The new risk assessments will be included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species when it is published later this year.
Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
BBC NEWS REPORT.
'Safe passage' for wildlife traffickers !
By Navin Singh Khadka -BBC Nepali Service.
For many years, Nepal has been widely regarded as a conservation success. But now it is emerging as an international transit point for illegal wildlife goods, particularly those being moved between India and China.
Sandwiched between the two Asian giants, Nepal has devoted nearly 20% of its land to national parks and protected areas that have conserved endangered animal and plant species. But outside such preserved areas, highways and mountain trails are increasingly becoming transit routes for wildlife traffickers, conservationists and officials say.
"The amount of wildlife goods seized in the recent past really tells us that Nepal is indeed a transit point," says Prasanna Yonjan of Wildlife Conservation Nepal, an organisation that has helped authorities catch many traffickers and poachers. "We know Nepal is a conduit for the international market, particularly the Orient. Most of the goods seized here are not products from Nepal but from down south, particularly India, Bangladesh and perhaps also from Bhutan."
The superintendent of police, Devendra Subedi, who heads the crime branch in the capital, Kathmandu, says illegal wildlife trafficking has become a part of organised crime. "There are several layers involved, and the people in it are found to be [involved] in other crimes like drug trafficking as well," he explains. So much so that even the country's forest minister Matrika Prasad Yadav is well aware of the happenings. A former Maoist rebel leader, he even went on to say that several government agencies are involved in the trafficking network.
"One example is the smuggling of red sandalwood that comes in from India and is smuggled out to China," he said in an interview for the BBC's One Planet programme. "I have documentary proof that even my own ministry, before I took over, allowed such smuggling by calling the red sandalwood 'common wood'. "Later when my ministry, and the finance and home ministries, opened checkpoints on highways, my staff were harrassed and threatened by the people of the other two ministries. "When tonnes and tonnes of red sandalwood can be smuggled in and out, you can imagine what could be happening with things much smaller in size."
But others point out that, as a former Maoist rebel, the minister has a track record of tough talk about other political parties. Material that is much smaller in size, such as rhino horns, elephant tusks, and skin and bone from tigers and leopards, has been seized by authorities at different locations around the country, suggesting that they are indeed smuggled in and out.
In southern Nepal, just outside Chitwan National Park which has conserved endangered species like tigers and rhinos, is a government storage facility used for such seizures. Hundreds of tiger and leopard pelts, their bones and claws, nearly 60 pairs of elephant tusks, more than 100 rhino horns and 50 sacks of shatoosh - the wool of the endangered Tibetan chiru antelope - are stored here.
Big cats have been poached for their pelt and bones. The chief of the storage depot, Dhan Bahadur Thapa, said that every month at least three such products are seized from different places in the country. "From the people involved in trafficking, we have come to know that such products are often sent to Bangkok, Hong Kong and China with the help of international smugglers," he said. In most cases, the illegal wildlife goods were seized by chance, as there is no particular crackdown operation on traffickers.
One such seizure took place in Langtang to the north of Kathmandu in 2005. By pure chance, an army patrolling team came across nearly 240 leopard and tiger pelts being transported to Tibet.
Bhim KC, an official in the country's wildlife department, investigated the case and found that four of the five persons involved were Nepalese and one Tibetan. "The Tibetan said he was only a porter carrying those illegal goods for another Tibetan who, he said, was an influential businessman in Tibet and Nepal," the government official explained. Nepalgunj, a town in western Nepal bordering India, has been blacklisted by conservationists as one of the hotbeds of international smugglers.
The more than 1,800km-long border between Nepal and India is open, and Nepalese and Indians do not need passports to cross. The district police office in Nepalgunj arrested five people on charges of trafficking tiger and leopard skins and bones in the last five years. "These people were arrested from areas where we have our regular patrolling," said deputy superintendent of police Ram Govinda Pariyar. "But, unfortunately, the border between Nepal and India is open and smugglers can come in from anywhere."
Wildlife officials have noticed that traffickers are indeed taking undue advantage of the open border. "With the help of our informers, we have repeatedly confirmed that Nepalgunj is the trading centre of illegal wildlife, and this place also sees tiger bones from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh of India," said Ramesh Thapa, the assistant warden of Bardiya National Park which is near the border.
