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tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:/xml/Fragmentation1 Fragmentation news from mongabay.com 2015-05-08T15:28:09Z tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/14770 2015-05-08T15:13:00Z 2015-05-08T15:28:09Z Energy Sprawl: Comparing biodiversity impacts of oil, gas and wind production

Energy has become a contentious and politicized topic, spurring activism, whether it be the fossil fuel divestment campaign, Keystone pipeline protests, or concern over wind turbine harm to birds. But whatever energy future we choose, two things are clear: an expanding human population will need more energy, and no matter what energy source we pick, it will have landscape-scale impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Brittany Stewart tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/14524 2015-03-24T01:52:00Z 2015-03-24T01:57:58Z World's fragmented forests are deteriorating

The world's forests are fragmented and deteriorating, states a new paper published in Science Advances. After analyzing satellite imagery and compiling data from long-term fragmentation studies, the authors conclude that 70 percent of remaining forest land exists within 1 km of an edge, which negatively impacts their fauna, flora, and ecosystem services. Rhett Butler -11.286796 -56.144168 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/14165 2014-12-17T17:47:00Z 2015-02-06T15:06:52Z Deforestation taking toll on nesting birds in Cameroon

The tropical montane forests of the Cameroon mountain ranges boast fertile volcanic soils, high biodiversity of grasses and non-woody plants, as well as many endemic bird species that can be found only in this high-altitude region. Yet, many of these endemic bird species may be at risk due to increased nest predation linked with human-induced forest degradation, according to a new study. Morgan Erickson-Davis 6.660889 10.235211 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13893 2014-10-09T13:13:00Z 2014-12-30T22:31:05Z Forest fragmentation's carbon bomb: 736 million tonnes C02 annually Scientists have long known that forest fragments are not the same ecologically as intact forest landscapes. When forests are slashed into fragments, winds dry out the edges leading to dying trees and rising temperatures. Biodiversity often drops, while local extinctions rise and big animals vanish. Now, a new study finds another worrisome impact of forest fragmentation: carbon emissions. Jeremy Hance -2.918691 -44.748354 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13819 2014-09-23T20:18:00Z 2014-09-23T20:35:06Z Fragmented forests hurt some bat species, may benefit others

Development of roads and other structures disturb large, continuous patches of habitat for wildlife. This habitat fragmentation is one of the biggest contributors to species extinction, as the local ecology and species interactions are altered. A new study finds that leaf-nosed bat abundances in Mexico are closely linked to how sensitive each species is to habitat fragmentation. Tiffany Roufs 17.163800 -96.689228 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13663 2014-08-13T20:44:00Z 2015-04-20T15:41:02Z 'Natural Reserves' no more: illegal colonists deforest huge portions of Nicaraguan protected areas

In southeastern Nicaragua, abutting the coastal Caribbean town of Bluefields, lie two nature reserves - Cerro Silva and Punta Gorda - that are embroiled in a bitter battle for survival against the speedily encroaching agricultural frontier. The forest is all but decimated here, with disconnected patches whose very existence rests precariously in the hands of its occupiers - both legal and illegal. Morgan Erickson-Davis 11.435397 -84.015472 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13660 2014-08-13T17:37:00Z 2014-11-25T22:14:11Z Titanium vs. Millipedes: new species discovered in Madagascar threatened by mining

A team of scientists from the United States and Germany has recently described seven new species of Malagasy giant pill-millipede. All but one of these species are considered "microendemics," in that they have only been found in small, isolated forest patches. Morgan Erickson-Davis -24.544962 45.285388 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13522 2014-07-09T22:24:00Z 2014-11-06T17:39:12Z The last best place no more: massive deforestation destroying prime chimp habitat in Uganda

The Kafu River, which is about 180 kilometers (110 miles) long, is part of a vast chimpanzee habitat that includes forest reserves and several unofficial protected areas. However, this region of Uganda is losing a significant portion of valuable chimpanzee habitat, and at least 20 percent of the forest cover along the Kafu River has disappeared since 2001. Morgan Erickson-Davis 1.442119 31.210102 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13448 2014-06-25T19:39:00Z 2014-11-25T22:25:32Z Size matters: small animals abundant in fragmented forests, large animals not

Habitat fragmentation and hunting are both distinct critical issues facing forests today that require their own countermeasures. Yet, much research has chosen to conflate the two, potentially leading to ineffective ecosystem management. According to a new study, the interaction of both factors can contradict the effects of hunting and fragmentation alone, revealing a research and management gap that urgently needs to be filled. Morgan Erickson-Davis -16.988974 -59.330647 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13401 2014-06-17T20:02:00Z 2014-11-25T23:15:06Z Feather forensics: scientist uses genes to track macaws, aid bird conservation

When a massive road project connected the ports of Brazil to the shipping docks of Peru in 2011, conservationists predicted widespread impacts on wildlife. Roads are a well-documented source of habitat fragmentation, interfering with access to available habitat for many terrestrial and tree-dwelling species. However, it wasn't clear whether or not birds are able to fly over these barriers. Morgan Erickson-Davis -11.854049 -70.857122 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13336 2014-06-04T02:15:00Z 2014-06-04T17:39:57Z Intact Amazon forests show possible signs of global warming impact

Climate change may be taking a hidden toll on intact rainforests in the heart of the Amazon, finds a new study based on 35 years of observations. The research, published in the journal Ecology, focused on the ecological impacts of fragmentation but unexpectedly found changes in the control forests. Rhett Butler -2.500055 -60.000128 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13315 2014-05-29T20:42:00Z 2014-05-29T20:50:14Z Zebras for the win! Africa's longest land migration discovered

With food and water scarce in many parts of Africa, many species migrate long-distances in order to survive. A new study published in the journal, Oryx has found a new record-breaker for the continent's longest tracked terrestrial migration: a huge group of zebras that traveled a total distance of 500 kilometers (300 miles). Morgan Erickson-Davis -19.609010 21.569360 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13255 2014-05-20T20:45:00Z 2014-11-25T22:15:11Z The matrix matters: scientists find surprising biodiversity between forests

In human-dominated countryside areas, forests are often fragmented and scattered among a matrix of developments such as plantations and pastures. Scientists have long overlooked the habitat value of these matrices. However, according to a recent study published in Nature, the biodiversity of altered countryside areas that exist between islands of fragmented forests can be significant and deserving of conservation attention. Morgan Erickson-Davis 9.334903 -83.567539 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13189 2014-05-06T19:49:00Z 2014-05-06T20:03:57Z Almost 90 percent of Republic of the Congo's lowland forests open to logging

Although the Republic of the Congo has opened up nearly 90 percent of its lowland forests to logging, the majority of the logging occurring in the country is still illegal, according to a new report from the Chatham House. In fact the UK policy institute finds that illegal logging in the Republic of the Congo may make up as much as 70-75 percent of the industry. Jeremy Hance 2.169665 17.210078 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12995 2014-03-27T21:41:00Z 2014-03-27T22:04:32Z Next big idea in forest conservation? Quantifying the cost of forest degradation

How much is a forest really worth? And what is the cost of forest degradation? These values are difficult to estimate, but according to Dr. Phillip Fearnside, we need to do a better job. For nearly forty years, Fearnside has lived in Amazonia doing ecological research, looking at the value of forests in terms of environmental or ecosystem services such as carbon storage, water cycling, and biodiversity preservation. Fearnside then works to convert these services into a basis for sustainable development for rural populations. Jeremy Hance -3.094940 -59.989343 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12974 2014-03-24T18:43:00Z 2014-03-24T19:04:51Z Bizarre, endangered bird discovered in high densities The turkey-sized, noisy, fruit-feasting guans are arguably one of the strangest wildlife sightings in the tropical forests of Central and South America. Ancient animals, these birds are members of the Cracidae family—which also include equally-odd currasows and chachalacas—and are actually distantly related to megapode, or mound-building, birds of Australiasia. A new study in mongabay.com's open-access journal Tropical Conservation Science looks at a particularly endangered guan: the Cauca gaun (Penelope perspicax). Jeremy Hance 3.291219 -76.752808 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12783 2014-02-17T19:05:00Z 2014-02-17T19:45:39Z Scientists discover new gecko hanging-on in single forest fragment

Scientists have identified a new species of day gecko that is the largest in its genus (Cnemaspis) to be found in Sri Lanka. To date, it has been observed only within the Rammalakanda Reserve in southern Sri Lanka, an area spanning just 1,700 hectares, raising questions about the viability of this population and hence the species' long-term prospects. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12709 2014-01-31T14:59:00Z 2014-01-31T15:17:00Z Next big idea in forest conservation? Connecting forest fragments

Dr. Stuart Pimm is an expert in extinctions: why they happen, how fast they happen, and how they can be prevented. Reconnecting forest fragments and avoiding fragmentation, according to Pimm, are among the most crucial things we can do to conserve global biodiversity. His organization SavingSpecies identifies areas at-risk for extinctions and helps local organizations fundraise so they can protect and restore habitats and safeguard biodiversity. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12152 2013-10-01T14:29:00Z 2015-02-11T23:43:44Z Bornean elephant meets palm oil: saving the world's smallest pachyderm in a fractured landscape

In the Malaysian state of Sabah, where most conservation students are still foreigners—either European or American—Nurzahafarina Othman stands out: not only is she Malaysian, a Muslim, and a mother of a young daughter, but she's rapidly becoming a top researcher and champion for the world's smallest elephant: the Bornean elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis). Although sometimes described as a pygmy elephant, they still weigh 2,000 kilograms (4,400 pounds). The origin of these 'tiny' elephants in Malaysian Borneo have baffled scientists for decades. Jeremy Hance 5.515952 118.2988 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12131 2013-09-26T18:10:00Z 2015-02-11T23:42:35Z 'Ecological Armageddon': mammals vanish entirely from forest fragments after 25 years

