328 Briefly ASIA & OCEANIA
Severe climate-driven loss of native molluscs reported off Israel’s coast Nativemollusc populations along the coast of Israel have collapsed by c. 90%in recent dec- ades because they cannot tolerate the increas- ingly hot water, which raises concerns about the wider ecosystem and neighbouring re- gions. Scientists said the sharp decline of na- tive cockles, whelks and other invertebrates in shallow, subtidal waters is likely to also af- fect other countries in the region and would continue to progress westward toGreece and beyond as global temperatures increased. The study estimates native mollusc populations have fallen to 12% of their historical species richness on sedimentary substrates, and to 5% on rocky substrates. The research team took samples at multiple points, then com- pared living mollusc numbers with previous population sizes, which were estimated from empty shells found in
sediment.The shortfall exceeded anything seen before. As well as stepping up protections of the still relatively pristine deep waters and tackling localized problems like pollution, the only way to ad- dressthis shift wastotackle climate change by reducing emissions as soon as possible. Sources: Proceedings of the Royal Society B (2021)
doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2469 & The Guardian (2021)
theguardian.com/ environment/2021/jan/06/severe-climate- driven-loss-of-native-molluscs-reported- off-israels-coast
Hong Kong seizure of seahorses recovers 75 kg of threatened species Hong Kong customs officers made their biggest seizure of threatened seahorses in 2 years with the arrest of a 63-year-old man during an operation against illegal wildlife trade. They uncovered 75 kg of dried seahorses valued at USD 129,000. Approximately 25 kg were airmailed into the city from Indonesia via a logistic hub in Shenzhen and then found in a Hong Kong truck at a border checkpoint in December
2020.The goodswereintwo boxes declared to be carrying body scrub. Another 50 kg were seized from a flat in Tuen Mun. The man was released on bail, pending further investigation. Import or ex- port of a threatened species without a licence carries a maximumpenalty of 10 years in jail and a fine of HKD 10 million. Seahorses are listed in CITES Appendix II, and are regu- lated under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance. Source: South China Morning Post (2020)
scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and- crime/article/3112120/hong-kongs-biggest- seizure-seahorses-two-years
The mission to protect a turtle species in Kasaragod A young conservation biologist is spearhead- ing an effort to save Cantor’s giant softshell turtle, locally known as Bheemanama or Paala Poovan. Ayushi Jain, a research affiliate of theWildlife Institute of India, is putting in place acommunity-led conservation initiative in one of the fewremaining breeding popula- tions of the species in the Chandragiri river in Kasaragod, India. Jain has spent much of the last 2 years crossing the 60km stretch of the river inKasaragod, looking for the elusive tur- tle and educating local residents that the giant turtles thatoften getcaughtintheir fishing linesasbycatcharethreatenedwithextinction. Jain’s initiative to build a community network of key informants and trained locals who can rescue, rehabilitate and safely release the tur- tles has met with initial successes. Cantor’s giant softshell turtle is one of the rarest species of turtles in India and also one of the largest freshwater turtles. Source: Times of India (2021) timesofindia.
indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/on-a- giant-mission-to-protect-a-turtle-species- in-kasaragod/articleshow/
80334804.cms
Can dogs save Mongolia’s steppe? For centuries, the nomadic herders on the Mongolian steppe have used bankhar— large, powerful dogs with shaggy, thick coats—to safeguard their animals from predators. However, Soviet-era socialist campaigns that sought to collectivize herds and encourage families into more sedentary patterns had no place for the dogs, and only few survived.When nomadic families began returning to their traditional way of life in the 1990s, it was without bankhar to protect livestock from wolves, eagles and other pre- dators. Livestock losses were high, and the nomads began keeping more animals to make a living. Larger herds, along with increasingly severe winter storms and tem- peratures, have led to extreme desertification of the steppe, threatening the herders’ liveli- hoods. Now, an ambitious project aims to return bankhar dogs to their traditional role. With 20 genetically diverse males and fe- males at a breeding facility outside the city of Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian Bankhar Dog Project is slowly rebuilding the bankhar population. They distribute c. 15 puppies annually. People, livestock, and the environ- ment all benefit from the dogs’ presence. When livestock becomes less attractive as prey, conflict between humans and wild an- imals decreases. Predator populations sta- bilize, which in turn balances the steppe’s ecosystem. Source: Atlas Obscura (2021) atlasobscura. com/articles/mongolia-bankhar-dog
New Zealand’sk ap ap
ak o are pulling back
from the edge of extinction K
ak o are large, ground-dwelling, flightless
parrots that were once widespread across New Zealand but hunted to near extinction. Thanks to highly specialized conservation efforts, these unique birds are slowly boun- cing back. The heaviest living species of par- rot, weighing up to 4 kg, they are also the only living species of parrot that cannot fly. As an island species, they originally had few avian predators, which hunted during the day. K
ak o evolved forest-coloured plum- ap
age for camouflage and, when faced with a threat, they freeze,making it difficult for pre- dators to spot them from above. The popu- lation began declining with the arrival of the M
aori in the 14th century as the birds were
hunted formeat and feathers—their defence tactic of sitting still being ineffective against humans and their dogs. Rats were one of the first mammal predators on the islands, and they devoured k
ap
the time European settlers arrived in the 19th century, k
ap
ak o eggs and chicks. By ak o had become extinct in
many parts of the islands. Europeans de- creased their habitats further by clearing land for farming and grazing. More mam- malian predators were introduced, and once the Europeans learned of the birds, they started hunting them for food and out of scientific curiosity. By the late 19th cen- tury, scientists realized k
ak owere on the ap
brink of extinction, and only then were ef- forts made to preserve them. By 1995,only 51 birds were known to exist and the Department of Conservation implemented the K
maining few k ap ap
ak o Recovery Programme. The re- ak o were collected and
ap
placed on five off-shore, predator-free is- lands. Each k
ak o is named and tagged
with a smart transmitter, and scientists collect data on their behaviour. The birds receive supplementary food during breeding seasons and nests are carefully observed by specialists. Chicks that would otherwise struggle to survive are hand-reared. Current- ly, there are 208 k
ak o, a record-breaking ap
number since the conservation work began. Source: Natural History Museum (2021)
nhm.ac.uk/discover/new-zealands-quirky- kakapo-are-pulled-back-from-extinction. html
All internet addresses were up to date at the time of writing. The Briefly section in this issue was written and compiled by Emma Muench, Julia Hochbach and Martin Fisher, with additional contributions from Minh Le and Annkathrin Sharp. Contri- butions fromauthoritative published sources (including websites) are always welcome. Please send contributions by e-mail to
oryx@fauna-flora.org.
Oryx, 2021, 55(3), 323–328 © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605321000375
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