Extinction threat: world conservation meeting to show species in peril

Issued on: 03/09/2021

Big cats have lost 90 percent of their range and population 

TONY KARUMBA AFP/File

Marseille (AFP)

The perilous state of the planet's wildlife will be laid bare when the largest organisation for the protection of nature meets on Friday hoping to help galvanise action as the world faces intertwined biodiversity and climate crises.

Relentless habitat destruction, unsustainable agriculture, mining and a warming planet will dominate discussion at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) conference, hosted by France in the city of Marseille.

The meeting, delayed from 2020 by the pandemic, comes ahead of crucial United Nations summits on climate, food systems and biodiversity that could shape the planet's forseeable future.

6th mass extinction? Erin CONROY AFP

"Our common goal is to put nature at the top of international priorities -- because our destinies are intrinsically linked, planet, climate, nature and human communities," said French President Emmanuel Macron in a statement ahead of the IUCN meeting.

He said the conference should lay the "initial foundations" for a global biodiversity strategy that will be the focus of UN deliberations in China in April next year.

The international community is grappling with a near set of goals to "live in harmony with nature" by 2050, with interim goals to be set for this decade.

Nutritious food, breathable air, clean water, nature-based medicines -- humans are dependent on the health of the ecosystems they are destroying.

Previous IUCN congresses have paved the way for global treaties on biodiversity and the international trade in endangered species.

Tackling wildlife crime will be among the issues discussed at the conference 

Manan VATSYAYANA AFP/File

But efforts to halt extensive declines in numbers and diversity of animals and plants have so far failed to slow the destruction.

In 2019 the UN's biodiversity experts warned that a million species are on the brink of extinction -- raising the spectre that the planet is on the verge of its sixth mass extinction event in half a billion years.

- Interwoven threats -

The nine-day IUCN meeting, which opens at 1500 GMT on Friday, will include an update of its Red List of Threatened Species, measuring how close animal and plant species are to vanishing forever.

Experts have assessed nearly 135,000 species over the last half-century and nearly 28 percent are currently at risk of extinction, with habitat loss, overexploitation and illegal trade driving the loss.

Big cats, for example, have lost more than 90 percent of their historic range and population, with only 20,000 lions, 7,000 cheetahs, 4,000 tigers and a few dozen Amur leopards left in the wild.

36 plant and animal species declared extinct in 2020 

Manel MENGUELTI AFP

The meeting is likely to hammer home the message that protecting wildlife is imperative for the healthy function of ecosystems and for humanity.

Loss of biodiversity, climate change, pollution, diseases spreading from the wild have become existential threats that cannot be "understood or addressed in isolation," the IUCN said ahead of the meeting in a vision statement endorsed by its 1,400 members.

Motions on the table include protecting 80 percent of Amazonia by 2025, tackling plastic in the oceans, combatting wildlife crime and preventing pandemics.

The IUCN will also, for the first time in its seven-decade history, welcome indigenous peoples to share their deep knowledge on how best to heal the natural world as voting members.

© 2021 AFP

S.Africa's lions prosper with careful watch and fenceless park

Issued on: 03/09/2021 - 12:00

Lions are doing 'incredibly well' at the Balule reserve because they have enough space to operate, says warden Ian Nowak 

LUCA SOLA AFP


Balule (Afrique du Sud) (AFP)

At sunset, a buffalo calf's distressed grunts reverberate through the bush.

But it's a trick.

The grunts are blaring from a loudspeaker, designed to lure lions to a tree and let a South African wildlife reserve carry out a census of its apex predator.

As an added enticement, the carcasses of two impalas are affixed to a tree. The scent promises a fresh meal.

In the headlights of a 4x4, armed rangers with night binoculars and torches watch over the scene.

"We know our lions, but with this process, we verify them," says Ian Nowak, head warden at the Balule Nature Reserve.

A wildlife researcher next to him listens intently, her ears tuned to clues from the nocturnal sounds.

That's how she knows a rumbling is from elephants grazing in the tall grass. And that's how she knows when to raise her camera to photograph lions, looking for distinctive scars or peculiar ears -- anything that identifies them for the count.

Grunts of distressed buffalo calfs and impala carcasses are used to attract predators during a census LUCA SOLA AFP

This job requires patience. The team once spotted 23 lions ripping into the bait.

"They growl and they fight. Then they lie down and eat," Nowak whispers. "It can be quite a frenzy on the bait. They smack each other and then settle down."

- Don't fence them in -

At 55,000 hectares (136,000 acres), Balule is huge -- yet it connects with an even bigger ecosystem that, all told, is almost the size of Belgium.

Balule and other nearby game farms have transitioned into nature reserves, joining up with the Kruger National Park to create a vast territory without internal fences, covering 2.5 million hectares, that extends to Mozambique.