As tropical forests worldwide are increasingly cut into smaller and smaller fragments, mammal extinctions may not be far behind, according to a new study in Science. Tracking native smalls mammals in Chiew Larn Reservoir, Thailand for over 25 years, scientists found a stunning and rapid decline in mammal populations, until most forests were almost completely emptied of native mammals. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12001 2013-09-02T14:00:00Z 2015-02-11T23:40:34Z Scientists catch boa constrictor eating a howler monkey (photos)

In a world first, scientists have captured images and video of a boa constrictor attacking and devouring whole a femle howler monkey, one of the largest new world primates weighing in at around 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds). The rare predation event was recorded in a tiny forest fragment (2.5 hectares) in the Brazilian state of Rondonia by Erika Patricia Quintino, a PhD student at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11906 2013-08-13T18:17:00Z 2015-02-11T23:15:31Z Forest fragmentation leading to higher extinction rates

The world's species are in worse trouble than widely-assumed, according to a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), which reevaluates how scientists estimate extinction rates. The new model takes into account the impact of forest fragmentation on extinction rates for the first time, filling in a gap in past estimates. Much of the world's tropical forests, which house the bulk of the world's species, have been whittled down to fragments: small forest islands that no longer connect to larger habitat. According to the paper, species confined to fragments have a higher likelihood of vanishing. Jeremy Hance -22.346682 -43.357739 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11535 2013-05-31T18:21:00Z 2013-05-31T18:44:49Z Loss of big fruit-eating birds impacting trees in endangered rainforests The extinction of large, fruit-eating birds in fragments of Brazil's Atlantic rainforest has caused palm trees to produce smaller seeds over the past century, impacting forest ecology, finds a study published in the journal Science. Rhett Butler -25.131726 -47.966355 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11194 2013-04-09T13:11:00Z 2015-02-09T22:46:03Z Still hope for tropical biodiversity in human modified landscapes As primary forests become increasingly rare and expensive to protect, many ecologists are looking to better management of Human Modified Landscapes (HMLs) to shepherd and shield biodiversity in the tropics. Secondary forests, selectively logged forests and lands devoted to sustainable agriculture already play an important role in conservation efforts. However, the idea that HMLs will serve as a "Noah's Ark" for biodiversity, is controversial. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11050 2013-03-18T18:57:00Z 2013-03-18T19:02:42Z Peruvian night monkey threatened by vanishing forests, lost corridors

The Peruvian night monkey (Aotus miconax) is one of the world's least known primates, having never been studied in the wild--until now. Found only in the cloud forests of northern Peru, a group of scientists with Neotropical Primate Conservation and the National University of Mayor San Marcos have spent 12 months following a single group of this enigmatic monkey species in a small forest patch. The results of their research, published in mongabay.com's open access journal Tropical Conservation Science, shows that protecting forests, even small forest fragments, is vital to the species' survival. Jeremy Hance -5.703768 -77.904614 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10658 2013-01-09T14:28:00Z 2015-02-09T22:19:37Z New giant flying frog discovered near city of 9 million

Jodi Rowley is no stranger to discovering new amphibians—she's helped describe over 10 in her short career thus far—but still she was shocked to discover a new species of flying frog less than 100 kilometers from a major, bustling Southeast Asian metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City. Unfortunately, the new frog, dubbed Helen's tree frog (Rhacophorus helenae), may be on the verge of extinction, according to the description published in the Journal of Herpetology. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10282 2012-10-22T14:35:00Z 2013-02-05T15:18:30Z Rehabilitated orangutans in danger if industrial project proceeds in Borneo

The proposed extension of an industrial area in East Kalimantan, Indonesia will likely mean the end of a population of rehabilitated orangutans who reside there, according to the Indonesian environmental group Peduli Teluk Balikpapan. The Kariangau Industrial Area (KIK) will comprise 5,130 hectares of land currently covered by hardwood forests and mangroves when completed, including one third of orangutan habitat in Sungai Wain forest—a crucial portion that is not within the boundaries of the Sungai Wain Protection Forest and therefore not under any governmental protection. Jeremy Hance -1.26384 116.834249 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10022 2012-08-15T21:47:00Z 2015-02-08T23:18:41Z Key mammals dying off in rainforest fragments

When the Portuguese first arrived on the shores of what is now Brazil, a massive forest waited for them. Not the Amazon, but the Atlantic Forest, stretching for over 1.2 million kilometers. Here jaguars, the continent's apex predator, stalked peccaries, while tapirs waded in rivers and giant anteaters unearthed termites mounds. Here, also, the Tupi people numbered around a million people. Now, almost all of this gone: 93 percent of the Atlantic Forest has been converted to agriculture, pasture, and cities, the bulk of it lost since the 1940s. The Tupi people are largely vanished due to slavery and disease, and, according to a new study in the open access journal PLoS ONE, so are many of the forest's megafauna, from jaguars to giant anteaters. Jeremy Hance -24.081574 -47.424065 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9951 2012-08-01T20:26:00Z 2015-02-08T23:16:32Z Tigers vs. coal in India: when big energy meets vanishing cats

Burning coal fuels climate change, causes acid rain, and spreads toxic pollutants into the environment, but now a new Greenpeace report warns that coal may also imperil the world's biggest feline: the tiger. Home to world's largest population of tigers—in this case the Bengal subspecies (Panthera tigris tigris)—India is also the world's third largest coal producer. The country's rapacious pursuit of coal—it has nearly doubled production since 2007—has pushed the industry into tiger territory, threatening to destroy forests and fragment the tiger's already threatened population. Jeremy Hance 23.85821 82.270889 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9867 2012-07-19T16:07:00Z 2015-02-08T23:09:26Z Experts: sustainable logging in rainforests impossible

Industrial logging in primary tropical forests that is both sustainable and profitable is impossible, argues a new study in Bioscience, which finds that the ecology of tropical hardwoods makes logging with truly sustainable practices not only impractical, but completely unprofitable. Given this, the researchers recommend industrial logging subsidies be dropped from the UN's Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) program. The study, which adds to the growing debate about the role of logging in tropical forests, counters recent research making the case that well-managed logging in old-growth rainforests could provide a "middle way" between conservation and outright conversion of forests to monocultures or pasture. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9723 2012-06-24T15:27:00Z 2012-06-25T22:07:54Z Historic birth for the Sumatran rhino

After two miscarriages and a pregnancy that lasted 15 months, Ratu, a female Sumatra rhino, has given birth to a healthy male calf, conservationists happily announced this weekend. The birth at a rhino sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park in Sumatra is the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and the best reproductive rhino science in the world. This is the first captive birth in Indonesia, and only the fourth captive birth for the Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) in the last hundred years. The successful birth brings new hope for one of the world's rarest mammals: less than 200 Sumatra rhinos are thought to survive in the world. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9494 2012-05-10T20:35:00Z 2013-07-20T05:39:18Z Can loggers be conservationists?

Last year researchers took the first ever publicly-released video of an African golden cat (Profelis aurata) in a Gabon rainforest. This beautiful, but elusive, feline was filmed sitting docilely for the camera and chasing a bat. The least-known of Africa's wild cat species, the African golden cat has been difficult to study because it makes its home deep in the Congo rainforest. However, researchers didn't capture the cat on video in an untrammeled, pristine forest, but in a well-managed logging concession by Precious Woods Inc., where scientist's cameras also photographed gorillas, elephants, leopards, and duikers. Jeremy Hance -1.040211 29.673386 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9271 2012-03-19T18:37:00Z 2012-03-19T18:55:03Z Chimp conservation requires protecting fragmented river forests in Uganda Forest fragments along riversides in Uganda may make good habitats for chimpanzees but remain unprotected, according to a new study in mongabay.com's open access journal Tropical Conservation Society (TCS). Researchers surveyed a riverine forest known as Bulindi in Uganda, in-between Budongo and Bugoma Forest Reserves, to determine if it was suitable for the long-term survival of eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) populations. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9121 2012-02-16T17:44:00Z 2015-01-29T00:46:43Z What a Bornean elephant wants: more protected forests and wildlife corridors

Forest fragmentation and destruction is imperiling the Bornean elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), according to a new paper published in PLoS ONE. Using satellite collars to track the pachyderms for the first time in the Malaysian state of Sabah, scientists have found that the elephants are extremely sensitive to habitat fragmentation from palm oil plantations and logging. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9083 2012-02-09T20:00:00Z 2012-02-09T22:46:48Z Tropical ecologist: Australia must follow U.S. and EU in banning illegally logged wood

Australia should join the widening effort to stamp out illegal logging, according to testimony given this week by tropical ecologist William Laurance with James Cook University. Presenting before the Australian Senate's rural affairs committee, Laurance argued that the massive environmental and economic costs of illegal logging worldwide should press Australia to tighten regulations against importing illegally logged timber at home. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8763 2011-11-30T01:33:00Z 2015-01-29T00:17:43Z Rare apes saved in India

Two Hoolock gibbons have been successfully translocated from a fragmented forest to Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary in the beginning of a desperate bid to save 18 family groups of India's last apes. Living near the village of Dello in northeastern India, the apes were straining to survive amid heavy deforestation and fragmentation. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8697 2011-11-16T15:38:00Z 2015-01-29T00:14:05Z Giant rat plays big ecological role in dispersing seeds

Rats are rarely thought of as heroes. In fact, in many parts of the world they are despised, while in others they serve largely as food. But, scientists are now discovering that many tropical forest rodents, including rats, serve as heroic seed dispersers, i.e. eating fruits and nuts, and carrying seeds far from the parent tree, giving a chance to a new sapling. While this has been documented with tropical rodents in South America like agoutis and acouchis, a new study in Biotropica documents the first successful seed dispersal by an African rodent: the Kivu giant pouched rat (Cricetomys kivuensis), one of four species of giant African rats. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8441 2011-09-26T21:22:00Z 2015-01-28T23:59:11Z Atlantic Forest stores less carbon due to drastic fragmentation The Atlantic Forest in Brazil is one of the most fragmented and damaged forests in the world. Currently around 12 percent of the forest survives, with much of it in small fragments, many less than 100 hectares. A new study in mongabay.com's open-access journal Tropical Conservation Science finds that the bloodied nature of the Atlantic Forest impacts its capacity to sequester carbon. The study found that 92 percent of the forest stored only half its potential carbon due to fragmentation and edge-effects, which includes damage due to winds and exposure to drought. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8381 2011-09-11T17:41:00Z 2015-01-28T23:58:00Z Loving the tapir: pioneering conservation for South America's biggest animal

