An Apparent Solution to Global Warming

Post by Karan Kareer (ENR 2300 SU 2013)

In another attempt to solve the complex problem of global warming, or, at least slow it down by pumping carbon dioxide into basalt deposits to check whether it is advantageous process or not.

Although there have been multiple attempts to address and solve this wicked problem, this is by far the closest to an optimistic future, in my opinion. The article published in The Seattle Times suggests that the experiment poses no risk to sources of clean and fresh water, thus, eliminating any possibility of a major negative consequence from this activity.

The idea sounds very far fetched, however, the success of this experiment is indispensible and it could be a stepping-stone to solve the world’s energy crisis by reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere to buy this planet more time into the future.

Here’s the link to the post: Is there a fix for global warming under our feet? 

Snow leopards, Humans and Goats: Co-existence Failure

Post by Karan Kareer (ENR 2300 SU 2013)

An increase in the global intake level of cashmere is posing as a threat to the lives of snow leopards in the Asian continent. With reference to our recent case study on wolves, I would like to point out the slight similarity between the two issues, which is also completely different in their own ways.

The similarity however, is pretty much obvious: the conflict is being caused due to philosophies of natural resource management (as stated by Wilson in his thesis).

Due to an increase in the goat population in the Central Asian region, there has been an insane decline in the numbers of yaks, antelopes, and other native prey species. Since these “luxurious fur” goats are grazing these lands, there are not many grazing grounds left for the other animals. Thus, the snow leopards are turning to goats for meat. This, as history has shown us, is proving to be a sign of conflict between humans and the wild animal.

It is interesting to see how different issues are interrelated in this situation. From fashion to natural resource management and disease from livestock, the snow leopard is the new victim to human tantrums.

Here’s the link to the article: Snow Leopard under threat from Cashmere trade

Living with Overpopulation

Crystina Bakus (ENR 2300, SU 2013)

These last couple of days in class we have been talking about reintroduction of important key stone species to unbalances ecosystems. However, what happens when there is overpopulation? People can’t seem to live peacefully with reintroduction, but what do you do when there is an overpopulation? Australia has one of the worst problems with kangaroo overpopulation. Even though it is the nations symbol, and the first thing you think of when Australia comes to mind; it’s becoming one of the biggest problems for the country. Looking back on Australia’s past, many invasive species were added to help balance native pests. Invasive species such as foxes, cane toads, and even rabbits that were introduced to Australia by man, have caused more harm than good. So what should they do about the kangaroos? I don’t think bringing in a wolf to hunt the “roos” will be helpful this time. One of the main reasons why the roo population has skyrocketed is because more people are moving inland, and by using irrigation and sewer systems, we can allow water to exist in parts of Australia where rainfall rarely happens. Thus allowing water, food and shelter for the roos, and a better chance at surviving and living longer.

The Defense Department wants to hire professional shooters to cull the kangaroos at two of its properties on the outskirts of Canberra, which counts 1,100 kangaroos per square mile — the densest population ever measured in the region. Australia's army has started shooting 6,000 kangaroos to thin their population on an army training ground near the capital. As you can imagine, outraging conservationists have protested. The killings are intended to protect endangered plants and insects that share the grassy habitat with the kangaroos. A much smaller slaughter of 400 kangaroos on another Defense Department site in Canberra last year was disrupted by protesters as well. Civilian marksmen contracted by the department began shooting the kangaroos last year at Defense's Majura Training Area, where an estimated 9,000 of the wild marsupials roam. The training ground covers more than 7,400 acres (3,000 hectares) and includes grenade and artillery firing ranges. Now is it just me, or is using kangaroos for target shooting a little, sad, scary and odd? I don’t think that shooting the animals for military practice is something to be proud of.