Ropes and pulleys are used to smuggle goods across the border. Conservationists say poaching has completely wiped out tigers in Siraska National Park in the Indian state of Rajasthan. A recent study showed that the total tiger population in India has declined from about 3,000 a few years ago to about 1,500 today. A joint report from the UK's Environment Investigation Agency and the Wildlife Protection Society of India found that all tiger and most leopard skins reached Tibet and other Chinese provinces from India via Nepal.
"Most traders in Tibet, and Linxia and Gansu provinces, claimed to have connections in India and Nepal," stated the report of an investigation carried out between 2004 and 2006. Conservationists and wildlife officials say illegal wildlife goods arriving from India were previously transported to trans-Himalayan regions such as Dolpa and Mugu before being smuggled out to Tibet through mountain trails.
Today, they say the regular route used by smugglers is the highway which ends in Kathmandu. From there, the goods are transported to Tibet. "This route is much more convenient, because you can drive with the consignments all the way to the Nepal-China border," says Mr Thapa. To find out how such illegal goods could be smuggled out through the regulated border, I travelled the Arniko highway that links Kathmandu with Tibet. During the entire journey of nearly 100km, there was just one checkpoint. Police officials there said traffickers often used unregulated mountain trails to smuggle such prohibited goods across the border.
At the border point, known as Tatopani, customs and police officials refused to make any official comment. But, requesting anonymity, some customs field staff told the BBC that at night, smugglers fix ropes at both sides of a rivulet that separates the Nepal-Tibet border. Then, with the help of a pulley, they smuggle items in and out. WWF-Nepal's office in Kathmandu said it too had learnt about the rope and pulley idea. "We have been trying to [raise] all these things with the Chinese side, but it has not been an easy experience trying to work together," said WWF official Diwakar Chapagain.
Just outside the Tatopani customs office, I saw for myself two impounded trucks with illegal cargoes of red sandalwood. The vehicles had double-sided number plates. One side had a Chinese diplomatic number while the other carried a Nepalese registration. The Chinese embassy in Kathmandu did not respond to a request for an interview.
Nepal's forest minister Matrika Prasad Yadav, whose Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has just won a major election, said his party will take action once it reaches office. "If we come to power, all those who have been arrested as wildlife traders but who are actually only porters and the lowest strata in this trade will be released, and the real traders in the upper echelon will be arrested," he told the BBC before the polls.
There are allegations from conservation groups that the Maoists used illegal wildlife products to fund the insurgency, an allegation the former rebels reject. The Maoists might like to take action against wildlife traffickers, but political and economic issues are likely to be more pressing factors as they try to lead a new coalition government.
You can listen to One Planet, or download it as a podcast, by visiting the BBC World Service's One Planet website. This edition should be available from approximately noon GMT Thursday.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Go-ahead for Iceland's whale hunt !
By Richard Black -Environment correspondent, BBC News website.
The new quota allows for catching 40 minke whales this year.Iceland's commercial whale hunt is set to begin, after the government granted a small minke quota on Monday. Whalers had been seeking a quota of about 100, but ministers settled on 40, which they say is commercially viable. The decision came after weeks of delay, reportedly because of disagreements within government.
Environmental groups said the decision would further damage the Icelandic economy which is already badly affected by the international debt crisis. The decision was expected a month ago, and whalers had been asking for a swift decision so they could begin hunting.
Finally, the govenment gave the go-ahead on Monday morning, and whalers said they would launch as soon as possible. "It all depends on the weather, but if the weather is good then we hunt tomorrow (Tuesday) morning," said Gunnar Bergmann Jonsson, head of the minke whaling association.
The government insists its decision is commercial, based on the market for minke meat within Iceland. "We issued... a minke quota which limits the catch to 40 animals, and that's similar to the amount that was caught last year," said Iceland's whaling commissioner Stefan Asmundsson.
There is no quota for fin whales, another target of Icelandic vessels.
