|
|
Post by another specialist on Oct 20, 2008 16:08:05 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Melanie on Dec 1, 2008 18:15:50 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Melanie on Aug 23, 2009 18:21:59 GMT
There are thought to be just 19 of the diving ducks left in the world - only six of which are female - living on a small remote lake on the Indean Ocean island. The lake was visited last month by staff from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (Durrell) and The Peregrine Fund. The charities planned to set up a breeding programme for the ducks, but were alarmed to find dwindling numbers because none of the 11 birds born last year had survived. They are now trying to take emergency action before the species dies out. Nigel Jarrett, WWT's aviculture manager was one of the staff who made the trip. He said: "With possibly only six females, the total population of Madagascar Pochard might well number just six pairs, and with no successful fledglings from the 2008 season the need to establish a captive breeding facility has become even more urgent. "The plan is to develop a conservation breeding centre in collaboration with the government of Madagascar in 2010. However, following the expedition, discussions are underway to see if temporary measures can be taken to secure the population in the interim. If so, the team will return to the lake in October this year. "Once we have secured eggs from the wild, WWT's and Durrell's extensive experience of rearing endangered wildfowl at Slimbridge and Jersey will be used to breed the birds at a purpose-built facility in Madagascar. This will act as a safety net, greatly reducing the immediate risk of extinction. "Within three years, we hope to at least double the total numbers of pochards. In time, these will be released into the wild at suitable sites." The species is classed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. During the 1990s it was thought Madagascar Pochards were already extinct, but biologists rediscovered the birds in 2006. WWT has blamed their declining numbers on degraded wetlands following agricultural conversion, deforestation and the introduction of non-native fish. The charity's long-term goal is to restore the wetlands and their endemic wildlife, and work with local communities to make sure they are used sustainably. Glyn Young, Durrell's project leader, said: "The window of opportunity to save the species from extinction is incredibly small, and we must all muster the energy and resources necessary to stop another species from becoming extinct." Lily-Arison Rene de Roland, national director of The Peregrine Fund's Madagascar project, said: "Since the 2006 rediscovery, the birds have successfully raised only 11 young. This low productivity is a great concern and warrants a captive breeding programme and conservation of the site." www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/6069866/Rare-Madagascar-ducks-on-brink-of-extinction.html |
|
|
|
Post by Melanie on Nov 25, 2009 10:44:35 GMT
Madagascar Pochard - The world’s rarest ducklings hatched in captive breeding programme 04/11/2009 17:40:00 8 of the world's rarest ducklings - The Madagascar Pochard. Credit R Lewis/Durrell First step to save the world's rarest bird taken successfully! November 2009. A complicated and challenging mission to a remote lake in Madagascar has resulted in a huge step being taken in efforts to save the world's rarest duck from extinction. A collaborative team of specialists were hampered by electrical storms, gruelling journeys and illness in their bid to secure a precious batch of eggs laid by the Critically Endangered Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata) in early October. Rediscovered in 2006 The pochard, a medium-sized diving duck, was feared extinct by the late 1990s but it was rediscovered in 2006 when biologists from The Peregrine Fund, who were scouting for a threatened bird of prey, the Madagascar Harrier, observed 20 adult pochards living on a single lake in northern Madagascar. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), The Peregrine Fund and the Government of Madagascar joined efforts to establish a conservation-breeding programme for the ducks, with the hope of reintroducing them back into their wetland habitats. Last chance - Captive rearing However, an emergency rescue plan was mounted after a reconnaissance visit in July revealed the situation was worse than feared - with the sighting of just six females and evidence that the young had died just a few weeks old. As a result, members of the team monitored the tiny population during their breeding season, reporting that three female birds were preparing to lay eggs. A team of duck specialists from WWT and Durrell immediately flew to Madagascar in an attempt to bring the eggs into captivity. Patience was becoming a required skill, as Glyn Young from Durrell describes; "It was a race against time to get the team and the equipment to the lake before eggs started hatching. The situation was not made any easier as massive electrical storms had delayed our arrival in the country. Once all the equipment had cleared Customs, we had to wait for three days as a bridge was repaired on the only access road to the lake. To add to our woes, having finally made it to the lake, we all fell ill!" Start of a 30 year project Having commandeered part of a local hotel in order to create a temporary breeding facility, a batch of eggs was removed from a lake-side nest as near to hatching as possible. With extreme care, the day-old ducklings were transported to their make-shift rearing facility, 12 hours away. Peter Cranswick, from WWT, describes the significance of this achievement, "This is conservation at the cutting edge. The urgency of the situation has meant a great deal of invention and improvisation - but next