The Balule Nature Reserve is part of an ecosystem the size of Belgium 

LUCA SOLA AFP

To create such enormous space for wildlife is a rare success story these days.

Conservationists meeting in Marseille, southern France, are deeply worried for Africa's "big cats", facing loss of habitat and human encroachment as well as poaching.

Balule is so big that its census-takers have to criss-cross the terrain to make the count as thorough as possible.

"Sometimes they've eaten. If they're full, they don't come," Nowak said. "Especially the males, they're lazy as hell."

Twenty years ago, Balule was mostly farmland and lions were few.

Lions are not the only animals thriving in the Balule reserve

 LUCA SOLA AFP

Last year, the census found 156 of the lordly beasts.

"Lions are doing incredibly well, mainly because there's a large enough space to operate," Nowak says.

Overall, the news is good for lions in South Africa, thanks to government conservation efforts -- helped by the inducement of tourists who are willing pay to see the animals. Private investors have also stepped in.

A years-long drought has also been a boost. Antelopes and buffalo did not have enough to eat, making them easier prey for large carnivores.

- 'Lions don't share' -

The loudspeaker rumbles again with the recording of the injured buffalo calf. This time, a small jackal appears, hoping for a nibble. At the slightest sound, it dashes away.

The wildlife researcher detects another movement in her thermal binoculars. The headlights flash back on, illuminating the majestic mane of a lion approaching stealthily, careful but calm.

Last year's census found 156 lions in Balule, an area that was mostly farmland 20 years ago LUCA SOLA AFP

"He's initially cautious," says Nick Leuenberger, one of the regional wardens. "He doesn't know if he'll be walking in on another pride."

"Lions defend their food, they don't share," he adds.

"Here the lion tolerates the jackal. He knows he's not a major threat to his food source."

Suddenly, the lion leaps up to one of the suspended impalas, biting into its belly. After his meal, he lies at the foot of the tree.

Now the team can move on. No other animals will dare approach.

The next night, seven hyenas take turns snipping at the fresh impala, without a lion in sight.

But on the way back, the 4x4 slams the brakes. To the left, a hippo roars furiously, its mouth wide open.

To the right, seven lionesses raise their heads above the grassline. A magical sight, but no danger to the hippo. Nowak says it would take at least twice as many lions to threaten the hippo.

The tension eases. A lion emerges from the brush and walks along the trail. A lioness joins him, and the 4x4 follows them slowly until they disappear into the night.

© 2021 AFP

German climate groups plan legal action against car giants

Issued on: 03/09/2021 -

Green groups hope to get German carmakers to commit to more ambitious targets for reducing carbon emissions, including ending production of fossil-fuel cars by 2030

 Ina Fassbender dpa/AFP/File

Frankfurt (AFP)

German environmental groups on Friday announced a legal offensive against car giants Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW to force them to reduce emissions faster, emboldened by recent court victories in favour of climate protection.

Greenpeace Germany and Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) said they have sent a claim letter to the three carmakers asking them to commit to more ambitious targets for reducing carbon emissions, including ending production of fossil-fuel cars by 2030.

If they do not respond to the letter in the coming weeks and halt their "illegal behaviour", the NGOs said they are ready to file lawsuits in court.

"We are holding those companies to account that have been destroying our climate for years," DUH executive director Sascha Mueller-Kraenner told a press conference.

While all three car companies have announced plans to transition from diesel and petrol cars to more environmentally-friendly electric vehicles, the plaintiffs say their goals are vague and non-binding.

"The companies' electrification plans are not ambitious enough and too slow. They won't be enough to avert the climate crisis," said Greenpeace's Martin Kaiser.

A fourth company, German oil and gas firm Wintershall Dea, is also being targeted in the legal proceedings for its role in the climate emergency.

The complaints, if they go ahead, would be a first in Germany.

The plaintiffs are basing their case on a landmark verdict by Germany's constitutional court in April which found that Germany's plans to curb CO2 emissions were insufficient to meet the targets of the Paris climate agreement and placed an unfair burden on future generations.

In a major win for activists, Chancellor Angela Merkel's government then brought forward its date for carbon neutrality by five years to 2045, and raised its 2030 target for greenhouse gas reductions.

Greenpeace's Kaiser said the plaintiffs also received "a tailwind" from a court ruling in the Netherlands in May, which ordered oil giant Shell to slash its carbon emissions by 2030.

- 'No basis' -

Fridays for Future activist Clara Mayer, who is acting as a plaintiff in the case against VW, said recent deadly floods in western Germany had shown that the climate emergency "is now right outside our front door".

She said VW, as one of the world's largest carmakers and a major CO2 emitter, had "an immense responsibility".

The 12-brand group, which also includes Audi, Porsche and Skoda, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler said it "sees no basis" for the injunction demand and vowed to defend itself "through all legal means" should it come to a lawsuit.

