Looking for clues in the ivory jungle

Looking for clues in the ivory jungle

By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News website, The Hague

Opinions are divided over whether trading ivory puts elephants at risk

"It's a statement that's very easy to make, but much more difficult to prove."

At the opening news conference for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting, Willem Wijnstekers gave more answers on ivory than anything else - in particular, on the question of whether even a very limited legal ivory trade would stimulate elephant poaching.

Some animal welfare groups believe there is a link.

"Whenever CITES even talks about ivory sales, poaching goes up," Peter Pueschel of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) had said at a pre-meeting briefing.

The argument is that poachers will spot an opportunity to introduce illegal ivory into the market if a network for legal trade is operating.

Others, including CITES secretary-general Mr Wijnstekers, are not so sure.

"The data we have from Etis [the Elephant Trade Information System] is that there is no correlation between decisions made at CITES and the illegal trade," he said.

Any legal trade is an incentive to the illegal trade Patrick Omondi, Kenya Wildlife Service Send us your comments

Two things had sparked this debate. Just before the meeting opened, a CITES technical committee had decided that a one-off sale of stockpiled ivory from Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, approved in principle in 2002, could go ahead.

And the same three countries plus Zimbabwe are asking for annual ivory export quotas, opposed by another African bloc under the informal leadership of Kenya and Mali.

Getting some firm answers would seem to be a key requirement for the conservation community.

No link seen

Etis is a database of all seizures of illegal ivory made by customs officers, police or anyone else in authority globally. It documents where, when, how much, who, and as much information as possible about the route involved, including countries of origin, transit and destination.

CITES formally established Etis under the management of Traffic, the wildlife monitoring network run by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and WWF, in 1997, eight years after Traffic began gathering data independently.

"We have something like 12,378 seizure records in the database now," says Tom Milliken, the organisation's director for eastern and southern Africa.

Seizures can only give an indication of the amount of poaching, because authorities vary widely in their competence and inclination to intercept valuable shipments.

Nevertheless, he maintains: "It captures the general trend, and if we see that the trend is going down for example, it really is going down."

A graph shows no apparent relationship between CITES meetings where ivory sales have regularly been discussed, and seizures. Even the only previous one-off sale, approved in 1997 and enacted in the years following, made no visible bump on the graph.

"After the one-off sale, we had six years of a decreasing trend," says Mr Milliken, "so the data does not support the hypothesis."

Local knowledge

But maybe Etis is the wrong database. Ideally, perhaps, you would use records of poaching, not of seizures.

That was the case which the Kenyan government made to CITES in 2002.

"There have been numerous reports by wildlife officials suggesting a rise in elephant poaching since CoP10 (the CITES meeting where the one-off sale was approved)," its submission read.

Hauls of illegal ivory continue to be seized around the world

"Though many of these are of necessity anecdotal, they are nonetheless of concern not only because of the numbers involved, but because they indicate apparent resurgence of poaching in areas that had been relatively quiet."

It is an argument that the Kenyan authorities stand by today.

"Any legal trade is an incentive to the illegal trade," says Patrick Omondi, head of species conservation and management at Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

"That's why we are pushing for a 20-year total moratorium on any legal sales."

Not convinced

The problem for Kenya's case lies in that word "anecdotal", which is to scientists what a rabbit is to a hungry dog.

Anecdotal evidence presents no problems for NGOs such as Ifaw whose positions are based largely on ethical conviction.

I think a lot of people act as they do because it's a vehicle for fundraising, and if you can stimulate a sense of urgency, you'll get people motivated and donating money Tom Milliken, Traffic

It is a problem for CITES itself, and for organisations such WWF and Traffic, which all recognise that animal trade can bring money to needy communities, even generate funds for conservation, and demand hard evidence that trade is doing damage before they will back a ban.

In an attempt to get some firm numbers, CITES has set up another monitoring system called Mike - Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants - which does exactly what its name suggests.

