DAILY QUICK READ - MAY 25, 2016

While the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services drags its feet the wolverine is in danger of extinction in the Lower 48.  Another example of bureaucratic delay driving a species to the edge.

Despite its physical prowess, the wolverine is highly vulnerable to extinction in the contiguous 48 United States. Snow availability is its most critical habitat need—for denning as well as foraging. In the far north, because of deep cold, it has lots of habitats. Farther south, its habitat occurs only in the mountains in discontinuous, rapidly shrinking patches. To make matters worse, of all the large carnivore species, the wolverine has one of the lowest reproductive rates and the highest metabolic and mortality rates.

Currently 250-300 wolverines exist in the contiguous United States. Scientists have attributed their ongoing decline to climate change, which is ineluctably reducing wolverine range to isolated mountaintops—creating habitat islands that impair genetic diversity. Other threats include backcountry recreation, roads, and trapping.

Maps of everything.  This map is just one of many fascinating maps in this collection.  From population to religion.  From cosmetic surgery to Tweeting frequency.  There is something for everyone.

Part of their Transforming World Atlas, the report highlights “how many countries in the world are dependent on commodities as the primary source of foreign income.” In a volatile global commodities market, it is a reminder of the risk posed by falling oil prices to economies around the world.

Not all performing elephants are in the circus.  When is an elephant sanctuary not really a sanctuary.

More people are learning that the old practice of riding an elephant while a mahout (keeper) controls it with bullhooks is cruel, and as a result more wild life "sanctuaries" are springing up as a more humane option offering that up-close encounter with the great Asian mammal.

The so-called sanctuaries purportedly provide a more nurturing and safe environment for the elephants, compared to capturing and controlling a wild animal.

But experts aren't convinced it's all that beneficial for the elephants at these places.

International treaty to stop illegal fishing.  It’s a critical first step to save many endangered species. 

…a momentous new treaty, led by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), aims to shut down this convenient network. Known as the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), the treaty, which comes into full force on 5 June, requires signatory countries to inspect or stop suspicious fishing vessels from entering their ports. Under the banner of the rule, countries that have signed now hold a legal obligation to, quite literally, leave illegal fishers out in the cold.

Over the past several years, the effort to get the treaty ratified has been quietly ticking away in the background, as countries have been slowly adding their names to the list of signatories. Recently, a spate of newcomers—Gambia, Sudan, Thailand, and Tonga among them—pushed the number above the 25 required to bring the treaty into force. And last week it reached 30 signatories, a total that includes the United States, and the European Union, which counts as one entity.

More information and how you can help.

War, drought, climate change.  Millions in jeopardy.

As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in northeastern Nigeria, the atmosphere of despair is telling. The air is dusty, the wind is fierce and unrelenting, the plants are wilting and the earth is turning into sand dunes. The sparse vegetation is occasionally broken by withered trees and shrubs. The lives of herders, fisherfolk and farmers are teetering on the edge as the lake dries up before their eyes.

Vegetation and water, the traditional staples of livelihood for the Lake Chad community dwellers, are vanishing. Vultures feast on dead cows as drought and desertification take their toll. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has called the situation an “ecological catastrophe,” predicting that the lake could disappear this century.

Thanks to Charles Pierce for putting this in stark political terms.  If the U.S. elects a president who doesn’t believe in climate change and thinks the use of nuclear weapons to counter terrorists is acceptable, then 30 million people in Africa will most likely be displaced or dead in a decade.