As cuts take place within the police service one unit – the Wildlife Crime Unit (WCU) of the Metropolitan Police Service - is to be boosted with help from the animal and wildlife charity World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). The … Continue reading
Sumatra Island of Indonesia is an important habitat for the elusive and rare Sumatran tiger but it is also a valuable resource that is essential for the future development of the country. The island is an important place for forestry, … Continue reading
Big game hunting has many supporters and just as many opponents. Many would be happy to see an end to trophy hunting especially the hunting and killing of big cats such as lions. In reality though the trophy hunters bring in … Continue reading
There’s lots of interest at the moment about how humans are impacting on the natural sounds of the oceans and seas. With increasing shipping and use of sonar and other sound based technology the background noise of the marine environment … Continue reading
A study by a team of marine scientists have put the cost of the annual anti-whaling activities by conservation groups at around USD25 million. The problem is that despite this substantial cost the activities have had little real effect. The reality is that despite the occasional successful year the numbers … Continue reading
A survey at two of Tanzania’s wildlife parks revealed a drop in elephant numbers of 42% between 2006 and 2009. This crash of local elephant populations has led to President Jakaya Kikwete to order an investigation into why numbers have dropped … Continue reading
The start of this month has seen a series of raids on markets, shops and restaurants across 4 Asian countries. The raids undertaken by national police and law enforcement officers from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand were co-ordinated and supported … Continue reading
X-ray vans and equipment are normally used in anti-terrorist operations or to tackle smuggling of drugs, weapons and explosives. A few years ago the equipment was large and cumbersome, now it can fit in the back of a small van. … Continue reading
We often think of illegal logging taking place in South America, Asia or Africa. Trees are chopped down for timber or firewood threatening habitats of the local wildlife. Illegal timber thefts and more worryingly chopping down of trees is now happening in the … Continue reading
We could be approaching a defining time for wildlife conservation and China. Over the last few months there are increasing signs that the Chinese authorities are now more willing than just pay lip-service to tackling smuggling of endangered animals and wildlife poaching. The central government of … Continue reading
At a disused oil refinery site in Montreal, Canada, willow trees are growing in highly contaminated soil and deep in the roots the fungi are at work cleaning up the mess humans have left behind. The actions of the fungi … Continue reading
The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently announced another doomsday prediction about the consequences of man made climate change, this time we’ll all be submerged by floods, blown away by storms and then suffer lingering droughts and all because of our … Continue reading
Poaching and the bush-meat trade are getting much higher profiles in wildlife conservation campaigning and fundraising. Bushmeat is certainly putting a strain on some wild animal populations but are some groups forgetting that people need to eat? Lack of bushmeat could increase … Continue reading
A study of residents in Sheffield and Manchester shows that people who live in the urban environment are happy to pay a little extra to bring some greenery to town. The research shows the residents are happy to pay almost … Continue reading
There could finally be a small light at the end of a very long tunnel for Britain’s under 35′s where housing is concerned. We’ve had 13 years of Labour government when meeting housing needs were ignored to fuel a massive debt based economy based on intentional housing … Continue reading
Civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is having a devastating impact on the country’s elephant population. A study by the University of British Columbia that has just been published demonstrates just how bad the situation is. The study looked at the elephant … Continue reading
In a time of extreme pressure on nations budgets the money available to protect and save wildlife needs to be used wisely. A recent survey of wildlife researchers and conservationists have shown the majority — 60% — in favour of … Continue reading
A committee of MPs have basically given the thumbs up to the £32 billion High Speed 2 network. This is great news, we certainly need to move on from our Victorian rail network. However there are much more pressing issues that … Continue reading
Research just undertaken and published by Leeds University seems to indicate that bats avoid roads and motorways. This is an important piece of research as the cost of bat bridges and mitigation methods spiral even higher than most bats fly. Was the … Continue reading
Has President Sata’s decision to disband the board of the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) emboldened elephant poachers and given them confidence to take on the park rangers. Within days of the President’s announcement 2 ZAWA rangers were shot dead in separate but related incidents. … Continue reading
