Coelacanth (Latimeria genus) was first found in an East African fish market (dead). The search was then on until living ones were found. Now there are several species 🙂
Category Archives: Extinction
Wildlife Justice Commission
Came across this today, seems like a good step and reflects well on our perceived need for an International Environmental Criminal Court (IECC). Its intent to go after the higher levels of organised crime are indeed risky, and will open the operatives up to attack. Note that the WJC will have no powers ~ either to compel or to prosecute ~ and hopes to use ‘public outrage’ to shame governments into acting! The article’s final three paragraphs explain much … and are the same issues as for the IECC. The need to have such court is right now ~ otherwise biodiversity loss will just continue unabated ~ but the process of establishing one will be furiously resisted on many levels.
Finally, I wonder if there is a link between Mozambique and Macau ~ both former Portuguese colonies ~ with the former providing the export gateway, and Macau as the import route to Asia? Should be one for us to watch 🙂
Update on background extinction rates
There are several similar articles available today, but I like this one. In the first paragraph there is a link to another Guardian piece, from that one you can download the science paper itself. The authors have been conservative in their study, so probably things will actually be worse than this. 🙁
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/21/mass-extinction-science-warning

Rhinos
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/12/last-male-northern-white-rhino
Last chance to sea!!!
You’ll enjoy this paper ~ Thanks McCauley et al for this great effort & awesome graphics 🙂
We even have a smart new word to describe our destruction of animals ::: defaunation. How very sad 🙁
http://biodiversity-alliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/McCauleyDJ_2015_Science.pdf