Nature Hub

  From-BBC World  News By - Matt McGrath Environment correspondent Edited by Amal Udawatta Getty Images Little progress has been made in limiting emissions of greenhouse gases that are driving up temperatures Global efforts to tackle climate change are wildly off track, says the UN, as new data shows that warming gases are accumulating faster than at any time in human existence. Current national plans to limit carbon emissions would barely cut pollution by 2030, the UN analysis shows, leaving efforts to keep warming under 1.5C this century in tatters. The update comes as a separate report shows that greenhouse gases have risen by over 11% in the last two decades, with atmospheric concentrations surging in 2023. Researchers are also worried that forests are losing their ability to soak up carbon, which could be contributing to record levels of warming gas in the atmosphere. Getty Images A woman collapses with heat exhaustion near Lisbon in high temperatures UN Climate Change , ...

  From - BBC World News By - Carla Rosch Editted by - Amal Udawatta Thiege Rodrigues Marine turtles spend almost their entire lives at sea – but little is known about the paths they take. Now, satellites are helping scientists map their movements during the "lost years". In early June 2024, Donna Shello, an adult female leatherback turtle, was hanging out on a sandy beach along the Caribbean coast of Panama. After laying about 80 eggs, and with a satellite transmitter attached to her back, she was ready to start competing in the  Tour de Turtles,  an intense oceanic "marathon" organised by the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC), a US non-profit. This year, she is up against seven other leatherback females, and the winner will be the one who swims the longest distance. "[Donna Shello] is at least 20 years old, but may be as old as 80 to 90," says Daniel Evans, a research biologist working at the STC. "There is currently no way to age a live sea turtle."...

  From Mongabay Magazine By  Farhana Parvin   Edited by - Amal Udawatta Bangladesh has seen the highest number of olive ridley turtle eggs this year, a conservationist group says. The olive ridley’s main nesting ground is different islands of the country’s southeastern district, Cox’s Bazar, in the Bay of Bengal. The key reasons behind the success are extensive conservation action across beaches and an awareness program among local people. Conservationists say they believe success might decline if the current pace of tourism and related infrastructure development is not checked, as they appear to disturb ecosystems. This year, Bangladesh has seen its highest number of olive ridley turtle eggs, thanks to extensive conservation actions, including building awareness among local people and the vigilance of local conservation groups to ensure favorable conditions for the species. Nature Conservation Management (NACOM)  found 12,425 eggs in five turtle hatcheries — Pachar ...

  From - BBC World News Edited by Amal Udawatta By Kevin Gepford 20th February 2024 An army of reptilian bulldozers is helping a Galápagos island make an ecological comeback. E Española's burgeoning tortoise population – made up of the children and grandchildren of Diego, one of the archipelago's most beloved tortoise residents – is helping to restore the island's lost ecosystem. Before the arrival of humans, Española had as many as 8,000 resident tortoises. However, in the 1800s,  pirates and whalers nearly stripped Española  and neighbouring islands of their tortoises for their meat. These sailors also left behind goats, which went wild, multiplied, and devoured native vegetation. By the 1970s much of the pristine habitat was wrecked. Española was down to its last 14 tortoises; 12 females, and two males. These were brought back to the  Darwin Research Station's  breeding programme on Santa Cruz between 1964 and 1974, and were later joined by Diego who was...