'Hunting for solutions'

It is gathering data from more than 70 sources in Africa and Asia, and aims to provide a comprehensive picture of how many elephants are being poached, and where and when.

"There wasn't really any hard data before the year 2000, and that's why Mike was set up," says Mike's data analyst Julian Blanc.

"We're really concentrating on getting baseline data, and there haven't been any sales since Mike began. We're pretty confident that we will be able to pick up any upsurges in poaching."

But it will take Mike six years to build up an accurate picture. In the meantime, CITES has some decisions to make.

Precautionary principle

Ifaw urges a precautionary approach. "They (Etis) don't believe poaching is caused by the legal trade - we say it is," says the organisation's international advisor for Africa, Michael Wamithi, a former KWS officer.

"In 1997, we did not change our law enforcement procedures at all, so there could be no other reason for the upsurge we saw in poaching other than poachers were anticipating that the legal trade would be permitted."

CITES EXPLAINED Threatened organisms listed on three appendices depending on level of risk Appendix 1 - all international trade banned Appendix 2 - international trade monitored and regulated Appendix 3 - trade bans by individual governments, others asked to assist "Uplisting" - moving organism to a more protective appendix, "downlisting" - the reverse Conferences of the Parties (COPs) held every three years CITES administered by UN Environment Programme (Unep)

One of the ironies, Tom Milliken points out, is that many of the countries backing the 20-year moratorium bid have an appalling record on making illegal ivory seizures.

"Mali, for example, has reported one seizure in 18 years, but has been implicated in a further 42 [incidents of illegal trading]," he says.

And the welfare groups, he says, may not be helping.

"I think a lot of people act as they do because it's a vehicle for fundraising," he says, "and if you can stimulate a sense of urgency, you'll get people motivated and donating money.

"Some groups with lots of money have not contributed anything to closing down unregulated markets in Africa."

It is an argument which is likely to run through the second week of this CITES conference, as southern African states with abundant elephant populations, generally good records on poaching and a small but well-regulated usage of elephant products, seek further liberalisation, while others seek to shut the whole trade down

Chinese influence

Kenya seizes massive ivory haul

The price of ivory has shot up and can fetch more than $1,000 per kg

Kenyan authorities have seized almost 700kg of ivory worth millions of dollars in a night-time raid at the country's main airport.

The Kenya Wildlife Service says a similar amount was intercepted in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Both consignments - with a potential value of more than $1.5m (£938,000) - were reportedly headed for Thailand.

The BBC's Will Ross in Nairobi says poaching is on the increase mostly owing to high demand for ivory in Asia.

Our reporter says it is not yet clear whether the ivory, recovered at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta Airport, had been trafficked from other parts of the continent or was from East Africa.

Twenty years ago the world's elephant population was plummeting and the trade in ivory was banned.

But over the past decade the ban has been periodically relaxed and occasional supervised ivory auctions have been allowed.

Chinese influence

Officials say the sales have fuelled demand for ivory in Asian countries, especially China, contributing to a sharp increase in elephant poaching.

So far this year poachers in Kenya have killed 128 elephants for their ivory; last year 98 were killed.

In July, Kenyan authorities intercepted 16 elephant tusks and two rhinoceros horns being illegally exported to Laos from Mozambique.

Some wildlife experts have attributed the increase in elephant poaching to the presence of Chinese workers in Africa.

With demand for ivory products increasing back home, some Chinese workers on low salaries in Kenya are reported to have become middlemen in the ivory trade.

And because of the high demand for ivory across Asia, the price of ivory has shot up and can fetch more than $1,000 a kilo.

Parkinson's Disease is a

Parkinson's Disease

Tremor can be a sign of Parkinson's

http://www.richimag.co.uk/parkinsons/ Disease is a progressive, degenerative, neurological condition for which there is currently no cure.

Sufferers find increasing difficulty in moving their arms and legs. They develop tremors and facial tics, and gradually become more and more immobile.

What is Parkinson's Disease?

