Fires can be beneficial by removing ladder fuels, but they are not a valuable maintenance force in the deserts I frequent. Here, fire is destructive and recovery requires decades to a century. Rising temperature and drought will make recovery slower. It’s been so dry lately that the introduced invasive species haven’t produced much fine fuel this year, and though the cause is suspect, the outcome might be good.
Category Archives: Nature Conservation
Earth Day checklist: five simple things you can do to make a difference
Celebrating Earth Day on 22 April is nice, but is one day truly enough? Madeleine Somerville describes five small lifestyle shifts that will make a big impact. From: www.theguardian.com
Can you put a price on nature? A Californian nonprofit thinks it can
“Everyone agrees that nature has value. It clothes, feeds and shelters us – and provides a spectacular playground. Yet we have never put a value on everything nature offers.
“Now, environmental and sustainable business consultants want to change that by forcing corporate leaders to take stock of the economic impact of how they manage natural resources. By accounting for this so-called natural capital, the advocates hope to see more businesses adopting practices that are both good for the environment and long term profitability, especially as climate change will further deplete natural resources, causing their values to climb and increase the cost of running business. In a 1997 paper in Nature that first introduced the natural capital concept, the 13 researchers involved pegged the Earth’s worth at $33tn. A 2014 revision raised that figure to $134tn.” From: www.theguardian.com
GR: Natural ecosystems are the outcome of hundreds and thousands of years of trial and failure. The high cost of replicating the process and thus the high value of nature will not make many businesses happy. Perhaps “natural” is a standard too high. Unfortunately, so many attempts to create man-made versions of nature have failed; natural may be the only goal that is reasonable.
Clinton-Sanders fracking fracas heats up
“Their feud is exposing a rift among Democrats that could haunt Clinton beyond the party’s convention in July.” From: www.politico.com
This Is Why the Great Barrier Reef Is Dying
“The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most celebrated ecosystems on Earth—and it’s dying. Months of extreme heat have turned thousands of miles of pristine habitat into an endless watery graveyard. This year’s coral bleaching event comes as a warning.” From: gizmodo.com
With citizen science, people take research into their own hands
“From CNET Magazine: Around the world, regular people with no formal training are contributing to some of today’s most exciting scientific research. You can join them.” From: www.cnet.com
GR: We sometimes refer to volunters as citizen naturalists as well as citizen scientists. There are many ways to join. Check with the Citizen Science Association (https://garryrogers.com/2015/01/17/new-journal-citizen-science) for more information.
Better land use one of the keys to slowing global warming
GR: Carbon storage in soils equates to fertility. Over most of the Earth’s land surfaces, grazing and farming lead to loss of topsoil, the upper soil layer that holds the carbon. It will be very difficult to improve the current wasteful practices since the growing human population is urgently demanding more meat and potatoes. Unlike disaster movies with a positive conclusion, our waste of the soil will lead to a bad ending. Unlike the alien invaders in the movie Independence Day, we humans cannot move on when our resources are exhausted.
Morning photo: Marillenblüte
Gallery
Fossil Fuel and Nuclear Industries in lockstep in Australia – theme for April 16
Heads in sand.