Today is World Turtle Day. I was commissioned by Turtle Survival Alliance, to revisit my ‘Turtles, all the way down’ print again, with a variety of wonderful but sadly endangered turtle species of special focus, in 2 prints: 1 for turtles from around the world, and 1 for North American species. Turtle Survival Alliance works to prevent extinctions of these amazing and varied animals worldwide, 🧵 #linocut#printmaking#WorldTurtleDay#turtle#sciArt#conservation#endangeredSpecies#biodiversity
Most people (and evidently, AI) think that biodiversity is all above ground, where we can see it. Think again....most biodiversity is in the soil, and overwhelmingly microbial.
Pic: a set of soil saprobic fungi; we've worked on them for 10 yr
On this #biodiversityday:
The assumption that #biodiversity is a mere add-on and irrelevant for modern economies, is one of the most extreme sectarian ideologies I can think of. Unfortunately, it's still dominant in academic and business circles. The real thing: Human economies are a mere sub-set of the economy of nature, which is based on biodiversity. As long as economists don't make that their starting point, it will become increasingly difficult to sustain human civilization.
"Whether for fuel breaks, salvage logging, or private land logging, native forest logging hasn’t stopped in Victoria. It will continue for many years, and the logs cut from these operations will be sold commercially."
Pedal-electric Hopper may be the German "car" you didn't know you wanted.
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The rider's pedaling power is augmented by a 250-watt rear hub motor, taking the Hopper up to a top speed of 25 km/h (16 mph). The motor is powered by a removable 30-Ah/48V/1,440-Wh lithium-iron-phosphate battery, which is claimed to be good for a range of approximately 65 km (40 miles) per charge. An optional rooftop solar panel should help boost that figure.
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In order to minimise maintenance and mechanical complexity, the Hopper utilises an electronic pedal-by-wire system instead of a traditional chain-drive drivetrain.
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Such systems work by having the rider spin up a generator as they pedal. Doing so converts their mechanical energy into electrical energy, which is fed into the motor. That motor converts the electrical energy back into mechanical energy, which is used to turn the wheel.
"Fire management in Victoria amounts to de facto native logging industry, conservationists say. On Thursday conservationists and the Victorian National Parks Association expressed shock after discovering a dead greater glider in an area where trees had been felled by FFMV."
"Logging in Victoria’s native forests ended at the beginning of this year but Prof David Lindenmayer, a forest ecologist at Australian National University, said: “There’s a de facto logging industry now emerging under the guise of fire suppression.“To me, when you cut down big trees and put them on a truck and take them to a sawmill … that is logging.”"
One year ago, we converted a small piece of boring grass in front of our institute into a wildflower meadow. Now it's blooming for the second time, attracting many insects, and improving the biodiversity and the micro climate around our institute.
Biodiversity Loss Increases the Risk of Disease Outbreaks, Analysis Suggests
"Researchers found that human-caused environmental changes are driving the severity and prevalence of disease, putting people, animals and plants at risk"
Federal budgets are often centered on discussions of "inflation," the "economy," and "economic growth," but amidst these conversations, the deeper truth about our reliance on #nature often gets sidelined. Economists argue that without valuing the #environment, human activity on earth is unsustainable. While concepts like " #ecosystem services" have gained traction, they still fall short of acknowledging humans as part of a larger system that sustains all life. With climate change and #biodiversity loss worsening, a radical shift in #humanity 's relationship with ecosystems is needed. As we await the budget speech, it's crucial to remember the reality of climate change and its implications for our planet's future. #ClimateChange#EnvironmentalAwareness#BudgetPriorities#auspol
Feral Cats ate critically #endangered baby Cuban #crocodiles. 145 attacks were documented. The species only has 3,000 left in the wild. So to preserve #biodiversity 7 feral cats were removed from the breeding farm, stopping the attacks. (1/3)
In my research I asked farmers how they evaluated farming practices and increased biodiversity was one of their metrics. They were right!
"Changing How We Farm Might Protect Wild Mammals—and Fight Climate Change
Nearly a quarter of U.S. mammal species are on the endangered species list. Researchers say farming with biodiversity in mind may help stave off further decline."