Biological Conservation Newsletter
No. 102
October 1991
Editor: Jane Villa-Lobos
ENDANGERED TREE OF THE MARIANAS
By Lawrence Hamilton
Serianthes nelsonii, a member of the family Leguminosae, is the only federally endangered tree listed in the Marianas. It is endemic to the southern Mariana Islands, with only one individual on Anderson Air Force Base and approximately 64 trees on the Island of Rota still existing in the wild. There have been a number of plantings on Guam and Saipan. The Marianas Audubon Society in Agana, Guam, has been carrying out activity aimed at recovery of this species. This important effort has met with mixed success. The newsletter of this organization, "Koko's Call", gives periodic reports of the ups and downs of this tree, which read like the old reports of the whooping crane back in the 50's and 60's when there were so few individuals of that species. The April issue of the newsletter reported that one of the planted trees on Guam, which was 12 years old, had died. The tree on the Anderson Air Force base and a cultivated tree at the University of Guam were reported to be in poor shape from insect- pest infestation. The August issue of the newsletter, however, indicates that another tree has been discovered on Anderson Air Force Base about a mile from the other tree. This new tree has a trunk of about 2 feet in diameter, with 13 small seedlings beneath it. It is heavily defoliated, probably due to deer and pig browsing in the area. Hence, the Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources is scheduled to fence the area. Anyone interested in obtaining more details on this endangered tree can write to the Marianas Audubon Society, P. O. Box 4425, Agana, Guam 96910.
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
The International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE) is concerned with extending and integrating the study and management of 'nature's household" (ecology) and "humanity's household" (economics). This integration is necessary because conceptual and professional isolation have led to economic and environmental policies that are mutually destructive rather than reinforcing in the long term. ISEE publishes a journal, Ecological Economics, now published six times a year, covering specific research areas such as: valuation of natural resources; sustainable agriculture and development; ecologically integrated technology; renewable resource management and conservation, and gene pool inventory and management. It also produces a quarterly newsletter which is not only for ISEE members, but for others interested in encouraging the interface between ecology and economics. The Society also encourages and coordinates curriculum development and training programs. Membership in the Society ranges from full ($40) to student ($7). For more information write: International Society for Ecological Economics, P. O. Box 1589, Solomons, MD 20688.
EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
The Rainforest Action Network has published a guide, Amazonia - Voices from the Rainforest , which list the names, addresses, and program descriptions of rainforest people and their support organizations around the world. Features include: profiles of over 250 international organizations working to save the Amazon; books and films; and maps and photographs. The guide costs $8.50 plus $1.50 shipping/handling ($4.50 overseas). For more information, write: Rainforest Action Network, 301 Broadway, Suite A, San Francisco, CA 94133.
Nature Discovery Press has produced an art poster 24" x 36" on North American endangered wildlife as part of the series which includes marine wildlife, wild cats and birds of prey. It can be purchased for $18.00 ppd. To order, write: Nature Discovery Press, P. O. Box 200, Hull, MA 020454, or call (800) 777-4703.
The Video Project has just released its new 1992 catalog of films and videos which list over 30 new programs for all ages on: energy, endangered species, desert preservation, kids and the environment, health and the environment, toxic waste, religion and nature, nuclear victims, the Gulf War, the human cost of war, human rights, Soviet culture, Latin America and sustainable solutions. The catalog lists over 50 programs which can be purchased or rented. To obtain a catalog, write: The Video Project, 5332 College Ave., Suite 101, Oakland, CA 94618, or call (800) 475-2638.
FUTURE MEETINGS
October 29 - November 2. "Globescope Americas: Charting a Sustainable Future", sponsored by the Global Tomorrow Coalition, will be held at the Omni International Hotel in Miami, Florida. The Global Tomorrow Coalition has organized the conference in alliance with leaders and organizations from Florida and throughout the Americas, to provide a unique opportunity linked to the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Brazil and to foster stronger cross-sectoral leadership on sustainable, humane development throughout the hemisphere. For registration rates and more information, write: Global Coalition Tomorrow, 1325 G Street, N.W., Suite 915, Washington, D.C. 20005-3104, or call (202) 628-4016.
November 3-9. The IV Neotropical Ornithological Congress will be held in Quito, Ecuador, including a symposium on shorebird ecology and conservation in the Western Hemisphere. For more information, contact: Gonzalo Castro, Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, P. O. Box 936, Manomet, MA 02345; (508) 224-6521.