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease of the nervous system that generally affects both men and women who are more than 40 years old.

The disease develops slowly over time and is associated with trembling of the arms and legs, stiffness and rigidity of the muscles and slowness of movement.

A third of Parkinson's suffers also develop senile dementia.

Parkinson's sufferers eventually die from secondary complications such as pneumonia, urinary tract infection, pressure sores, septicemia and stroke.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms vary from patient to patient, appear slowly and in no particular order. Many years may pass before early symptoms progress to the point where they interfere with normal activities. The main symptoms of Parkinson's disease are:

• Tremor: Usually begins in one hand or arm and is more likely to occur when the part of the body affected is at rest.
• Muscular rigidity or stiffness: People may experience problems turning round, getting out of chair, turning over in bed, or making fine finger movements.
• Bradykinesia (slowness of movement): People with Parkinson's often find that initiating movements becomes more difficult or that it takes them longer to perform movements. Lack of co-ordination when making movements can also be a problem.

How common is it?

There are 120,000 in the UK with Parkinson's disease.

Each year 10,000 people are diagnosed with the disease, of which one in 20 will be under the age of 40.

What causes Parkinson's Disease?

It is thought that Parkinson's Disease is caused by a chemical imbalance in the co-ordination centre of the brain, known as the striatum.

Parkinson's patients suffer from cell death in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra, which produces the chemical dopamine.

As the cells die, less dopamine is produced and transported to the striatum, resulting in co-ordination problems.

Later in the disease, cells in other portions of the brain and nervous system also degenerate.

The reason why the loss of dopamine occurs in the brains of people with Parkinson's is currently unknown.

Most researchers believe it is likely that many factors play a role in causing Parkinson's.

Areas of research into the cause include genetics, environmental factors and viruses

What treatment is available?

Levapoda has been used to treat Parkinson's for decades.

It is a natually-occuring amino acid which the brain converts into dopamine, and so can be used to top up supplies of the chemical.

It can help cut disability and death rates among Parkinson's patients.

However, levodopa therapy is associated with a number of side effects, paticularly when used in the long-term.

These include the development of abnormal excessive and involuntary movements called dyskinesias.

Are there alternatives available?

Yes. Another class of drug, known as dopamine agonists, can be used to mimic the effects of dopamine.

These drugs are either given alone, or used in combination with levadopa.

COMT inhibitors work by blocking the action of an enzyme which breaks down levadopa.

Other potential drug treatments include: Anticholinergics, MAO-B inhibitors and a glutamate antagonist called Amantadine.

Another alternative is surgery on the brain, either on the pallidum or the thalamus. Both have been shown to reduce symptoms in some patients.

Non-drug therapies such as physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy can also play an important role in the management of Parkinson's.

What about experimental treatments?

An experimental technique known as deep brain stimulation is also used to treat Parkinson's Disease.

In this treatment, electrodes are placed in the thalamus and a pacemaker is used to stimulate the area.

Researchers have also shown that foetal tissue can survive being transplanted into adult brain cells that have died as a result of Parkinson's disease.

Is support available?

The Parkinson's Disease Society runs a helpline staffed by specialist nurses (weekdays, 0930 - 1730). The contact number is 0808 800 0303.

This page contains basic information. If you are concerned about your health, you should consult a doctor.

MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR!

The bonobo credo: MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR!

worst threat to bonobo survival is instability in its homeland, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Between 1996 and 2003, war and foreign occupation ravaged the DRC, killing more than 4 million people, more than any conflict since WWII. Today a fragile peace is in place, and the DRC is currently holding its first democratic elections in over 40 years since the colonial era.

Bonobos stand as a flagship, not only for conservation of the Congo rainforest, but also for Peace in the DRC - and globally. Bonobos exemplify how society can be successfully organized through cooperation and sharing of resources, as opposed to competition, territoriality and violence (as demonstrated by our other closest primate relatives, the male-dominated chimpanzees). Further, bonobos show how love - and love-making - can ease tensions and keep the peace.