year simply may have been too late. Safely bringing birds into captivity marks the start of a 20- or 30-year conservation project that will also help restore wetlands across the region." Eight ducklings so far Eight ducklings are now reported to be doing very well, but work continues as the team attempts to secure two more clutches from the wild over the next few weeks. However, this collaborative rescue mission has provided hope for the future for the Madagascar pochard. "This is the first important step toward saving this rare species from extinction," said Russell Thorstrom, a biologist in charge of The Peregrine Fund's Madagascar program. "It shows how organizations working cooperatively can overcome challenges and continue onward in their conservation effort for this critically endangered duck." www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/madagascar-pochard-breeding009.html |
|
|
|
Post by Melanie on Mar 3, 2010 13:08:40 GMT
World’s rarest duck receives cash boost 03/03/2010 10:55:11 Efforts to establish a breeding programme to save the Madagascar Pochard, have received a boost from Defra's Darwin Initiative. March 2010. £282,000 over three years from Defra's Darwin Initiative will help to fully establish the breeding programme, which was started late last year as an emergency measure following the news that only six females remained in the wild. As well as supporting breeding and rearing the birds, the money will pay to train Malagasy conservationists and develop a recovery plan and identify lakes in the region where the ducks can potentially be reintroduced. Fundraising is now underway to build a conservation-breeding centre for the project in Madagascar. Just 20 ducks alive, and only 6 females Last year, an expedition confirmed that the remaining population of only 20 ducks at a single location contained just six females and that none of the young from the previous year had survived. With the species facing such a precarious future, a unique partnership formed to ensure the ducks' survival: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), The Peregrine Fund, whose scientist rediscovered the duck, and the Government of Madagascar. In November, the partnership managed to establish a safety-net population. With minimal disturbance to the adult ducks, the team were able to remove three clutches of eggs from nests and have been able to rear the 23 ducklings that hatched in a temporary facility. Durrell's Project Leader, Dr Glyn Young, says, "This dramatic mission was a vital first step but now we need to establish a sustainable breeding programme and to identify suitable locations to reintroduce ducks in the future. The Darwin Initiative support will allow us to do this." Immediate risk of extinction has been averted WWT's Peter Cranswick added, "This money effectively means that the immediate risk of extinction for the Madagascar Pochard has been averted. Many challenges lie ahead for its long-term survival - not least, to ensure that the needs of both local Malagasy people and the Pochard can be harmonised at key wetlands - but the project is now well and truly underway." The Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata) had become so rare that in 2004 it was thought to have gone extinct and been lost forever. However, in 2006, a tiny population was discovered high in the mountains of Madagascar's central plateau. Having disappeared elsewhere through the combined effects of habitat loss and competition from introduced fish into the lakes it inhabited, this remote location offered the only remaining haven for the species. www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/madagascar-pochard010.html#cr |
|
|
|
Post by Melanie on Apr 8, 2012 20:01:35 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Melanie on Apr 1, 2013 16:04:23 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Melanie on Nov 17, 2013 21:49:09 GMT
Another video
|
|
|
|
Post by surroundx on Dec 4, 2014 12:18:59 GMT
The status and ecology of the last wild population of Madagascar Pochard Aythya innotataAbstract One of the rarest birds in the world, the Madagascar Pochard Aythya innotata was thought to be extinct until a small population was found in 2006. Little is known about this diving duck as it had not been studied prior to its decline and disappearance. Its rediscovery provided the opportunity to study this species in the wild for the first time and to assess the viability of this last remaining population. The population is small, fluctuating around 25 individuals, and mainly utilises two small volcanic lakes in the far north of Madagascar. Nesting occurs on only one of these lakes, Matsaborimena. Nest success (76% in 2007–2008) and hatching success (89% in 2007–2008) are both comparable to other Aythya species, but fledging success (4% in 2011–2012) is extremely low. Duckling mortality rates peak between 14 and 21 days old. We propose that starvation is the major cause of duckling mortality. Examination of faecal samples and stable isotope analysis of feathers and potential food items provide evidence that adult pochards are insectivorous, favouring caddis fly larvae. Macroinvertebrate density in the benthos of Matsaborimena is low. Adults spend 38% of daylight hours foraging, mainly in the shallowest water. However Matsaborimena is steep-sided and has no areas shallow enough for diving ducklings to feed. We conclude that these lakes are not good breeding habitat for this species. The Madagascar Pochard’s persistence here and not at other sites is probably due to a lack of the human-induced habitat degradation that has impacted many other wetlands in Madagascar. Source: Bamford, Andrew J. et al. (2014). The status and ecology of the last wild population of Madagascar Pochard Aythya innotata. Bird Conservation International. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0959270914000033 [ Abstract]
