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Advice for ESL students

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• demonstrate an interdisciplinary and international
perspective in discussing environmental issues.

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Advice about Study Techniques:

READING and TALKING with others can be useful to help learn about a subject, but
WRITING is an extremely important part of studying - your marks will depend on how well
you can write answers in assignments and tests. Also, when we write (either to summarise or
to expand on a topic), we become more familiar with the topic. Therefore practicing writing
answers is an essential part of studying.

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but it should be correct in meaning!)
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write answers - then hand them back for your friend to check
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explained things clearly

Advice for all students

• Get into the habit of reading assignment and test instructions and questions CAREFULLY -
you can waste a lot of time writing too much, writing the wrong thing, answering more
than you have to etc!
• Get into the habit of checking your answers carefully - it doesn't matter if you have English
as a first or second language - it is easy to leave out a word or put the wrong one in and
change the meaning of an answer completely.

Advice for ESL students

• When you check what you have written during study time, also check your English and/or
ask someone else to (friend, teacher, peer tutor etc).
• Dedicate study time each week to improving your English skills.

9 ++
• Answering questions thoroughly - check you have answered every aspect of the question
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Introduction

Strongest arguments presented by anti-whalers

Environmental - There might be so few whales left they cannot breed successfully with
enough genetic diversity.
Economic - It causes commercial extinction
Political - It makes countries unpopular

Strongest arguments presented by pro-whalers

Environmental - Scientific research being done, whales need to be killed in order to know
more about them.
Economic - A source of revenue.
Poltical - It is part of countries traditions and considered an art.
Should Pro Whaling be permitted evidence from anti and pro whalers arguments

Why this issue should be considered an anti disciplinary act

Summary/Conclusion
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Although commercial whaling was banned worldwide in 1986, this ban has never been fully
respected. Some 21,000 whales have been slaughtered since it was introduced and every
year a growing number of whales are killed. Japanese and Norwegian whalers harpoon
around 1,200 whales each year in defiance of the ban, and the International Whaling
Commission (IWC) is currently finalising a management scheme known as the 'Revised
Management Scheme' (RMS) for the resumption of whaling. Despite overwhelming public
opposition, commercial whaling seems set to return.

A bloody history

The history of commercial whaling has seen the

systematic destruction of one whale population
after another, with some species pushed to the
brink of extinction. At first the whalers pursued
the whales from sailing ships in open boats with
hand-thrown harpoons. But the development of
steam-powered ships, and explosive harpoon
cannons, meant that whaling ships could kill the
fastest whales, and pursue them, literally, to the
ends of the earth. With the arrival of 'factory'
ships, sea-borne slaughterhouses, whales could
be processed far out at sea.

© Steve Morgan

Catcher-boats would harpoon the unfortunate whales and tow them back for
rendering into oil. The whalers could now penetrate polar pack ice, stay at sea for
months at a time, and slaughter whales by the thousands each year. With this new
technology, and an insatiable demand for whale oil, the results were catastrophic.

Around two million whales were slaughtered during the 20th century. The blue
whale, the largest animal ever to evolve, harpooned by the tens of thousands each
year. The population has never recovered, and remains critically endangered,
despite nearly 30 years of protection. As blue whales declined, the whalers switched
to the next largest species, the fin whales, and so the senseless chain of destruction
continued. Eventually only the relatively tiny minke whales were left in any numbers
to be worth hunting and Japanese and Norwegian whalers have killed many
thousands of them during the whaling ban.

The killing club

Fearful of wiping out their own 'golden
goose', the whaling nations agreed to
form the IWC in 1949. But for twenty
years the Commission presided over
the greatest whale slaughter in
history. Known as the 'Whaling
Olympics', an average of 50-60,000
whales were killed each year - a
whale harpooned every 8 minutes!
Not surprisingly, whale populations
crashed worldwide.

The turning point

In 1972, concern at the mismanagement of whaling prompted the United Nations to

call for an immediate ten-year moratorium on commercial whaling. However it was
not until 1986 that the IWC finally voted in an indefinite ban. However, the whalers
were determined to continue and have found ways around the ban. Japan kills
hundreds of whales each year for so-called "research" while Norway exempted itself
from the ban and renewed commercial hunting.

Whales still in danger

But even without commercial whaling, there is growing scientific evidence that
whales are under threat as never before. Global warming, ozone 'holes' resulting in
increasing UV radiation, marine pollution, over-fishing, entanglement in fishing gear,
boat collisions, chronic noise pollution, lethal military sonar, and the loss of sensitive
habitats such as feeding and breeding areas, all threaten the future of the world's
surviving whale populations.

Global climate change may change ocean currents disrupting food availability for
whales. Increasing UV radiation is destroying phyto-plankton on which the entire
marine ecosystem depends. Whales are increasingly contaminated by persistent
organic compounds, such as pesticides and PCBs. These undermine their immune
and reproductive systems and pose a serious health risk both to whales and the
people that eat them. Such is the extent of the problem that beached whales are
often disposed of as toxic waste! Some experts believe that these pollutants could
yet cause the extinction of all marine mammals.

Terrible cruelty
 Despite modern killing methods, whaling is
still appalling cruel. Humane practices
required by law for the domestic slaughter of
cattle, sheep and pigs - to stun the animal
instantaneously and then kill it while it is
unconscious - do not apply in the open
ocean. The death of a whale is caused by
massive internal injuries caused by shrapnel
from an explosive harpoon.