However, the roos are causing much damage to Australia. To Australian farmers and ranchers, they are voracious pests that break down their fences, overrun their lands and eat them out of house and home. They eat as much as a steer. They eat up to 15 hours a day. Paul Remond, whose family owns 120,000 acres in northern New South Wales, said kangaroos routinely destroy at least 10 percent, and sometimes more than half, of his 13,000-acre wheat crop, besides eating the grass that supports his sheep. In many areas, farmers, ranchers and government officials say, they are more numerous than ever and have even reached plague proportions. On the rangelands alone of four states where they are monitored, kangaroos easily outnumber Australia's national population of 17.4 million people! Faced with government regulations that set limits and procedures on "culling" or "harvesting" - in other words, killing - kangaroos, many landowners are simply ignoring the bureaucracy and shooting them without permits. They say quotas on the numbers of kangaroos that can be shot by permit-holding farmers and professional roo-shooters are too low to lessen the animals' damage, which exceeds $140 million a year.

This overpopulation is a huge concern, and a huge mess. There is really no way to prevent or thin out the population. There is no option of bringing in another predator to help keep the roos population down, and if poison traps were set that could also harm other non-target animals! Kangaroos killed by commercial shooters are used largely for pet food, although their meat increasingly is sold to restaurants in states where this is permitted. Canberra's trendy Chez Moustache, for example, offers "kangaroo in red wine sauce" on its menu. Now like the U.S and deer, I think it is a good idea to put the roos meat to use and use it in restaurants, even soup kitchens to help the poor! There has to be a humane, and economical way to reduce, and balance the roos population before they over gaze and cause too much irreversible damage to Australia’s ecosystem.

Source Link: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/282388/OVERPOPULATION-OF-KANGAROOS-MAKES-AUSSIE-FARMERS-JUMPY.html?pg=all

Tigers in India

Crystina Bakus ENR 2300, SU 2013

In the past two decades alone wild tiger populations around the world have declined 96.8%, through a combination of habitat loss and poaching. This is not only incredibly scary but sad. Tigers are like wolves in that they are both key stone species. Due to management failure in 2004 Sariska lost its entire tiger population. Sariska Tiger Foundation from its birth has been trying hard to persuade all the decision making authorities and raising the public voice in order to convince the governments to execute the reintroduction plan as early as possible. As per this plan in the first phase three female and one male were to be shifted from Ranthambhore tiger reserve. The foundation has succeeded in achieving this objective but again due to carelessness of the reserve management one of the above-reintroduced tigers fell victim at the hands of the villagers. Loss of this tiger has brought the situation to old position. This loss is to be recovered soon through reintroduction of one male again at an earliest in order to generate healthy competition between the two males.

However, the villagers need the tiger for many ecological reasons. Researching over 115 kill sites, scientists found that nearly half of the tiger's prey was made up of sambar deer. Just like with the U.S the over population of deer and other grazing animals causes over grazing and habitat loss, which upsets the entire ecosystem of that area. Surveys have shown that locals largely approve of the reintroduction of the tiger and view their attacks on livestock as generally culling sick and weak individuals.

There is a very good outcome for this problematic situation. Fortunately Ranthambhore has over flowing population of tigers, which is much beyond its carrying capacity. This over population has caused severe competition among tigers as a result many of these have been driven out of the reserve resulting in to fatal accidents. Tigers are killing tigers. Villagers have killed tigers straying in to villages. Tigers have killed villagers inside and in the out skirts of the reserve. Shifting of few more tigers will not only be good for replenishing Sariska with its lost tiger population but also will save many tigers whose life is in real danger in the out skirts of Ranthambhore. This will also help in reducing man- animal conflict in Ranthambhore. The current plan is for three more tigers to be introduced every two years for the next six years. I think this is a perfect outcome, where we can balance human and tiger lifestyle. By keeping the tigers happy and healthy in the wild, and humans safe in heir villages, I believe that like humans and wolves, humans and tigers can live side by side.

Link:

http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/tigers-successfully-reintroduced-into-indias-sariska-tiger-reserve.html

Restoring the Olentangy

Post by Christina Miller ENR 2300 (SU 2013)

When I started working on the OSU campus one year ago, one of my favorite things to enjoy was the river. I would walk over it every day on my way to and from work and I always had time to stop and try to spot wildlife. Anytime someone needed an errand run across campus I would gladly volunteer. I spent many lunch hours down by the water.  I have seen many turtles, fish and birds and this sometimes was the highlight of my day.