Compared to some of South America's megafauna stand-out species—the jaguar, the anaconda, and the harpy eagle come to mind—the tapir doesn't get a lot of love. This is a shame. For one thing, they're the largest terrestrial animal on the South American continent: pound-for-pound they beat both the jaguar and the llama. For another they play a very significant role in their ecosystem: they disperse seeds, modify habitats, and are periodic prey to big predators. For another, modern tapirs are some of the last survivors of a megafauna family that roamed much of the northern hemisphere, including North America, and only declined during the Pleistocene extinction. Finally, for anyone fortunate enough to have witnessed the often-shy tapir in the wild, one knows there is something mystical and ancient about these admittedly strange-looking beasts. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8289 2011-08-17T15:49:00Z 2015-01-28T23:49:22Z Cameratraps take global snapshot of declining tropical mammals

A groundbreaking cameratrap study has mapped the abundance, or lack thereof, of tropical mammal populations across seven countries in some of the world's most important rainforests. Undertaken by The Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network (TEAM), the study found that habitat loss was having a critical impact on mammals. The study, which documented 105 mammals (nearly 2 percent of the world's known mammals) on three continents, also confirmed that mammals fared far better—both in diversity and abundance—in areas with continuous forest versus areas that had been degraded. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8282 2011-08-15T17:04:00Z 2015-01-28T23:48:58Z Lessons from the world's longest study of rainforest fragments

For over 30 years, hundreds of scientists have scoured eleven forest fragments in the Amazon seeking answers to big questions: how do forest fragments' species and microclimate differ from their intact relatives? Will rainforest fragments provide a safe haven for imperiled species or are they last stand for the living dead? Should conservation focus on saving forest fragments or is it more important to focus the fight on big tropical landscapes? Are forest fragments capable of regrowth and expansion? Can a forest—once cut-off—heal itself? Such questions are increasingly important as forest fragments—patches of forest that are separated from larger forest landscapes due to expanding agriculture, pasture, or fire—increase worldwide along with the human footprint. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8261 2011-08-08T19:31:00Z 2015-01-28T23:45:20Z Balancing agriculture and rainforest biodiversity in India's Western Ghats

When one thinks of the world's great rainforests the Amazon, Congo, and the tropical forests of Southeast Asia and Indonesia usually come to mind. Rarely does India—home to over a billion people—make an appearance. But along India's west coast lies one of the world's great tropical forests and biodiversity hotspots, the Western Ghats. However it's not just the explosion of life one finds in the Western Ghats that make it notable, it's also the forest's long—and ongoing—relationship to humans, lots of humans. Unlike many of the world's other great rainforests, the Western Ghats has long been a region of agriculture. This is one place in the world where elephants walk through tea fields and tigers migrate across betel nut plantations. While wildlife has survived alongside humans for centuries in the region, continuing development, population growth and intensification of agriculture are putting increased pressure on this always-precarious relationship. In a recent paper in Biological Conservation, four researchers examine how well agricultural landscapes support biodiversity conservation in one of India's most species-rich landscapes. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/7784 2011-04-25T19:53:00Z 2015-01-28T23:25:21Z Elephants: the gardeners of Asia's and Africa's forests

It seems difficult to imagine elephants delicately tending a garden, but these pachyderms may well be the world's weightiest horticulturalist. Elephants both in Asia and Africa eat abundant amounts of fruit when available; seeds pass through their guts, and after expelled—sometimes tens of miles down the trail—sprouts a new plant if conditions are right. This process is known by ecologists as 'seed dispersal', and scientists have long studied the 'gardening' capacities of monkeys, birds, bats, and rodents. Recently, however, researchers have begun to document the seed dispersal capacity of the world's largest land animal, the elephant, proving that this species may be among the world's most important tropical gardeners. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/7645 2011-03-28T15:22:00Z 2012-07-03T14:32:40Z Cloud forest dung beetles in India point to 'fossil ecosystem' In the cloud forests and grasslands of India's Western Ghats, known as sholas, researchers have for the first time comprehensively studied the inhabiting dung beetle populations. The resulting study in mongabay.com's open access journal Tropical Conservation Science, has led scientists to hypothesize that the beetles in concordance with the sheep-like mammal, the nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius), may be a sign of a 'fossil ecosystem'. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/7553 2011-03-10T18:28:00Z 2015-01-26T22:44:00Z Critically endangered capuchins make tools to gather termites Less than 200 blond capuchins (Cebus falvius) survive in the highly-fragmented habitat of Brazil's Atlantic Forest. But this tiny group of monkeys, only rediscovered in 2006, is surprising scientists with its adept tool-using abilities. Displaying similar behavior to that which made the chimpanzees of Gombe famous worldwide, the blond capuchins modify sticks to gather termites from trees; however, according to the study published in Biology Letters the blond capuchins use two techniques never witnessed before: twisting the stick when inside the termite nest and tapping the nest before inserting the stick. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/7512 2011-03-02T22:01:00Z 2015-01-26T22:42:44Z New species of zombie-creating fungi discovered As everyone knows, human zombies are created when an uninfected human is bitten by a member of the brain-craving undead. But what about ant zombies? Yes, that's right: ant zombies. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/7455 2011-02-17T17:00:00Z 2015-01-26T22:39:24Z Saving Madagascar's largest carnivorous mammal: the fossa

Madagascar is a land of wonders: dancing lemurs, thumbnail-sized chameleons, the long-fingered aye-aye, great baobab trees, and the mighty fossa. Wait—what? What's a fossa? It's true that when people think of Madagascar rarely do they think of its top predator, the fossa—even if they are one of the few who actually recognizes the animal. While the fossa gained a little notice in the first Madagascar film by DreamWorks, its role in the film was overshadowed by the lemurs. In this case, art imitates life: in conservation and research this feline-like predator has long lived in the shadow of its prey, the lemur. Even scientists are not certain what to do with the fossa: studies have shown that it's not quite a cat and not quite a mongoose and so the species—and its few Malagasy relatives—have been placed in their own family, the Eupleridae, of which the fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) is the biggest. But if this is the first you've heard of such matter, don't feel bad: one of the world's only fossa-researchers, Mia-Lana Lührs also stumbled on the species. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/7368 2011-01-30T19:00:00Z 2015-01-26T22:34:04Z Camera trap photos: big mammals survive in fragmented forest in Borneo

Camera trap photos taken in the fragmented forest along the Kinabatangan River in Borneo have revealed a number of key mammal species surviving despite forest loss mostly due to expanding palm oil plantations. The photos are apart of a recent program to monitor carnivores along the Kinabatangan River in the Malaysian state of Sabah by the Danau Girang Field Center (DGFC), the NGO HUTAN, Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), and the Sabah Wildlife Department. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/7363 2011-01-30T16:48:00Z 2012-01-19T05:10:24Z Scientists to document impact of converting rainforest into oil palm plantations Scientists have partnered with one of the world's largest palm oil producers to measure the impact of converting tropical forest into an oil palm plantation, reports Nature News. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/7192 2010-12-19T00:09:00Z 2010-12-19T07:55:08Z Forest fragment climate not driven by edge-effect Examining ten forest fragments in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, researchers have undercut the theory that the climate of forest fragment' is driven by the edge-effect. Writing in mongabay.com's open source journal  Tropical Conservation Science, researchers found that edge-effect was too simple to explain the microclimate of isolated forest fragments from 3 to 3,500 hectares large, each at least 80-years-old. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/7031 2010-11-10T18:20:00Z 2010-11-10T18:40:39Z Photos: surprises discovered in tiny forest fragment surrounded by palm oil

Researchers have uncovered an astounding number of species in a tiny protected forest fragment surrounded on all side by palm oil plantations in the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Researchers with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Queen Mary, University of London and the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE – University of Kent) recorded sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus), the banded langur (Presbytis femoralis), and agile gibbons (Hylobates agilis), but most notable, was the first record ever of the Ridley's leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros ridleyi) in Sumatra. The discoveries highlight the importance of preserving even small forest fragments surrounded by agriculture. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/6921 2010-10-18T19:30:00Z 2015-01-26T21:18:57Z Environmentalists must recognize 'biases and delusions' to succeed As nations from around the world meet at the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan to discuss ways to stem the loss of biodiversity worldwide, two prominent researchers argue that conservationists need to consider paradigm shifts if biodiversity is to be preserved, especially in developing countries. Writing in the journal Biotropica, Douglas Sheil and Erik Meijaard argue that some of conservationists' most deeply held beliefs are actually hurting the cause. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/6906 2010-10-13T21:28:00Z 2015-01-26T21:18:16Z Satellites show fragmented rainforests significantly drier than intact forest

A new study in Biological Conservation has shown that edge forests and forest patches are more vulnerable to burning because they are drier than intact forests. Using eight years of satellite imagery over East Amazonia, the researchers found that desiccation (extreme dryness) penetrated anywhere from 1 to 3 kilometers into forests depending on the level of fragmentation. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/6822 2010-09-27T18:37:00Z 2010-09-27T18:38:18Z Ugandan forest being stripped for fuel wood A new study in the open access journal of Tropical Conservation Science finds that the Kasagala forest reserve in central Uganda is losing important tree species and suffering from low diversity of species. Researchers believe that forest degradation for charcoal and firewood has put heavy pressure on this ecosystem. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/6602 2010-08-11T23:57:00Z 2015-01-23T17:49:32Z Stunning monkey discovered in the Colombian Amazon

