 Biodiversity
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An American pygmy rabbit. Photo: Oregon Zoo
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American Rabbits Aren't Having a Hoppy Easter
As the Chicago Times reported, the folks at Climate Nexus found that climate change is threatening at least five species of rabbit in the U.S.
The Lower Keys Marsh rabbit lives in the Lower Florida Keys where sea level rise is a big issue. According to the Center for Biological Diversity’s 350 project, which highlights species that are most directly impacted by climate change, an ocean level rise of only .6 meters will send these guys hopping for higher ground and a .9 meter rise would wipe out their habitat completely.
The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue as most of these hares change their fur color from a brilliant white in the wintertime to a rusty brown in the summer, to help them hide from predators. As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies are being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them easier snacks for their predators.
American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the first of these species to go extinct due to climate change. Pikas live high in the cool, moist mountains west of the Rocky Mountains, in the alpine zone above the treeline. As temperatures warm they have to find high elevation, unfortunately, they already live at the tops of mountains and ridges.
The incredibly named volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi) has the same issue. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there’s not suitable vegetation for them to move higher.
Most Easter-y of all are the pygmy rabbits, tiny bunnies native to the U.S. that weigh less than 1 pound and live in sagebrush territory in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. More and more, the pine-juniper woodlands have encroached on the sage, or their habitats have been destroyed by development. Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs.
Why This Matters: What's Easter without bunnies? This story is a good reminder that climate change doesn't just affect large, iconic predators like polar bears. Each animal plays an important role in its ecosystem--rabbits specifically help disperse the seeds of native plants.
On that note, we wish a happy Easter to everyone celebrating this weekend (or just looking forward to chocolate Easter eggs, like Miro)
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 Climate Change
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Photo: Monica Medina, ODP
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Climate Change and Biodiversity: EO Wilson and Jon Jarvis Speak Up
Two great leaders in conservation -- E.O. Wilson, the "father of biodiversity" and Jon Jarvis, the recent head of the National Park Service -- spoke out at a forum at Harvard University Wednesday night urging students there to act now to save nature before its too late. They spoke with Professor Linda Bilmes about the moral imperative to save our "home" -- of the responsibility we all share to save species that are going extinct at an alarming rate (just ask the bunnies above). EO Wilson explained that we love nature and animals because it is part of who we are as humans -- we spent millions of years as hunter-gatherers, and so it is inevitable that even as we have evolved we find satisfaction in nature. Jon Jarvis said in all his time working in national parks, he never met anyone who wasn't awed by what they saw there. He believes that renowned American author Wallace Stegner was right --- that our national parks are " America's best idea."
As for the future, both offered a pragmatic vision for the way ahead. For Wilson, the key to solving our extinction crisis is to map all the world's inhabitants, understand them as best we can, and then set aside 50% of the planet for conservation purposes. Jarvis concurred and said the key is making conservation accessible to people -- whether it is by connecting public health to a clean environment or providing more urban parks.
Why This Matters: Combined these men have more than a century of experience in conservation. And they are working hard to empower the next generation. EO Wilson's Half Earth Project has established a prestigious Biodiversity Fellows program of research leaders who convene and spearhead efforts to preserve and protect the biodiversity of our planet. Jon launched in October 2017, the UC Berkeley Institute for Parks, People, and Biodiversity, that aims to bring an interdisciplinary approach to the research, management, and protection of our national, state and local parks and public lands. We hope they succeed.
To Go Deeper: You can watch the entire discussion by clicking here.
What You Can Do: Sign the Half Earth Pledge Here.
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EO Wilson's Half Earth Project to Save the Natural World
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 People
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ODP Exclusive Interview with Mitch Hedlund: Founder and Executive Director of Recycle Across America
Recycle Across America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to expediting environmental progress by creating the world's first and only society-wide standardized labeling system for recycling bins to make it easier for people to begin to recycle right, wherever they might be.
ODP: What’s the current state of recycling in America, what can be done to make it better?