© Mark Votier-Campaign Whale.

The hunted animal must first endure the fear and exhaustion of the chase, the pain
of the first harpoon strike, and then being winched by a cable attached to the
harpoon, deep within its body, to the catcher boat.

The unfortunate whale may be harpooned again, repeatedly shot with a rifle or even
electrocuted to finish it off - a process that can take several minutes, and sometimes
over an hour. As a physician aboard a whaling ship once remarked: "The gunners
themselves admit that if whales could scream the industry would stop, for nobody
would be able to stand it".
In 2001, an international workshop of veterinarians and other experts reviewed
modern whale killing methods. Their review reached a shocking conclusion: that
many harpooned whales may still be alive and fully conscious when they are
butchered!

Conclusion

Even if whaling were less cruel, the slaughter of such highly sentient creatures
simply for profit is morally repugnant to many people. Only wealthy developed
nations like Norway, Japan and Iceland, are engaged in, or want to resume
commercial whaling. Whale meat is no longer a nutritional or economic necessity in
those countries and whale products, such as whale oil, have long since been
replaced, or are manufactured synthetically. In truth, whale meat is now dangerously
contaminated but remains an expensive gourmet food in Japan that can fetch the
equivalent of £200 per pound! Yet whales are clearly worth far more alive than dead
- as a $1billion-dollar worldwide whale-watching industry clearly demonstrates.

The reality is, we don't need to kill whales anymore, but we still need to save them.
Only by strictly enforcing the existing whaling ban, for the foreseeable future, can we
hope to ensure their survival. The fate of the whales remains inextricably linked with
our own: to truly protect them we must effectively counter environmental decline as
never before. It remains as true today as ever before - in saving the whales we can
still save ourselves.

What can be done?

The IWC ban on commercial whaling, and a complimentary ban on international
trade in whale products are both under serious threat. Japan is shamelessly
recruiting pro-whaling votes in exchange for development and fisheries aid
packages. Japan now has the slavish support of no less than six Caribbean island
states: Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent, St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and
Barbuda. They can also count on several African states - Guinea, Morocco and
Namibia - that have joined the IWC to support Japan's bid to lift the whaling ban.
Iceland is also pressing to resume whaling and many other countries are being
approached in an all out effort to overturn the IWC ban. The influx of pro-whaling
votes has already proven disastrous for whale conservation efforts as Japan and
Norway can now muster sufficient votes to defeat any new conservation initiatives.
However, it is ending the 16-year old whaling ban that is the whalers' prize objective,
and they are very frighteningly close to achieving their goal.

Despite overwhelming public opposition to commercial whaling there is a real lack of

political will to stop its return. Few countries seem prepared to match their tough
words in condemnation of whaling with any action. Furthermore, the anti-whaling
countries seem unable or unwilling to counter Japan's pro-whaling recruitment drive
at the IWC by finding any new anti-whaling allies of their own. Surprisingly, a major
problem is that the public in many countries is simply unaware how desperate the
situation has become, or that their government may actually be supporting the IWC's
Revised Management Scheme for the resumption of commercial whaling!

Meanwhile, Campaign Whale is very concerned that existing EU laws intended to

protect whales are far from comprehensive. If either the IWC whaling ban, or the
complimentary trade ban in whale products do collapse, as seems ever more likely,
any new or existing Member State could go whaling! We would like to see European
law strengthened to protect whales and dolphins, and commercial whaling banned
forever.

Campaign Whale, supported by the Labour Animal Welfare Society, is calling for:

* a European wide Whale Sanctuary banning commercial whaling forever within EU

waters and by EU nationals.
* greater protection for whales, dolphins and their habitats under the Common
Fisheries Policy, including addressing over-fishing and by-catch.
* all EU member states to join the IWC and support the commercial whaling ban.
* the EU to take a much tougher line, including political and economic sanctions, in
support of the commercial whaling ban.
* a Scottish Whale Sanctuary to protect Scotland's flourishing whale-watching
industry.

For further information, please contact:

Campaign Whale, PO Box 2673, Lewes, East Sussex. BN8 5BZ

Tel/fax 01323 811688

email: campaign-whale.org,
www.campaign-whale.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------

Notes to Editor's: this article is copyrighted to Labour Animal Welfare Society, if you wish
to use any of the articles points or the whole piece please e-mail the editor or phone to say
where the article will be used and by what publication, if there are any other related questions
I will be happy to help.

Gary Hills, National Secretary/ Web Editor laws_gary@hotmail.com

Photo copyright: no 1 Steve Morgan, no 2 Campaign Whale, no 3 Mark Votier.