Mr Jonsson confirmed that meat from last year's minke catch had been sold. But he told BBC News his members hoped eventually for a larger annual quota - nearer to the 100 they had requested this year. "We caught 45 whales last year and sold it all, so if we can sell all the meat from 40 animals this time I believe we can get more quota, but we'll see how it goes."
This will be the third hunting season since Iceland resumed its commercial programme in 2006. Its annual catch is much smaller than those of Norway and Japan, but its hunt is nevertheless controversial, partly because it had ceased operations and partly because in some peoples' eyes the policy conflicts with the image Iceland often portrays as an unspoiled, ecologically conscious "green" nation.
"We strongly urge the Icelandic government to rethink this decision," said Robbie Marsland of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw).
THE LEGALITIES OF WHALING
Objection - A country formally objects to the IWC moratorium, declaring itself exempt. Example: Norway
Scientific - A nation issues unilateral 'scientific permits'; any IWC member can do this. Example: Japan
Aboriginal - IWC grants permits to indigenous groups for subsistence food. Example: Alaskan Inupiat
"The resumption of commercial whaling could prove to be extremely damaging to the already fragile Icelandic economy and its international reputation." The economy is already struggling owing to large borrowing by its three major banks. Inflation is runing above 11%, and interest rates are up to 15%.
Mr Marsland suggested that the growing industry of whale-watching could be an important asset to Iceland in this difficult period. "We encourage the government to act now to protect this multi-million-pound industry and its wider economic interests."
The delay in announcing the minke quota has strengthened rumours that some government departments, notably the foreign ministry, shared some of Ifaw's views. But the decision remains in the gift of the fisheries ministry, which believes there is no ecological reason to cancel a hunt for 40 minkes when the population in the north Atlantic is believed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to number about 174,000.
"There can be no question that this is a sustainable activity," said Mr Asmundsson.
Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Pair shell-shocked at massive egg !
A Cornish chicken has surprised its owners by laying an egg the size of a tennis ball. The 8oz (210g) egg is four times the size of a normal chicken's egg, boasting an 8in (20.3cm) circumference.
David Hewitt discovered the monster egg in the hen house at his farm at St Wenn. He said he has found large eggs before but never one as big as this. The egg, which was laid a week ago, is to be drained and displayed at the Royal Cornwall Show.
Mr Hewitt's wife Julie said: "My husband came running in from the chicken house yelling 'look at the size of this'. The couple do not know which of their birds laid the egg. "I went and weighed it, it was 210g - it is huge." She said the egg was perfect, with a point and a rounded end and no blemishes or soft spots. "It's just a very perfect, round, large egg."
The couple, who have kept chickens for 25 years, do not know which of their 30,000 birds was responsible for laying the enormous egg, but said all the flock appeared to be well.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Climate 'accelerating bird loss' !
By Mark Kinver -Science and nature reporter, BBC News
Climate change is "significantly amplifying" the threats facing the world's bird populations, a global assessment has concluded. The 2008 Bird Red List warns that long-term droughts and extreme weather puts additional stress on key habitats.
The assessment lists 1,226 species as threatened with extinction - one-in-eight of all bird species. The list, reviewed every four years, is compiled by conservation charity BirdLife International. "It is very hard to precisely attribute particular changes in specific species to climate change," said Stuart Butchart, BirdLife's global research and indicators co-ordinator.
"But there is now a whole suite of species that are clearly becoming threatened by extreme weather events and droughts." In the revised Red List, eight species have been added to the "critically endangered" category.
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED - NEW ADDITIONS
Tristan albatross
Spoon-billed sandpiper
Tachira antpitta
Reunion cuckooshrike
Mariana crow
Floreana mockingbird
Akekee
Gough bunting
(Source: Bird Red List 2008 update)
One of these was the Floreana mockingbird (Nesomimus trifasciatus), which is confined to two islets in the Galapagos Islands.
From an estimated maximum of 150 in the mid-1960s, the population has fallen to fewer than 60. Conservationists listed the mockingbird as Critically Endangered because it experienced a high rate of adult mortality during dry years that have been linked to La Nina events. Dry years have become more frequent in recent years, and have been blamed as the main driver of the current decline.
