WildLeaks Launches

These contraband wildlife trade items were seized by the UK's Border Force. 

 

A group of organizations fighting wildlife crime have come together to launch WildLeaks - the first global, secure online whistleblower platform dedicated to wildlife and forest crime.

"We hope that offering a secure platform for information that will be followed up will encourage those with inside information to let us know about it."

Wildlife crime is the 4th largest transnational crime in the world, worth at least US$ 17 billion annually, after narcotics, counterfeiting, and human trafficking.

It now the most immediate threat to many species including elephants, rhinos, big cats and apes. Forest crime, which is the illicit trade in illegally logged timber, degrades forests and destroys wildlife habitats. These crimes also cause a significant human and economic toll.

Blowing the whistle on wildlife crimes, especially when criminals and corrupt government officials are involved, is a risky endeavor. But with WildLeaks a big part of that risk has been taken away.

Source: TheEcologist.org 

Endangered Species Act Celebrates 40th Anniversary

For 40 years, the Endangered Species Act has protected America's imperiled plants and animals—from the carnivorous green pitcher plant of Southeastern wetlands, to the western snowy plover of northwestern beaches, to the iconic polar bear of the Arctic.

This video takes us through the successes the ESA has brought in the last four decades, and looks ahead to the work that still needs to be done. - See more at: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa40/#sthash.c4QSyBCm.dpuf

For 40 years, the Endangered Species Act has protected America's imperiled plants and animals—from the carnivorous green pitcher plant of Southeastern wetlands, to the western snowy plover of northwestern beaches, to the iconic polar bear of the Arctic.

This video takes us through the successes the ESA has brought in the last four decades, and looks ahead to the work that still needs to be done. - See more at: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa40/#sthash.c4QSyBCm.dpuf

There are approximately 2,140 species listed under the ESA. Of these species, approximately 1,515 are found in part or entirely in the U.S. and its waters; the remainder are foreign species.

The Endangered Species Act itself also needs protecting. Politics, commercial industry, and funding cuts threaten to weaken or choke the ESA's ability to protect endangered species. With more and more species being added the the Endangered Species list, now more than ever is it important that the ESA remain intact.

25 Most Endangered Species on Earth


Fish & Wildlife Service
Defenders of Wildlife
National Wildlife Federation
Sierra Club
World Wildlife Fund
Nature Conservancy

Cornell University's biodiversity recordings made public

The Macaulay Library is the world's largest and oldest scientific archive of biodiversity audio and video recordings. Our mission is to collect and preserve recordings of each species' behavior and natural history, to facilitate the ability of others to collect and preserve such recordings, and to actively promote the use of these recordings for diverse purposes spanning scientific research, education, conservation, and the arts.