The recent warfare and decades of corruption under the Mobutu regime before that have hobbled the DRCÃ s efforts to exploit its great wealth for the people of the Congo and have devastated habitat for man and animals. Forests are being depleted as more and more people hunt bushmeat (including the great apes), both for sustenance and for sale in the commercial trade. As competing parties search for peace - and a piece of the pie - the vast ecosystems of the Congo Forest and the prospects for a safe and sustainable future for the Congolese people hang in the balance.

The Congo War was fueled by illegal exploitation of natural resources, such as coltan, gold, diamonds, copper, cobalt, and timber. Thus, a vital key to lasting peace is wise and equitable management of natural resources. To this end, the Bonobo Conservation Initiative, local Congolese partners and communities, the government of the DRC, and other international partners are creating theBonobo Peace Forest - a large, multi-zoned protected area consisting of a linked constellation of community-based reserves, supported by sustainable development, in the heart of the bonobo habitat.

Click here to learn more about the Bonobo Peace Forest.

For more information about the DR Congo and current news, see:

Wild gorillas seen to use tools

Wild gorillas seen to use tools

What's fascinating is the similarity between what these creatures have done and what we do Thomas Breuer

Gorillas have been seen for the first time using simple tools to perform tasks in the wild, researchers say.http://www.richimag.co.uk/ape/
Scientists observed gorillas in a remote Congolese forest using sticks to test the depth of muddy water and to cross swampy areas.
Wild chimps and orangutans also use tools, suggesting that the origins of tool use may predate the evolutionary split between apes and humans.
Gorillas are endangered, with some populations numbered in the hundreds.
'Valuable insights'
"We've been observing gorillas for 10 years here, and we have two cases of them using detached objects as tools," said Thomas Breuer, from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), who heads the study team in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo.
"In the first case, we had a female crossing a pool; and this female has crossed this pool by using a detached stick and testing the water depth, and trying to use it as a walking stick," he told the BBC.

Gorillas use nature's toolbox In pictures

The second case saw another female gorilla pick up the trunk of a dead shrub and use it to lean on while dredging for food in a swamp. She then placed the trunk down on the swampy ground and used it as a bridge.
"What's fascinating about these observations is the similarity between what these creatures have done, and what we do in the context of crossing a pond," observed Dr Breuer.
"The most astonishing thing is that we have observed them using tools not for obtaining food, but for postural support."
In the family
This discovery makes the gorilla the last of the great apes to be documented using tools in the wild.
Chimpanzees use stone tools to process food, and their close relatives bonobos will use the mashed ends of sticks to soak up liquids.
Orangutans - the only Asian great ape - use branches to forage for food, and leaves to modify their calls.
Though some monkeys and birds also use tools, Thomas Breuer believes that the great apes are special.
"We have now seen tool use in all the great apes in the wild," he said.

The chimp Ai can count and recall numbers, recognise characters

"That now makes us think that it might be the case that tool use has been an ancient trait of all great apes before the human lineage split away." Current scientific orthodoxy holds that the separation between the chimpanzee and human lines came about six million years ago.
Research has shown that in captivity, apes can learn a range of skills including number and character recognition.
They can also learn tool use and transmit their acquired skills to other members of their social group.
The Congo team, drawn from the WCS and the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, believes that the tool traits they have observed in the wild may also be shared and learned across gorilla social groups.
They publish their findings in the online journal Public Library of Science Biology.

Ebola haemorrhagic fever

 Ebola virus belongs to the Filoviridae family (filovirus) and is comprised of five distinct species: Zaïre, Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire, Bundibugyo and Reston.
Zaïre, Sudan and Bundibugyo species have been associated with large Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) outbreaks in Africa with high case fatality ratio (25–90%) while Côte d’Ivoire and Reston have not. Reston species can infect humans but no serious illness or death in humans have been reported to date.
Human infection with the Ebola Reston subtype, found in the Western Pacific, has only caused asymptomatic illness, meaning that those who contract the disease do not experience clinical illness. The natural reservoir of the Ebola virus seems to reside in the rain forests of the African continent and in areas of the Western Pacific.