"Another threat for small island species, such as the Floreana mockingbird, is the threat from invasive species, in particular mammals and plants," Dr Butchart told BBC News. "They are having a devastating effect on habitats. For example, goats and donkeys on Floreana are changing the ecological structure.
"Eliminating or controlling invasive species is a very tractable conservation action that can help these birds hang on in the face of these additional pressures from climate change. "The key actions that are needed to prevent a species like this from going extinct are the very broad-scale climate-change mitigation measures - such as reducing our carbon emissions, limiting the global average temperature rise to no more than 2C (3.6F), and changing society's values and lifestyles."
Dr Butchart said another example of a species being affected by shifts in the climate was the akekee (Loxops caeruleirostris), a Hawaiian honey-creeper. "Not only is it being negatively impacted by prolonged heavy rain causing nesting failures, but they are extremely threatened by introduced diseases, which are carried by invasive mosquitoes.
"The mosquitoes have been restricted to lower altitudes, so the birds do best at heights above which the mosquitoes can go and pass on avian malaria. "But because of climate change, the temperature zones are shifting. It is getting warmer at higher altitudes, so the mosquitoes can now move higher. "This is eliminating the mosquito-free zone that the birds used to occupy."
More continental species, such as the Eurasian curlew, are struggling As a result, Dr Butchart explained, this bird was also being uplisted to the status of Critically Endangered. Despite the latest assessment showing a continuing downward trend in the world's bird populations, he said that conservationists were still optimistic that many species could be saved.
"It is undoubtedly true that we are facing an unprecedented conservation crisis but we do have conservation success stories that give us hope that not all threatened species are doomed. "We have the solutions but what we need are the resources and political will."
BirdLife International has recently launched its Preventing Extinctions Programme, which targets the 190 species listed as Critically Endangered. Its goal is to find a "species champion" for each bird, who will fund the on-the-ground conservation work of "species guardians". "Success stories provide us with the great hope that this can be achieved, provided that we act soon enough."
Hawaii's Maui parrotbill is another clinging on to existence. One bird that has been downlisted from Critically Endangered to Endangered in the latest assessment is the Marquesan imperial-pigeon (Ducula galeata). The main threat facing the bird came from rats, an invasive species.
In order to protect the population of the slow-breeding birds, conservationists moved 10 adults to a neighbouring rat-free island between 2000 and 2003. The new community of pigeons is now established on the island, and conservationists are hopeful that the population will reach 50 by 2010. "This has greatly reduced the extinction risk because the bird is now spread over a couple of islands," observed Dr Butchart. "This goes to show not only that conservation works but that it is vital if we are to prevent the extinction of these and other species."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Pandas 'safe' at park after quake !
Sichuan's panda reserves have been named a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The 86 giant pandas at China's famous Wolong Nature Reserve are all safe after Monday's earthquake devastated nearby areas of Sichuan province, forestry officials told the official Xinhua news agency. All of the baby pandas at the reserve had been moved to safe places, the State Forestry Administration said on Tuesday.
The 2,000 sq km reserve is the nation's most famous giant panda park and is in a rugged area north-west of Sichuan's provincial capital, Chengdu, not far from the quake's epicentre. It is the world's foremost conservation, research and breeding centre for giant pandas. Dozens of the animals live within the reserve, which sits in bamboo forests on the slopes of 6,250-metre Mount Siguniang.
Chinese officials said that 60 giant pandas at a breeding centre in Chengdu and another eight at a smaller base in Ya'an, to the south, were not harmed by the earthquake. Fears had been growing for the safety of the Wolong pandas after the earthquake cut all lines of communication with the reserve.
The giant panda remains one of the world's most endangered species. Only about 1,600 pandas are thought to remain in the wild, in mountainous regions of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, while about 200 more live in captivity. The animals have been hit by a severe loss of habitat, as well as their own slow rate of reproduction.
In 2006, UN cultural agency Unesco declared the panda reserves in Sichuan a World Heritage Site. Unesco says the reserves constitute "the largest remaining contiguous habitat of the giant panda... and the species' most important site for captive breeding".