While the Amazon is being whittled away on all sides by logging, agriculture, roads, cattle ranching, mining, oil and gas exploration, today's announcement of a new monkey species proves that the world's greatest tropical rainforest still has many surprises to reveal. Scientists with the National University of Colombia and support from Conservation International (CI) have announced the discovery of a new monkey in the journal Primate Conservation on the Colombian border with Peru and Ecuador. The new species is a titi monkey, dubbed the Caquetá titi ( Callicebus caquetensis). However, the announcement comes with deep concern as researchers say it is likely the new species is already Critically Endangered due to a small population living in an area undergoing rapid deforestation for agriculture. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/6507 2010-07-18T22:54:00Z 2010-07-18T23:00:57Z Rare primate photographed for the first time

The Horton Plains slender loris (Loris tardigradus nycticeboides, thought extinct by researchers for over six decades, has finally posed for a photograph. This small nocturnal primate lives in the surviving montane tropical forest of Sri Lanka. The species was photographed during a recent expedition by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL)'s EDGE program in conjunction with Sri Lankan researchers. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/6430 2010-07-06T22:27:00Z 2010-07-06T22:49:44Z Forest loss in India likely worse than conventionally believed Researchers have questioned 2009 findings by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) that found that India's forests were, unlike many tropical Asian nations', on the rebound. According to the FSI, Indian forests had grown by almost five percent from the 1990s. Yet, were these finding too good to be true? Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/6351 2010-06-28T15:56:00Z 2010-06-28T16:05:34Z Forest loss occurring around Kibale National Park in Uganda A new study in Tropical Conservation Science finds that Kibale National Park in Uganda has retained its tropical forest despite pressures of a dense human population and large-scale clearing activities just beyond the border of the park. Home to twelve primate species, including Chimpanzees, the park is known as a safe-haven for African primates. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/6343 2010-06-28T15:53:00Z 2015-01-23T17:38:55Z How do Asian elephants survive in fragmented and unprotected landscapes? A new study in Tropical Conservation Science has found that Asian elephants living in a combination of fragmented forests and agricultural landscapes still depend on natural landscapes—rivers and forests—for survival. Following two herds of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in the Valparai plateau among the Anamalai Hills of India for three years, researchers found that the elephants spent much of their time, relative to their availability, near rivers and amid forest fragments. When they entered agricultural landscapes they preferred Eucalyptus and coffee to tea. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/6251 2010-06-13T15:46:00Z 2010-06-13T15:58:06Z To save species, Malaysia implements daring plan to trap wild Bornean rhino

With less than 40 individuals left in the world, the Bornean rhino is a small step away from extinction. Yet conservationists and government officials in the Malaysian state of Sabah are not letting this subspecies of the Sumatran rhino go without a fight. Implementing a daring last-ditch plan to save the animal, officials are working to capture a wild female to mate with a fertile male named Tam, who was rescued after wandering injured into a palm oil plantation two years ago. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/6179 2010-06-02T19:18:00Z 2013-12-06T23:39:30Z A total ban on primary forest logging needed to save the world, an interview with activist Glen Barry

Radical, controversial, ahead-of-his-time, brilliant, or extremist: call Dr. Glen Barry, the head of Ecological Internet, what you will, but there is no question that his environmental advocacy group has achieved major successes in the past years, even if many of these are below the radar of big conservation groups and mainstream media. "We tend to be a little different than many organizations in that we do take a deep ecology, or biocentric approach," Barry says of the organization he heads. "[Ecological Internet] is very, very concerned about the state of the planet. It is my analysis that we have passed the carrying capacity of the Earth, that in several matters we have crossed different ecosystem tipping points or are near doing so. And we really act with more urgency, and more ecological science, than I think the average campaign organization." Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/6115 2010-05-24T15:48:00Z 2015-01-23T17:32:35Z Long-distance seed dispersal and hunting, an interview with Kimberly Holbrook

Scientists are just beginning to uncover the complex relationship between healthy biodiverse tropical forests and seed dispersers—species that spread seeds from a parent tree to other parts of the forest including birds, rodents, primates, and even elephants. By its very nature this relationship consists of an incredibly high number of variables: how abundant are seed dispersers, which animals spread seeds the furthest, what species spread which seeds, how are human impacts like hunting and deforestation impacting successful dispersal, as well as many others. Dr. Kimberly Holbrook has begun to answer some of these questions. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5997 2010-04-26T01:12:00Z 2015-01-21T23:50:52Z How hornbills keep Asian rainforests healthy and diverse, an interview with Shumpei Kitamura

Hornbills are one of Asia's most attractive birds. Large, colorful, and easier to spot than most other birds, hornbills have become iconic animals in the tropical forests of Asia. Yet, most people probably don't realize just how important hornbills are to the tropical forests they inhabit: as fruit-eaters, hornbills play a key role in dispersing the seeds of tropical trees, thereby keeping forests healthy and diverse. Yet, according to tropical ecologist and hornbill-expert Shumpei Kitamura, these beautiful forest engineers are threatened by everything from forest loss to hunting to the pet trade. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5970 2010-04-14T18:19:00Z 2010-04-14T19:07:03Z Turning to the matrix: a more accurate way to predict extinction

According to most conservationists the globe is striding into the midst of the Sixth Mass Extinction. Species populations worldwide are dropping and in many cases species are vanishing all together due to pollution, climate change, poaching and hunting, overconsumption, invasive species, and exotic diseases, but no threat proves more pervasive and devastating for the world's species than habitat loss. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5952 2010-04-11T18:59:00Z 2010-04-11T19:11:22Z Hope for survival as isolated orangutans joined by rope bridge

Researchers in the Malaysian state of Sabah in Borneo are joyful after receiving confirmation that a young male orangutan used a rope bridge to cross a river, which has separated one orangutan population from another. Due to logging and clearing forests for oil palm plantations, which cover 18 percent of land in Sabah, orangutans on the Kinabantangan River have been cut into fragmented populations. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5926 2010-04-05T15:01:00Z 2015-01-21T00:24:04Z Seed dispersal in the face of climate change, an interview with Arndt Hampe

Without seed dispersal plants could not survive. Seed dispersal, i.e. birds spreading seeds or wind carrying seeds, means the mechanism by which a seed is moved from its parent tree to a new area; if fortunate the seed will sprout in its new resting place, produce a plant which will eventually seed, and the process will begin anew. But in the face of vast human changes—including deforestation, urbanization, agriculture, and pasture lands, as well as the rising specter of climate change, researchers wonder how plants will survive, let alone thrive, in the future? Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5891 2010-03-29T19:28:00Z 2010-03-29T19:43:07Z Diverse habitats needed for survival of small mammals in Mexico

A new study in Tropical Conservation Science shows that small tropical mammals in Mexico—bats and rodents—require a variety of habitats to thrive. Surveying mammal populations in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico, researchers found that sites comprising the greatest habitat diversity carried also the greatest diversity of rodents. In turn bats lived in all variety of habitats and moved easily from one to another. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5887 2010-03-29T14:17:00Z 2010-12-06T03:52:49Z Finding forest for the endangered golden-headed lion tamarin

Brazil's golden-headed lion tamarin is a small primate with a black body and a bright mane of gold and orange. Listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, the golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) survives in only a single protected reserve in the largely degraded Atlantic Forest in Brazil. Otherwise its habitat lies in unprotected patches and fragments threatened by urbanization and agricultural expansion. Currently, a natural gas pipeline is being built through prime tamarin habitat. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5885 2010-03-29T02:43:00Z 2015-01-21T00:24:21Z Last chance to save Bangladeshi forest: 90 percent of the Sal ecosystem is gone Considered the most threatened ecosystem in Bangladesh, the moist deciduous Sal forest (Shorea robusta) is on the verge of vanishing. In 1990 only 10 percent of the forest cover remained, down from 36 percent in 1985 according to statistics from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). A new study in the online open-access journal Tropical Conservation Science looks at the threats posed to the Shal forest and ways in which it may still be saved. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5781 2010-03-03T23:59:00Z 2015-01-21T00:15:58Z Photos: Madagascar's wonderful and wild frogs, an interview with Sahonagasy

To save Madagascar's embattled and beautiful amphibians, scientists are turning to the web. A new site built by herpetologists, Sahonagasy, is dedicated to gathering and providing information about Madagascar's unique amphibians in a bid to save them from the growing threat of extinction. "The past 20 years have seen resources wasted because of a poor coordination of efforts," explains Miguel Vences, herpetologist and professor at the Technical University of Braunschweig. "Many surveys and reports have been produced that were never published, many tourists found and photographed amphibians but these photos were not made available to mapping projects, many studies carried out by Malagasy students did not make use of literature because it was not available." Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5480 2010-01-18T21:30:00Z 2015-01-20T23:44:18Z The Caribbean's wonderfully weird (and threatened) mammals, an interview with Jose Nunez-Mino

Not many people know the solenodon and the hutia, yet for the fortunate few that have encountered them, these strange little-studied mammals—just barely holding on in the Caribbean island of Hispaniola—deserve to be stars of the animal kingdom. "I could not quite believe it the first time I held a solenodon; I was in utter awe of this mesmerizing mammal. […] They have a long flexible snout which is all down to the fact that it is joined to the skull by a unique ball-and-socket joint. This makes it look as if the snout is almost independent to the rest of the animal. You can't help but feel fascinated by the snout and inevitably it does make you smile," Dr. Jose Nunez-Mino, the Project Manager for a new initiative to study and conserve the island's last mammals, told mongabay.com in an interview. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5213 2009-12-06T17:09:00Z 2009-12-06T17:09:56Z What types of primates are most prone to extinction in small forest fragments? According to the most recent IUCN assessment, 48 percent of primates are threatened with extinction. Major threats to primates include habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting, and the wildlife trade. A new paper published in Tropical Conservation Science looked at ones of these threats — fragmentation — in an effort to determine what traits put primates at highest risk of extinction in forest fragments. Traits investigated all related to various aspects of primate biology, including: the amount of habitat needed, reproductive rate, and types of specialization. Surprisingly the authors, Matthew A. Gibbons and Alexander H. Harcourt of the University of California at Davis, found no significant relationship between extinction risk and any of the biological parameters. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5187 2009-12-01T17:26:00Z 2015-01-20T23:35:57Z Face-to-face with what may be the last of the world's smallest rhino, the Bornean rhinoceros