Transmission

• The Ebola virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected persons.
• Burial ceremonies where mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased person can play a significant role in the transmission of Ebola.
• The infection of human cases with Ebola virus through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, and forest antelopes -- both dead and alive -- has been documented in Côte d'Ivoire, the Republic of Congo and Gabon. The transmission of the Ebola Reston strain through the handling of cynomolgus monkeys has also been reported.
• Health care workers have frequently been infected while treating Ebola patients, through close contact without correct infection control precautions and adequate barrier nursing procedures.

Incubation period: two to 21 days.

Symptoms

Ebola is characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is often followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. Laboratory findings show low counts of white blood cells and platelets as well as elevated liver enzymes.

Diagnosis

Specialized laboratory tests on blood specimens detect specific antigens and/or genes of the virus. Antibodies to the virus can be detected, and the virus can be isolated in cell culture. Tests on samples present an extreme biohazard risk and are only conducted under maximum biological containment conditions. New developments in diagnostic techniques include non-invasive methods of diagnosis (testing saliva and urine samples) and testing inactivated samples to provide rapid laboratory diagnosis to support case management during outbreak control activities.

Therapy and vaccine

• Severe cases require intensive supportive care, as patients are frequently dehydrated and in need of intravenous fluids or oral rehydration with solutions containing electrolytes.
• No specific treatment or vaccine is yet available for Ebola haemorrhagic fever. Several potential vaccines are being tested but it could be several years before any is available. A new drug therapy has shown some promise in laboratory studies and is currently being evaluated. But this too will take several years.
• Experimental studies using hyper-immune sera on animals have shown no protection against the disease.

Containment

• Suspected cases should be isolated from other patients and strict barrier nursing techniques implemented.
• Tracing and following up people who may have been exposed to Ebola through close contact with patients are essential.
• All hospital staff should be briefed on the nature of the disease and its transmission routes. Particular emphasis should be placed on ensuring that invasive procedures such as the placing of intravenous lines and the handling of blood, secretions, catheters and suction devices are carried out under strict barrier nursing conditions. Hospital staff should have individual gowns, gloves, masks and goggles. Non-disposable protective equipment must not be reused unless they have been properly disinfected.
• Infection may also spread through contact with the soiled clothing or bed linens from a patient with Ebola. Disinfection is therefore required before handling these items.
• Communities affected by Ebola should make efforts to ensure that the population is well informed, both about the nature of the disease itself and about necessary outbreak containment measures, including burial of the deceased. People who have died from Ebola should be promptly and safely buried.

Contacts

• As the primary mode of person-to-person transmission is contact with contaminated blood, secretions or body fluids, people who have had close physical contact with patients should be kept under strict surveillance. Their body temperature should be checked twice a day, with immediate hospitalization and strict isolation in case of the onset of fever.
• Hospital staff who come into close contact with patients or contaminated materials without barrier nursing attire must be considered as contacts and followed up accordingly.

History

The Ebola virus was first identified in a western equatorial province of Sudan and in a nearby region of Zaïre (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1976 after significant epidemics in Yambuku in northern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nzara in southern Sudan.