Luxury carmaker BMW reiterated that the company was committed to the Paris climate agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels.

The spectre of legal action against the car manufacturers comes just days before the IAA auto show, one of the world's largest, opens its doors in Munich.

Climate campaigners have vowed to stage protests to disrupt the event.

© 2021 AFP

Partially shredded Banksy painting to go back on sale


Issued on: 03/09/2021 - 

The painting, originally entitled 'Girl with Balloon', sold for nearly £1.1 million almost three years ago 

Tolga Akmen AFP


London (AFP)

A canvas by British artist Banksy, which was partially shredded moments after selling at auction in 2018, will go back under the hammer next month, Sotheby's said on Friday.

The artwork -- now called "Love is in the Bin" -- will be offered for sale by the London auction house on October 14, with an estimated selling price of £4-6 million ($6-8 million, 5-7 million euros).

The painting, originally entitled "Girl with Balloon", sold for nearly £1.1 million at the same location in October 2018 and is now being resold by the unnamed collector who purchased it.

The canvas unexpectedly passed through a shredder hidden in the large Victorian-style frame moments after bidding ended, partially destroying it and stunning the art world.

The prank was orchestrated by the elusive and irreverent Banksy, whose identity is said to be known to only a handful of friends.

"That surreal evening three years ago, I became the accidental -- but very privileged -- owner of 'Love is in the Bin'," the collector said in a statement released by Sotheby's.

"It has been an incredible journey to have been part of the story of how one of the most famous artworks in the world came to be, but now it is time to let the painting go."

The part-shredded canvas, which was exhibited for a month at a museum in Germany in 2019, depicts a small child reaching up toward a heart-shaped red balloon.

It was originally stencilled on a wall in east London and has been endlessly reproduced, becoming one of Banksy's best-known images.

The painting will go on public display at Sotheby's in London for two days from Saturday, before embarking on a global tour to Hong Kong, Taipei and New York ahead of returning to the British capital.

Alex Branczik, Sotheby's contemporary art chairman, said Banksy's stunt at its last sale "did not so much destroy an artwork by shredding it, but instead created one".

"Today this piece is considered heir to a venerated legacy of anti-establishment art," he added, calling it "the ultimate Banksy artwork and a true icon of recent art history".

The shredding was the latest in a long history of unpredictable moves by the street artist, who rose to fame for his stencilled graffiti pieces, often highly satirical, on buildings in Britain and worldwide.

His latest works have appeared recently in several British seaside towns.

Meanwhile in March, a work honouring caregivers during the pandemic fetched a record £14.4 million at auction, which was donated to the National Health Service.

© 2021 AFP

 

THE LANCET DIABETES & ENDOCRINOLOGY: Mortality risk in transgender people twice as high as cisgender people, data spanning five decades suggests

Peer-Reviewed Publication

THE LANCET

Peer-reviewed / Observational study / People

• Retrospective analysis of data from 4,568 transgender people in the Netherlands recorded between 1972 and 2018 indicates an approximately two-fold increased mortality risk compared with cis men and cis women that did not decrease over time.
• Increased mortality among transgender women compared to cis men and cis women showed greater risks of death due to cardiovascular disease, HIV-related disease, lung cancer, and suicide.
• In transgender men, increased mortality compared with cis women showed greater mortality risk due to suicide and other non-natural causes of death. No differences in mortality risk were observed compared with cis men.
• Most causes of death observed were not related to gender-affirming hormone treatment, highlighting the importance of increasing social acceptance and improving health care for transgender people.

Transgender people are twice as likely to die compared to cis men and cis women, according to an analysis of national data from the Netherlands spanning five decades. The findings, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, indicate that the heightened mortality risk among transgender people did not decrease between 1972 and 2018, highlighting a pressing need for action to address these long-standing and significant health disparities.

Previous studies have reported increased mortality rates among transgender people, however, it was not known whether this trend has changed over the past few decades.

Lead author Professor Martin den Heijer, of Amsterdam UMC, the Netherlands, said: “The findings of our large, nationwide study highlight a substantially increased mortality risk among transgender people that has persisted for decades. Increasing social acceptance, and monitoring and treatment for cardiovascular disease, tobacco use, and HIV, will continue to be important factors that may contribute to decreasing mortality risk in transgender people.

“Gender-affirming hormone treatment is thought to be safe, and most causes of death in the cohort were not related to this. However, as there is insufficient evidence at present to determine their long-term safety, more research is needed to fully establish whether they in any way affect mortality risk for transgender people.” [1]

Transgender people can undergo medical therapies that bring about physical changes that more closely match their gender identity. These typically include gender-affirming hormone therapy and surgery. Transgender men receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy are usually treated with testosterone to promote the development of masculine features, while transgender women typically receive antiandrogens and oestrogens, which induce feminine physical characteristics.