Imagine my surprise when one day last fall I came to work and the water level was about half that of normal. I noticed construction fence but I thought they were fixing the trail or something. When I realized that I wasn't going to see my favorite group of turtles sunbathing in the same spot every day I was really upset. I assumed that the city was moving the water for some kind of construction.

Thankfully I found articles that explained how the dam removal would spark a huge over hall of the water systems and wildlife habitat, actually restoring wetlands in the riparian areas and making way for more natural environment to flourish. THANK GOODNESS!

If anyone else is not aware of this close to home construction they should know what is really going on. I had to look up what was going on because I was so attached to that environment but there may be some people who dont even know the area.

Here's the link to the article.

A New Threat for the Spotted Owls

Post by Hannah Maurer ENR 2300 (SU 2013) 

During the first few weeks of class, we learned about the old growth forests and how logging companies are planning to cut them down, ultimately destroying the habitat of the endangered spotted owl. However, in the posted article, I read that humans are not the only threat moving in on this species. It seems that barred owls have been invading spotted owl’s already limited habitat and competing with them for food, as well as making a meal out of them. Eric Forsman, a biologist, describes the situation as "for the last thirty years we've been trying to come up with ways of protecting the spotted owl, and now all of a sudden, this huge monkey wrench gets thrown into the works…now we don't know if spotted owls aren't there because there is no habitat for them or because of the barred owls (Levy 1999)." Other biologists conclude that habitat loss due to logging is still the main reason for spotted owl decline. They say that forest destruction is a far greater threat to the spotted own than barred owls are. One interesting point of the article was the discovery that barred owls actually do quite well in clear-cut forests. They are able to survive and raise their young in the habitats, unlike spotted owls. Spotted owls thrive in old growth forests, and that is why the logging issue is directly related to their survival. Some say that barred owls were encouraged by humans to move into spotted owl territory. People are pointing fingers, and worry about the future of the spotted owl now that there is an extra threat added into the mix. The overall goal is still to protect the old growth forests, even with the barred owls present. An incredibly large amount of species and plant life continue to call old growth areas their permanent home, so we must continue to fight for the sustainable harvesting of forests (Levy 1999). I found it interesting to learn more about what the spotted owl is facing within the trees. To fully understand an ecosystem and its needs, one must understand all aspects of the situation. 

Link to the complete article:http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA54032987&v=2.1&u=colu44332&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Overfishing Education

Post by Hannah Maurer ENR 2300 (SU 2013)

After learning about the severity of overfishing and how it continues to impact our oceans, I wanted to research more on the topic. In the video we watched in class, the call to action was to educate the public and make smart sustainable choices when purchasing seafood. I believe it is extremely important for people to know where and how their food was harvested.  In order to support sustainable fishing, we must be knowledgeable about the products we consume and begin asking companies about their specific processes. If a product was fished sustainably, then it should be purchased instead of the one that was not fished sustainably. However, most people do not have any idea that overfishing is such a massive issue. So, as educated students, it is our duty to educate society on the detrimental impacts of overfishing. Personally, I am blown away and disgusted by the fishing operations occurring in our waters. Companies do not realize how quickly and impractically they are harvesting. The long-term negative environmental effects are far from their minds, replaced with desires for larger profits. If companies continue to overharvest in one area, then move to another and overharvest there, then move to another and repeat that course of action, there will soon be no fish for them to capture. This, to me, is an obvious consequence, but the commercial demand is so high that fishermen will not stop for anything. I believe we need to take action, and people deserve to know how their seafood is being harvested. The article I have provided gives an overview on the entire situation, including fishing methods, a brief history, most favorable fish, regulations, and a call to action. Hopefully, it will help you all to make your own decisions about the issue of overfishing and realize the truth of the situation.

Link to complete article HERE.