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User:AnneHofma1

2013-05-22T04:28:52Z

AnneHofma1 created a user account

World's most distinct mammals and amphibians mapped

2013-05-21T02:19:05Z

Created page with "Scientists have developed the first map of the world's most unique and most endangered mammals and amphibians. The map highlights the fact that only a fraction of the areas i..."

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Scientists have developed the first map of the world's most unique and most endangered mammals and amphibians.

The map highlights the fact that only a fraction of the areas identified as critical for the conservation of these species are protected.

Among the species highlighted by the map are the Mexican salamander, the Sunda pangolin and the black and white ruffed Lemur.
The research is published in the journal Plos One.
The Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) project has been developed by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) to highlight species that are both distinctive and under severe threat.
The map highlights the regions of the world where the highest concentrations of these species occur and which should be priorities for conservation efforts.

“If you look at mammals, if you look at just evolutionary history, the species that are more different from all others, the deep rooted ones tend to be in South America,“ Prof Jonathan Baillie, Director of Conservation at ZSL told BBC News.

“But if you incorporate threat, then the focus changes to South East Asia and the reason is that land conversion has been so rapid there due to things like palm oil that a lot of these species are highly threatened - they come up to the top when you add threat as a variable.“
Pangolin The Sunda Pangolin is a culinary delicacy in South East Asia while its scales are used in Chinese medicine

As well as highlighting the fact that the priority areas for mammals and amphibians are different, the map also underlines how little of the areas that are identified as priorities for these distinct creatures are protected. Only 5% of the regions that are priorities for mammals are conserved, and just 15% for amphibians.

“We've tried to draw attention to a range of species that are on the verge of extinction, that most people haven't heard of or are doing anything about,“ said Prof Baillie.

“So something like a pangolin a beautiful creature the size of a small dog, it has scales all over its body and lives in trees - it's taken for the Chinese medicinal trade.“

Other obscure creatures making it onto the map include Madagascar's black and white ruffed lemur, which is threatened by loss of its forest habitat due to logging and mining.

Amphibians are suffering a “terrifying“ rate of extinction say the researchers, making them the most threatened vertebrates in the world. The Mexican salamander or axolotl is being threatened by expanding cities, pollution and invasive fish species which eat their young.

While many of the survival issues facing species highlighted on the map are extremely challenging, sometimes small changes can make a big difference.

Prof Baillie highlights the example of a small worm like amphibian from Kenya called the Sagalla caecilian.
Salamander The map should help focus conservations efforts for amphibians like the Mexican salamander

“It was just losing its habitat because the native trees were taken, so we've started a programme of replanting the native trees and 6,000 have been replanted and the areas where they have their strongholds are now being protected.“

“That kind of simple action can ensure that those species can be there hopefully for hundred of years to come.“

Thanks for your reading. This is my site. [http://www.bbc.com/ BBC]

Berlin’s Carnival of Cultures

2013-05-18T06:52:05Z

Created page with "It was back in 1996 that Berlin held its first Karneval der Kulturen (Carnival of Cultures). Inspired by London’s and Rio de Janeiro’s famous annual parties, the festival ..."

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It was back in 1996 that Berlin held its first Karneval der Kulturen (Carnival of Cultures). Inspired by London’s and Rio de Janeiro’s famous annual parties, the festival took place over the Whitsun weekend and has been bringing the city’s streets to life in a four-day blaze of colour and music every year since.

These days, more than a million residents and visitors celebrate the free street festival and parade, which features around 5,000 professional and amateur performers of all ages and ethnicities, as well as bands and DJs.

Taking place from 17 to 20 May in the Kreuzberg neighbourhood’s Blücherplatz, the festival consists of four stages, each featuring music from a different part of the world. Head to Latinauta for samba, salsa, Caribbean beats and Latin rock; Bazaár features neo-genres like turkpop and dönerrock; Eurasia covers everything from Balkan to Indian ragas (melodic forms); and Farafina is Afro-focused with bands from Ghana and Senegal. About 400 stands around the square will sell edible treats and handmade art.

The festival peaks on Whitsunday (19 May) with a street parade, which features colourful dance groups from Korea and Japan, trucks blaring music from Brazil and Angola, plus Irish folk, Jamaican dancehall, Caribbean soca and more. The parade starts at Hermannplatz at noon (get there around 11 am to grab a decent spot) and snakes 4km towards Yorkstraße where it ends in the late afternoon.

Of course for many, this is when the real fun begins. As dusk descends on the city, the techno sound systems are wheeled out and the whole district parties on until the early hours.

SOURCE: BBC

Thanks for your reading. This is Source site. [http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20130514-berlins-carnival-of-cultures BBC]

User:KatharinaW

2013-05-17T09:44:23Z

KatharinaW created a user account

User:MirellaPau

2013-05-17T09:41:27Z

MirellaPau created a user account