• Between June and November 1976, the Ebola virus infected 284 people in Sudan, causing 151 deaths. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there were 318 cases and 280 deaths in September and October. An isolated case occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1977, and there was another outbreak in Sudan in 1979 (33 cases, including 22 deaths).
• In 1989, Reston, an Ebola virus subtype, was isolated in quarantined laboratory cynomolgus monkeys (Macacca fascicularis) in Reston, Virginia, USA. From 1989 to 1996, several outbreaks caused by the Ebola Reston subtype occurred in monkeys imported from the Philippines to the USA (Reston in Virginia, Alice in Texas and Pennsylvania) and to Italy. Investigations traced the source of all Ebola Reston outbreaks to one export facility near Manila in the Philippines, but the mode of contamination of this facility was not determined. Several monkeys died, and at least four people were infected, although none of them suffered clinical illness.
• One human case of Ebola haemorrhagic fever of the Cote d'Ivoire subtype and several cases in chimpanzees were confirmed in Côte d'Ivoire in November 1994.
• A large epidemic occurred in Kikwit, the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1995 with 315 cases, 250 of whom died.
• In Gabon, Ebola haemorrhagic fever was first documented in 1994 (19 cases including 9 deaths). Successive outbreaks occurred in February (37 cases including 21 deaths) and July of 1996 (60 cases including 45 deaths).
• In October 2000, Ebola was reported in Gulu district in northern Uganda. Between September 2000 and January 2001, the Sudan subtype of the Ebola virus infected 425 cases, including 224 deaths, making this the largest epidemic so far documented of Ebola. This was the first reported emergence of the Sudan Ebola virus since 1979.
• From October 2001 to December 2003, several Ebola outbreaks of the Zaïre subtype were reported in Gabon and the Republic of the Congo with a total of 302 cases and 254 deaths.

About 1850 cases with over 1200 deaths have been documented since the Ebola virus was discovered.

Natural reservoir

• The natural reservoir of the Ebola virus is unknown despite extensive studies, but it seems to reside in the rain forests on the African continent and in the Western Pacific.
• Although non-human primates have been a source of infection for humans, they are not thought to be the reservoir. They, like humans, are believed to be infected directly from the natural reservoir or through a chain of transmission from the natural reservoir.
• On the African continent, Ebola infections of human cases have been linked to direct contact with gorillas, chimpanzees, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found dead in the rainforest. So far, the Ebola virus has been detected in the wild in carcasses of chimpanzees (in Côte-d’Ivoire and the Republic of the Congo), gorillas (Gabon and the Republic of the Congo) and duikers (the Republic of the Congo).
• Different hypotheses have been developed to explain the origin of Ebola outbreaks. Laboratory observation has shown that bats experimentally infected with Ebola do not die, and this has raised speculation that these mammals may play a role in maintaining the virus in the tropical forest.
• Extensive ecological studies are under way in the Republic of the Congo and Gabon to identify the Ebola's natural reservoir

Ebola 'kills over 5,000 gorillas'

Ebola 'kills over 5,000 gorillas'

Scientists fear Ebola and hunting combined could wipe out gorillas

More than 5,000 gorillas may have died in recent outbreaks of the Ebola virus in central Africa, a study
Scientists warn that, coupled with the commercial hunting of gorillas, it may be enough to push them to extinction.
The study, published in the US journal Science, looked at gorilla colonies in Republic of Congo and Gabon. Ebola is also blamed for many chimpanzee deaths.
One of the most virulent viruses known, Ebola has killed more than 1,000 people since it was first recorded in 1976.
Ebola causes viral haemorrhagic fever - massive internal and external bleeding - which can kill up to 90% of those infected.
Scientists are still working on a vaccine and there is no known cure.
Ape-to-ape transmission
The latest study, carried out by an international team, has confirmed previous concerns about how badly the virus is affecting gorillas.

EBOLA One of the most virulent viral diseases Damages blood vessels and can cause extensive bleeding, diarrhoea and shock Killed more than 240 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1995 Transmitted by infected body fluids Kills up to 90% of victims, depending on the strain There is no cure