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J.M. ANASTASIADIS1 and A.H. WHITAKER2
1 9 Apuka St, Brooklyn, Wellington, New Zealand
2 R.D. 1, Motueka, New Zealand
141

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Summary: Recapture of marked Hoplodactylus maculatus individuals gave estimates of minimum longevity in
the field ranging from 7 to 17 years with a mean of 12.7.
An investigation of the homing ability of the common
gecko, Hoplodactylus maculatus, at Turakirae Head,
20 km south of Wellington, in 1983 (Marshall, 1983),
used the same study area in which Whitaker (1982)
examined the ecology of H. maculatus between
1967-1976. During the course of the more recent study
some of the geckos marked by Whitaker were
recaptured, thus providing a rare opportunity to
calculate the minimum ages of free-living geckos.
Data on the longevity of free-living New Zealand
geckos are scarce. Barwick (1982) recorded an adult
female Hoplodactylus duvauceli recaptured after 12
years, giving a minimum age of 19 years; Whitaker
(1982) reported two known-age H. maculatus at 10
and 11 years, and noted that 12 of 21 H. maculatus
marked in February 1967 were recaptured in March
1975. Records of longevity in captivity for New
Zealand geckos are few and variable (Table 1).
Table 1: Longevity of New Zealand geckos in captivity.
Species Age in Years Source
Hoplodactylus duvauceli 20 Anon 1974
25 Rowlands 1981
Hoplodactylus granulatus 8-9 Rowlands 1981
Hoplodactylus maculatus 8-9 Rowlands 1981
37 Newman 1982 (p393)
Hoplodactylus pacificus 3 Bowler 1977
Naultinus elegans 10 Soderstrom 1977
20 Rowlands 1981
Naultinus elegans 23 Robb 1986 (p43)
Heteropholis stellatus 6 Soderstrom 1977
10 Mainwaring 1979
In 198360 geckos marked by Whitaker were
recaptured, but only 36 could be unequivocally
identified by their toe-clip combinations, because
subsequent natural toe loss in the intervening years
had obscured their identity (Marshall, 1983). For the
purpose of calculating longevity, geckos originally
marked as juveniles are regarded as being in their first
year, subadults in their third year, and adults in their
fifth year (Whitaker, 1982). The minimum age of the
geckos recaptured in 1983 has, therefore, been
calculated by taking the time interval between the first
New Zealand Journal of Ecology 10:©New Zealand Ecological Society
and last capture for juveniles, adding two years to this.
time interval for subadults, and adding four years for
adults (Fig. 1).
Figure 1: The minimum ages of 36 Hoplodactylus maculatus
recaptured at Turakirae Head in 1983.
The oldest individuals recaptured in 1983 (a male
and a female) were originally caught and marked as
adults in 1970, so were a minimum of 17 years old.
New Zealand geckos thus have remarkably long lifespans
compared to other small, free-living lizard
species (e.g. Fitch, 1940; Tinkle, 1967; Tinkle and
Dunham, 1983).
Whitaker (1982) used life-tables to calculate that
at Turakirae Head some H. maculatus would live to at
least IS years of age. The recaptures in 1983 reveal
that the estimate of 15 years is clearly conservative
142 NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, VOL. 10, 1987
and many H. maculatus at Turakirae head probably
live longer than 20 years.
Longevity of this magnitude would be necessary
for the survival of this species, as H. maculatus
matures late and has a low reproductive capacity
(Whitaker, 1982).
Acknowledgements
Dr M.J. Williams and Dr C.H. Daugherty kindly
commented on drafts of this note.
References
Anon, 1974. Not to be outdone by humans. Moko
March 1974: 1.
Barwick, R.E. 1982. The growth and ecology of the
gecko Hoplodactylus duvauceli at The Brothers
Island. In: Newman, D.G. (Editor), New Zealand
Herpetology: Proceedings of a Symposium,
Victoria University, Wellington. pp. 377-391.
Occasional Publication 2, New Zealand Wildlife
Service, Department of Internal Affairs,
Wellington.
Bowler, J.K. 1977. Longevity of reptiles and
amphibians in North American collections as of 1
November 1975. Herpetological Circular No.6,
Miscellaneous Publications, Society for the Study
of Amphibians and Reptiles. 32 pp.
Fitch, H.S. 1940. A field study of the growth and
behaviour of the fence lizard. University of
California Publications in Zoology 44: 151-172.
Mainwaring, P.J. 1979. Notes on the gecko
Heteropholis stellatus. Herpetofauna (Aust.) 11:
16-18.
Marshall, J.M. 1983. Homing and celestial orientation
in two lizards Hoplodactylus maculatus and
Leiolopisma nigriplantare. Unpublished B.Sc.
Honours thesis, Victoria University of
Wellington.
Newman, D.G. 1982. (Editor) New Zealand
Herpetology: Proceedings of a Symposium,
Victoria University, Wellington. Occasional
Publication 2, New Zealand Wildlife Service,
Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.
Robb, J. 1986. New Zealand Amphibians and Reptiles
in colour. Second revised edition, Collins,
Auckland. 128 pp.
Rowlands, R.P.V. 1981. New Zealand Geckos-A
Guide to Captive Maintenance and Breeding.
Privately published, Auckland. 32 pp.
Soderstrom, P. 1977. Observations and questions.
Moko October/November 1977: 6.
Tinkle, D.W. 1967. The life and demography of the
side-blotched lizard', Uta stansburiana.
Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology,
University of Michigan, No. 132. 182 pp.
Tinkle, D.W. and Dunham, A.E. 1983. Demography
of the tree lizard, Urosaurus ornatus, in central
Arizona. Copeia 1983: 585-598.
Whitaker, A.H. 1982. Interim results from a study of
Hoplodactylus maculatus (Boulenger) at
Turakirae Head, Wellington. In: Newman, D.G.
(Editor), New Zealand Herpetology: Proceedings
of a Symposium, Victoria University, Wellington.
pp. 363-374. Occasional Publication 2, New
Zealand Wildlife Service, Department of Internal
Affairs, Wellington
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1) How much forest is left?