Nothing can really prepare a person for coming face-to-face with what may be the last of a species. I had known for a week that I would be fortunate enough to meet Tam. I'd heard stories of his gentle demeanor, discussed his current situation with experts, and read everything I could find about this surprising individual. But still, walking up to the pen where Tam stood contentedly pulling leaves from the hands of a local ranger, hearing him snort and whistle, watching as he rattled the bars with his blunted horn, I felt like I was walking into a place I wasn't meant to be. As though I was treading on his, Tam's space: entering into a cool deep forest where mud wallows and shadows still linger. This was Tam's world; or at least it should be. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5045 2009-10-21T18:18:00Z 2009-10-21T18:56:40Z Emotional call for palm oil industry to address environmental problems

During what was at times an emotional speech, Sabah's Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment, Datuk Masidi Manjun, called on the palm oil industry to stop polluting rivers and work with NGOs to save orangutans and other wildlife. He delivered the speech on the first day of an Orangutan Conservation Colloquium held in early October in the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5016 2009-10-03T11:24:00Z 2009-10-05T17:20:12Z Palm oil industry pledges wildlife corridors to save orangutans

In an unlikely—and perhaps tenuous—alliance, conservationists and the palm oil industry met this week to draw up plans to save Asia's last great ape, the orangutan. As if to underscore the colloquium's importance, delegates on arriving in the Malaysian State of Sabah found the capital covered in a thick and strange fog caused by the burning of rainforests and peat lands in neighboring Kalimantan. After two days of intensive meetings the colloquium adopted a resolution which included the acquisition of land for creating wildlife buffer zones of at least 100 meters along all major rivers, in addition to corridors for connecting forests. Researchers said such corridors were essential if orangutans were to have a future in Sabah. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5010 2009-09-24T15:45:00Z 2015-01-20T23:22:51Z Will tropical trees survive climate change?, an interview with Kenneth J. Feeley

One of the most pressing issues in the conservation today is how climate change will affect tropical ecosystems. The short answer is: we don't know. Because of this, more and more scientists are looking at the probable impacts of a warmer world on the Earth's most vibrant and biodiverse ecosystems. Kenneth J. Feeley, tropical ecologist and new professor at Florida International University and the Center for Tropical Plant Conservation at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, is conducting groundbreaking research in the tropical forests of Peru on the migration of tree species due to climate change. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4984 2009-09-17T19:38:00Z 2009-09-18T11:42:03Z 'Greening' logging concessions could help save great apes Promoting reduced impact logging in forest areas already under concession could help protect populations of endangered great apes, argues a new report published by WWF. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4954 2009-09-08T19:08:00Z 2009-09-08T20:47:04Z Crowned sifaka population on the verge of local extinction: dispatch from the field

A small group of crowned sifaka lemurs Propithecus coronatus have been located in the corridor d'Amboloando-Dabolava, Miandrivazo district-Madagascar, but are immediately threatened with local extinction. The small, fragmented, and isolated forest shelters a group of only six adults and one baby. Interviews with local people revealed that once several groups of the species resided in the corridor, and even last year, about 20 individuals were still found there. However, within one year, the population dropped from 20 to 6 individuals. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4688 2009-06-29T17:58:00Z 2015-01-19T00:12:12Z Saving one of the last tropical dry forests, an interview with Edwina von Gal

Often we hear about endangered species—animals or plants on the edge of extinction—however we rarely hear about endangered environments—entire ecosystems that may disappear from Earth due to humankind's growing footprint. Tropical dry forests are just such an ecosystem: with only 2 percent of the world's tropical dry forest remaining it is one of the world's most endangered ecosystems. A newly established organization, the Azuero Earth Project, is working not only to preserve some of the world's last tropical dry forest on the Azuero peninsula in Panama, but also to begin restoration projects hoping to aid both the forest's viability and the local people. Edwina von Gal, a landscape designer, is one of the founders of the Azuero Earth Project, as well as president of the organization. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4438 2009-04-01T21:03:00Z 2015-01-08T01:19:27Z Revolutionary new theory overturns modern meteorology with claim that forests move rain

Two Russian scientists, Victor Gorshkov and Anastassia Makarieva of the St. Petersburg Nuclear Physics, have published a revolutionary theory that turns modern meteorology on its head, positing that forests—and their capacity for condensation—are actually the main driver of winds rather than temperature. While this model has widespread implications for numerous sciences, none of them are larger than the importance of conserving forests, which are shown to be crucial to 'pumping' precipitation from one place to another. The theory explains, among other mysteries, why deforestation around coastal regions tends to lead to drying in the interior. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4238 2009-02-01T01:30:00Z 2009-02-01T18:22:15Z Amazon scientists awarded 'Nobel Prize' of conservation

Thomas Lovejoy of the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment and William F. Laurance of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) have been awarded one of ecology's most coveted prizes for their work to understand and conserve the Amazon rainforest. The €400,000 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Ecology and Conservation Biology is given annually to "honor contributions which significantly advance the stock of knowledge in this area for reasons of their importance and originality." Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4212 2009-01-27T13:48:00Z 2015-01-14T05:38:12Z How to make forest fragments more hospitable to wildlife While deforestation garners more attention from environmentalists, fragmentation of forest habitats is of significant concern to ecologists. As forest is fragmented into islands by logging, roads, agriculture, and other disturbances, edge effects alter the structure, microclimate and species composition of the forest patches, usually reducing the overall number of species. Forest specialists are most likely to suffer, losing out to "weedier" generalists and species that can tolerate forest "edge" conditions. A new study, conducted in the Brazilian Amazon, takes a detailed look at the types of birds that are likely to persist, and even thrive, in forest fragments. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4186 2009-01-13T17:08:00Z 2015-01-08T01:02:26Z Selective logging occurs in 28 percent of world's rainforests

New satellite research presented for the first time at a symposium entitled "Will the rainforests survive?" showed that selective logging is impacting over a quarter of the world's rainforests. Gregory Asner from the Carnegie Institution presented the "first true global estimate of selective logging" which showed that 5.5 million square kilometers of the rainforest has already seen selective logging or is slated to be logged in the near future. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3459 2008-10-07T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:15:47Z Forest corridors key to maintaining biodiversity in fragmented landscape

Alta Floresta, a region in the Brazilian Amazon state of Mato Grosso, has experienced one of the highest deforestation rates on the planet since the mid-1980s due to the influx of colonists and ranchers who converted nearly half the region's forest land to pasture and agricultural plots. The change has had significant ecological impacts, including reducing the availability of water, increasing the incidence of forest fires, fragmenting remaining forest cover, and diminishing the quality of habitat for wildlife. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3106 2008-07-28T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:33Z Island biogeography theory doesn't explain biodiversity changes in forest fragments Island biogeography theory, the idea that fragmented ecosystems have lower species richness per unit of area compared with contiguous habitats, has served as a useful conceptual model to understand the effects of habitat fragmentation but fails to explain the complexities of change in isolated forest fragments, according to a synthesis published last month in the journal Biological Conservation. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/2806 2008-03-20T14:30:00Z 2015-02-16T04:58:20Z Markets could save forests: An interview with Dr. Tom Lovejoy

Market mechanisms are increasingly seen as a way to address environmental problems, including tropical deforestation. In particular, compensation for ecosystem services like carbon sequestration — a concept known by the acronym REDD for "reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation" — may someday make conservation a profitable enterprise in which carbon traders are effectively saving rainforests simply by their pursuit of profit. Protecting rainforests and their resident biodiversity would be an unintentional, but happy byproduct of profit-seeking endeavors. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/2865 2008-03-03T14:30:39Z 2008-12-29T06:48:37Z Fragmentation puts Mexican howlers at risk Forest fragmentation is putting mantled howler monkeys in southern Mexico at risk, reports a new study, published in the inaugural issue of the open access e-journal Tropical conservation Science. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/2716 2008-02-20T14:30:39Z 2008-12-29T06:48:03Z Rainforest fragmentation affects reptiles and amphibians Deforestation of tropical ecosystems is one of the major threats to biological diversity. Anthropogenic activities transform tropical environments into semi-natural landscapes generating a great amount of forest edge that limits with pastures and agricultural lands. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/2718 2008-02-19T14:30:39Z 2008-12-29T06:48:04Z Amazon riparian zones need to be expanded to protect wildlife finds study Strips of forest mandated by Brazilian law along rivers and streams in the Amazon rainforest are too narrow to effectively safeguard biodiversity, reports new research published in the journal conservation Biology. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/2388 2007-10-25T14:30:39Z 2008-12-29T06:46:55Z Parasites a key to the decline of red colobus monkeys in forest fragments Forest fragmentation threatens biodiversity, often causing declines or local extinctions in a majority of species while enhancing the prospects of a few. A new study from the University of Illinois shows that parasites can play a pivotal role in the decline of species in fragmented forests. This is the first study to look at how forest fragmentation increases the burden of infectious parasites on animals already stressed by disturbances to their habitat. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/2276 2007-08-09T14:30:39Z 2008-12-29T06:46:32Z Experts: parks effectively protect rainforest in Peru High-resolution satellite monitoring of the Amazon rainforest in Peru shows that land-use and conservation policies have had a measurable impact on deforestation rates. The research is published in the August 9, 2007, on-line edition of Science Express. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/1995 2007-06-24T14:30:39Z 2008-12-29T06:45:38Z Sedentary, not migratory birds, face higher extinction risk Sedentary birds face considerably higher risk of extinction than migratory birds, reports a new paper published in the journal Current Biology. The findings have implications for the conservation of increasingly endangered wildlife populations. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/2058 2007-06-07T14:30:39Z 2008-12-29T06:45:50Z Logging roads rapidly expanding in Congo rainforest Logging roads are rapidly expanding in the Congo rainforest, report researchers who have constructed the first satellite-based maps of road construction in Central Africa. The authors say the work will help conservation agencies, governments, and scientists better understand how the expansion of logging is impacting the forest, its inhabitants, and global climate. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/1836 2007-04-02T14:30:39Z 2008-12-29T06:45:09Z Congo forest elephants declining from logging roads, illegal ivory