"Add commercial hunting to the mix, and we have a recipe for rapid ecological extinction," the report says. "Ape species that were abundant and widely distributed a decade ago are rapidly being reduced to remnant populations."
The researchers, led by Magdalena Bermejo of the University of Barcelona, focused on western gorillas, one of two gorilla species. The other is the eastern gorilla.
In 2002 and 2003, several outbreaks of Ebola flared up in human populations in Gabon and Congo.
The researchers found a "massive die-off" in gorillas in Congo's Lossi Sanctuary between 2002 and 2004.
"The Lossi outbreak killed about as many gorillas as survive in the entire eastern gorilla species," the study says. The researchers concluded that the apes were not only infected by other species, such as fruit bats, but were also transmitting the virus among themselves.
Ebola was passing from group to group of the endangered animals, they found, and appeared to be spreading faster than in humans.
Outbreaks of the disease in humans have sometimes been traced to the bushmeat trade.
According to World Health Organization figures, Ebola killed 1,200 people between the first recorded human outbreak in 1976 and 2004.

Primates 'face extinction crisis'

By Mark Kinver Science and nature reporter, BBC News http://www.richimag.co.uk/ape/

Under pressure: The Critically Endangered grey-shanked douc langur is one of the primates in peril In pictures

A global review of the world's primates says 48% of species face extinction, an outlook described as "depressing" by conservationists.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species says the main threat is habitat loss, primarily through the burning and clearing of tropical forests.

More than 70% of primates in Asia are now listed as Endangered, it adds.

The findings form part of the most detailed survey of the Earth's mammals, which will be published in October.

PRIMATES IN PERIL Nations with the highest percentage of threatened species: Cambodia - 90% Vietnam - 86% Indonesia - 84% Laos - 83% China - 79% (Source: IUCN Red List)

Other threats include hunting of primates for food and the illegal wildlife trade, explained Russell Mittermeier, chairman of global conservation group IUCN's Primate Specialist Group and president of Conservation International.

"In many places, primates are quite literally being eaten to extinction," he warned.

"Tropical forest destruction has always been the main cause, but now it appears that hunting is just as serious a threat in some areas, even where the habitat is still quite intact."

The survey, involving hundreds of experts, showed that out of 634 recognised species and subspecies, 11% were Critically Endangered, 22% were Endangered, while a further 15% were listed as Vulnerable.

Asia had the greatest proportion of threatened primates, with 71% considered at risk of extinction. The five nations with the highest percentage of endangered species were all within Asia.

'Depressing' picture

"It is quite spectacular; we are just wiping out primates," said Jean-Christophe Vie, deputy head of the IUCN Species Programme.

RED LIST DEFINITIONS The Tonkin snub-nosed monkey is listed as Critically Endangered Extinct - Surveys suggest last known individual has died Critically Endangered - Extreme high risk of extinction - this means some Critically Endangered species are also tagged Possibly Extinct Endangered - Species at very high risk of extinction Vulnerable - Species at high risk of extinction Near Threatened - May soon move into above categories Least Concern - Species is widespread and abundant Data Deficient - not enough data to assess

He added that the data was probably the worst assessment for any group of species on record.

"The problem with these species is that they have long lives, so it takes time to reverse the decline. It is quite depressing."

Although habitat loss and deforestation were deemed to be the main threats globally, Dr Vie explained how human encroachment into forests was also creating favourable conditions for hunters.

"This creates access, allowing people to go to places that they could not go in the past," he told BBC News.

"Primates are relatively easy to hunt because they are diurnal, live in groups and are noisy - they are really easy targets.

"Many of the Asian primates, like langurs, are 5-10kg, so they are a good target. Generally, you find that what is big and easy to get disappears very quickly."

In Africa, 11 of the 13 kinds of red colobus monkeys assessed were listed as Critically Endangered or Endangered.

Conservationists fear that two may already be extinct. The Bouvier's red colobus has not been seen for 25 years, and no living Miss Waldron red colobus has been recorded since 1978.

The authors of the primate Red List did consider downlisting mountain gorillas to Endangered from Critically Endangered because the great apes had recorded a population increase.

But they decided to delay reclassification as a result of five of the gorillas being killed in July 2007 by gunmen in the DR Congo's Virunga National Park, which is still at the centre of a conflict between rebel forces and government troops.