2) Why are forests important?
3) How much forest are we losing?
4) How are forests threatened?
5) Where can I find out more about...

Frontier forests are the Original forest extent

world's remaining large intact Current forest cover
Remaining frontier forest
natural forest ecosystems -
undisturbed and large enough
to maintain all of their
biodiversity.
Map Source: D. Bryant, et al., The Last Frontier Forests:
Ecosystems and Economies on the Edge. (World Resources
Institute: Washington, DC, 1997).
 24 & &C
Thousands of square kilometers
Original Current Current
forest frontier & frontier
Region cover non-frontier forest forest
Africa 6,799 2,302 527
Asia 15,132 4,275 844
North America 10,877 8,483 3,737
Central America 1,779 970 172
South America 9,736 6,800 4,439
Europe 4,690 1,521 14
Russia 11,759 8,083 3,448
Oceania 1,431 929 319

Today, South and North America, followed by Russia and Oceania have the greatest
percentages of frontier forest (at least over 20 percent) as compared to their original forest
cover.

South America, North America, Russia, and Oceania all have the highest percentages of
frontier forest (at least over 30 percent) as compared to their total remaining forests (current
frontier and non-frontier).1

2 & " C

• Biodiversity -- estimates indicate that there are somewhere between 5 and 30 million
species on Earth. Forests provide habitat for some two thirds of these.2
• Carbon -- Approximately one half of the world's forest carbon is found in boreal
forests and over one third in tropical forests.3
• Ecosystem goods and services -- according to 1994 estimates, forests provide
approximately US$969 per hectare per year (a total of US$4.7 trillion per year) in
 goods and services annually. These services include nutrient cycling, climate
regulation, and raw materials.4
• Cultural values -- some 60 million people (indigenous and non-indigenous) inhabit
forests and depend on them for their livelihoods.5
• Economic values -- In the early 1990s, the production and manufacturing of
industrial wood products contributed US$400 billion to the global economy,
approximately 2 percent of the global GDP.6

+2 4 & C

• Tropical forests: 70,000 to 170,000 square kilometers annually (equal to 21-50 soccer
fields per minute).7
• FAO global annual estimates for 1990-95 show a net forest loss of 112,600 square
kilometers per year (equal to 33 soccer fields per minute).8

24 & C

• All forests -- During the period of 1980-95, the leading causes of deforestation were
the extension of subsistence farming, and government-backed conversion of forests to
other land uses such as large-scale ranching.9
• Frontier forest -- WRI estimates that 39 percent of the world's remaining frontier
forest is under moderate or high threat.

Percent of threatened frontier forest

Activity
endangered by activity
Commercial logging 70%
Energy development, mining and new
40%
infrastructure
Land clearing for agriculture 20%
Excessive vegetation removal (overgrazing,
14%
fuelwood gathering)

Source: 10

2 & $

Forest type definitions: home.att.net/~gklund/DEFpaper.html

Certification: www.fscoax.org, www.iso.ch

Forest fires: www.ruf.uni-freiburg.de/fireglobe

Forest Carbon:

• cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/index.html
• cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/ndps/ndp017.html
 • http://www.whrc.org/carbon/index.htm
• www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/carbon3.html

1. D. Bryant, et al., The Last Frontier Forests: Ecosystems and Economies on the Edge.
(World Resources Institute: Washington, DC, 1997), p. 9.

2 Mathews, Emily, et al, Pilot Assessment of Global Ecosystems: Forests. (World Resources
Institute, Washington, DC, to be published in Spring, 2000). Aug 99 draft, p. 3.

3 Mathews, Emily, et al, Pilot Assessment of Global Ecosystems: Forests. (World Resources
Institute, Washington, DC, to be published in Spring, 2000). Aug 99 draft, p. 4.

4 Costanza, Rober, et al., "The Value of the World's Ecosystem Services and Natural
Capital," Nature, 387 (May 15, 1997), 256.

5 World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development, Our Forests, Our Future.
1999. p. 59.

6 Solberg, Birger, et al, An overview of Factors Affecting the Long-Term Trends of Non-
Industrial and Industrial Wood Supply and Demand, European Forest Institute Research
Report No. 6 (European Forest Institute, 1996), p. 48.

7 Mathews, Emily, et al, Pilot Assessment of Global Ecosystems: Forests. (World Resources
Institute, Washington, DC, to be published in Spring, 2000). Aug 99 draft, p. 16.

8 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), State of the World's
Forest, 1999. (Rome: FAO, 1999). p. 135.

9 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), State of the World's
Forest, 1999. (Rome: FAO, 1997). p. 16.

10 D. Bryant, et al., The Last Frontier Forests: Ecosystems and Economies on the Edge.
(World Resources Institute: Washington, DC, 1997), p 15-16.
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Jan 25, 2002

When we think of endangered species, most of us tend to think about the "poster children"
that represent them - the tigers, rhinoceroses, and panda bears we hear about so often. But
many other, less well-known species are also endangered, and some scientists argue that we
may be focussing too much on cute creatures and not enough on the ugly ducklings.
It is easy to understand why there has been so much focus on individual charismatic species
like whales or gorillas. These animals are esthetically beautiful and have many similarities to
humans that evoke our empathy. The same could hardly be said of slugs, beetles or
microscopic organisms. It's hard to feel for these creatures - especially if we can't even see
them!

