Mountain protected areas update

While global whaling was a feature of the s, the peak of whaling in the United States was a century earlier. In the 18th and 19th centuries, whaling was a key industry in the US. Although the uses of whale oil later diversified, Americans mainly used it for lighting. As we see in the chart, US production of whale and sperm oil followed the classic inverted-U curve, peaking in the midth century. At this point petroleum oil had been discovered, and kerosene — which was cheaper than whale oil — began to replace it in lighting.

As whale hunting became increasingly unprofitable, production soon declined. Towards the end of the s, new technologies were being developed that could catch whales in much larger numbers. Rather than the classic sail- or oar-powered boats that the Americans had been using, the Norwegians developed mechanized, steam-powered vessels with cannons and harpoons. This made whaling much more efficient.

Not only could we catch more whales, it also allowed us to catch species — like Blue and Fin Whales — that were too fast for our old technologies. It had a dramatic impact. Whale populations fell by two-thirds in just over a century. In there were around 2. By there were only , left. Not all species were impacted equally. Some of the largest — the Blue and Fin Whale in particular — were prime targets.

This meant that the decline of total biomass of whales over this period was even greater. We see this discrimination towards particular species in the chart. All species declined, but the extent was wildly different. Its populations fell from , to just 5, A reduction of Both demand and supply rocketed.

Whale oils were initially used for lighting, but their market soon expanded. Sperm oil is special because it maintains its lubricating qualities at very high temperatures — this made it a vital ingredient for machinery, engines, guns and watches during the Industrial Revolution. Advancements in cosmetics and food chemistry meant that its by-products were soon used for soaps, textiles, and even margarine.

Ambergris — a substance found in the intestine of sperm whales — was, and still is, used to make perfume. You will find it in the luxury perfume, Chanel No. Whales made it into the fashion industry too. In the chart we see how this rising demand for whale products affected hunting rates across the world. This shows the number of whales killed each year, from onwards.

For decades, tens of thousands of whales were killed each year. Only World War II gave these animals some reprieve — notice the drop in kills during the earlys. In fact, a number of countries formed the International Whaling Commission IWC in to work out how to manage international whaling stocks. By the midth century, many species were pushed to the brink of extinction. By the midth century, the prospects for whales was looking bleak. And yet, the world managed to turn things around.

In the chart we see the number of whales killed per decade. We see a gradual rise over the first half of the century — with the exception of the war-stricken s — with whale catch reaching its peak in the s. But, we see a decline since then. What caused this?

There were a number of factors at play. By the s, whale populations had become increasingly depleted — this scarcity had an impact on the economic incentives to hunt them. Whales were becoming harder to find and catch. Technological advances also meant that substitutes for whale oil and bone in the cosmetic, food and textile industries were becoming cheaper and more accessible.

The whaling industry was losing its profitability. There was another massive policy change in the s. More and more countries were becoming members of the International Whaling Commission.

In the map we see the timeline by which countries joined the IWC. After many decades of failed quota agreements, the IWC agreed to a global moratorium. This made commercial whaling illegal, with only a few exceptions. These countries typically hunt species that are not considered to be critically endangered.

Some species will still take many decades to recover. Populations of North Atlantic right whale, the Arctic bowhead, and the Pacific blue whale are still critical. Yet the story of whaling overall is a conservation success: an animal that was once in high demand across the world has been saved from extinction through substitution and international cooperation.

Many species are in a similar position to whales in the s. But the decline of whaling should give us hope that we can turn things around once again. Explore the diversity of wildlife across the planet — how many species are in each group, and where they live. See how wild mammal populations have changed over time; where they live today; and where they are threatened with extinction. Explore the diversity of birds across the world; how many species have gone extinct; and how populations are changing.

Explore the distribution of coral reefs across the world and how they are changing from human pressures. The Living Planet Index is one of the most-common biodiversity metrics. Hunting is one of the largest threats to wildlife.

See how poaching rates and trade has changed over time, and across species. See how human expansion and habitat loss has changed landscapes over millennia, and how this has impacted global biodiversity. Summary Globally, We have seen a significant rise in international cooperation on conservation in recent decades.

The central part of the park, an Afroalpine plateau, lies between m asl in the north and m asl. The northern escarpment of the Sanetti Plateau is dominated by Juniperus spp. The area between m and m asl. The flat mountaintop is covered by Helichrysum moorland dotted with Lobelia spp.

Much of the Sanetti plateau lies over m asl. The slope of the southern escarpment falls rapidly in altitude from the tree line at m to m within a distance of only 8 km, producing a rapid and spectacular change in landscape, habitat, and species composition.

In the 's the area was surveyed by two British naturalists and, due to the increasing pressure from pastoralists settling permanently in the area, a boundary was proposed for a Park.

Following the inception of the Bale Mountains National Park in late there has been a succession of Park Wardens from Ethiopian nationals initially Peace Corp volunteers until So far, the Park has never been formally gazetted or effectively managed. In the last decade, many pastoralists, agriculturalists and timber users have moved into the area and natural resources use has increased exponentially throughout the park. The establishment of the plan was participatory, involving stake-holders from all levels of government bodies, local communities, technical experts and the private sector.

Currently a participatory boundary re-demarcation process is underway, and the important step of having the BMNP formally gazetted is given a high priority. The Bale Mountains National Park is universally valuable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its spectacular scenery.

Its high mountains, sweeping valleys, dramatic escarpment and wide expanses of forests provide visitors with a diversity of vistas unique to the Ethiopian highlands. There are also a number of rare endemic amphibians.

The area contains the entire global population of the Giant Molerat Tachyoryctes macrocephalus , the largest global populations of endangered Ethiopian Wolves Canis simensis and Mountain Nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni. Indeed it has been estimated that more mammal species would go extinct were the habitats of the Bale Mountains to disappear, than if the any other area of equivalent size on the globe were to disappear.

Half the park is montane forest, including both cloud forest and moist tropical forest - the second largest in Ethiopia and the origin of Ethiopian wild coffee. The mountains and forests of this ecosystem are also a critically important water catchments area for southern Ethiopia and western Somalia, supplying perennial water to 12 million people in the lowlands of Ethiopia and Somalia.

Although Ethiopia has rich and important natural heritage sites, the inscription of this category on WHL is underrepresented. The conditions of integrity require that the area essential for maintaining the beauty of the property are included in the proposed site. The entire Afro alpine plateau above m is within the proposed boundary of the BMNP, as is the escarpment which provides scenic vistas of the moist tropical forest below. Goal: By , combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.

UN definition: By , ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development.

This indicator measures the average share of each important site for mountain biodiversity that is covered by designated protected areas. The indicator does not measure the effectiveness of protected areas in reducing biodiversity loss, which depends on a range of management and enforcement factors.

Goal: By , ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity. The Mountain Green Cover Index measures the percentage of mountainous areas covered by some form of green vegetation. The Green Cover Index measures the changes of the green vegetation in mountain areas - i.

This is monitored through very high resolution multi-temporal images from Google Earth and Bing Maps and Landsat 7 and 8 datasets from Google Earth Engine. UN definition: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by , protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. The Red List Index RLI defines the conservation status of major species groups, and measures trends in the proportion of species expected to remain extant in the near future without additional conservation action.

An RLI value of 1. A value of 0 indicates that all species have gone extinct. UN definition: Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed.

SDG Indicators: Goal: By promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources. UN definition: Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products.