institutions

Deer vs. caribou

June 13, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The combination of a warming climate and human disruption of traditional habitats has been causing changes in the ranges of many animal species. Over the past century, white-tailed deer have greatly expanded their range in North America. Researchers from a group of Canadian institutions have been investigating the expansion of the deer in the boreal forest of Western Canada. A five-year study used 300 wildlife cameras throughout the region to track the activities of large mammals.

Climate change has created milder winters and habitat alteration from forestry and energy exploration have created new food sources for deer.

The expansion of deer in the forest has not been a good thing for the woodland caribou. The species was designated as threatened in 2002. As of 2011, only 34,000 remained in the region. Deer are ecosystem disruptors, in this case disrupting existing predator-prey dynamics. Areas with more deer typically have more wolves and wolves are predators of caribou. Deer can handle high predation rates, but the already threatened caribou cannot.

Understanding the relative roles of climate and human land use is essential in efforts to recover caribou populations. It is complicated because further north, the climate becomes harsher and human land use decreases. The debate over the relative effect of climate or habitat change is one of the most pressing issues facing ecologists globally as they pursue efforts for ecosystem restoration.

In any case, winter severity is expected to decline as climate change progresses. Therefore, deer are expected to keep expanding northward and increasing in abundance, which means increasing risk to caribou.

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Deer are expanding north, and that’s not good for caribou

Photo, posted January 12, 2016, courtesy of Gerry via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

COVID-19 And The Wildlife Trade | Earth Wise

December 17, 2020 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Historically, many diseases have jumped from animals to people with serious consequences for the human host. In fact, coronaviruses alone have caused outbreaks in humans three times in the past 20 years: SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. The majority of human pathogens that caused substantial damage to human health and economies during the past three decades have originated from wildlife or livestock.

According to a team of researchers from the University of Göttingen and other international institutions, more epidemics from animal hosts are inevitable unless urgent action is taken. In order to help protect against future pandemics, which could be even more severe than the current one, the researchers published a series of suggestions for governments to consider in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution.

The research team calls for governments around the world to establish effective legislation to do three things: address the wildlife trade, protect habitats, and reduce the interaction between people, wildlife, and livestock.

The wildlife trade and habitat fragmentation both facilitate disease outbreaks by increasing the potential for contact between humans and animals. Animals in wildlife markets are often kept in crowded and unsanitary conditions, which creates fertile breeding grounds for pathogens to jump to humans. Animals and humans are also forced closer together when natural habitats are cleared or otherwise fragmented in order to meet the various needs of a growing global population.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak, China, Vietnam, and South Korea have introduced regulations to better manage the wildlife trade as well as support wildlife conservation. According to the researchers, these actions serve as examples for other countries to consider. The status quo isn’t good enough.

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COVID-19 highlights risks of wildlife trade

Photo, posted August 23, 2010, courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region via Flickr. Photo credit: Rosie Walunas/USFWS.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Schools And Solar Power

June 19, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

A new study from Stanford University looked at the benefits of installing solar panels on the rooftops of schools. According to the study, taking advantage of all the viable space for solar panels could allow schools to meet up to 75% of their electricity needs and reduce the education sector’s carbon footprint by as much as 28%.

Given the long list of spending priorities for schools, solar power seems like a luxury item. But the Department of Energy estimates that K-12 schools spend more than $6 billion a year on energy and, in many districts, energy costs are second only to salaries. In the higher education sector, yearly energy costs add up to more than $14 billion. In total, educational institutions account for approximately 11% of energy consumption by U.S. buildings and 4% of the nation’s carbon emissions.

The Stanford study suggests that investments in the right solar projects combined with the right incentives from states could free up much-needed money in school budgets.

To no surprise, the study finds that three large, sunny states – Texas, California, and Florida – have the greatest potential for generating electricity from solar panels on school rooftops.

Apart from measurable effects on air pollution and electricity bills, solar installations at schools can also provide new learning opportunities for students. In fact, some schools are already using data from their on-site solar energy systems to teach students basic ideas about fractions, as an example, as well as more sophisticated concepts such how shifting solar panel angles can affect power production.

According to the study, nearly all states could reap value from school solar projects.

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What happens when schools go solar?

Photo, posted February 28, 2011, courtesy of Black Rock Solar via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.