That's one of the reasons conservation groups have tended to focus on popular species that
people can identify with. To be sure, many of these animals are actually on the verge of
extinction and in dire need of help. But such high-profile species overwhelmingly tend to be
vascular plants and vertebrates - species that represent just a fraction of life on Earth. Many
other species are equally important in terms of their overall function within an ecosystem, yet
they receive scant attention. Harvard ecologist E.O. Wilson, for example, once pointed out
that if humans disappeared from the face of the earth, it would have mostly beneficial effects
on the world's ecosystems. But if ants disappeared, many ecosystems would be in big trouble.

The focus on more charismatic species is a problem that does not just exist with conservation
groups and the general public, but also within the scientific community. Writing in a recent
edition of the Australian Journal of Botany, Professor Mark Burgman of the University of
Melbourne criticizes this tendency and also the way governments develop lists of threatened
species. He argues that our lack of attention to less popular creatures will eventually condemn
a substantial portion of the world's plant and animal species to extinction.

Scientists are drawn to charismatic species for the same reasons we all are. Mammals and
birds in particular are fascinating creatures and scientists naturally want to study them. The
more we understand the lifecycle of a species, the better position we are in to know what
sorts of risks it faces. So better-known species are simply more likely to be listed as
threatened.

Another problem, Professor Burgman says, is regional expertise. A few experts living in one
area greatly increases the chance of their specialty being listed. For example, Canada has 380
species listed as "at risk," very few of which are snails. But on the island of Tasmania, 650
species are considered at risk and a whopping 200 of them are different types of snails! Most
likely, a high level of snail expertise in Tasmania increased the odds of those species being
listed. This is disturbing because it effectively shows how the number of species considered
endangered is based on our very limited knowledge of our ecosystems. After all, if 200
species of snails are at risk, how many little-studied insects, arthropods, fungi, algae and
microorganisms are also at risk that we don't even know about?

Conservation groups and scientists cannot be faulted for focussing on any particular species.
Indeed, we still have much to learn about even the best-studied of animals. But no species
lives in isolation. Each is dependent on thousands of factors and complex interrelationships
with other species to survive. We too are dependent on these relationships. That's why we
need the best tools possible if we are to truly understand the threats that different species
face, regardless of whether they are cute or ugly.
: D # D B & ( " '
B

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BRAZIL: December 2, 2004

BRASILIA, Brazil - An area of Amazon jungle larger

than the US state of New Jersey has been destroyed
this year and work on a new highway is mainly to
blame, environmental group Friends of the Earth and
the government said on Wednesday.

The preliminary figures, based on satellite images,

alarmed environmentalists because they suggest that
Amazon destruction has surpassed its second-highest
level reached in 2002-2003.

The data is based on a satellite system which has been

monitoring Amazon deforestation on a test basis. The
government's yearly figures, released in March, are based
on data from a different satellite system.

The images indicated that from 8,920 square miles to

9,420 square miles (23,100 sq km to 24,400 sq km), or an
area bigger than New Jersey, was cut down this year, said
Joao Paulo Capobianco, the government's secretary of
biodiversity and forests.

"That number could be bigger or smaller, or the same, we

will know in March," Capobianco told Reuters. But he said
these figures and other indications made it clear there was
no decline in deforestation this year.

"Either we have stabilized the rate or there is a small

increase," he said.

If confirmed, the total figure for this year's deforestation

will be above the 2002-2003 level of 9,170 square miles
(23,750 sq km), said Roberto Smeraldi, head of Friends of
the Earth in Brazil.

The figure was especially worrying because it showed that

for the first time in history Amazon deforestation rose
despite a slowdown in agriculture during the year, he said.

A record level was set in the mid-1990s in a year marked

by an exceptional incidence of fires.

Small farmers have been major culprits in the trend as

they hack away at Amazon jungle to expand their fields.

The data showed a big jump in deforestation along a road

running through the heart of the Amazon that the
government has said it wants to pave.

"The big reason for this (destruction) is the BR-163 road,"

Smeraldi said. "The government knew about this; it was
warned. What is surprising is that they are not even
talking about their anti-deforestation plans."

In the region of the road, deforestation soared by more

than five times, Smeraldi said. Settlers have moved in
even before the government started paving it.

Environmentalists have warned that roads, dams and

pipeline projects through the Amazon -- home to up to 30
percent of the planet's animal and plant species --
represent the biggest threat to the forest because they
open up access to large-scale development and
settlement.

Story by Axel Bugge

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

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 Carcharocles Megalodon Stamps

Carcharocles megalodon, sometimes called Carcharodon megalodon, was a giant shark similar to,
but much larger than, the modern great white shark Carcharodon carcharias. Megalodon may have
been the largest predator ever to have lived. The maximum size reached by Megalodon is still
debated, but a length of 15 to 20 meters is widely accepted. This means megalodon was at least
three times larger than the great white.

Megalodon probably became extinct around the end of the Pliocene about two million years ago.
Some believe megalodon is not yet extinct and point to finds of teeth with ages around 11,000 to
24,000 years as well as sightings of large sharks by fishermen. For example, in 1918 lobster
fishermen from New Zealand reported spotting a shark whose length they estimated exceeded 30
meters. However, like the great white shark of today, megalodon probably lived in shallow coastal
waters. It should have been spotted often if it still existed. See Ben S. Roesch's article which argues
against the survival of the megalodon to the present.
The whale shark Rhincodon typus (right) may explain some "megalodon"
reports. The whale shark is the largest known fish. It reaches a length of 15m
and a weight of 18 metric tons. The top of the whale shark is colored a deep blue while its underside
is white. White spots and vertical lines mark its body. The whale shark feeds on small fish and
plankton. It is considered harmless to humans. Encounters with a "megalodon" described as covered
in white spots probably originate with sightings of the whale shark.

