E-Mail
Credit: Jesse Alston, University of Wyoming
[RALEIGH, N.C.] - How are the squirrels doing this year? The bears? The armadillos? How would you know? A new paper published June 8 sets up the framework for answering these questions across the United States by releasing the data from the first national mammal survey made up of 1,509 motion-activated camera traps from 110 sites located across all 50 states.
Unlike birds, which have multiple large-scale monitoring programs, there has been no standard way to monitor mammal populations at a national scale. To address this challenge, scientists from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute recently collaborated with more than 150 scientists on the first-ever nationwide wildlife survey, called Snapshot USA. Our goal was to provide a space for researchers from all 50 states to contribute a subset of their data to a broader initiative to maximize our coverage of the country and
Canada could reach one-third of its greenhouse gas reduction targets by making better use of its vast forests, prairies and wetlands, says a report by more than three dozen scientists.
Bob Weber
The Greenwich peninsula portion of Prince Edward Island National Park is seen on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. A new report says Canada could reach one-third of its greenhouse gas reduction targets by making better use of its vast forests, prairies and wetlands. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan June 04, 2021 - 12:59 PM
Canada could achieve just over one-tenth of its greenhouse gas reduction targets by making better use of its vast forests, prairies and wetlands, says a report by more than three dozen scientists.
The researchers from universities, governments and environmental groups say a good portion of those emissions cuts could be made for under $50 a tonne, less than next year s carbon tax.
Natural climate solutions are relatively cost-effective ways to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, said Amanda Reed, who co-ordinated the research for Nature United, the Canadian affiliate of The Nature Conservancy.
Grassland soils, peat-rich wetlands and old-growth forests store large amounts of carbon, said Reed. But they could store even more if Canadians farmed, logged and developed differently.
The report says agriculture offers the biggest chance for carbon savings.
At current rates, about 2.5 million hectares of native grassland are expected to be converted to crops by 2030. Cultivation releases carbon from the soil into the air.
Preventing that would keep almost 13 million tonnes of carbon in the ground, the report says. About 13 per cent of those savings could be accomplished for less than $50 a tonne.