Fast-expanding logging roads in the Congo basin are becoming 'highways of death' for the fierce but elusive forest elephant, according to a new study published in the journal Public Library of Science. Logging roads both provide access to remote forest areas for ivory poachers and serve as conduits of advancing human settlement. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/1597 2007-02-07T14:30:00Z 2015-01-18T05:20:49Z Extinction risk accelerated when interacting human threats interact A new study warns that the simultaneous effect of habitat fragmentation, overexploitation, and climate warming could increase the risk of a species' extinction. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/1279 2006-11-27T22:09:39Z 2008-12-29T06:43:37Z Fragmentation killing species in the Amazon rainforest

Forest fragmentation is rapidly eroding biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest and could worsen global warming according to research to be published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Rainforest trees can live for centuries, even millennia, so none of us expected things to change too fast. But in just two decades-a wink of time for a thousand year-old tree-the ecosystem has been seriously degraded." said Dr. William Laurance, a scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and leader of the international team of scientists that conducted the research. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/1220 2006-10-17T03:58:39Z 2008-12-29T06:43:28Z Rainforests face myriad of threats says leading Amazon scholar

The world's tropical rainforests are in trouble. Spurred by a global commodity boom and continuing poverty in some of the world's poorest regions, deforestation rates have increased since the close of the 1990s. The usual threats to forests -- agricultural conversion, wildlife poaching, uncontrolled logging, and road construction -- could soon be rivaled, and even exceeded, by climate change and rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Understanding these threats is key to preserving forests and their ecological services for current and future generations. William F. Laurance, a distinguished scholar and president of the Association for Tropical Biology and conservation (ATBC) -- the world's largest scientific organization dedicated to the study and conservation of tropical ecosystems, is at the forefront of this effort. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/835 2006-03-30T15:19:39Z 2008-12-29T06:42:42Z Does tropical biodiversity increase during global warming? Forest fragmentation may cause biodiversity loss lasting millions of years according to a new study published in the March 31, 2006 issue of the journal Science. Using cores drilled through 5 kilometers of rock in eastern Colombia and western Venezuela, Carlos Jaramillo of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama and a team of researchers derived a fossil pollen record for a 72 million-year period with samples ranging from 10 to 82 million years ago. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/645 2005-12-05T15:19:39Z 2008-12-29T06:42:24Z Pandas threatened by roads and forest fragmentation in China China's endangered giant panda is threatened by the rapid expansion of the national highway network, which causing fragmentation of its natural habitat, according to Chinese state media. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/639 2005-12-05T15:19:39Z 2008-12-29T06:42:23Z Amazon rainforest biodiversity due to biology not climate change says study The biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest results from biological factors, not climate change as widely thought, says new research published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Scientists have long argued that the species richness of tropical forests could be due to climate change-induced fragmentation, known as the "forest refuge: theory, and other external factors that caused geographic isolation. Now, researchers from University College London say that biological influences play a greater role in driving species evolution. Rhett Butler


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National Compliment Day
January 24, 2014 - 02:59 PM
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When was the last time you heard words like "Hey, you look great," "I like your presentation," "You did a great job," and similar praises? Bet it made you feel pretty good, right?
This is National Compliment Day, and it's a great opportunity to compliment others and contribute to making their day. Here with more is licensed clinical psycologist and author of "The Friendship Fix" Dr. Andrea Bonior.
Short URL: http://wj.la/LREIBN

subset: commoncrawl


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The Ninth Generation Ford F Series Trucks
View Single Post
Gnarly Adventurer
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: Denver, CO
Oddometer: 335
Originally Posted by
I have always been a car guy and was never really into trucks until recently. Some buddies of mine took me off roading and ever since I've been hooked!
I definitely love the way 9th Gen F250's look. But that's all I really know about them. Sadly, I'm a super newb when it comes to 4x4's. I'm looking to pick up a F250 here soon and I'm going to go look at this guys rig this weekend. Its a 1992 F250 4x4 with the 5.8L V8 manual transmission. Has some sort of lift but idk what. Is there anything in particular that I should be looking for?
Anyone & everyones help is appreciated. One more question, how can I tell which transmission variation it has?
Beautiful truck. Well as a start see if it runs and drives. Try and shift trough all 5 gears and back down. Try shifting into 4hi and 4low. See if it has any problems with that, I see rust over the rear wheel wells. Check if that is the only rust on the truck. And get rid of that propane tank
I dont see much body damage though. For the right price I would take it.
I ride a bullet. A 2 wheeled, multiple-explosion powered machine with enough moving parts to remove entire fingers. Surfaces hot enough to cook flesh. It propels me at neck-breaking, bone-snapping flesh-tearing speeds, over and trough obstacle's I can only see as blurs. Its a sport that kills the careless, maims the best, and spits at the concept of mercy.
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Welcome to WizardRock.co.uk, a website dedicated to the UK and European Wizard Rock Scene. It is our aim to promote all aspects of Euro-wrock, from the bands, to the live shows, and most especially, to the fans.
If you are in a band we want to hear from you. We are building up the most comprehensive resource of UK and European bands you will find anywhere on the net. Whenever we add a band to the site, you will be able to get to know them through their basic profiles and their in-depth bios. We will provide you with links to their personal websites, Myspace profiles and Youtube channels. You will also be able to read EXCLUSIVE interviews with your favourite bands in our Featured Band section.
As well as the main Bands section where you will find the European bands, we also have our International Friends section. This where we feature bands from further afield who have contributed in some way to UK and European Wrock scene; such as Harry and the Potters who have played in Europe several times, or The Remus Lupins who were the first US band to travel across the pond specifically to play at a UK Wrock show.
If you're organising an event, give us a shout. Not only would we be happy to help promote your show, but we would also love to post a write-up about it afterwards. That way we will be to tell the whole world why it was so good! WrizardRock.co.uk is also the online home of the organiser of The Snow Ball, so this is also the best place to keep in up to date with the latest announcements about this annual Wizard Rock show held in Edinburgh, the city where Harry Potter came to life.
If you are a fan looking for a new band to follow, or a show to go to, then this is definitely the site for you! Not only will we bring you the latest news on CD releases and upcoming shows, but you will be able to discuss all of this and more in our forum - the Department of Magical Music. From time to time we even hold competitions where you can win prizes like free tickets to The Snow Ball or an official Harry Potter wand.
So as you can see, whether you're a fan, a band or an event organiser, WizardRock.co.uk is the place for you to be!
Neil Bird
Webmaster and founder of WizardRock.co.uk
On the 15th November 2008, Neil's appreciation of Wizard Rock changed forever.
Up until then his only experience of Wrock came from Harry Potter Fan Sites, such as LeakyNews.com and their weekly podcast called PotterCast. But on that cold and windy day in November, Neil found himself sitting on the shores of Loch Ness singing Wizard Rock songs and sharing a few drinks with some new friends. It was only then that he found out that there were actually UK bands and that there was to be a UK Yule Ball the following month.
From that moment on, he was hooked. So much so that on returning from the Hogwarts Jamboree in June 2009 he decided that it was about time that there was an event in Edinburgh, the birthplace of the Harry Potter books.
That idea soon turned into The Snow Ball and
things have been pretty busy ever since!
James Shepherd
Events pages and researcher
James' first Wizard Rock show was the Birmingham Library show back in October 2008 and from then on he was hooked. Since that show he has travelled the length and breadth of the UK to attend every single show.
In 2009 he also went to two major US events: LeakyCon in Boston and Wrockstock the Third near St Louis.
He also makes quite a good event doorman and raffle co-host!
Lucy Debenham
Content editor and writer
But Lucy's involvement in the wrock scene really burgeoned when she started chatting to Amy Snow of Romilda Vane and the Chocolate Cauldrons during a live John Green podcast. United by their mutual appreciation of afternoon tea and cake, cooking home-grown food, vintage dresses and, of course, Harry Potter, Lucy and Amy struck up a friendship. Amy was instrumental in introducing Lucy to an array of wrock songs and artists, and eventually convinced Lucy to attend her first wrock event, the 2009 Edinburgh Snow Ball - an event that introduced Lucy to some simply fabulous people (many of which also enjoy cake), who would go on to become her very good friends. And the rest, as they say, is history.Content
Stine Stueland
Scandinavian researcher/writer and Forum Moderator
Stine is our resident Norwegian, acting as a forum moderator as well as the site's main Scandinavian writer.
©Copyright WizardRock.co.uk April 2010 Designed by Focus Communications Powered by the Scotz.net server


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Reynolda Park Senior Apartments2980 Reynolda Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27106
- Call for rates
- 1 Bed
In North Carolinas City of the Arts, we have elevated senior care to an art form. Welcome to Reynolda Park, a personalized assisted living community, located in beautiful Winston-Salem. Its the perfect retirement home for those needing supportive services for help with daily living. Weve included everything to enjoy a wonderful life and help residents live as independently as possiblebeautifully appointed living spaces, unrivaled amenities, and caring staff who offer kindness and understanding to the extraordinary people that make their home in our community. Reynolda Park is managed by Brookdale Senior Living. Since 1978, Brookdale has demonstrated exceptional pride and commitment to the quality and services provided to seniors in communities of assisted living. Featured Amenities Reynolda Park truly offers all the comforts of home. Our one-story building, while specially designed to provide easier access for those with limited mobility, is a comfortable and beautiful place to live. Our attractive studio and one-bedroom apartments are spacious with plush carpeting, basic cable, and private baths with step-in shower, safety bars, and non-slip surfaces. We offer a wealth of amenities to make life interesting. Our elegant dining room is the perfect setting to enjoy our enticing menu of finely prepared dishes. The manicured grounds and walking paths offer a great way to exercise and enjoy nature. Residents often enjoy a hand of cards in the billiards room, a go
Reynolda Park is a senior apartment community located in Winston-Salem, NC. View this 55+ apartment on a map.
Professionally Managed By: Reynolda Park
Community Features
- 1-Bedroom Units
- 24-Hour Staffing
- Air Conditioning/Climate Control
- Assisted Living
- Beauty/Barber Shop
- Cable/Satellite TV
- Emergency Call System
- Full-Time Activity Director
- Help with Activities of Daily Living
- Housekeeping
- Medication Management
- Other Transportation Provided
- Outside Patio/Gardens
- Respite Care
- Senior Homes
- Studio Apartments
*Note: In Select Units


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Wine Advocate #210 - Dec 2013
Score : 88
The value-priced 2011 Cotes du Rhone (49% Syrah, 46% Grenache and 5% Mourvedre aged 24 months in foudre) over-delivers and exhibits textbook black cherry, smoked earth, olive, underbrush and licorice, as well as a clean, balanced, medium to full-bodied profile on the palate. Rock solid in the vintage and surpassing any number of more expensive releases, it should be consumed over the coming 4-5 years. Jeb Dunnuck.


