conservation
Newsletter
Credit: Ian Hutchinson/Unsplash
House Agriculture Committee faces challenges in passing new farm bill
A new farm bill faces partisan hurdles as the House Agriculture Committee begins markup this week.
In short:
- The proposed bill includes increased conservation funding but removes climate change focus from programs established by the Inflation Reduction Act.
- The bill proposes changes to nutrition assistance, aiming to reduce costs and promote healthier diets, which Democrats argue will harm those in need.
- Senate Democrats have a competing framework that retains climate-focused funding, contrasting with the House version.
Key quote:
“We urge the committee to avoid nutrition program provisions that would harm the most vulnerable among us and to build upon popular climate-focused conservation tools that help farmers mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
— Rob Larew, president of the National Farmers Union
Why this matters:
The reallocation of funds away from climate-focused programs has sparked concern among environmentalists and scientists. These initiatives, initially designed to address climate resilience in agriculture, aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable farming practices in the face of a changing climate. By removing this focus, critics argue, the bill undermines efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change on agriculture, potentially leaving farmers less equipped to handle extreme weather patterns and long-term climate shifts.
Be sure to read Daniel Imhoff’s 2018 piece: It’s time for a climate resilient Farm Bill
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Struggle for African penguin survival intensifies
African penguins face extinction by 2035 unless immediate conservation action is taken, warns a leading seabird conservationist.
In short:
- African penguins have lost 99% of their population over the past century and are declining at a rate of 8% annually.
- Legal action has been initiated against the South African government for failing to protect these endangered seabirds.
- The penguins’ main food sources, sardines and anchovies, are being depleted by commercial fishing, further threatening their survival.
Key quote:
“We cannot let a species go extinct on our watch.”
— Kate Handley, Biodiversity Law Centre
Why this matters:
African penguins serve as a key indicator species; their decline signals profound ecological shifts that could have cascading effects on other marine life and the health of the oceans. Native to the coastlines of southern Africa, these penguins have faced relentless threats, primarily from oil spills, overfishing, and climate change, which have drastically reduced their food sources and disrupted their breeding habitats.
Also see: Scientists race to save seabirds threatened by climate change
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Newsletter
Credit: Susan Lindberg/Unsplash
Wildlife refuges face budget cuts, risking operations and conservation efforts
In a recent funding resolution, wildlife refuges across the nation are confronting a significant $14 million budget cut, endangering visitor centers, wildlife management, and the already limited number of wildlife officers.
In short:
- The Senate's approval of a temporary funding resolution falls short for wildlife refuges, leading to potential closures and reduced wildlife management.
- Wildlife refuges, essential for species conservation and climate change adaptation, struggle with inadequate funding, affecting their operation and maintenance.
- Comparison with the National Park Service highlights the disparity in funding and attention, despite the crucial role of wildlife refuges in conservation.
Key quote:
“We were hoping for at least flat. But for them to take a 2.6% cut when we’re already heavily underfunded is going to create additional problems.”
— Mike Leahy, National Wildlife Federation’s senior director of wildlife, hunting and fishing policy
Why this matters:
This funding shortfall comes at a time when the importance of natural lands for climate change adaptation is increasingly recognized. The budget cuts to wildlife refuges not only undermine conservation efforts and public access but also highlight a larger issue of resource allocation and prioritization at the federal level, affecting both the environment and public health.
In 2020, Peter Dykstra wrote that a long-dormant threat to the Okefenokee wildlife refuge—a vast, mostly protected wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida border—had roared back to life.
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Big Stock Photo
Patagonia spends $71 million on wildlife conservation and politics
$71 million of the clothing company’s earnings have been used since September 2022 to fund wildlife restoration, dam removal and Democratic groups.
Photo by Patrick Weissenberger on Unsplash
GOP AGs denounce trading ‘natural asset companies’ on stock exchange
Republican state attorneys general have accused the Biden administration of being part of an "interlocking scheme" to constrain use of public lands.
Newsletter
Photo by Colin Czerwinski on Unsplash
In Georgia, a call for better protection of coastal marshes
In Georgia, coastal advocates are saying it's time update a 50-year-old law on protecting the half-million acres of salt marshes.
Photo by Zdeněk Macháček on Unsplash
A year to remember…for wildlife
In 2023 wild animals stretched boundaries, set records, and inspired conservation across the world.
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