MH: Recycling is in a serious crisis because the public is really confused about recycling and therefore they are making mistakes at the bin. We have identified that the root cause of the confusion is a lack of standardized labels for recycling bins. Sometimes it takes a crisis to wake people up. I've been working on this for eight years and it's just now where I'm seeing the recycling industry wanting to come to the table to talk with us about the standardized labels. So it's good that the problem is surfacing and creating an economic crisis -- sometimes that's what it takes.
ODP: If given the choice, do you find that people will recycle even if it takes an extra step?
MH: Absolutely! When I first started this mission in 2010, contamination (garbage thrown in recycling bins) was a huge issue - just as bad as it is today. And the folks in the recycling industry told me that people say they care about recycling but that they don't really care when it comes to actually doing it. And I responded by saying I didn't believe that at all -- instead I believed at that time that the recycling industry made it impossible for people to recycle properly because of the confusing labels on bins and I explained that we (as an industry) start to implement a standardized labeling system on bins, people will start to recycle properly. And every single day since this mission has been launched, we have proven that people absolutely do care and they will recycle more and recycle right. Where the standardized labels are used, recycling levels double and triple and the amount of contamination is usually undetectable.
ODP: What are the impacts to the environment if we don’t adequately recycle?
MH: Recycling is "the" #1 action we can do to sustain our species on this planet. Without it, we will deplete all of the resources we need to exist. Human population continues to exponentially increase, while we are making the resources we rely upon, exponentially decrease.
Here's what can happen if we do recycle more and recycle right:
1. A successful recycling culture means there is far less waste that will go into oceans. When the public understands that these items are truly valuable and need to go back to the manufacturers to reuse, they won't litter them. 6 out of 10 of the most commonly found items in the oceans are recyclable in the U.S. And the U.S. has a tremendous amount of waste going into oceans from it's coastline -- for instance, CA spends about $500 million trying to retrieve litter from going into the ocean each year.
2. If we get U.S. recycling levels to 75% it will be the CO2 equivalent of removing 55 million cars from U.S. roads each year.
3. If we get U.S. recycling levels to 75% it will create 1.5 million new domestic jobs (net).
4. If we recycle right, it is the #1 thing for sustainable manufacturing.
The U.S. generates more waste than any other country in the world, and even though we have the infrastructure to recycle most of our materials, we only recycle 21.4%, that's pathetic. If we don't do it properly, we don't set a very good example for developing countries to handle these materials properly.
ODP: What have been some of your successes at RAA and what’s something surprising that you’ve learned?
MH: We absolutely love our partners. Many of them have become dear friends and incredibly advocates. Virally we have grown to the point where there are 8 million standardized labels in use today. The saddest and most frustrating thing I've witnessed is the conflicts of interest in the recycling space. The most dominant associations for recycling, also represent the landfills. Many of the nonprofits in the recycling space that are chartered and relied upon to protect recycling and be the guardian are funded by the virgin plastics industry and the landfill companies, so they end up being a bit of the problem. Our advice to everyone right now is that if they hear anyone say that fixing recycling is challenging or if they hear the nonprofits or recycling leaders say that they can't adopt the simple solutions that are working, for some odd reason, look behind the scenes and see who is funding them. If it is the plastics industry and landfill owners, then you'll understand the conflicts of interest even with the nonprofits.
ODP: How can people get involved and push their cities to incorporate more efficient recycling practices?
MH: We have a U.S. Mayors petition that people can sign. And people can talk with their schools, work places, and media to get the solutions in place. And remember to always recycle aluminum/metal cans, clean office paper, newspaper, magazines, plastic bottle and jugs and cardboard and glass jars and bottles. And when in doubt about something, throw it out. Best not to make mistakes at the bin. And avoid using plastic bags entirely, as well as all single use plastics. If you have a plastic bag, recycle it at a local store that has a plastic bag recycling program.
