Lest we forget: Waving the fungi flag

Plants and animals have captured the attention of many conservationists for decades. This same attention is yet to be extended to the usually overlooked but an extremely important group - fungi. The Global Fungal Red List Initiative intends to turn the tide on this scenario and draw people's attention to the plight faced by this unique kingdom. 

An 18 month-long programme has been initiated by the Global Fungal Red List Initiative to increase awareness and add to the number of fungal species evaluated and submitted for inclusion in the IUCN Global Red List of Threatened Species.



Cyttaria espinosae. One of the "golf ball" fungi

Fungi are not plants, they live everywhere and are heterotrophs (feed by absorption). Some may look unappealing to the human eye but all are extremely crucial components of nature through their role as nutrient recyclers, decomposers, symbionts and many others. Besides this, fungi are an important part of our lives - found in the food we eat and essential for the production of everyday products such as penicillin, beer and soy sauce.
"The aim is to show to the world that fungi are in need of conservation and they need to be part of the broader conservation agenda," says Gregory Mueller, Vice President of Science and Academic Programmes at Chicago Botanic Garden.
The 2012 IUCN World Conservation Congress is special to the Global Fungal Red List Initiative and to all fungi lovers because for the first time in IUCN's history, there will be a motion explicitly and exclusively devoted to fungi.

In spite of their critical importance, so far less than 10% of the world's estimated species of fungi have been scientifically described. Only one mushroom and two lichenized fungi are included among the 19,817 animal, plant and fungal species listed in the 2012 update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.^TM
According to Mueller, little has been done to assess the status of fungi because they have usually been considered difficult to study and there is limited awareness generally.
"One of our big challenges is to figure out how to bring information on fungi to countries because they are important ecologically and as an important food source," adds Mueller. "This new initiative marks a begining for the mycological community and IUCN to build on results and move fungal conservation forward".
The Global Fungal Red List Initiative is a joint venture of all five IUCN Species Survival Commission fungal specialist groups (Chytrid, Zygomycete, Downy Mildew and Slime Moulds, Cup-fungus, Truffle and Allies, Lichen, Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball and Rust and Smuts) and is supported by the IUCN Species Programme.

Source link : http://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org/news___press/interviews/?10970/Lest-we-forget-Waving-the-flag-for-fungi

Suffering From Headaches?

Suffering From Headaches? Forget The Tylenol and Painkillers and Stick To Water

Next time you have a headache, you might be better off leaving the painkillers at the pharmacy and just drinking a glass of water.

Regularly sipping water can reduce the severity of headaches and migraines, reducing the need for over the counter medication to reduce symptoms.
Scientists found increasing water consumption was enough to ease pain and improve the quality of life in patients who regularly suffer headaches.
Researchers from the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands, noticed in 2005 that a patient told to drink more for a bladder problem saw his migraines get better.
Lead researcher Dr Mark Spigt and his team recruited more than 100 patients who frequently suffered from severe or mild headaches.
The team instructed them on how to ease their discomfort, including reducing stress, improving sleep and avoiding caffeine.
But half the patients were also told to drink 1.5 litres of water a day for three months, on top of their normal liquid intake.
At the end of the study, patients filled out a questionnaire called the Migraine-Specific Quality of Life index to say how they felt. The results, published in journal Family Practice, showed those drinking extra water scored far higher on the questionnaire.
The researchers said: ‘We suspect that some headache patients may benefit from drinking more water and it seems reasonable to recommend they try drinking more for a short period of time to see if they experience an improvement.’
Dr Fayyaz Ahmed, of the Migraine Trust, said the benefits of drinking water could be due to the placebo effect.
But he added: ‘However, regular intake of water and adequately hydrating is healthy, and a lot of people feel better.’



Source link : http://preventdisease.com/news/12/081312_Suffering-From-Headaches-Forget-The-Tylenol-and-Painkillers-and-Stick-To-Water.shtml

Child Sexual Abuse prevention workshop

A child sexual abuse prevention workshop was organized for school counsellors in klang.

About twenty two counsellors attended the workshop on the 9th August 12 at the Panmour  Hotel in klang.

The workshop was organized by the Rotary Club of Bandar Bukit Tinggi Klang. The  district governor Mansoor Saat gave away career guidance modules to all the schools which participated in the workshop.

President Rajagopal thanked the District Governor , the facilitator PP Ali  Engin and all the teachers who attended the workshop.





