In December, we worked with our surf ambassadors to organize an environmental education workshop and coastal clean-up. We’re really proud that Nicaragua’s growing surf community has embraced a culture of conservation.
From this weekend’s Science Roundup:
One of the major uncertainties about global climate change is the effect of clouds, which cool the climate by reflecting incoming solar radiation back to space, but also warm the climate by trapping heat that might otherwise escape. So as the planet warms, will clouds change in ways that counter warming by greenhouse gases (a negative cloud feedback), or further amplify it (a positive cloud feedback)?
…Although the data only cover the past decade, and therefore represent short-term climate fluctuations, they do corroborate several leading global climate models that yield a similar feedback and an increase in global temperature of several degrees Celsius for a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The report is here: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/330/6010/1523.short
From this month’s Science Roundup:
Sustainably managing common natural resources, such as fisheries, water, and forests, is essential for our long-term survival. Conventional analysis assumes that groups struggle to manage common natural resources because of free-riders and people who will maximize short-term self-benefits at the expense of long-term sustainability (the so-called “tragedy of the commons”). However, behavioral laboratory experiments have shown evidence that “conditional cooperation” — individual cooperation contingent upon the cooperation of others — can produce shared, long-term benefits.
Building on the work of Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom, the authors of a study published in this month’s Science combined results from experimental economics labs and surveys of different groups of forest users in Ethiopia with biological assessments of forest health to conclude that “voluntary cooperation in commons management is not a pipe dream but an empirical fact.”
Working on the ground in Nicaragua for over five years, we aren’t surprised. Thanks to the combined efforts of hotel owners, large landowners, fishermen, partner NGOs, and more, we have seen watched endangered species returning to the dry tropical forests, mangroves, and waters of southwestern Nicaragua. While we work with local governments and MARENA (the Nicaraguan environmental ministry), our coalitions for conservation are voluntary, meaning these individual people and entities are making a choice to cooperate for the long-term benefits of local communities and ecosystems.
The authors warn that such cooperation is fragile, as people are likely to sacrifice short-term self-benefits for long-term sustainability only when they see others making the same sacrifice. Working for over five years to combine cutting edge research in both the natural and social sciences, we provide individual incentives for conservation with community empowerment to create a culture of conservation in Nicaragua.
Among the other factors Ostrom and Vollan suggest contribute to success in managing commons? “Evidence from field experiments shows that resource users responded prosocially to environmental appeals made by park rangers.” Another reason to support Paso Pacifico by making a donation to our ranger program.
ScienceNow has good news for those of us planting trees:
“Research shows that deciduous tree leaves, such as those from the maple, aspen, and poplar, suck up far more atmospheric pollutants than previously thought.”
Earlier this month, the first ever Census of Marine Life was published, a culmination of a decade of research. Nearly three thousand scientists from around the world worked together to establish an oceanic baseline for future study.
The Yale Project on Climate Change Communication has just released the results of their study on Americans’ knowledge of climate change.
Among the important findings are that, when it comes to climate change, many Americans “misunderstand the causes and therefore the solutions.” Large majorities, however, correctly understand that planting trees and reducing tropical deforestation would reduce global warming if they were done worldwide. We hope this means that more people will support our efforts to mitigate climate change through reforestation efforts in Nicaragua.
The especially good news is that “Americans also recognize their own limited understanding. Only 1 in 10 say that they are ‘very well informed’ about climate change, and 75 percent say they would like to know more about the issue.” As an organization dedicated to advancing scientific understanding, we are glad to know that people are eager to learn and understand.
To fill the gaps in knowledge used to determine conservation status, says Eimear Lic Lughadha in the October 1st issue of Science, “plants may be more representative of what’s happening to the whole of biodiversity.” The reliance of so many species on various plants has led to a new technique called the Sampled Red List Index, using statistical sampling for estimating the risk of extinction within a particular geographic location. This method confirms patterns already observed in conservation science; like the fact that birds are less likely to go extinct than mammals and amphibians.
Further evidence that wings are advantageous underscores the importance of migratory corridors. Birds are not as reliant on connectivity as other wildlife, so they are able to survive better when their habitat is fragmented. As we conduct our biodiversity monitoring and reforestation projects, we’ll keep the Sampled Red List Index in mind. In the meantime, we’ll maintain our commitment to working with various stakeholders to ensure maximum connectivity for our umbrella species, the endangered (and arboreal) black-handed Spider monkey, and for other Nicaraguan wildlife.
In light of the global warming, which some today feel is just a myth, the reality is coming home sooner to others in a more radical way. In Australia, one of the most treasured environmental icons, the Great Barrier Reef is under siege.
Read more from our friend Greg Reitman: http://www.the-environmentalist.org/2010/09/climate-war-comes-home-to-australia.html
From the AAAS Science Roundup:
In October 2010, scientists, nongovernmental organizations, and politicians will meet at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to assess the current condition of global biodiversity and to agree on priorities for its future conservation. In the 10 Sep 2010 Science, a Review article and special News Focus section discussed the issues at stake. Rands et al. reviewed recent patterns of biodiversity conservation, highlighting successes, as well as current and future threats. They argue that biodiversity should be treated as a public good — with responsibility for its conservation integrated across sectors of society and government — rather than be confined to the business of environmental agencies.
We agree, which is why we work with local landowners and businesses, municipal governments, and other NGOs, to restore and protect biodiversity and wildlife habitat in Nicaragua.
New from Science:
The Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest offshore oil spill in history. Both the depth and magnitude of the event pose challenges to assessing the biological effects and the expected fate of the spilled oil. The first peer-reviewed studies of the spill — published online, ahead-of-print in Science Express this month — now offer some details about the scope of the subsurface oil plume and its impact on marine microbes.
Their digest of the oil spill situation is here: www.sciencemag.org//hottopics/oilspill/
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