See the Carcharocles megalodon section of my cryptozoology links page for more sites offering
information about megalodon.

Selected Megalodon Stamps

This stamp shows a megalodon tooth.

Angola

Scott # 557
Issued 1970

This miniature sheet of twelve stamps depicts extinct animals including

megalodon.

Dominica

Scott # 1803
Issued 1995

This stamp shows a megalodon tooth. Megalodon teeth are very

popular with fossil collectors.

New Caledonia

Scott # 817
Issued 1999

This Souvenir sheet shows megalodon along with its skull, one of its
teeth, and a size comparison to a human being and the great white
shark.
 New Caledonia

Scott # 818
Issued 1999

The upper left stamp on a miniature sheet of four depicting Atlantic

marine fauna of the Miocene era shows megalodon feasting on a
dolphin.

Tristan da
Cunha

Scott # 619a
Issued 1998

Back to my cryptozoology and philately page.

Back to my cryptozoology page.
Back to my myth and legend page.
Back to my interests.
Back to my home page.
Search my pages.

Last modified by pib on July 6, 2003.

-----Inline Attachment Follows-----

From the Teeth of the Dragon - Gigantopithecus blacki

by Eric Pettifor

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Lama Surya Das, A Yeti Tale
formerly at http://www.dzogchen.org/yeti/ytale1.html

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Notes: This is one of the first web pages I put up. In fact, my first web site was called
Gigantopithecus, largely because I thought it sounded like a good name for a web site.
Since then this article has been published in print and has won a couple of awards. If you
wish to reference it in something you're writing you can reference the original web page, or
if you prefer to reference a publication you can reference:
Pettifor, Eric. 1995. From the Teeth of the Dragon: Gigantopithecus
blacki. In Selected Readings in Physical Anthropology. 2000. pp
143-149. Peggy Scully, Ph.D., Editor. Kendall/Hunt Publishing
Company.
AWARDS

Top 5% in K-12 Education

If you have recent information regarding break throughs in Gigantopithecus blacki research,
I'd be interested in hearing about it.

-----Inline Attachment Follows-----

Rense.com

/ 9 !
 B 5 " 5
10-14-3

LISBON (AFP) - Scientists said they have uncovered 130 100-

million-year-old fossilised dinosaur footprints on a beach in central
Portugal.

"This is one of the places in Portugal with the greatest concentration

of dinosaur footprints," geologist Miguel Telles Antunes of Lisbon's
Universidade Nova told reporters at a news conference.

At least 100 footprints, which were found along 17 different tracks in

an 80 square metre (861 square foot) area, are very well preserved,
scientists said.

The site at Olhos de Agua, located some 70 kilometres (43 miles)

north of Lisbon, is still being cleared and researchers are analyzing
the find, which dates back to the early cretaceous period, the last of
three dinosaur eras.

The prints are likely to have been left by therapods, the fast-moving
two-legged carnivores with grasping hands that could grow up to
seven metres (23 feet) long, as well as by iguanodons, the giant
four-legged plant-eaters known for their long tails.

Scientists were first alerted to the find by a local resident who

spotted some of the footprints while on a walk on the beach in
August.

Local officials said they would cover the footprints with plastic bags
to protect them from winter rains and eventually hope to put the
dinosaur find on display to the general public.

Copyright © 2003 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/afp/SIG=002qiv/

*http://www.afp.com/english/afp/?cat=copyrightAgence
France Presse. All rights reserved. The information contained in the
AFP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed without the prior written authority of Agence France
Presse.
Disclaimer

MainPage
 http://www.rense.com

This Site Served by TheHostPros

-----Inline Attachment Follows-----

Coelacanth Stamps

The coelacanth is a primitive crossopterygian (lobe-finned) fish which first appeared in the fossil
record about 360 million years ago. Up until 1938 the coelacanth was thought to have become extinct
about eighty million years ago. In 1938 a coelacanth was caught by fishermen on the vessel Nerine
trawling off the mouth of the Chalumna River in South Africa. The fish measured about 1.5 m (5 feet)
in length and weighed 57 kg (126 lbs). Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, a curator at the East London
Museum, could not identify the fish. She sent a sketch to J. L. B. Smith at Rhodes University in South
Africa who identified the fish as a coelacanth. This modern species was given the scientific name
Latimeria chalumnae.

The next coelacanth was not caught until 1952. Since then at least 200 Coelacanths have been
caught in and around the Comoro Islands. In 1998 a new population was discovered off North
Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Indonesian coelacanths appear quite similar to those from Africa except
they are brown in color rather than blue and their sides sport gold flecks. The Indonesian coelacanth
has been given the scientific name Latimeria menadoensis.

Coelacanths comprise one of the two groups of lobe-finned fish. The other group contains the
Rhipidistia, all of whose members are assumed to be extinct. Coelacanths probably evolved from the
Rhipidistia. The lobe-finned fish are generally thought to be ancestral to all later land-living
vertebrates.

