Nature Blog Network

While not a member of the Nature Blog Network, it is worth pointing out that the BBC has just released their online newsletter Breathing Places for December of 2008; it’s well worth a read for anyone “naturally inclined.” However if you’re living in the United States, don’t bother trying to view the videos – as they’re sponsored by the BBC they’re blocked against U.S. viewing. Why? It’s anyone’s guess. That said, here are a few items of interest from the week ending December 12, 2008:

Flora

Ketzel Levine has been layed off from National Public Radio.

Endangered Species Act protection for the Whitebark Pine sought by the National Resources Defense Council.

Shenandoah National Park’s lichens are odd, interesting, and under siege. (If you have never investigated lichens, and mosses for that matter, you should; they’re quite interesting.)

Fauna

Wildlife researchers say Marco Polo species under threat of extinction from regional geopolitical instability and commercialization from European and North American big game hunting tourism.

The world has lost almost one-fifth of its coral reefs according a new report released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Natural Resources and Public Policy

Recently adding the justification of the need to protect the economy to its previously stated pro-corporate and anti-scientific arguments, the outgoing U.S. Bush administration finalized the changes loosening protections granted under the Endangered Species Act.

However in Europe, where being intelligent isn’t looked upon as “elitist,” leaders have reached a deal on a package of measures to fight global warming that will cut carbon emissions by 20% by 2020, compared with 1990 levels.

Podcasts

BirdNote – Robins, rare sounds, and birds in the cold. (IMPORTANT NOTE: due to the present economic mess throughout the world, BirdNote, a non-profit, has lost the support of a major donor. If you enjoy BirdNote and want it to continue, please consider making a small donation to them through their website.)

Nature’s Voice – spectacular starlings and dreams of a green Christmas

Nature – life saving bacteria, storms on an extrasolar planet

World on the Move (BBC) – reindeer, starlings, and spawning eels

Green Week in Review – the EU climate change conference