Wolong is the most well-known of these reserves, attracting tens of thousands of tourists each year. Its breeding programme, which includes the use of artificial insemination, has drawn worldwide attention. Experts there have also experimented with releasing pandas born in captivity back into the wild.
In 2006, a young male panda, Xiang Xiang, was released into the wild after three years of preparation in a specially-constructed enclosure. The panda died 10 months later, apparently after a fight with another male panda, but officials said that they had learned valuable lessons from the experiment.
Xinhua news agency said that a rescue team from the State Forestry Administration (SFA) had been set up to direct efforts at panda reserves.
The SFA has also allocated 2m yuan ($286,000; £143,000) to pay for food and drugs in affected reserves, it said.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Orangutan escapes pen at US zoo !
A 29-year-old male orangutan named Bruno escaped from his enclosure at Los Angeles Zoo on Saturday evening after making a hole in the wire fencing. About 3,000 visitors were shepherded towards the front exits while Bruno roamed free for about 20 minutes.
Zoo staff said Bruno never managed to enter the public areas and was quickly sedated by his keepers. "He was calm and responded well to the staff," promotions co-ordinator Gina Dart said. "He was never aggressive."
Once out of his enclosure, instead of trying to flee, Bruno hid in an area behind his pen, where one of his keepers spotted him, the Los Angeles Times reported.
ABC News quoted zoo director John Lewis as saying that Bruno was easily sedated because, like the other five orangutans at the facility, had been trained to allow his keepers to administer medicine:
"Fortunately all of our great apes, the staff trained them to allow medical procedures, so the keeper actually put him through his behaviours, and he allowed her to hand inject him with anaesthetic and went right to sleep," Mr Lewis quoted as saying.
"They carried him to his bedroom, and it was all over in about 20 minutes," he added.
In December last year one man was killed and two were injured when a tiger escaped from its pen in San Francisco Zoo, an incident blamed on incorrect enclosure design.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Cat and mouse blamed for blackout !
Albanians may have found a new villain to blame for the frequent power cuts that have been blighting their lives. The country's main electricity company says a cat chasing a mouse caused a 72-hour blackout in parts of the capital, Tirana.
The animals ran into an area of high-voltage cables and were electrocuted, a spokeswoman for the firm - Kesh - told Reuters news agency. "We took pictures because we've never had anything like this," she said.
Power cuts have been endemic in Albania for many years. The authorities usually blame drought and the dilapidated state of the communist-era grid, which appears to be buckling under the strain of the extra demand caused by the Albanians' recent access to modern amenities.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Village welcomes shopper donkeys !
Donkeys have arrived at a village in Gloucestershire to help residents fed up with hauling their shopping up a steep hill. More than 30 residents living on the narrow paths of Chalford are unable to reach their homes by car. Villagers supported the idea of using the eco-friendly pack animals and raised money to buy a couple of them.
Anna Usborne, who led the campaign, has now taken delivery of two donkeys - Chester, one, and Teddy, four. "Chalford is very steep and we need an animal to help us get up the hill with our shopping," the 33-year-old sculptor said. "It could take six weeks or six months to train them. It all depends on how well they behave. "We are very excited to have them with us. They are lovely, gentle animals."
Ms Usborne applied to the parish council for support after being quoted prices ranging from £300 to £600 to buy the donkeys from her local sanctuary.
Teddy was bought from a beach donkey dealer in south Wales while Chester arrived from Cotswold Farm Park. Many residents cannot reach their homes by car.The animals, which are currently living in a nearby paddock, are now being trained with halters and panniers to help villagers carry their shopping up the incline to their homes.
The plan is that the donkeys will be taken into the village to make deliveries at set times during the week when people can book out the service. A core group of trained donkey handlers will also be available to help, so the job of taking the animals out can be shared. Many of the deliveries will originate from the local Chalford Community Stores. Historically, donkeys have always been used in the village.
Archive pictures, dating back to the 1930s, show the animals delivering bread and coal from a nearby canal.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
US lists polar bear as threatened !
Polar bears live only in the Arctic and depend on sea ice to hunt seals. The United States has listed the polar bear as a threatened species, because its Arctic sea ice habitat is melting due to climate change. US government scientists predict that two-thirds of the polar bear population of 25,000 could disappear by 2050. However, the government stressed the listing would not lead to measures to prevent global warming.