Survivors from prehistoric times like the coelacanth are sometimes called "living fossils."
See the Coelacanth section of my cryptozoology links page for more sites offering information about
the coelacanth. For more information about coelacanth stamps, see Glynn Peacock's Coelacanths on
Stamps and Sunny's Coelacanth Postage Stamp Exhibit. Jerome F. Hamlin and Eric Pedersen's site
DINOFISH.com provides an excellent source of information and news about the coelacanth.

In addition to the postage stamps listed below, South Africa used the coelacanth
in postal cancellations. The commemorative cover at left was issued in 1968 for
the East London Philatelic Exposition to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the
discovery of the coelacanth. It is signed by the Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer. You can view a closeup of
the cancellation.

South Africa's East London Museum issued the

commemorative cover at left on the fiftieth anniversary
jubilee of the discovery of the coelacanth. You can view a
closeup of the cancellation. The museum also issued a gold seal (right) as part of
this jubilee.

The coelacanth has appeared on coins (see the five franc

coin at left), currency, and phone cards (right) of the Comoro
Islands. In 1954 the Comoro Islands issued the first stamp
ever to depict a coelacanth.

In 2001 the Bank of Zambia issued a coin depicting a coelacanth on the reverse.
The other three coins in the same series show a seahorse and tropical fish in a
coral garden, a sea turtle, and two dolphins.

In the table below, a (*) following a country name indicates that stamp is probably a "Cinderella" issue
which is not valid as genuine postage.

Selected Coelacanth Stamps

The coelacanth appears as one of a set of six stamps (see the

miniature sheet) depicting prehistoric animals.

Abkhasia (*)

Scott # 387
Issued 1998

The coelacanth appears as one of a set of eight stamps (see the

miniature sheet) depicting prehistoric animals. The design of this
coelacanth stamp and some of the others in this set are nearly
identical to those issued by Tanzania shown below.
Buriatia (*)

Issued 2000

A fossil of the rhipidistian crossopterygian Eusthenopteron foordi

appears as one of a set of four stamps depicting fossils found in
Canada. Eusthenopteron lived in the Devonian period.

Canada

Scott # 1308
Issued 1991

This was the first stamp ever issued depicting a coelacanth. You can
also see the deluxe souvenir sheet.

Comoro
Islands

Scott # 42
Issued 1954

First of three postage due stamps in this set showing the coelacanth
head-on. All three stamps show the same pose but are different colors
and denominations.

Comoro
Islands

Scott # J3
Issued 1954

Second of three postage due stamps in this set showing the

coelacanth head-on. All three stamps show the same pose but are
different colors and denominations.

Comoro
Islands

Scott # J4
Issued 1954
 Third of three postage due stamps in this set showing the coelacanth
head-on. All three stamps show the same pose but are different colors
and denominations.

Comoro
Islands

Scott # J5
Issued 1954

This stamp bears an air mail surcharge of 120F overprinted on the top
value of the 1968 fish issue showing a Yellow-banded Sweetlips.

Comoro
Islands

Scott # C52
Issued 1973

This stamp commemorating the 1975 coelacanth expedition shows a

diver photographing a coelacanth.

Comoro
Islands

Scott # 130
Issued 1975

This stamp has the same design as stamp #130 but bears the
overprint "Etat Comorien".

Comoro
Islands

Scott # 147
Issued 1975

This airmail souvenir sheet depicting the coelacanth is the highest

value in a set of seven stamps showing fish. This sheet also exists in
imperforate form.

Comoro
Islands
 Scott # 274
Issued 1977

Also see the maxicard, the first day cover, and the deluxe proof for this
stamp. The individual proof and the deluxe proof showing all four
stamps, the perforate block of four, and the imperforate block of four
bear a different denomination from the stamps as issued.
Comoro
Islands

Scott # 833 (a)

Issued 1998

Also see the maxicard, the first day cover, and the deluxe proof for this
stamp.

Comoro
Islands

Scott # 833 (b)

Issued 1998

Also see the maxicard, the first day cover, and the deluxe proof for this
stamp.

Comoro
Islands

Scott # 833 (c)

Issued 1998

Also see the maxicard, the first day cover, and the deluxe proof for this
stamp.

Comoro
Islands

Scott # 833 (d)

Issued 1998
 This sheet combines the displays the logo of the World Wildlife Fund.
This sheet was also released in imperforate form.

Comoro
Islands

Scott # 833
Issued 1998

In January 1999 the Comoro Islands issued this souvenir sheet which
displays several coelacanths in the background. The main subject is
the extinct freshwater reptile Mesosaurus brasiliensis. Mesosaurus
was a small crocodile-like reptile about one meter in length which lived
during the Triassic period. Mesosaurus fossils are found in Africa and
Comoro South America. In the early 1900s this distribution was offered as
Islands support for the idea that these two continents were once joined
together as part of the super-continent Pangaea. The coelacanths
Scott # 893 depicted here are presumably one of the miniature freshwater species.
Issued 1999 This sheet is one of four which are part of a series depicting prehistoric
animals.

This stamp is part of a sheet of twelve stamps depicting endangered

species. Another stamp on this sheet shows the Congo peafowl.

Gambia

Scott # 1871
Issued 1997

A souvenir sheet of prehistoric animals includes the coelacanth.

Guyana

Scott # 3043
Issued 1996

This souvenir sheet of twelve stamps about deep ocean exploration

includes the coelacanth and the giant squid. The coelacanth appears
in a panel with a goblin shark.

