Entries by aman

ALERT

April 13, 2015 /1 Comment/in /by

For those interested in conservation science, Corey Bradshaw maintains a very active blog. He is a professor and teaches ecological modelling. http://conservationbytes.com/

How many animals do we require to avert extinction?

April 13, 2015 /75 Comments/in /by

Frankham et al. 2014. Biological Conservation, 170, 56–63.This analysis indicates that the genetically effective population size of 50 breeding adults is not adequate to reduce the effects of inbreeding depression, and the numbers required are more than 100 individuals to prevent inbreeding depression over five generations in the wild. The minimum numbers for retaining evolutionary […]

Local communities can help in conservation

April 13, 2015 /76 Comments/in /by

Li et al. 2014. Conservation Biology 28, 87-94.The snow leopard (Panthera uncia), and endangered species, is found in mountainous areas in 12 Central Asian countries. It is threatened by poaching, lack of prey and habitat degradation. A study in the Sanjiangyuan region of the Tibetan plateau investigated the role of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in snow […]

Life is difficult when you are small

April 13, 2015 /1 Comment/in /by

Stankowich et al. 2014. Evolution doi 10.1111/evo.12356 (2014).Small predatory mammals in the order Carnivora are often subject to high rates of predation. A global scale analysis indicates that their adaption against predation comes under two categories: small carnivores that tend to be solitary, with warning coloration (i. e. skunks) and armed with foul smelling anal […]

ALERT

April 13, 2015 /2 Comments/in /by

If you want to be told about worldwide issues on conservation, we recommend you the ALERT website. It was put together by the famous conservation biologist Bill Laurance joined by a team of eminent and active scientists. The website is: http://alert-conservation.org/

Mark Davidar’s demise

April 13, 2015 /76 Comments/in /by

Davidar, one of the founders of the Sigur Nature Trust died recently. Mark’s closeness with animals was not his only contribution to wildlife conservation. Most importantly he cared about the Sigur Nature Trust, a place of unique importance because it allows the passage of wildlife on private land in between two villages, near the Mudumalai […]

Times of change (March 2014)

April 13, 2015 /1 Comment/in /by

Davidar, the former Managing Trustee of the Sigur Nature Trust, ran a small guest house, Jungle Trails on the property’s land. The guest house was closed, when Mark fell ill, for several reasons. Firstly, we do not have expertise with tourism and safety issues are important when the public is concerned. Secondly, as the Forest […]

Predatory tourism

December 5, 2014 /87 Comments/in /by

A Saturday afternoon somewhere in British India, in September 1913, just one year before the Great War (as if it could ever be great), two Englishmen were talking: -“What are you doing tomorrow, Jack?” -“Nothing much, I thought about shooting a tiger or two.” -“Don’t mind if I joined? I would be excited to go […]

The road to hell is paved with good plastic intentions

November 25, 2014 /1 Comment/in /by

When you live in the middle of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, you need to be very careful with plastic because herbivores eat plastic bags and die of intestinal occlusion. In spite of the righteous boards “Plastic-free Nilgiris” placed on each road entering the Nilgiris, locally produced items are conscientiously wrapped in a layer of plastic […]

Feeding wild elephants kills them

November 25, 2014 /1,238 Comments/in /by

Sharing food is natural among people who are close to each other, in the same family or not so close to each other, just because we belong to the same human family after all. Sharing food is a sign of friendliness. Most domestic animals were probably domesticated by sharing food with them.  The trouble is […]