The study cohort consisted of 4,568 adult transgender people (2,927 transgender women and 1,641 transgender men) who had attended the gender identity clinic at Amsterdam UMC between 1972 and 2018, and were receiving gender-affirming hormone treatment. Data was gathered from medical files on participants’ age at the start of hormone treatment, the type of treatment, smoking habits, medical history, and the last date of follow-up. The average age at the start of hormone treatment was 30 years in transgender women and 23 years in transgender men. The average follow-up time in transgender women was 11 years and 5 years in transgender men.

The ratio of deaths among transgender men and transgender women compared to rates for the adult Dutch population were calculated using data held by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), which holds a record of all death of residents of the Netherlands. Where possible, mortality risk was divided into categories including cardiovascular disease, infection, cancer, and non-natural causes including suicides. Data on cause of death (if known) was available from 1996 onwards.

During follow-up, 317 (10.8%) transgender women and 44 (2.7%) transgender men died, resulting in an overall mortality of 628 deaths per 100,000 people per year.

Mortality risk was almost double among transgender women compared to men in the general Dutch population, and nearly three times greater compared to cis women (ratios of 1.8 and 2.8, respectively). Mortality risk did not decrease over the five decades included in the analysis.

Compared with cis men, transgender women had 1.4 times greater risk of death because of cardiovascular disease (1.4 mortality ratio). Mortality risk was almost double for lung cancer (2.0 ratio), more than five times greater for infection (5.4 ratio), and nearly three times as high for non-natural causes of death (2.7 ratio). The greatest mortality risk from infection was associated with HIV-related disease, at nearly 15 times higher than for cis men (14.7 ratio). For non-natural causes of death, the greatest risk was suicide, at three times greater than for cis men (3.1 ratio).

Compared with cis women, transgender women were more than two times as likely to die of cardiovascular disease (2.6 ratio). They were three times more likely to die from lung cancer (3.1 ratio), almost nine times more likely to die from infection (8.7 ratio), and six times more likely to die from non-natural causes (6.1 ratio). Heart attacks accounted for the greatest risk of death from cardiovascular disease, at three times higher than for cis women (3.0 ratio). Mortality risk from HIV-related disease was close to 50 times higher than for cis women (47.6 ratio), while the risk of suicide was almost 7 times greater (6.8 ratio).

Mortality risk in transgender men was similar to cis men (1.1 ratio) but almost double compared to cis women (1.6 ratio). Mortality risk for transgender men did not decrease over the five decades studied. Mortality risk in transgender men who started hormone treatment between 1990 and 2000 was two and half times as high as cis women (2.6 ratio). Compared to cis women, mortality risk for transgender men was more than double from 2000 to 2010 and 2010 to 2018 (2.1 and 2.4 ratios, respectively). Transgender men were at more than three times greater risk of death from non-natural causes (3.3 ratio) than cis women. No increased mortality risk was observed compared with cis men.

First author Christel de Blok, of Amsterdam UMC, the Netherlands, said: “We found that most suicides and deaths related to HIV occurred in the first decades we studied, suggesting that greater social acceptance and access to support, and improved treatments for HIV, may have played an important role in reducing deaths related to these causes among transgender people in recent years. It was surprising that mortality risk was higher in transgender people who started gender-affirming hormone treatment in the past two decades, but this may be due to changes in clinical practice. In the past, health care providers were reluctant to provide hormone treatment to people with a history of comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease. However, because of the many benefits of enabling people to access hormone therapy, nowadays this rarely results in treatment being denied.” [1]

The authors acknowledge some limitations. The occurrence and causes of death were well documented, however, it cannot be ruled out that other factors not recorded in medical files may contribute to increased mortality risk. As there were relatively few deaths among transgender men in the cohort, analysis on cause of death was limited. Although the cohort included people with a wide age rage, the population was relatively young. Analysis of data on transgender youth was also not possible as the young people in the cohort were very diverse, starting hormone therapy at different ages and stages of puberty. As this study focused only on transgender people who received treatment in the Netherlands, more than 90% of which were white, the authors say the data should be interpreted with caution in other regions.

Writing in a linked Comment, Dr Vin Tangpricha of Emory University, USA, who was not involved in the study, addresses the subject of gender-affirming hormone therapy, saying: “Increased publication of data on the safety of gender-affirming hormone therapy in the transgender population, which is lifesaving for many people, is encouraging. Continued refinement of delivery of care for transgender people will help to improve the lives of a clinically vulnerable growing population.”

On observed disparities between transgender women and transgender men, Dr Tangpricha says: “Transgender men do not appear to have as significantly increased comorbidity following receipt of gender-affirming hormone therapy when compared with transgender women. These results could reflect the use of an established regimen of testosterone administration extrapolated from hypogonadal men. The differences could also reflect disparities in the access of health care, differences in the effect of sex hormones on cardiometabolic risk profile, differences in body composition, or societal factors. Future studies should examine which factors—hormone regimen, hormone concentrations, access to health care, or other biological factors—explain the increased risk of morbidity and mortality observed in transgender women as opposed to transgender men.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

No funding was received for this study. It was conducted by researchers from Amsterdam UMC, Netherlands.