Guyana
Scott # 3106
Issued 1996

A souvenir sheet about prehistoric marine life includes this image of

the coelacanth.

Guyana

Scott # 3272
Issued 1998

Indonesia issued this miniature sheet depicting the Indonesian

coelacanth Latimeria menadoensis for the London Stamp Show in
May, 2000. The brown color and golden flecks of this species contrast
with the blue color without flecks of Latimeria chalumnae. The native
Indonesia name of the coelacanth which appears on the sheet is "Raja Laut"
meaning "King of the Sea."
Scott # 1902
Issued 2000

This stamp shows a coelacanth swimming. So far no coelacanths

have been found off the Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast

Scott # 521B
Issued 1979

Kuwait issued this miniature sheet depicting a coelacanth as part of a

set commemorating the silver jubilee of Educational Science Museum.

Kuwait

Scott # 1382
Issued 1997

Liberia issued several souvenir sheets to commemorate the

International Year of the Ocean. The coelacanth appears in a panel
marked "twilight and deep seafish" on a souvenir sheet depicting
ocean creatures.
Liberia
 Scott # 1359f
Issued 1998

Libya A fossil of a crossopterygian fish, possibly Paleochromis rouseleti,

appears on one of a set of three stamps depicting fossils found in
Scott # 1246 Libya.
Issued 1985

The miniature sheet on which this stamp appears depicts the

coelacanth swimming in its natural habitat.

Madagascar

Scott # 652
Issued 1982

This miniature sheet of the coelacanth belongs to a set of six stamps

depicting marine topics. While the sheet bears an issue date of 1989,
it was actually released in 1990.

Madagascar

Scott # 966
Issued 1990

This coelacanth stamp appears on a souvenir sheet of sixteen stamps

depicting other marine life.

Madagascar

Scott # 1169a
Issued 1993

This coelacanth stamp appears as one of a set of three stamps. The

other two stamps depict a sea turtle and an octopus. The three stamps
also appear on a souvenir sheet which additionally features fishermen,
a lobster, a crab, and a sirenian (presumably a dugong).
Mauritania

Issued 2000
 In August 1991 a single female coelacanth was netted off the shores
of Mozambique near Pebane. This coelacanth was 179 cm in length
and weighed 98 kg, the second largest ever caught. This stamp may
commemorate that event. The stamp was issued for Expo '98, the
Mozambique world's fair held in Lisbon, Portugal.

Scott # 1295
Issued 1998

This stamp is one of a set depicting stages in Earth history. A

crossopterygian (presumably a rhipidistian) is leaving the water near
an early amphibian -- perhaps Icthyostega or another member of the
Labyrinthodontia. The stamp also festures the fossil skeleton of a
rhipidistian along with a dragonfly. This stamp image was reused on a
miniature sheet (Scott #123) issued in 1989. You may view a black
Niuafo'ou
and white proof of this sheet.
Scott # 118
Issued 1989

This stamp appears as one of a se-tenant pair on a miniature sheet.

The other stamp depicts Lampris guttatus, the Spotted Moonfish.

North Korea

Issued 1993

This stamp appears on a Millennium souvenir sheet of seventeen

stamps commemorating undersea history and exploration. You can
also view the first day cover for the sheet.

Palau

Scott # 584m
Issued 2000

This stamp depicts Rhipidistia eusthenopteron, an extinct

representative of the "other" group of lobe-finned fish. The coelacanth
probably evolved from a Rhipidistian ancestor. The Rhipidistians were
probably directly ancestral to all later land vertebrates.
Poland

Scott # 1396
Issued 1966
 This stamp is the first in a set of four stamps commemorating the
fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of a living coelacanth. You may
also view the block of four and the maxicardfor this stamp. A postcard
with this stamp features a coelacanth cachet and is signed by Marjorie
Courtenay-Latimer. The first day cover for the four stamp set is also
South Africa
signed by Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer. Another cover features a
different cachet of the coelacanth seen head-on. The East London
Scott # 762
Museum also issued a gold seal to commemorate the fiftieth
Issued 1989
anniversary.

This stamp is the second in a set of four stamps commemorating the

fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of a living coelacanth. It shows the
discoverers of the coelacanth in 1938, J. L. B. Smith and M.
Courtenay-Latimer. You may also view the block of four and the
South Africa maxicard for this stamp.

Scott # 763
Issued 1989

This stamp is the third in a set of four stamps commemorating the

fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of a living coelacanth. It shows the
J. L. B. Smith Institute of Icthyology in Grahamstown. You may also
view the block of four and the maxicard for this stamp.
South Africa

Scott # 764
Issued 1989

This stamp is the fourth in a set of four stamps commemorating the

fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of a living coelacanth. The stamp
depicts a coelacanth along with a two-man research submarine. Also
see the block of four; one stamp souvenir sheet and a cover bearing
South Africa this sheet; a two stamp souvenir sheet; the first day cover signed by
Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer; and the maxicard for this stamp.
Scott # 765
Issued 1989

The coelacanth appears as one of a set of four stamps depicting

prehistoric sea life. Several of the stamp images in this set are nearly
identical to those from Buriatia above, so this may not be a legitimate
stamp issue.
Tanzania (*)

Issued 1998?
 This stamp appears on a souvenir sheet showing German scientists
using a submersible to study the coelacanth underwater and the cause
for its decline.

Turks and
Caicos Islands

Scott # 1235
Issued 1997