During 2007, wildlife rangers in the park recorded a total of 10 gorilla killings. The rangers have been documenting their struggles in a regular diary on the BBC News website over the past year.

Mountain gorillas have been caught in the crossfire of a land dispute Diary: Protecting mountain gorillas

"If you kill seven, 10 or 20 mountain gorillas, it has a devastating impact on the entire population," Dr Vie explained.

"Within the Red List criteria, you are allowed to anticipate what will happen in the future as well as look at what has happened in the past.

"So it was decided not to change the mountain gorillas' listing because of the sudden deaths, and we do not know when it is going to stop."

Dr Emmanuel de Merode, chief executive of Gorilla.cd - an EU-funded programme working in Virunga National Park - said the gorillas' long-term survival was still far from assured.

"Militias have been in control of the Gorilla Sector since September last year, which means the Congolese wildlife authority has been unable to manage the area and protect the gorillas," he told BBC News.

"Until the war ends and the rangers are able to get back in and patrol the area, we have no idea as to the fate of almost a third of the mountain gorillas left in the world."

Golden glimmer of hope

Despite the gloomy outlook, the Red List did record a number of conservation successes.

The re-introduction of golden lion tamarins is one of the few successes

Brazil's populations of golden lion tamarins and black lion tamarins were downlisted from Critically Endangered to Endangered.

"It is the result of decades of effort," said Dr Vie. "The lion tamarins were almost extinct in the wild, but they were very popular in zoos so there was a large captive population.

"So zoos around the world decided to join forces to introduce a captive breeding programme to reintroduce the tamarins in Brazil."

However the first attempts were not successful and the released population quickly crashed because the animals were ill-prepared for life in the wild, he recalled.

"They were not exposed to eagles or snakes and they did not know how to find food, so a lot of them died. But some did survive and, slowly, the numbers began to increase."

Ultimately, the success was a combination of ex-situ conservation in zoos and in-situ conservation by protecting and reforesting small areas around Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

"It took time, money and effort at all levels, from the politicians to scientists and volunteers on the ground, for just two species."

The findings, issued at the International Primatological Society Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, will be included in a survey described as an "unprecedented examination of the state of the world's mammals", which will be presented at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October.

Census reveals extinction threat

The study is part of a major effort to document animal and plant life

http://www.richimag.co.uk/biofools/10% of the World's mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish are at risk of extinction, says an Australian report.

The animals face threats including habitat loss and climate change.

The report comes from Australia's Biological Resources Study, a project aiming to document all of the planet's known animal and plant species.

The study found that almost 1% of the World's 1.9 million classified species were threatened.

This included 9.2% of major vertebrate species.

The publication, Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World, is part of a major effort to document the entire planet's animal and plant life.

The study underlines the unique biodiversity in Australia

It said that 20% of mammals were endangered, as were 12% percent of birds and 29% of amphibians.

Almost 5% of reptiles were considered threatened, along with 4% of fish species.

Peter Garrett, Australian Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, said: "We need this essential information to do a better job of managing our biodiversity against the threats of invasive species, habitat loss and climate change."

Mr Garrett also announced a partnership between the the Australian Biological Resources Study, and the mining company BHP Billiton to name and describe 500 reef species over the next three years.

East Africa hunger

UN warns over East Africa hunger

The WFP wants more food aid for Somalia and other drought-hit countries

More than 20 million people in the Horn of Africa need food aid because of two years of poor rainfall, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) says.

The body says cuts in its funding have made it more difficult to feed people across Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Ethiopia.

The WFP is particularly concerned about Eritrea because it cannot get any reliable information about the country.

Some 14 million people in the region were said to need food aid last year.

Audio slideshow: Kenya's drought

The WFP says it cannot collect data from Eritrea because of movement restrictions and work permits not being issued.

It says it is concerned that malnourished children and pregnant women are not getting the help being offered across the rest of the region.

The Ethiopian government and WFP are using ports in Sudan and Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland to increase the flow of relief supplies to the area.