If you are reporting on this study, please consider including a link to information and support for your readers.
In the USA, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be contacted on 1-800-273-8255 or visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/. 
In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email: jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org 
For those outside the USA and UK, Befrienders Worldwide also provide support: http://www.befrienders.org/ 

Guidance on appropriate language use when discussing transgender health: https://epath.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/language-and-trans-health.pdf 

The labels have been added to this press release as part of a project run by the Academy of Medical Sciences seeking to improve the communication of evidence. For more information, please see: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/AMS-press-release-labelling-system-GUIDANCE.pdf if you have any questions or feedback, please contact The Lancet press office pressoffice@lancet.com

[1] Quote direct from author and cannot be found in the text of the Article.

The labels have been added to this press release as part of a project run by the Academy of Medical Sciences seeking to improve the communication of evidence. For more information, please see: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/AMS-press-release-labelling-system-GUIDANCE.pdf if you have any questions or feedback, please contact The Lancet press office pressoffice@lancet.com  

 

IF YOU WISH TO PROVIDE A LINK FOR YOUR READERS, PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING, WHICH WILL GO LIVE AT THE TIME THE EMBARGO LIFTS: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(21)00185-6/fulltext 

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DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(21)00185-6 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Mortality trends over five decades in adult transgender people receiving hormone treatment: a report from the Amsterdam cohort of gender dysphoria

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Sep-2021

COI STATEMENT

We declare no competing interests.

 

Hotter weather is linked to increases in COPD exacerbations

Reports and Proceedings

EUROPEAN LUNG FOUNDATION

 

IMAGE: DR SUPAKSH GUPTA view more 

CREDIT: DR SUPAKSH GUPTA

Warmer weather is linked to a worsening of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms, according to research to be presented on Sunday at the ‘virtual’ European Respiratory Society International Congress [1].

 

Analysis of data from 1,177 current and former smokers with COPD in the USA showed that approximately two days after an increase in ambient temperatures, there was an increase in COPD exacerbations.

 

Dr Supaksh Gupta, a pulmonary and critical care fellow at the University of Washington, USA, told the Congress: “We found that each one-degree Celsius increase in ambient temperature was associated with a 2% increase in the likelihood of COPD exacerbations in the following two days among this group of patients.

 

“This study is one of the few to explore the impact of ambient temperature on the risk of COPD exacerbations in a group of people with established COPD for whom we have detailed medical information. Overall, it contributes to the emerging body of knowledge regarding ambient temperature and risk of COPD-related health problems. A major strength of the study is the number of people included, who live in various major US towns and cities.

 

“Other studies have shown a connection between extreme heat exposure and increased risk of health problems and death in people with COPD. There are concerns that these problems will accelerate with the ongoing and worsening climate crisis. Therefore, it is important to quantify the health risks associated with changes in ambient temperature, while also determining who is most at risk to inform policy-makers and healthcare providers.”

 

Dr Gupta and colleagues looked at current and former smokers who had enrolled in the SubPopulations and InteRmediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study (SPIROMICS) between 2010 and 2015, and who had had at least one COPD exacerbation since joining the study. They assessed the risk of COPD exacerbations based on local, ambient temperatures recorded on the day of the exacerbation and in the preceding seven days.

 

The average age of the participants was 64 and the average time to the first exacerbation was 603 days (just over a year and a half). The risk of exacerbations increased with increasing temperatures during the preceding six days, with the highest risk two days after temperatures rose. The researchers were able to adjust their results to take account of humidity levels, which have been implicated in the risk of exacerbations.

 

“Our findings raise concerns about the risk of increased exacerbations with climate change. While not conclusive, the study suggests that those living with COPD may want to avoid exposure to adverse and extreme environmental conditions by limiting outdoor activities during periods of elevated temperatures relative to normal. Moreover, while not within the scope of this paper but based on previously existing literature, those who reside in areas with increased temperature, or increased temperature variability, may benefit from access to indoor air cooling,” said Dr Gupta.

 

The mechanisms involved in the link between heat and COPD exacerbations are not entirely understood, but may include hyperventilation, which increases the possibility of a process called dynamic hyperinflation. During dynamic hyperinflation, a person does not exhale completely before starting to inhale again. This can lead to less efficient and effective breaths. At its extreme, dynamic hyperinflation could lead to increased pressure in the chest cavity and a subsequent decrease in blood flow back to the heart. Elderly patients are also less able to adjust their body temperatures and maintain adequate hydration. Additionally, some asthma studies have suggested that breathing hot, humid air can result in constriction of the airways.