November 18-29. The Centro de Investigacion Cientifica de Yucatan (CICY) is conducting a workshop on ecophysiology, a tool to approach conservation studies of plant genetic resources, which will be held in Merida, Mexico. The goal of the workshop is to give participants a basic training in plant ecophysiology as a tool to evaluate an ecosystem considering a particular species or a plant community where it is necessary to implement conservation initiatives. Registration is limited to 40 students, who must understand Spanish. For more information, contact: Roger Orellana, Centro de Investigacion Cientifica de Yucatan, Apartado Postal 87, Cordemex 97310, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.
CURRENT LITERATURE
Anon 1991. National collection of endangered plants.
Plant Conservation 6(1): 6-7. (List of 372 plants native
to USA which are stored at 20 gardens participating in the Center
for Plant Conservation's programs)
Anon. 1991. Rare plant at home in CPC greenhouse. The
Sonoran Quarterly 45(1): 16. (Epithelantha bokei,
growing in Desert Botanical Garden, Arizona)
Anon 1991. Sierra Madre World Bank "development" or logging
project? The Seedhead News 32 & 33: 1-4. (Sierra Madre
mountain range, northwest Mexico)
Anderson, K., and Nabhan, G. 1991. Gardeners in Eden.
Wilderness 55(194): 27-30. (Native people in USA managing
their biodiversity)
Armigerum, D. 1991. The Heuristic of Sociobiology: An
Emerging Science of Human Nature. An Annotated Bibliography
(1986-1991). Biodiversity Unlimited, Armington, Illinois.
Austin, D. 1991. Ipomoea littoralis (Convolvulaceae)
- taxonomy, distribution, and ethnobotany. Econ. Bot.
45(2): 251-256.
Awasthi, A. 1991. Ethnobotanical studies of the Negrito
Islanders of Andaman Islands, India - the great Andamanese.
Econ. Bot. 45(2): 274-280.
Barnaby, F. 1991. The environmental impact of the Gulf war.
Ecologist 21(4): 166-172.
Baskin, Y. 1991. Archaeologist lends a technique to rhino
protectors. BioScience 41(8): 532-534. (Tool could be used
to track illegally obtained horn)
Bernhart, D., et. al. 1991. Education: conservation
in the teaching laboratory - substitution of Xenopus for
Rana. BioScience 41(8): 578-580. (Use of amphibians
in instruction at colleges)
Bodmer, R. and Ayres, J. 1991. Sustainable development and
species diversity in Amazonian forests. Species 16: 22-24.
(Reserva Comunal Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo & Estacao Ecologica do Lago
Mamiraua, Peru & Brazil)
Booth, W. 1991. U.S. drug firm signs up to farm tropical
forests. Washington Post September 21: A3. (Merck & Co.
and National Institute of Biodiversity of Costa Rica sign
agreement to find ways to exploit forests without destroying
them)
Brandt, C. 1991. Conserving traditional Zuni crops. The
Seedhead News 32 & 33: 15. (Zuni Indians, New Mexico)
Breunig, R. 1991. DBG strategies for conservation. The
Sonoran Quarterly 45(1): 4-5. (Desert Botanical Garden,
Arizona)
Briggs, J. 1991. A Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction?
BioScience 41: 619-624.
Broad, W. 1991. As Biosphere is sealed, its patron reflects
on life. New York Times September 24: C1, C6. (Biosphere
II project, Arizona)
Broadus, J. and Vartanov, R. 1991. The oceans and
environmental security. Oceanus 34(2): 14-19. (USA and
USSR efforts toward protecting the world's oceans)
Brown, C. 1991. An investigation into the decline of the
bearded vulture Gypaetus barbatus in Southern Africa.
Biol. Conservation 57(3): 315-337.
Bruijnzeel, L. 1991. Hydrological impacts of tropical forest
conversion. Nature & Resources 27(2): 36-46.
Brush, S. 1991. A farmer-based approach to conserving crop
germplasm. Econ. Bot. 45(2): 153-165.
Callister, D. 1991. Exploitation of the short-tailed
shearwater in Tasmania. TRAFFIC Bull. 12(1 & 2): 5-11.