Act Now, Save Later

Since the year 2000, almost 1 million people have lost their lives to disasters caused by natural hazards. 2 billion people have been affected. 1 trillion dollars in damage was caused.

 Please see this video and help to spread the word about the importance of disaster preparedness.

RIO + 20 The Future We Want

In case you're not up to speed on what's going on at the Rio+20 environmental conference, UNDP has produced this quick video that will explain both what sustainable development is and why we so desperately need it.

Latest from RIO + 20

 

IUCN Deputy Director General/Managing Director Paul Engberg-Pedersen talked about the importance of ethics, the Earth Charter, and nature-based solutions.

 

 

 

source link:

http://earthcharteratrio20.blogspot.com/2012/06/at-iied-fair-ideas-conference.html?spref=fb

World Environment Day 2012, Kenya

Kenya forest service says some of Kenya's indigenous trees could be extinct if measures are not taken to preserve them...the situation has been made worse by the effects of global warming..

2012 marks the start of The International Year of the Rhino

Increasing alarm for the fate of the two rarest rhinoceros species, and growing concern over the increased illegal hunting of rhinos and demand for rhino horn affecting all five species, has prompted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia to declare 5 June 2012 as the start of the International Year of the Rhino. President Yudhoyono took this step at the request of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and other conservation organisations, because the future survival of both the Javan and Sumatran Rhinos depends on effective conservation action in Indonesia.

The government of Indonesia has also made commitments to establish a high-level rhino task force of national and international experts; allocate sufficient resources to enforce protection of remaining rhino populations, and ensure that there is regular and intensive monitoring of all rhino populations in Indonesia.

In the last decade, two rhino subspecies, the Western Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes) in Cameroon and the Indochinese Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) in Vietnam have gone extinct. Today, the populations of two more subspecies, the Northern White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) and the mainland population of the Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis lasiotus), both listed as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, are perilously close to extinction because of an increase in illegal hunting and non-traditional use of rhino horn.

“One of the programs of the Ministry of Forestry is the protection of endangered animals, such as rhinos, tigers, elephants and orangutans,” says Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Forestry, Indonesia. “Among those, the rhinos are closest to extinction. For this reason they need special attention from all of us. In this context, we are inviting and encouraging all stakeholders and world organizations to join the effort to save the rhinos.”
During this International Year of the Rhino, it is hoped that all rhino range states in Africa and Asia will join Indonesia and give priority to securing their rhino populations. There are ambitions to bring illegal hunting and trade, especially the illegal trade of rhino horn, under control by ensuring that effective deterrents are in place and enforced. It is also hoped that measures that encourage a rapid growth in rhino numbers will be taken. In Indonesia, extra action will be taken to translocate isolated individuals to actively managed protected areas and improve rhino habitats by removing invasive plant species and providing additional sources of water.
"We warmly welcome the announcement of the International Year of the Rhino by the President of Indonesia and the related commitments that have been made,” says John E. Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). “Strong and clear political messages from the highest possible levels are required to combat the illegal killing and trade in rhino and the message coming from the President is loud and clear. We hope that this bold initiative by Indonesia will serve as a catalyst for further high-level political support and commitments to protect the rhino in the wild across all concerned States"

Effective conservation by governments in Africa and Asia, in some cases with the support of non-governmental conservation organizations, has been successful in bringing back the Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum), Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) from the brink of extinction. It is clear that highly-focused management and improved conservation measures can lead to increases in the populations of rhinos, and it is now urgent that this is also implemented for the Javan and Sumatran rhinos, as the Indonesian President has stated.

“We congratulate President Yudhoyono of Indonesia for his commitment to rhino conservation,” says Simon Stuart, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. “In announcing the International Year of the Rhino, Indonesia is encouraging the government engagement and public awareness that is essential for effective conservation. We urge all rhino range states, as well as the counties in which there is demand for rhino horn, to participate in this initiative.”

The urgent measures needed to ensure the effective conservation of the world’s five rhino species will be discussed at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Jeju, Republic of Korea, from 6 to 15 September 2012.

Source : Maggie Roth, IUCN Media Relations

I Choose To Reuse - A Plastic Bag Free Bukit Tinggi

Would you like to keep in touch with the Rotary Club of Bandar Bukit Tinggi, find out about  events, activities and much, much more then why not check out our  New Facebook : Rotary Club of Bandar Bukit Tinggi.