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This is the book lover's community that has been waiting for you. Join us for fun and meet people who share the same love of books that you do. Java Junction is filled with publisher and author groups. Special Interests is filled with hobbies, fun things, cooking tips, recipes, and great things to do. Author's Coffee Corner - Stop by our Author group area and find hundreds of authors who have their Author area with us.
Coffee Time Romance Event Calendar | Author & Publisher Events Calendar
You are very welcome! Thank you for the friendship...and I completely understand!!!
Hi Hun, let me know if you'd like to be interviewed for my blog. Just send me your email addy and I'll pop the questions over to you. Interviews go up every Tuesday. Spots available for September. Hugs, Meg.
You got to go on a road trip, I'm jealous, lol
Ever wondered what the "S" in Tara S. Nichols is for? I included it to separate myself from all of the other Tara Nichols out there, especially the porn star model that everyone sees to seek out on my blogspot (www.tarasnichols.blogspot.com). They are sadly disappointed to discover a great lack of nude photos. (They'll have to go to my myspace (www.myspace.com/tarasnichols) for that). I can also be found at www.tarasnichols.webs.com.
I am a writer of erotic fiction rather than the Tara who takes off her clothes for the camera. Its a different kind of eroticism but one I'm quite comfortable with.
My current releases are Oasis Of My Heart, Secrets of Summer, & A Pleasurable Cure For Death, available through Cobblestone press. These first two are strictly romance with some added heat, and APCFD is an erotic paranormal. Three on the Prowl, Through the Woodwork, Gamble's Game, and Claiming Cullen (Siren Publishing) are purely erotica with romance and HEA on the side. Island of Thee, a menage amour novella, will also be published through Siren later this year.
I also have three anthology length stories, two with Logical Lust, and another with Noble Romance.
Send an Instant Message to Tara S Nichols Using...
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Welcome to Green Day CommunityRegister now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to create topics, post replies to existing threads, give reputation to your fellow members, get your own private messenger, post status updates, manage your profile and so much more. This message will be removed once you have signed in.
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Cat C
Heavy Metal Lover has got to be the greatest song to exist... Ever...Nov 19 2012 03:40 PM
Cat CThe Promise was always my fave. I get so much stick for this but Call My Name is a tune as well!
Nov 19 2012 06:00 PM
ComradeCan't go wrong with Love Machine and Biology.
Nov 19 2012 06:16 PM
E!!igreatest song to exist for me is "Imagine"
Nov 21 2012 06:36 AM


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|Including activewear, jeans, knits, sweaters and more
|Free Shipping at $49
|Original price: $69.00
|Browse Boscov's Weekly Ad with deals on Shoes, Apparel, Home Goods & more. Updated every Sunday.
|Extra 30% off when you buy 3 or more, extra 20% off when you buy 2 or more, and extra 15% off when you buy 1 pair of shoes


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George Pataki: This Administration Has Never Understood the Meaning of 9/11
The White House is now defending some of its talking points over how it will mark the tenth anniversary of September 11th, namely by minimizing references to Al Qaeda in an effort to show the terror group is increasingly less relevant. A former staffer of Vice President Dick Cheney spoke out against the move, saying "I think the fact that you would actually instruct government officials to speak differently about 9/11 simply based on where they're standing is not just insulting to American audiences and to foreign
audiences, but again I think its a little bit of a window into how they look at national security issues.
Fmr. 9/11 Commissioner Tom Kean on National Security 10 Years Later
President Bush Speaks About 9/11 for First Time in National Geographic Special
Fmr. Chair of 9/11 Commission: DHS Making Progress, Gaps Remain
Bill Hemmer spoke to former New York Governor George Pataki, who was in office on that fateful day, who said that criticism makes sense and it's critical to remember that 9/11 wasn't an attack on the global community - it was an attack on America. He added that the White House's message combined with the administration's refusal to call terrorists "terrorists" contribute to the fundamental truth that "this administration has never understood the meaning of September 11th."


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*As calculated using the USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs.
· No artificial flavors.· Unsweetened.
·Refrigerate after opening.·Use within two days after opening.
Ingredients: WATER, CARROTS, TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), PEAS, BEEF, WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE FLOUR, ONION POWDER.
Always refer to the product packaging for the most accurate and up-to-date product information.
How do I prepare baby food?


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Maurice Jones-Drew: 'Stop The Madness'
By Blake Bass
Content Coordinator
Follow @ BlakeeBass
Content Coordinator
Follow @ BlakeeBass
Maurice Jones-Drew took to Twitter on Thursday to clarify that he was joking when he said one of his former Jacksonville Jaguars teammates almost didn't block for him on a play in a game because they were playing each other that week in fantasy football.
Stop the madness!! Listen to the broadcast…it was a JOKE people…made during the Sirius fantasy draft. #commonsencejournalism!
— Maurice Jones-Drew (@Jones_Drew32) July 18, 2013
Read more on ESPN.com
Tags: Jacksonville Jaguars


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Sir John Eliot MP is tried in the Court of King's Bench for his part in the Commons Protestation of March 1629. In the course of his trial, he defiantly denies the court's jurisdiction to try an MP. However, he is fined £2,000 and imprisoned in the Tower for a sentence of unspecified length.
Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are not a subscriber, please click here to read about membership. All our articles have been written recently by experts in their field, more than 95% of them university professors.


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We will use the following algorithm in both the Pollard and elliptic curve factorization methods.
where is the largest power of that satisfies . Since , we have .
Let be a positive integer that we wish to factor. We use the Pollard -method to look for a nontrivial factor of as follows. First we choose a positive integer , usually with at most six digits. Suppose that there is a prime divisor of such that is -power smooth. We try to find using the following strategy. If is an integer not divisible by then by Theorem 2.1.19,
Let , and observe that our assumption that is -power smooth implies that , so
If also then is a nontrivial factor of . If , then for every prime power divisor of . In this case, repeat the above steps but with a smaller choice of or possibly a different choice of . Also, it is a good idea to check from the start whether or not is not a perfect power , and if so replace by . We formalize the algorithm as follows:
For fixed , Algorithm 6.3.3 often splits when is divisible by a prime such that is -power smooth. Approximately 15% of primes in the interval from and are such that is power-smooth, so the Pollard method with already fails nearly 85% of the time at finding -digit primes in this range (see also Exercise 6.10). We will not analyze Pollard's method further, since it was mentioned here only to set the stage for the elliptic curve factorization method.
The following examples illustrate the Pollard -method.
so is a factor of .
and With , we have
so is a nontrivial factor of .
and , so we do not obtain a factor of . If we replace by , Pollard's method works:
and , so we split .
and , so we do not obtain a factor of . If we replace by , then Pollard's method works:
and . Thus .
William 2007-06-01


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Real Housewives of New Jersey
Caroline Manzo Says it Was "Disrespectful and Selfish" For Teresa Giudice to Try and Take Attention Away From Jacqueline Laurita's Autistic Son
Caroline Manzo is an expert at keeping her cool, and even held her own with Teresa Giudice after Teresa called her an "old hag" and insulted her weight during part one of The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 4 Reunion.
However, Caroline did snap once, as her sister-in-law Jacqueline Laurita was detailing her struggle with her autistic son Nick and Teresa tried to make it about her and her family by referring to Nick as "Audriana's first boyfriend"
An agitated Caroline shot back, "That's bullsh*t, don't bring it around to you … you and your f**king Christmas pageant dress sit back and shut the f**k up."
In her latest BravoTV.com blog, Caroline explains her outburst by writing, "Watching that video was both heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. I'm sorry for my outburst, but that was about Nicholas and I believe it was disrespectful and selfish of Teresa to infuse herself into that moment."
It didn't seem like Teresa meant anything malicious by her comment, but it did appear like she was trying to divert attention away from Jacqueline and her story. What do you think? Tell us below.
Source: BravoTV.com


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The Avocet 30 is a brand new addition to the Kelty pack line Whether you are having an extended day trip or engaging in an ultra-light weekend, the Avocet will haul everything you need!
Reviewed by 2 customers
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Best Uses
Comments about Kelty Avocet 30 Pack:
I own multiple Kelty packs, I use one for work everyday. The quality of their packs is great, it will last.
I find for long day hikes using since sacks to organize your gear within the pack works best since this is a top loading pack. I went on a 18 mile hike just yesterday with this pack loaded up to about 28-30lbs. Felt great and was never a issue. Held extra cold weather clothing, food, water bladder, fire (multiple) starting gear.
Easy on and off and locked down onto my body tight. Again I love this pack.
Don't hesitate if you want a good daypack that could easily do a weekend hike if you packed smart.
Thumbs up all around to Kelty and sunnysports. All my packs come from Sunny and more than likely always will.
Thanks for a great experience.
Shawn P
Best Uses
Comments about Kelty Avocet 30 Pack:
Remember those little black backpack purses from the 90's? That's what it fit like on me. I am 6-04 and 240 pounds. This pack is not for a big guy. It had little or no adjustment. I doubt I could have even gotten it on wearing winter clothes.
However… As advertised it was light, basic, and no frills. If you are small or average framed and looking for a basic bag for day hiking or short duration trips, this may be the bag for you. I wouldn't recommend it to a bushwhacker or hunter. Not enough tie on points for external gear like axes, auxiliary bags (sleeping bags/mats) etc.
The suspension and stitching looked acceptable for a light load (as it was intended for) but I wouldn't overload it.
It's a very good pack for the niche market it was designed for – day hiking or extreme minimalist short duration trips.