 

Dr Gupta concluded: “I wanted to contribute to research involving a disease process that affects the lives of many of my patients. My goal is to help inform our understanding of the ongoing climate crisis on healthcare outcomes and utilisation. I hope our research will help guide public policy recommendations and promote health precaution guidelines for people with COPD during periods of increased ambient temperature.”

 

Zorana J. Andersen, who was not involved in the study, is Chair of the European Respiratory Society Environment and Health Committee Chair and Professor in Environmental Epidemiology at the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She said: “The climate emergency is proving to have far-reaching effects in areas of everyday life where it might not necessarily be expected to have an impact. This study offers a fascinating insight into the way it could be affecting the lives of people living with COPD and is yet more proof of the urgent need to tackle climate change and the world’s rising temperatures.”

 

(ends)

 

[1] Abstract no: OA103, “Effects of ambient temperature on COPD symptoms and exacerbations in the SubPopulations and InteRmediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study (SPIROMICS) cohort”, presented by Supaksh Gupta. Environment and respiratory health session, 09:30-11:00 CEST on Sunday 5 September 2021, https://k4.ersnet.org/prod/v2/Front/Program/Session?e=262&session=13719

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METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

COI STATEMENT

The SubPopulations and InteRmediate Outcome Measures In COPD Study (SPIROMICS) cohort, the dataset for which this study was conducted, is funded by the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the COPD Foundation. SPIROMICS was supported by contracts and grants from the US National Institutes for Health (NIH), supplemented by contributions made through the Foundation for the NIH and the COPD Foundation.

Mountaintop mining causes 40% loss of aquatic biodiversity

Environmental scan of DNA turns up 10,000 species living in streams

Peer-Reviewed Publication

DUKE UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: MOUNTAINTOP MINING THREATENS STREAMS IN THE APPALACHIAN REGION, A GLOBAL HOTSPOT OF BIODIVERSITY. view more 

CREDIT: CREDIT: DAVID HERASIMTSCHUK, FRESHWATERS ILLUSTRATED

DURHAM, N.C. – Trickling down over rocks, surrounded by wildflowers and ferns, Appalachian mountain streams are chock-full of life. They hold some of the world’s greatest diversity of freshwater animals, including many species that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

But this biological diversity is severely threatened by mountaintop coal mining, whose downstream pollution impacts many of these species, according to a study in the September 2021 issue of the journal Ecological Applications.

Researchers found  that the effects of mountaintop coal mining are even more widespread than previously reported: Streams from heavily mined watersheds harbor 40% fewer species than streams with cleaner water.

That lost biodiversity includes fish, macro-invertebrates (such as insects, clams and crustaceans), algae, fungi, bacteria, unicellular organisms called protists, and more. In other words: it isn’t just the particularly sensitive species that are being affected.

“The impacts are really distributed across the whole tree of life,” said Marie Simonin, a researcher at France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) and lead author of the study. 

Simonin and her team looked at 93 streams along a gradient ranging from heavily mined watersheds to relatively pristine streams across the Appalachian range in West Virginia. They found a clear relationship between the density of mining activities and loss of biodiversity: the more mining there is, the fewer species one finds.

“It was really surprising to see how consistent this decline in biodiversity is across all these really different groups of organisms, starting at really low levels of disturbance,” said Emily Bernhardt, Professor and Chair of biology at Duke University and senior author of the paper.

The results highlight another concerning pattern: significant diversity loss was detected in streams whose water was still far below the maximum disturbance standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“A very small increase in mining activities in the watershed is already too much,” Simonin said.

This means that the detrimental effects of pollutants in aquatic species start at much lower concentrations that previously assumed.

“By the time you get to the EPA’s reference point, you've already lost most of the species you're going to lose,” Bernhardt said.

Although biodiversity loss due to mining had been shown in several groups of species separately, this study stands out by looking at the whole tree of life at once, in the same streams, at the same time. To do this, the team used an innovative method called environmental DNA (eDNA), which measures fragments of genetic materials that organisms leave behind in their environment.

This DNA could originate from excrement, lost bits of skin or scales, or from unicellular organisms. To collect it, researchers gathered water samples from each stream and filtered them through extremely fine filters. DNA stays stuck on the filters, and can then be extracted, sequenced, and sorted.

Groups of organisms, such as algae for example, share common genes, or segments of genes. By comparing the DNA obtained from the filters with DNA known to belong to a certain species or groups of species, scientists can determine what is hanging out in each stream, not unlike CSI agents running samples through their databases (but with far less drama).

This method holds huge promise for biodiversity assessments and water quality impacts.

“eDNA is an inexpensive approach that can provide substantial insights into drivers of biodiversity,” Bernhardt said. “It can open the possibility for monitoring water quality impacts over a much larger number of rivers across the globe.”

