BIOtheNUMBERS

NOAA (April 2, 2009) released new information regarding Arctic sea ice based on research at the University of Washington and the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean in Seattle-

-Arctic summers may well be ice-free in 30 years, an update to previously released projections that such an event would occur by the end of the century.

- Summer sea ice is expected to decline from its current 4.6 million square kilometers (about 1.8 million square miles) to about 1 million square kilometers (about 390,000 square miles)

-This represents a loss of an area two-fifths the size of the continental U.S.

“Between May 2000 and August 2006, Brazil lost nearly 150,000 square kilometers of forest (an area larger than Greece) and since 1970, over 600,000 square kilometers (232,000 square miles) of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed.”

60-70% of deforestation in the Amazon results from cattle ranches

Remaining 30-40% results from small-scale subsistence agriculture.

“Despite the widespread press attention, large-scale farming (i.e. soybeans) currently contributes relatively little to total deforestation in the Amazon. Most soybean cultivation takes place outside the rainforest in the neighboring cerrado grassland ecosystem and in areas that have already been cleared. Logging results in forest degradation but rarely direct deforestation. However, studies have showed a close correlation between logging and future clearing for settlement and farming.”

Data: Mongabay

-As of April 2004, the National Wilderness Preservation System contained 662 wilderness areas totaling 105.7 million acres, or 4.67 percent of all land in the United States.

-There are approximately 43.6 million acres in national parks, 34.8 million acres in national forests, 20.7 million acres in national wildlife refuges, and 6.5 million acres on the western heritage lands of the Bureau of Land Management.

-More than half, or 57.5 million acres, of all designated wilderness is in the huge national parks, wildlife refuges, and forests of Alaska; more than one-third is in the 11 westernmost contiguous 48 states.

Stats: Wilderness Society

International Coastal Cleanup 2008

-Volunteers traversed 17,000 miles of coastline and collected 11,439,086 million pieces of trash, from cigarette butts to grocery bags to fast-food wrappers.

-This is equivalent to more than 400 pounds of debris for every mile of beach cleaned.

-Via boats, 1,236 people collected 38,224 pounds of debris that could not be reached from land, and 10,600 divers (organized by the Project AWARE Foundation), dove below the water’s surface to haul out 219,528 pounds.

-A total of 6,485 sites, spanning beaches in South Korea to rivers and waterways in Kansas, were cleaned.

Stats: Ocean Conservancy

39% of aridland birds are species of conservation concern, including 10 federally listed as endangered or threatened. These species are especially vulnerable because of their small ranges or restricted habitat requirements, or both.

60% of all aridland species and 76% of aridland obligate species have declined.

More than 50% of aridland birds are permanent residents of the U.S. borderlands.

174 condors are flying free, and the number is expected to grow each year.

Data: FWS

IUCN: Current estimates put the total population of Grevy’s Zebra remaining in the wild in Kenya and Ethiopia at approximately 1,966 to 2,447 (B. Lowe pers. comm. 2008; F. Kebede pers. comm. 2008).  From 1988 to 2007, the global population of Grevy’s Zebra declined approximately 55%.  The worse case scenario is a decline from 1980 to 2007 of 68%.  The number of mature individuals is approximately 750, and the largest subpopulation is approximately 255 mature individuals.