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 Oceans
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Photo: Coral Vita Reefs Instagram
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The Business of Saving Coral Reefs
Coral Vita is a startup founded by Sam Teicher and Gator Halpern, who met at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and decided they needed to address the massive crisis of coral extinction (just ask EO Wilson -- see Climate Change above). So they have created a network of land-based coral farms in order to enable clients around the world to have a ready-to-install supply of corals for all restoration needs. They aim to provide a means to sustain these vital natural resources in spite of the ecological danger our planet faces. Coral Vita at the same time improves the livelihoods of those who depend on coral and aspires to enable a new generation to protect these reefs that will sustain their communities and nations well into the future.
As reported by GreenBiz, the business partners shared a passion for the ocean which led them to apply for a $1,000 grant to go to the Florida Keys, where a scientist, David Vaughan of the Mote Marine Lab, had achieved a breakthrough to grow corals 50 times faster than they can on their own. The two approached Vaughan about commercializing his techniques through a business model they were developing in a Yale School of Management class, and he agreed. They understood the economic value of these ecological wonders -- reefs generate $30 billion annually through tourism, fisheries, and coastal protection while sustaining 25 percent of marine life and 1 billion people. Now it's a business.
Why This Matters: Scientists tell us that over one-third of coral reefs in the world have already died and, by 2050, 75 percent of our world's coral reefs are predicted to die. Where we see destruction and disaster, they saw a business opportunity. Now that is the power of entrepreneurship. All they need now is for governments and private parties to put them to work.
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Animals
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Young Gorillas Can Dismantle Poacher's Traps
After a gorilla was killed in a poacher's bushmeat trap, researchers in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park spotted something remarkable: two 4-year old gorillas working together to dismantle similar traps in the region. Thousands of these types of traps are set up by local hunters to catch antelopes and other animals for eating, and while they reportedly have no interest in gorillas, young gorillas are sometimes unintentionally caught up and left to die. But gorillas are incredibly intelligent animals and can learn fast, as evidenced by a scene filmed a few years ago by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
Why This Matters: The gorillas in this story form a subspecies of the Eastern Gorilla called Gorilla beringei beringei, which are critically endangered and cannot afford to lose young gorillas to traps (older gorillas are better able to survive getting caught). Juvenile gorillas seem to be learning more and more about the dangers of these traps which hopefully can help protect their populations, and they can pass this knowledge on to their young.
Want More: Watch this gorilla who doesn't like getting his hands dirty so he walks upright like a human according to his zoo-keepers.
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 Hero
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Hero of the Week: Jess Cramp
It's our last chance during Women's History Month to recognize a woman doing great things for conservation. This week we could not stop thinking about sharks! You know why (but ICYMI, click here). So we decided to honor a woman who really loves sharks. Jess Cramp is a marine biologist based in the Cook Islands who has dedicated her adult life to conserving sharks in the wild - she runs the organization Sharks Pacific. She hales from Pennsylvania, but she is most at home free diving with sharks on a coral reef. She is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, recognized for her work to establish the first-in-the-world nationwide shark sanctuary in the Cook Islands -- sharks are protected throughout that county's ocean waters. Now she has set her sites on eliminating the heinous practice of shark finning. Last year, she spoke to school children at the National Geographic Society in Washington. Here she is, in her own words.
"My favorite question from one little boy was, 'If sharks are in trouble because they travel all that way, why don't you just ask the Presidents to help you?' Kids get it. Why the hell do we adults make things so complicated? Lol. I felt really loved and inspired by the time I got on the airplane to come home to the Cooks."
We are glad you are out there, Jess, protecting the world's sharks and thereby its oceans too! And we are glad you did not ask this President for help! You can follow Jess on Instagram and twitter @Jessaddwater.
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And finally, we end this week feeling renewed by all today's stories about the wonders of nature. Happy Spring. Happy Easter. And Happy Passover. We are grateful to you for your support, and for continuing to tell your friends and family about us. Have a great weekend. We will be back on Monday!
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