The results obtained with eDNA are well in line with those obtained with more traditional methods, with a fraction of the work. As an example, the team detected 28 species of fish in all 93 sampled mined streams by using eDNA. That is comparable with previous studies that had painstakingly collected, counted and identified the fish diversity of the same region. eDNA provided a much quicker and less invasive method of diversity assessment, with similar results.

“You take a very small amount of water and you're able to see the impact on all those organisms. You don't need to kill any animals, you don't need a huge team of people skilled in identifying all of these species, everybody could do the field work,” Simonin said. “This can really change the scale at which we can monitor biodiversity.”

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This research was funded by NSF Grant No. EAR-1417405.

CITATION: “Consistent Declines in Aquatic Biodiversity Across Diverse Domains of Life in Rivers Impacted by Surface Coal Mining,” M. Simonin, J. D. Rocca, J. R. Gerson, E. Moore, A. C. Brooks, L. Czaplicki, M. R. V. Ross, N. Fierer, J. M. Craine, E. S. Bernhardt. Ecological Applications, June 17, 2021 (first published). DOI: 10.1002/eap.2389

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JOURNAL

Ecological Applications

DOI

10.1002/eap.2389 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Consistent Declines in Aquatic Biodiversity Across Diverse Domains of Life in Rivers Impacted by Surface Coal Mining

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

17-Jun-2021

COI STATEMENT

This research was funded by NSF Grant No. EAR-1417405.

 

Do we need an IPCC for food?

An intergovernmental body that sets Paris Agreement-style targets for global food system transformation may help both people and planet. But needs a critical rethink to ensure legitimacy and impact

Peer-Reviewed Publication

THE ALLIANCE OF BIOVERSITY INTERNATIONAL AND THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR TROPICAL AGRICULTURE

 

IMAGE: A FOOD MARKET IN THE COLOMBIAN ANDES view more 

CREDIT: ALLIANCE OF BIOVERSITY INTERNATIONAL AND CIAT/N.PALMER

The first United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), scheduled for September, could be as historic to food system transformation as the Rio Earth Summit of 1992 was to climate change. Rio sparked the creation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, which has brought scientists and governments around the world together and has greatly increased consensus and understanding of the severity of our global climate crisis. Its Sixth Assessment Report, released this year, was its greatest call to action yet: climate change is widespread, rapid and intensifying.

While energy takes center stage in climate discussions, a growing number of scientists have shown that food systems are a major contributor to biodiversity loss and climate change. Today’s food systems are also terribly unequal and unhealthy for humans: diet-related disease remains the primary cause of premature mortality globally. The COVID-19 pandemic, conflict and climate change are exacerbated increasing hunger – some 900 million people today are food insecure. Four billion people struggle to access sufficient, and healthy diets, contributing to a public global health crisis that endangers global health even more than the pandemic.

As the human population continues to skyrocket and the climate crisis threatens food production, global action is needed. Would an IPCC for food be part of the answer? Writing in Science’s Policy Forum this week, researchers discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks that such a global food panel could bring.

“Science needs to be better integrated with policy and action,” said Fabrice DeClerck, a researcher at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT contributing to the paper. While many global organizations prioritize food system transformation, including One CGIAR and the EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health, none have the authority to bring together 196 nations like the IPCC did to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the legally binding Paris Agreement of 2016.

But action on food is as urgent as action on climate. The IPCC’s accomplishments have taken decades of drawn-out negotiations, and we don’t have this luxury for food if we are going to achieve 2030 goals. DeClerck and co-authors suggest that a diverse set of leading food-focused groups could be integrated under a United Nations-style framework to be nimble enough to reach a faster consensus on the major challenges facing food.

Everyone’s knowledge matters

The run-up to the UNFSS has already faced obstacles. As the authors note, some feel that the UNFSS is too focused on technology, or member state driven solutions and excludes many stakeholders, including the globe’s roughly 500 million smallholder farmers and low-income consumers who are at the highest risk of malnutrition and hunger.

For this reason, the authors suggest, we need a knowledge-policy interface that is more inclusive of the food systems’ myriad players.

“We have a tendency to say that scientific knowledge is the only valid knowledge out there,” said DeClerck, who is also the science director at the EAT Forum. “But there is also much indigenous knowledge and local knowledge that can be drawn upon to create robust food system assessments that are more inclusive.”

It is also critical for economic, social and behavioral sciences to be part of global food assessments, which are often led by biophysical, nutritional and climate scientists.

The authors propose three key considerations for an IPCC for food. The first is to understand what already exists in terms of expert knowledge, including the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE), which an existing and important science-policy interface of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS). The second is to understand that “if pluralism, equitable participation, and inclusion of diverse forms of knowledge cannot be ensured, a new platform could do more harm than good.” Finally, effective food system governance cannot be based strictly on scientific input, but interaction between science and action.