Campbell, W. 1991. A shrimp by no other name... might be
extinct. Nature Conservancy 41(4): 6-7. (Conservancy fairy
shrimp in vernal pools in California)
Cherrington, M. 1991. Siberia's sacred sea. Wildlife
Conservation 94(5): 56-65. (Lake Baikal, world's deepest
lake)
Cohen, J., Alcorn, J. and Potter, C. 1991. Utilization and
conservation of genetic resources: international projects for
sustainable agriculture. Econ. Bot. 45(2): 190-199.
Cohn, J. 1991. Reproductive biotechnology. BioScience
41(9): 595-598. (Methods to aid breeding of endangered species)
Colchester, M. 1991. Guatemala: the clamour for land and the
fate of the forests. Ecologist 21(4): 177-185.
Costanza, R. (ed.). 1991. Ecological Economics. The
Science and Management of Sustainability. Columbia University
Press, Irvington, NY. 525 pp.
Cuddihy, L. and Stone, C. 1990. Alteration of Native
Hawaiian Vegetation: Effects of Humans, Their Activities, and
Introductions. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 138 pp.
Dodd, K. and Seigel, R. 1991. Relocation, repatriation and
translocation of amphibians and reptiles: are they conservation
strategies that work? Herpetologica 47(3): 336-349.
Drees, M. and Burns, B. 1991. Seed collection and Native
American rights. The Seedhead News 32 & 33: 20.
Eley, T. and Watkins, T. 1991. In a sea of trouble.
Wilderness 55(194): 19-26. (Uncertain fate of Pacific
salmon)
Elias, S. 1991. Insects and climate change. BioScience
41(8): 552-560. (Fossil evidence from the Rocky Mountains)
Erickson, D. 1991. Secret garden. Cell culture may provide a
unique route to taxol. Scientific American 265(4): 121-
122. (Pacific yew, Taxus brevifolia, USA)
Folk, M. and Klimstra, W. 1991. Reproductive performance of
female key deer. J. Wildl. Manag. 55(3): 386-390.
(Endangered species in Florida Keys)
Gadgil, M. 1991. Restoring India's forest wealth. Nature
& Resources 27(2): 12-20.
Gomez-Pompa, A., Whitmore, T. and Hadley, M. (eds.). 1991.
Rain Forest Regeneration and Management. The UNESCO Press,
Paris. 457 pp.
Goodwin, R. and Thompson, P. 1991. Florida takes steps to
make its waterways safer for manatees and boaters. The Florida
Naturalist 64(3): 11-12.
Grey-Wilson, C. 1991. Perennial rarities. The Garden
116(6): 312-318. (Rescuing & propagating rare cultivars, United
Kingdom)
Halloy, S., Gonzalez, J. and Lavilla, E. 1991. Propuesta de
una reserva de flora y fauna autoctonas en el area del Ojos del
Salado (Catamarca-Argentina) limites, zonificacion y manejo.
Serie Conservacion de la Naturaleza 5: 1-15.
Hinrichsen, D. 1991. Those Danube blues. Int. Wildlife
21(5): 38-47. (Danube River highly polluted)
Jackson, P. 1991. Critical situation for wildlife in India.
Species 16: 19-21.
Jacobson, G., Almquist-Jacobson, H. and Winne, J. 1991.
Conservation of rare plant habitat: insights from the recent
history of vegetation and fire at Crystal Fen, Northern Maine,
USA. Biol. Conservation 57(3): 287-314.
Johnson, R. 1991. Down under the canopy: leaf litter from an
Australian tropical rain forest sheds light on the nature of
ancient fossil forests. Discovery 22(2): 2-9.
Jones, D. and Everding, S. 1991. Australian brush-turkeys in
a suburban environment: implications for conflict and
conservation. Wildl. Res. 18(3): 285-297. (Threatened by
hatchling predation and habitat loss)
Joyce, C. 1991. A crane's eye view of tropical forests.
New Scientist 1787: 40-42. (Method to study canopy of
tropical forest in Panama)
Lamb, D. 1991. Combining traditional and commercial uses of
rain forest. Nature & Resources 27(2): 3-11. (Case studies
from the Asia-Pacific region)
Lanly, J.-P., Singh, K. and Janz, K. 1991. FAO's 1990
reassessment of tropical forest cover. Nature & Resources
27(2): 21-26. (Describes general methodology used in the
reassessment)
Laurance, W. 1991. Edge effects in tropical forest
fragments: application of a model for the design of nature
reserves. Biol. Conservation 57(2): 205-220.