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12th November 2010
Video: Cindy McCain criticises DADT while husband John defends it 2
12:39 PM — Republican senator John McCain's wife Cindy appears in a new video which attacks the ban on out gay soldiers. In the latest ad, she appears to be suggesting that her husband is partly responsible for the homophobic bullying with has led to a number of gay teenage suicides.
10th November 2010
Repeal of military gay ban looks doubtful this year 4
4:58 PM — Repealing the US ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military by the end of 2010 now looks less likely. Congress will begin a lame-duck session on Monday and the White House is pushing to repeal the law.


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Diabetes prevention methods
March 25, 2014 - 03:15 PM
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Diabetes affects millions of Americans, but there are still many misconceptions surrounding the condition.
Dr. Jaye Noel from Kaiser Permanente came on the show to help us understand the the causes of diabetes, and how to prevent it.
Read More:
Short URL: http://wj.la/1pxbvZJ


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so i was just on the website of tna and seen that sky is still on the roster.
to my knowledge she was let go and was no longer on the roster. does this mean she is coming back to the show
cause it was give a pretty decent ratings boost. she was as much hot as she was good wrestler any ideas />:confused:


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Buy kid gift baskets and food basket gifts for children from AA Gifts & Baskets. We have great gift ideas for kids birthday, get well, or other occasions with home delivery. Our large selection includes kids activity baskets that are overflowing with things like plush animals, sidewalk chalk and other outdoor games, puzzle books, crayons and much more. In addition, you'll find kids snack baskets filled with ready-to-eat goodies that just about all children love. Shop today for an amazing kids gift basket!
Our child gift baskets are perfect for young recipients. Kids love getting presents, and they won't be able to stop smiling when their special package shows up at the door. We have created designs that both girls and boys will enjoy. Our activity sets feature puzzle books, crayons, stickers, stuffed animals, travel-sized games and much more that children can't seem to get enough of. And on the snack food front, we offer junk food baskets that are overflowing with candy, cookies, salty goodies like pretzels and so much more. Whether you want to say "Happy Birthday" or "Get Well Soon" or you want to send a present just because, they'll love any of our selections!


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Pearl Jam has been no strangers to viral videos lately (remember when they performed "Let It Go" from Disney's Frozen?), and now Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready have taken on the ALS Ice Buck Challenge. McCready was nominated by Steve Gleason, former member of the New Orleans Saints who's also is battling ALS. In the clip above, McCready takes the challenge (apparently while on the way to go surfing) and promptly nominated the rest of Pearl Jam, as well as Duff McKagan, Macklemore (What? And not Ryan Lewis?), Stefan Lessard and Mike Wells. Vedder accepted the challenge and nominated actor Tim Robbins, Bruce Springsteen and, per the request of his daughters, Niall from One Direction. (Side note: Vedder sang "Let It Go," because his youngest daughter asked him. I have a funny feeling Vedder doesn't tell his daughters "no" very often.) Kudos to Vedder for getting doused with a larger bucket than McCready. As for everyone who's been challenged, you're on notice.
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Google Inc. (GOOG), Red Hat Inc. (RHT), Oracle Corp. (ORCL) and other companies are contributing dozens of computer engineers and programmers to help the Obama administration fix the U.S. health-insurance exchange website.
The help is arriving as the government's main site to offer health insurance remains plagued by repeated outages a month after its Oct. 1 debut. Among those assisting are Michael Dickerson, a site reliability engineer on leave from Mountain View, California-based Google, and Greg Gershman, the innovation director for smartphone application maker Mobomo, according to a government official who asked not to be identified because the moves haven't been made public.
The administration began touting a "tech surge" on Oct. 20, as a robust response to the software and technology errors on healthcare.gov that have prevented people from enrolling in health plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Insurers have said they too are experiencing problems with incomplete or garbled data from the site.
"There are dozens of software engineers, developers, designers and analysts, who are methodically working around the clock on performance and functionality of healthcare.gov," wrote Julie Bataille, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in a blog post obtained by Bloomberg News.


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County employees are paid bi-weekly (26 pay periods per year) through direct deposit.
Vacation (annual) leave is accumulated bi-weekly up to a maximum of 30 days. Annual
leave in excess of 30 days will be converted to regular sick leave each year at
the end of the pay period that includes January 1st.
As a new employee, you will begin work with 6 days of paid vacation. This leave
is advanced for the first 6 months of employment. During the remainder of your first
year, you will earn 6 additional days at the normal accrual rate. If you are re-employed,
instead of an advance of leave, you will receive credit for your verified previous
employment and you will begin accruing annual leave according to the above listing
of years of service.
All employees accrue 12 paid sick days per year with no maximum accumulation.
As a new employee, you will begin work with 6 days of paid sick leave. This leave
is advanced for the first 6 months of employment. During the remainder of your first
year, you will earn 6 additional days at the normal accrual rate. If you are re-employed
with Forsyth County, you will not be advanced sick leave. Instead, you will accrue
leave at the normal rate. However, if you are re-employed within one year, your
sick balance will be will be reinstated.
Any new/re-employed employees coming from participating employers of the N.C. Retirement
System may be able to transfer sick leave.
Forsyth County employees receive 10 1/2 paid holidays per year.
Forsyth County offers a voluntary plan where employees can select a monthly benefit
amount between $300 - $2000 for either a 3, 6, or 12 month benefit period. The cost depends
on the benefit amount and benefit period.
BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina's PPO plan offers the freedom to see participating
doctors and specialists without authorization at low, predictable copayments and
additionally, if needed, you can use doctors outside of the BCBS network and pay
co-insurance. The PPO plan includes three-tier prescription drug coverage.
Individual coverage - free
Employee plus one coverage - $7.44 biweekly
Family coverage - $17.82 biweekly
2013 Cafeteria Benefits Plan
Ameritas Dental Insurance
N.C. Local Government Employees
Retirement System
Allows employees to supplement retirement income by deferring a portion of current
salary before it is taxed.
7 years of service = $680.00, increasing $40 each year to a maximum longevity payment
of $2,000.
Employees can authorize tax-free deductions to pay for daycare and/or unreimbursed
medical expenses.
Get Reimbursement Form
201 North Chestnut Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
(336) 703-2400
(336) 727-2193
Copyright © 2015 Forsyth County | Contact the Webmaster | Site Map


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UNE Cotton Production Course
Contact Brendan Griffiths for current course information
Ph: 07 4671 5990
Beginning in 1994 under the Sustainable Cotton Production CRC, The University of New England Cotton Production Course has continued through all three cotton CRCs. The aim of this project has been to develop and deliver the only specialised university level qualification in cotton production in Australia. The course is delivered through the Diploma in Agriculture for externally enrolled undergraduates and the Graduate Certificate in Rural Science for externally enrolled post-graduates. Completion of all four units (Applied Cotton Production, Cotton Protection, Cotton and the Environment and Cotton Farming Systems) is required to achieve formal recognition by a university award.
The 'cotton course', as it has become known, has seen approximately 190 graduates. It has been coordinated by a UNE-based lecturer funded by the CRC and dedicated full-time to the project. Over the years successive lecturers, Steve Buster, Guy Roth, John Stanley and Brendan Griffith have had extensive research and/or practical experience in the cotton industry, and have drawn extensively on industry contacts provided through the CRC to help deliver the course. The success of the cotton course is due primarily to strong collaboration with industry and the broad involvement of cotton researchers, consultants and growers in providing relevant, up-to-date presentations and written material.
The program was designed to provide tertiary agricultural education for advisors and consultants, farmers, agribusiness, natural resource management staff and others within the Australian cotton industry. Many advisors receive little training in areas specific to cotton during their education, even at tertiary level. A structured production course enables participants to improve their skills more rapidly and exposes them to a broad range of information, cropping issues and industry contacts. The Crop Consultants Association (formerly Cotton Consultants Association) recognises the course in its classifications of membership.
The cotton course has efficiently prepared cotton industry personnel to make sound decisions based on well-founded information. As a result, the graduates are now seeded throughout the industry and greater community, with a better understanding of production, environmental and post-farm gate issues. As well as contributing directly to the productivity of the industry, this provides a healthy basis for an articulate debate on the merits of cotton production across the agricultural and urban communities.
The Cotton CRC is confident that the industry will continue to work with UNE to make this valuable educational opportunity available to future generations of cotton industry personnel after the CRC closes.
2008 Cotton Production Course visiting the Australian Cotton Exhibition Centre, Narrabri.
2 Scholarships available through CRDC - closing date for applications 29th January 2011


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Carlos Santana Releases New Song 'La Flaca'
Carlos Santana has released, "La Flaca," the first single from his upcoming bilingual album, Corazon. The cut features vocal work from Colombian musician Juanes, and hits iTunes November 25. The LP features a host of international guest talent, including Chocquibtown (Colombia), Lila Downs (Mexico), Gloria Estefan (Cuba), Los Fabulosos Cadillacs (Argentina), Miguel (USA), Ni�a Pastori (Spain), Samuel Rosa (Brazil), Soledad (Argentina), Diego Torres (Argentina), Ziggy Marley (Jamaica) and Romeo Santos (Dominican Republic).
According to Billboard, Santana has partnered with HBO to film a live concert featuring many of the album's guests live from Guadalajara on December 14. An accompanying concert DVD is expected later on in the year.
"They are the three architects of this project," Santana said of his partners HBO, RCA and Sony. "They asked me if I felt like doing it. Our goal is to change the energy of the world with this project."
Corazon is due in the early months of 2014.
Copyright(c) 2013 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved


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Photo by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott
YIELD: Makes about 2 cups
ACTIVE TIME: 5 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 5 minutes
Mix onion, celery, trout, mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, and lemon juice in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper.
DO AHEAD: Trout salad can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.