“Fostering a just and sustainable global food system requires commitment, political will, and the participation of governments and stakeholders,” say the authors. “The implicit suggestion in many science-policy interface initiatives that the synthesis, assessment, and communication of knowledge will strengthen governance in and of itself is misguided and overly simplistic, and it risks detracting attention away from actual policy action.”

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JOURNAL

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.abj5263 

ARTICLE TITLE

Do we need a new science-policy interface for food systems?

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

2-Sep-2021

 

Reclamation awards $3.1 million in grants to develop water data, modeling and forecasting tools and information for water managers

Grant and Award Announcement

BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

 

IMAGE: INFORMATION GATHERING TOOLS HELP INFORM AND SUPPORT WATER MANAGEMENT DECISIONS. view more 

CREDIT: DAVID WALSH, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

The Bureau of Reclamation selected 20 projects to share $3.1 million in applied science grants to develop tools and information to support water management decisions. These projects in 11 western states include improved water data, modeling and forecasting capabilities.

"Water managers today need more accurate and reliable information to make the best water management decisions in a changing climate," said Chief Engineer David Raff. "Applied Science Grants are an important tool to assist water managers getting the information they need so they can make those informed decisions."

Projects selected range from $48,000 for the Big Bend Conservation Alliance in Texas to develop a common data management platform for shared aquifers to several receiving the maximum of $200,000. Texas A&M University-Kingsville is receiving $107,497 to develop a web-based tool to simulate post-wildfire hydrologic changes in Northwest Montana.

To view a complete description of all the selected projects, please visit https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/appliedscience.

Applied Science Grants are for non-federal entities to develop tools and information to support water management for multiple uses. Selected projects must provide at least a 50% non-federal cost-share. Project types include:

• Enhancing modeling capabilities to improve water supply reliability and increase flexibility in water operations.
• Improving or adapting forecasting tools and technologies to enhance management of water supplies and reservoir operations.
• Improving access to and use of water resources data or developing new data types to inform water management decisions.

For more than 100 years, Reclamation and its partners have developed sustainable water and power future for the West. This program is part of the Department of the Interior's WaterSMART Program, which focuses on improving water conservation and reliability while helping water resource managers make sound decisions about water use. To find out more information about Reclamation's WaterSMART program, visit https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart.

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Wing shape determines how far birds disperse

A ROM study found that flight efficiency estimated from museum specimens can predict bird dispersal distances

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

 

IMAGE: VARIOUS WING SHAPES FROM BIRDS IN ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM COLLECTIONS. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO BY SANTIAGO CLARAMUNT. © ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

Bird dispersal movements are thought to depend on complex demographic and genetic factors. Dr. Santiago Claramunt, Associate Curator of Birds at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of the University of Toronto, shows that there may be a simpler explanation: bird dispersal distances depend on the morphology and flight efficiency of the wings. The study, “Flight efficiency explains differences in natal dispersal distances in birds”, was published in the journal Ecology.

When a bird moves to establish a new breeding territory, how far does it go? This is a simple but fundamental question in ecology and evolution. Despite great advances in tracking technologies, we know little about the movement of young birds. Natal dispersal, the movement of birds from the place where they were born to a new breeding site, has important consequences for bird demography, genetic connectivity, and conservation.

The ability to predict bird dispersal capabilities from wing morphology may have applications in biodiversity conservation, the study concludes. “Climate change and habitat fragmentation are having a huge impact on bird populations and the capacity of species to move across the landscape can determine which species will thrive and which may become endangered. Species with reduced flight capabilities will have a harder time dealing with these impacts.” says Claramunt. Previous studies have shown that flightless birds are more prone to extinction, but birds with poor flight capabilities may be similarly threatened. “By using our museum specimens to estimate flight capabilities we can identify species that would be particularly vulnerable to these conservation challenges.”

The study evaluated the relationship between flight efficiency and natal dispersal distances for 75 bird species in the British Islands using data from the bird-ringing program of the British Trust for Ornithology. Bird wings size and shape were measured from collections held at the Royal Ontario Museum, the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science, and the University of Washington Burke Museum.

Species with elongated wings and efficient flights such as the Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica, disperse long distances while species with short rounded wings such as the House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, remain very close to their nesting site.

Bird aerodynamics studies have long indicated that elongated (high aspect ratio) wings are the most efficient for long distance flights. This new study confirms this prediction in the context of dispersal distances.

CAPTION

Three wing specimens from the Royal Ontario Museum.

CREDIT

Photo by Santiago Claramunt. © Royal Ontario Museum

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JOURNAL

Ecology

DOI

10.1002/ecy.3442 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Flight efficiency explains differences in natal dispersal distances in birds

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

18-Jun-2021

COI STATEMENT

I declare no conflict of interest.