Lewis, R. 1991. Access to rare fossils preserved.
BioScience 41(9): 599-601. (Petrified Sea Gardens, New
York)
Lindenmayer, D., Nix, H., McMahon, J., Hutchinson, M. and
Tanton, M. 1991. The conservation of Leadbeater's possum,
Gymnobelideus leadbeateri (McCoy): a case study of the use
of bioclimatic modelling. J. Biogeogr. 18(4): 371-384.
(Australia)
Lipske, M. 1991. Floating in controversy. Nat. Wildlife
29(6): 22-23. (Wetlands protection)
Lisboa, P., Maciel, U. and Prance, G. 1991. Some effects of
colonization on the tropical flora of Amazonia: a case study from
Rondonia. Kew Bull. 46(2): 187-204. (Brazil)
Louisse, C. and van der Meulen, F. 1991. Future coastal
defence in the Netherlands: strategies for protection and
sustainable development. J. Coastal Research 7(4): 1027-
1042.
Lugo, A. 1991. Cities in the sustainable development of
tropical landscapes. Nature & Resources 27(2): 27-35.
McIntosh, P. 1991. National Wildlife Federation improving
its own environmental quality. Nat. Wildlife 29(6): 29-32.
(Plan to cut pollution and save money and resources)
Meads, M. 1990. Forgotten Fauna: The Rare, Endangered,
and Protected Invertebrates of New Zealand. DSIR Publishing,
Wellington, New Zealand. 95 pp.
Messel, H. 1991. Sustainable utilization: a program that
conserves many crocodiles. Species 16: 30-32.
Milius, S. and et al. 1991. People who make a
difference. Nat. Wildlife 29(6): 40-46. (Americans taking
steps to safeguard wildlife and the environment)
Milliken, T., Martin, E.B. and Nowell, K. 1991. Rhino horn
trade controls in East Asia. TRAFFIC Bull. 12(1 & 2): 17-
21.
Mitchell, B. and Barborak, J. 1991. Developing coastal park
systems in the tropics: planning in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Coastal Management 19: 113-134.
Mwalyosi, R. 1991. Ecological evaluation for wildlife
corridors and buffer zones for Lake Manyara National Park,
Tanzania, and its immediate environment. Biol. Conservation
57(2): 171-186.
Myers, N. 1991. Trees by the billions; a blueprint for
cooling. Int. Wildlife 21(5): 12-15. (Tree planting
program in the tropics helps slow global warming)
Nelson, D. and Harper, K. 1991. Site characteristics and
habitat requirements of the endangered dwarf bear-claw poppy
(Arctomecon humilis Coville, Papaveraceae). Great Basin
Naturalist 51(2): 167-175. (Utah)
Newton, P. 1991. The use of medicinal plants by primates: a
missing link? Trends in Ecology & Evolution 6(9): 297-299.
Nobbe, G. 1991. Hard times, hard choices. Wildlife
Conservation 94(5): 38-47, 92-93. (Alaska's Kodiak Island
natives face financial ruin and contemplate selling the land,
which could destroy prime wildlife habitat)
Norris, M. 1991. P. G. church will spare part of rare forest
from its ax. Washington Post (Metro Sect.) September 26:
1. (Belt Woods, Prince Georges County, Maryland)
Norse, E. 1991. Conserving the neglected 71%: marine
biological diversity. Species 16: 16-18. (Conclusions of a
workshop held in Washington, D.C.)
O'Connor, T. 1991. Local extinction in perennial grasslands:
a life-history approach. Am. Naturalist 137(6): 753-773.
(South Africa)
Orians, G., Brown, G., Kunin, W. and Swierzbinski, J.
(Eds.). 1991. The Preservation and Valuation of Biological
Resources. University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. 314
pp.
Padoch, C. and de Jong, W. 1991. The house gardens of Santa
Rosa: diversity and variability in an Amazonian agricultural
system. Econ. Bot. 45(2): 166-175.
Palomares, F., Rodriquez, A., Laffitte, R. and Delibes, M.
1991. The status and distribution of the Iberian lynx Felis
pardina Temminck in Coto Donana area, SW Spain. Biol.
