In the 1970s, DDT poisoning nearly drove the peregrine falcon to extinction. Luckily for them, the U.S. banned DDT in 1972, and the once-endangered species rebounded from 300 breeding pairs 30 years ago to 3,000 pairs today. The species was removed from the Endangered Species List in 1999.

But now a different chemical could once again put the peregrine falcon at risk. According to a study conducted by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, peregrines in the state carry a higher level of industrial flame retardants than any other species in the world.

From a report in the Los Angeles Times:

Scientists said the peregrines, the fastest and most agile birds, are being contaminated with the industrial chemicals from eating urban pigeons that scavenge on city streets.

The study found record levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), specifically a chemical called decabromodiphenyl ether (deca), in peregrine eggs and dead chicks. Worst affected are city-dwelling birds, which sometimes had PBDE levels so high that their eggs were unhatchable.

Could this spell future problems for peregrines and other top predator species? It's probably too early to tell, but it's also probably not too early to take action before the situation gets worse. Maine and Washington have already passed laws to phase out the use of deca, and Sweden banned its use last year. Meanwhile, a bill pending in California would ban all brominated and chlorinated flame retardants. Considering how high levels of PBDEs have already shown up in human blood and breast milk around the world, that might not be a bad idea.

Posted by John Platt on May 9, 2008 at 10:05 AM
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Despite more than 40 years of conservation efforts, the Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittata) remains one of the world's most critically endangered birds, with only an estimated 30 to 40 parrots left in the wild. They exist in just a single location, Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Forest.

Why has the population languished? A new study, published in this month's issue of the journal Ecological Monographs, blames a number of factors, including inbreeding, low hatch rates, the inability find mates... and hurricanes.

According to the study, hurricanes are the primary recent factor keeping the parrot's population from growing. In just one example, 1989's Hurricane Hugo killed more than half of the wild parrots, reducing their population from 47 to 22.

Before this study, predators were assumed to be the biggest reason why Puerto Rican parrot populations has remained stagnant. Now, it looks like environmental factors have an even greater role, especially since the core population is already so small.

The authors of this study have recommended creating a second wild population of parrots elsewhere on Puerto Rico, to help reduce the risk of extinction from hurricane strikes. They report that the process to create a second habitat has already been initiated.

Let's hope they move quickly. Over the last ten years, global warming has created a 40% increase in the number of tropical storms and hurricanes in the North Atlantic. This year's hurricane season is fast approaching. Who knows that the next storm will bring ... or take away, forever.

Posted by John Platt on May 7, 2008 at 1:50 PM
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Despite trade bans going back nearly 20 years, the U.S. is the world's second largest consumer of elephant ivory products, according to a new study released by the conservation group Care for the Wild International.

Worldwide ivory sales and imports were banned in 1990. But two major loopholes have allowed some trade in the U.S. to continue.

First, tusks from African elephants can be legally imported into America as hunting trophies. According to CWI, 3,530 tusks representing 1,765 animals were legally imported into the U.S. in this manner between 1990 and 2005. After legal import, some of these tusks then made their way, illegally, into the commercial market, according to the study.

Secondly, people in the U.S. can legally import "antique" ivory items, which are defined as being at least 100 years old. However, CWI says that many of the ivory items sold as "antiques" -- usually over the Internet -- are actually newly crafted.

CWI also accuses the U.S. of not doing enough to enforce its own laws against ivory trade, although the study points out that the U.S. has conducted more seizures of illegal ivory than any other country in recent years.

China remains the world's top importer of ivory. According to a study published last year, an estimated 23,000 elephants were illegally poached in 2006 for their tusks.

Posted by John Platt on May 6, 2008 at 1:28 PM
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Few endangered species are experiencing rising populations. But the crested ibis (nipponia nippon) is a rare species on the right track.

Crested ibises once had a habitat spreading thousands of miles from China to Russia, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Over the years, though, hunting and habitat loss took their toll, and the species disappeared from most of its former range.

But in 1981, the last seven crested ibises in the wild were discovered in China. Following more than 25 years of intense conservation efforts, that number now stands at more than 1,000. The population is almost evenly split between those living in captivity and in the wild.

Last May, 26 crested ibises, which had been bred in captivity, were returned to the wild. Five of those 26 died, three disappeared, and six flew back to their breeding center. The remaining 12, though, are doing well, and now two of them have produced a nest of three hatchlings. If they survive, the hatchlings could be able to fly in less than a month, and help to further grow the wild population in northwest China's Shanxi Province.

The IUCN Red List of Endangered Species currently ranks the crested ibis as Endangered, a downlisting from the "Critically Endangered" status it held in 1994. It says that if population trends continue to increase, the species may warrant a further status downlisting to "Vulnerable." Let's hope these latest chicks help keep that uptrend going.

Posted by John Platt on May 5, 2008 at 9:52 AM
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Plans for North America's biggest solar-power farm could endanger one of the continent's most endangered bird species, the eastern loggerhead shrike, according to a Canadian conservation group.

Only 30 or so pairs of eastern loggerhead shrikes exist in the wild. At least one pair of shrikes is known to nest in the very same pasture where a 19-megawatt solar plant is being planned in Stone Mills, Ontario. A groundbreaking ceremony for the plant took place last week.

According to Elaine Williams, executive director of Wildlife Preservation Canada, the municipality of Stone Mills has previously turned down requests to build in the area, since it was a known habitat for the endangered birds.

"Loss of habitat has been the major cause of the eastern loggerhead shrike's decline in recent years," according to a report in the Kingston Whig-Standard. The Nature Conservancy of Canada says "Shrikes are a classic example of an 'area-sensitive species' since, like many grassland irds, they require large areas of open terrain before they are comfortable enough to nest."

The Stone Mills solar energy park is due to go online in late 2009, when it will provide "clean renewable energy sufficient to power more than 2,000 homes annually," according to project partner SkyPower.

We've already seen species put at risk from biofuel production and, to a lesser degree, from wind-power farms. Expect to see more of these conflicts in the future as going green creates its own environmental costs and impacts.

Posted by John Platt on May 2, 2008 at 10:21 AM
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