CANCUN, MEXICO CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE NEWS

The UN climate change conference finally reached a deal to fight global warming early Saturday after an all-night session, overruling objection from Bolivia. Full story 

SPECIES IN FOCUS- Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia)

This moth is North America's largest native moth. It is a member of the Saturniidae family, or giant silk moths. These images were taken at the Macoun Marsh in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 

The weird larva has a very large sea green body with prominent dorsal knobs: thoracic knobs orange, abdominal ones yellow; sides of body with pale blue knobs.

A VERY SPECIAL APPLE!

This apple art form follows a very ancient tradition, which reached its peak in the 19th century in France.

The colouring of the fruit is done by placing a bag around each fruit, then unwrapping it and placing a stencil against it at key stages of its growth.

The method was reinvented in Japan in 1970.  The city of Hirosaki, in Aomori Prefecture, has been renowned for its regular production of its fruits.  The fruit gardens at Laquenexy, France also produces these illustrated apples.  They last for up to 6 months.

RECEPTION TO MARK THE CLOSING OF THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR FOR BIODIVERSITY

International Civil Aviation Organization building- Montreal
By Mike Leveille (Director of Biodiversitymatters)
It was an honour to attend this important reception this evening.  There were many important political representatives from both Canada and Japan.  Here are some photos from the event:

Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf (Executive Secretary of the Convention)

Jean Lemire- Biologist, adventurer and film director and producer.

In 2006 he completed a 15-month voyage to the Antarctic on the Sedna IV, a unique 51 metre full-rigged yacht with high-precision scientific and filming equipment. The voyage was documented in the film The Last Continent.

What a tree!

International Civil Aviation Organization building

VISION OF BIODIVERSITYMATTERS

 

The vision and targets of our work include:

·         Continue to engage youth of all ages to increase their awareness and ability to act on environmental issues

·         Continue to fundraise to maintain and develop our core environmental sites and projects

·         We will continue to promote and support our Accord locally, nationally, and internationally

·         Develop our communication network and blog (biodiversitymatters.org) to share knowledge and successes between youth groups, especially in regions not yet reached

·         Celebrate our environmental heroes on our blog.  

·         Continue to record and share species data with local and national institutions and each other

·         We commit ourselves to applying our knowledge, expertise and resources to sustain and promote biodiversity.

·         We also commit to measuring the success of our joint efforts and we will report back to the CBD on an annual basis.

·         Assist in the planning of the Third International Youth Symposium on Biodiversity planned for Auroville, India in 2012.

BIODIVERSITY LOSS IS THREATENING HUMAN HEALTH

The loss of biodiversity is threatening human health. That's the conclusion of a study published this week in the journal Nature by scientists who study biodiversity and infectious diseases.  Species losses in ecosystems can result in increases in disease-causing organisms the researchers found.  Those species that remain tend to be species that magnify the transmission of infectious diseases like West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and Hantavirus.

Rodents can increase the transmission of infectious diseases.

SPECIES IN FOCUS- TURKISH GECKO (Hemidactylus turcicus)

Image by Mike Leveille

This species is one of the most successful geckos in the world.  Native to southern Europe, it has spread over a very wide geographical area.  It is also found throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa.  It holds no threatened or endangered status.  They are often found in people's homes and they come out at night.