|
|
|
|
Post by Melanie on Oct 4, 2015 20:06:15 GMT
Madagascar pochard / Madagascar White-eyed duck Aythya innota Madagascar witoogeend / Madagaskar Moorente This species was rediscovered in 2006 following the last sighting in 1991. It is currently known from a single location where 29 mature individuals were seen in 2011. While it may also persist at other sites, the population is likely to be tiny and therefore it is classified as Critically Endangered (IUCN, 2011). A total of 25 adult birds were counted at the rediscovery site in 2008, with 29 there in 2011 (L.-A. Réne de Roland in litt. 2012). The species may persist elsewhere but the numbers are likely to be tiny, with fewer than 50 individuals and mature individuals. Given that it has a tiny known population, it faces significant risk from stochastic events and genetic factors, particularly inbreeding depression. Since permanent guards have been positioned at the rediscovery site the population appears to have increased, suggesting that hunting may have been a threat there (L.A. Rene de Roland in litt. 2008), however breeding success has remained low, with no young reared in some years. Young may have trouble finding adequate food and if they do fledge likelihood of dispersing birds surviving away from main site is very low (H. G. Young in litt. 2012). Slash-and-burn agriculture takes place in the catchment around the sole remaining site, and may be causing ash and silt sedimentation which has left the majority of the lake in very poor condition with little suitable food (Cranswick 2012). Previous declines have been attributed to the widespread loss of habitat through siltation and conversion to agriculture throughout the central plateau and, from the 1950s, introduction of exotic fish species to Alaotra and other wetlands (Young and Kear 2006). Lake Alaotra, one of very few unconverted central plateau wetlands, is under considerable and increasing pressure: the area is one of Madagascar's major rice producers, with 250 km2 of the 350 km2 surrounding the lake converted to rice cultivation (Edhem 1993). Soil erosion from deforested hillsides and more intensive agricultural practices have diminished the water quality of the lake (Pidgeon 1996). Introductions of exotic plants, mammals (Rattus) and fish, especially Tilapia, have depleted essential food supplies and likely increased nest-predation for the species (Pidgeon 1996). The introduction of Tilapia into Alaotra probably had a devastating effect on the pochard and other more widespread waterbirds preferring emergent vegetation (G. Young in litt. 2003). Some of these species apparently died out at Alaotra but have repopulated from other parts of their ranges as water-lilies and other emergent vegetation have made a comeback along the marsh's southern edge (G. Young in litt. 2003). Hunting and trapping of adults for food, and death through entanglement in monofilament gill-nets, are thought to have contributed to the decline of this species (Morris and Hawkins 1998). Conservation Actions Underway The Peregrine Fund and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust are conducting further surveys at the site of rediscovery, which is currently permanently guarded, and are now seeking the support of locals to gain formal protection for the area (R. Watson in litt. 2006; L.A. Rene de Roland in litt. 2008; Watson 2007; Cranswick 2010). Furthermore, together with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and the government of Madagascar, and with support from with Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa, a conservation breeding facility has been built, and a Malagasy warden was to be appointed to help protect the breeding site (Anon 2009). A small number of eggs were opportunistically taken from the wild in 2009, leading to hatching of the first captively-reared individuals(Jarrett 2010), with three clutches successfully hatched by the end of the year, producing 20 young (Cranswick 2010). The long-term aims of such efforts are to secure of the existing population and to establish another viable population in the wild (Cranswick 2010). Work is ongoing through WWT, the Peregrine Fund and two PhD students to identify potential areas for the release of captive-bred birds, which will probably necessitate some habitat restoration (Cranswick 2010, 2012). Efforts are underway to conserve the last vestiges of suitable habitat at Lake Alaotra (Morris and Hawkins 1998). The Malagasy government has ratified the Ramsar Convention, and Lake Alaotra became a Ramsar Site in 2003. Searches for the species continue, as do education and awareness programmes on the benefits of maintaining natural wetlands. However, implementation of any conservation policy for the area will be very difficult owing to Alaotra's huge economic importance for agriculture and fisheries (Pidgeon 1996). Conservation Actions Proposed Continue searches for extant populations, with a particular focus around former high-plateau wetlands (Rene de Roland et al. 2007). Protect areas of least-modified wetland at Lake Alaotra. Continue community surveys and wetland awareness programmes. Conduct further surveys to determine the existing population size. Continue work to establish a captive-breeding programme. Carry out inventory of wetlands near remaining population to identify sites for release of captive-bred birds and assess the need for habitat restoration (Cranswick 2010). More information: www.iucnredlist.org/details/100600477/0www.wwt.org.uk/conservation/wwt-projects/saving-the-madgascar-pochard/www.harteman.nl/pages/aythyainnota |
|
|
|
Post by Melanie on May 23, 2017 21:06:07 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Melanie on Oct 26, 2018 14:50:55 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Melanie on Dec 29, 2018 9:53:50 GMT
|
|