Environmentalists have expressed disappointment that more will not be done to protect the bear's habitat. US Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said the government had made the decision on the advice of scientists, but he suggested the impact of the move would be limited.
"While the legal standards under the Endangered Species Act compel me to list the polar bear as threatened," he said, "I want to make clear that this listing will not stop global climate change or prevent any sea ice from melting." He said that could only be achieved through action by all of the world's major economies.
Mr Kempthorne also said he was taking measures to make sure the listing was not "abused" to make policies on climate change which would cause "harm to the society and the economy of the United States".A federal judge had ordered the US government to make a decision on the issue by May 15.
Environmental campaigners described the listing as a limited victory. "Protecting the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act is a major step forward," said Andrew Wetzler of the Natural Resources Defense Council in a statement. "But the Bush administration has proposed using loopholes in the law to allow the greatest threat to the polar bear - global warming pollution - to continue unabated," he continued.
Mr Kempthorne said there would be greater steps to monitor polar bear populations in Alaska, and more cooperation with foreign governments to protect the species. But environmentalists said this would not be enough.
"By denying a direct link between the sources of global warming pollution and the loss of the polar bears' sea ice habitat, and by denying that the polar bear will be protected from oil and gas development, they're willing to sit by and let the polar bear go extinct," said John Kostyack of the National Wildlife Federation.
In February, the Bush administration sold drilling rights for oil and gas off the Alaskan coast, which includes an area of polar bear habitat.
Canada - home to around 15,000 polar bears - has not listed the animals as threatened.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Wildlife populations 'plummeting' !
Over-fishing and demand for their fins as a delicacy have hit shark numbers
Between a quarter and a third of the world's wildlife has been lost since 1970, according to data compiled by the Zoological Society of London.
Populations of land-based species fell by 25%, marine by 28% and freshwater by 29%, it says. Humans are wiping out about 1% of all other species every year, and one of the "great extinction episodes" in the Earth's history is under way, it says. Pollution, farming and urban expansion, over-fishing and hunting are blamed.
The Living Planet Index, compiled by the society in partnership with the wildlife group WWF, tracks the fortunes of more than 1,400 species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, using scientific publications and online databases. It said numbers had declined by 27% in the 35 years from 1970 to 2005.
Some of the worst hit are marine species which saw their numbers plummet by 28% in just 10 years, between 1995 and 2005.
Populations of ocean birds have fallen by 30% since the mid 1990s, while land-based populations have dropped by 25%. Reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease and where water is in irregular or short supply -
James Leape
Director general, WWF UK
Among the creatures most seriously affected have been African antelopes, swordfish and hammerhead sharks. Another, the baiji - or Yangtze River Dolphin - may have been lost altogether. The findings were released ahead of a meeting of the Convention on Biodiversity in the German city of Bonn.
The convention was signed in 1992 with the aim of stabilising the loss of species. In 2002, member states pledged to achieve a "significant reduction" in the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.
But the Zoological Society said governments had since failed to put in place policies necessary to achieve that goal. It said that while species' decline does appear to have flattened off in recent years, it is "very unlikely" that the 2010 target will be reached.
The WWF said that over the next 30 years, climate change was also expected to become a significant threat to species. Land-based species, such as African antelopes, have fallen by 25% Colin Butfield, head of campaigns at WWF UK, said: "Biodiversity underpins the health of the planet and has a direct impact on all our lives, so it is alarming that despite an increased awareness of environmental issues we continue to see a downward trend."
The charity also warned that a failure to stop biodiversity loss would have a direct impact on humans. Director general James Leape said: "Reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease and where water is in irregular or short supply. "No-one can escape the impact of biodiversity loss because reduced global diversity translates quite clearly into fewer new medicines, greater vulnerability to natural disasters and greater effects from global warming."
The WWF is calling on governments meeting in Bonn to honour their commitments to put in place effective protected areas for wildlife and to adopt a target to achieve net annual zero deforestation by 2020.
BBC NEWS REPORT.