Biodiversity

12 species declared protected

The Environment Ministry today designated protected status to another 12 species under the Environment Protection Act.

The protected species are all types of turtles found in the Maldives, dolphins, napoleon wrasse, giant clams, black coral, whale sharks, conch, all types of whales and corals, sharks, all types of clams, pregnant lobsters and lobsters less than 25 centimetres.

Publication Date: 
22/07/2011
Haveeru Daily (Maldives)
Tags:
Maldives, Dolphin, Whales, Corals, Biodiversity Conservation, Fisheries, Marine Life
Climate Change

Acidic ocean robs coral of vital building material

Carbon dioxide has pillaged the Great Barrier Reef of a compound that corals and many sea creatures need to grow. The finding, from the first survey of ocean acidification around one of the world's greatest natural landmarks, supports fears that the ecosystem is on its last legs.

Publication Date: 
16/04/2011
Wendy Zukerman
New Scientist
210
2808
16
Tags:
Carbon Dioxide, Corals, Climate Change, Marine Ecosystems, Climate Impacts
Water Resources

Invasive seaweed poses threat to coral colonies in Gulf of Mannar

bio-invasion:The exotic seaweed seen on Krusadai Island.
CHENNAI: Coral colonies in the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve are facing serious threat from an invasive seaweed, which is spreading rapidly, say marine researchers, who are worried about the phenomenon.

The bio-invasion by the sea weed, Kappaphycus alvarezii, was spread over only 10 square metres in 2008 in three islands

Publication Date: 
18/03/2011
Hindu (Chennai)
Tags:
Gulf Of Mannar Marine NP, Tamil Nadu, Corals, Marine Life, Biosphere Reserves, Sea Weeds, Marine Ecosystems, UNEP
Climate Change

Permanent El Nio during the Pliocene warm period not supported by coral evidence

Coarse resolution palaeoclimate proxy evidence has suggested that the Pliocene warm period (PWP) between 3 million and 5 million years ago was characterized by permanent El Niño conditions in which the equatorial Pacific was uniformly warm, instead of having the modern-day 'cold tongue' extending westward from South America.

Publication Date: 
10/03/2011
Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Atsushi Suzuki, Shoshiro Minobe & et al
Nature
471
7337
209
Tags:
El Nino, Global Warming, Climate Change, Climate Science, Corals, South Pacific Ocean, Carbon Dioxide
Fisheries

Destructive coral mining flayed

As recently as 100 years ago, an estimated one lakh tigers roamed about in Asia. Today we can only count a few hundreds. For every two tiger skins seized from poachers, there are 20 leopard skins. If this situation continues, many species may become extinct at a rate faster than we can think of,

Publication Date: 
02/03/2011
Hindu (Chennai)
Tags:
Corals, Wildlife, Tamil Nadu, Fisheries, Poaching, Illegal Trade
Wildlife

Critically endangered animal species of India

India has a staggering variety of flora and fauna, including some of the rarest species in existence on the planet. There is so far a paucity of information for the general public on the status, biology, and major threats to the endangered species of our country.

Publication Date: 
01/03/2011
Ministry of Environment and Forests
Tags:
Endangered Species, India, Birds, Mammals, Reptiles, Fish, Amphibians, Corals, Wildlife
Environment

`75% of world coral reefs under threat'

About 75 per cent of the world

Publication Date: 
25/02/2011
Asian Age (New Delhi)
Tags:
Corals, Pollution, Coastal Development, Climate Change
Natural Disasters

Assessment of post tsunami coral reef resource in Pongi Balu coast, south Andaman Islands

In the present study, an assessment of the status of coral reefs along the Pongi Balu coast, south Andaman Islands, which is a part of the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, has been made by scuba diving, low draft glass-bottom boat and visual interpretation in some places during low-tide condition.

Publication Date: 
25/02/2011
Dilip Kumar Jha, N. V. Vinithkumar, J. Santhnakumar & et al
Current Science
100
4
530
Tags:
Tsunami, Corals, Andaman Islands, Mahatma Gandhi Marine NP, Marine Ecosystems, Remote Sensing, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Natural Disasters
Biodiversity

Reefs at risk revisited

This report provides a detailed assessment of the status of & threats to the world’s coral reefs. It evaluates threats to coral reefs from a wide range of human activities, and includes an assessment of climate-related threats to reefs. It also contains global assessment of the vulnerability of nations & territories to coral reef degradation.

Publication Date: 
01/02/2011
& et al, Lauretta Burke, Kathleen Reytar, Mark Spalding
World Resources Institute
Tags:
Corals, Coastal Development, Marine Pollution, Water Pollution, Climate Change, Indian Ocean, Biodiversity

User-based financing of marine protection in the Maldives

Maldivian atolls are known for their beautiful coral structures, fish abundance, white sandy beaches, coastal vegetation and mangroves. This paper provides an economic valuation of the recreational uses of atoll-based marine resources in the Republic of the Maldives.

Publication Date: 
01/02/2011
Mahadev G. Bhat, Ramachandra Bhatta, Mohamed Shumais
SANDEE
Tags:
Marine Ecosystems, Maldives, Corals, Economy, Environment, Finance, Tourism, Protected Area Conservation

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