Conservation 57(2): 159-169. (Endangered European carnivore)
Pittam, S. 1991. The Rare Lichens Project. A progress
report. Evansia 8(2): 45-47.
Pulich, W. and White, W. 1991. Decline of submerged
vegetation in the Galveston Bay system: chronology and
relationships to physical processes. J. Coastal Research
7(4): 1125-1138.
Reinert, H. 1991. Translocation as a conservation strategy
for amphibians and reptiles: some comments, concerns, and
observations. Herpetologica 47(3): 357-363.
Risser, P., Lubchenco, and Levin, S. 1991. Biological
research priorities - a sustainable biosphere. BioScience
41: 625-627.
Roca, R. and Gutierrez, P. 1991. Fine feathered foresters.
Wildlife Conservation 94(5): 78-87. (Oilbirds of Guacharo
Cave, Guachara National Park, Venezuela)
Sanchez, M.R. 1991. La importancia del uso de Leguminosas
silvestres en el sistema de labranza de conservacion
(Contribucion del INIFAP-Jalisco al proyecto sistema de labranza
de conservacion). Macpalxochitl 126: 10-12.
Soleri, D. and Cleveland, D. 1991. Saving seeds for the
future. The Seedhead News 32 & 33: 16-18.
Standley, L. and Dudley, J. 1991. Vegetative and sexual
reproduction in the rare sedge, Carex polymorpha
(Cyperaceae). Rhodora 93(875): 268-290.
Stevens, W. 1991. Costa Rica in pact to search for forest
drugs. New York Times September 23: A1. (Agreement between
Merck & Co. and National Institute of Biodiversity of Costa Rica)
Stewart, S. 1991. Biosphere 2's great venture ready to
begin. USA Today September 25: A1-A2. (Biosphere II
project, Arizona)
Stiak, J. 1991. This could happen to yew. Buzzworm
3(5): 90. (Pacific yew yields taxol which destroys cancer cells)
Stolzenburg, W. 1991. The fragmented connection. Nature
Conservancy 41(4): 18-25. (Wildlife corridors)
Studds, G. 1991. Preserving biodiversity. BioScience
41(9): 602. (National Biodiversity Conservation Act)
Sunquist, F. 1991. Walking tall, talking tough. Int.
Wildlife 21(5): 24-28. (Wildlife warden in India's Nagarahole
Nat. Park)
Torrance, D. 1991. Deep ecology: rescuing Florida's reefs.
Nature Conservancy 41(4): 8-17.
Tuoc, D. and Santiapillai, C. 1991. The status of elephants
in Vietnam. Species 16: 25-27.
Turner, T. 1991. Ground: zero. The American military vs. the
American land. Wilderness 55(194): 10-15, 31-33, 36.
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1990. Report to
Congress; Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Program.
U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service,
Washington, D.C. 406 pp.
Udall, J. 1991. Launching the natural ark. Sierra
76(5): 80-89.
Viola, H. and Margolis, C. (eds.). 1991. Seeds of
Change. A Quincentennial Commemoration. Smithsonian
Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 278 pp.
Walker, D. 1991. Restoring the Oklawaha River: the Sunnyhill
farm project. The Florida Naturalist 64(3): 6-8. (St.
Johns River water management district, Florida)
Weishampel, J.F. 1990. Maintaining genetic variation in a
one-way, two island model. J. Wildl. Manag. 54: 676-682.
Wille, C. 1991. Race to save a green giant. Nat. Wildlife
29(6): 24-28. (Costa Rica's imperiled green sea turtle)
Williams, M. and Blackwell, E. 1991. Wetlands: A
Threatened Landscape. Institute of British Geographers,
London, England. 419 pp.
Wiser, S. 1991. Saving rare plants in the Appalachians.
Plant Conservation 6(1): 2-3.
Yokoi, K. and Milliken, T. 1991. Trade in wild-collected
slipper orchids in Japan. TRAFFIC Bull. 12(1 & 2): 12-16.
(Paphiopedilum)
Zilanov, V. 1991. Living marine resources. Oceanus
34(2): 29-34.
Zimmerer, K. and Douches, D. 1991. Geographical approaches
to crop conservation: the partitioning of genetic diversity in
Andean potatoes. Econ. Bot. 45(2): 176-189.
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