Even in his wildest dreams, China's first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi (Chin She-hwong-dee), could never have imagined that terra cotta warriors made to guard his tomb in the afterlife would travel the world as ambassadors of friendship between nations.

Those were the thoughts today of Xie Feng, minister and deputy chief of mission of the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. He made the observation at the official opening at the National Geographic Museum of the exhibition "Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor."

Caption: Terra cotta figures on exhibition at the National Geographic Museum, Washington, D.C. The average terra cotta warrior is 6 feet tall and weighs 300-400 lbs. Craftsmen sculpted individual facial features for each figure by hand. Many of the faces are thought to resemble the artists themselves or some real person or military figure. It is believed that no two faces are identical.

Photo by David Braun

Auspicious sign

Minister Xie also observed that while President Obama was in Beijing today, visiting the Forbidden City and holding talks with China's President Hu Jintao, the terra cotta warriors were in Washington--a coincidence that was "an auspicious sign" of the improving relationship between the two countries.

White House photo by Pete Souza. 

The National Geographic Museum is the final venue of the terra cotta warriors' four-city U.S. tour. The largest number of terra cotta figures ever to travel to the United States for a single exhibition includes more than 100 artifacts from the tomb of Qin Shihuangdi, who ruled from 221 B.C. to 210 B.C.

Caption: A view of reconstructed warriors, on exhibition in China. Originally, the soldiers were painted with pigments made from minerals mixed with either egg white or animal blood.

Photo by Wang Da Gang

"The First Emperor's magnificent terra cotta army is one of the great wonders of the ancient world," said Terry Garcia, National Geographic's executive vice president for Mission Programs. "Visitors to the National Geographic Museum will have the rare opportunity to experience one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century as they stand face-to-face with the terra cotta warriors," he added.

Level 1 artifacts

More than 96,000 tickets have been purchased in advance for the Washington venue of the exhibition, which offers an in-depth look at the First Emperor's enormous tomb complex that contained thousands of terra cotta warriors intended to protect him in the afterlife. The exhibition showcases the life-size terra cotta figures and other objects, including 20 "Level 1" artifacts--China's highest possible ranking in terms of rarity and importance.

Caption: Albert E. Dien, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Stanford University, is guest curator for the "Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor" exhibition. In this video he explains why the terra cotta warriors are the "Eighth Wonder of the World."

Video by David Braun

Secrets of the Qin

Discovered after being buried for more than 2,000 years, the terra cotta warriors reveal secrets of the Qin dynasty, a National Geographic statement about the exhibition explains.

"The warriors were found in 1974 by a group of farmers digging a well near Xi'an in China's Shaanxi province. When archaeologists began excavating the area, they uncovered a subterranean vault containing fragments of thousands of terra cotta figures in four pits."

Caption: Terra cotta warriors and horses found in the tomb of China's first emperor Qin Shihuang, located north of Xi'an in China.

Photo by Wang Da Gang

Caption: There are four pits of varying sizes, three of which contain warriors, filled with an estimated 7,000 figures along with hundreds of horses, chariots and weapons. Pit 1 (in the illustration above) is the largest at 203 feet x 755 feet, roughly the size of two and two-thirds football fields, and was the first to be discovered. Ranks of terra cotta warriors, horses and chariots were placed in formation throughout this space.

"More than 1,000 life-size figures have been unearthed as part of the site's ongoing excavation, with estimates of 6,000 more remaining in the known underground pits," National Geographic's statement says.

"Construction of Qin Shihuangdi's tomb took 36 years to complete, and the tomb complex is estimated to extend more than 19 square miles."

Warrior assembly line

"The terra cotta figures were created in assembly-line fashion, and molds were used to mass-produce hands, heads and ears. Craftsmen sculpted individual armor details and facial features by hand. It is believed that no two faces are alike," National Geographic said.

The 15 terra cotta figures in "Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor" consist of nine warriors--two infantrymen, a chariot driver, two officers, an armored warrior, two archers and a cavalryman--as well as two musicians, a strongman, a court official, a stable attendant and a horse. The exhibition showcases 100 sets of artifacts, including weapons, stone armor, coins, jade ornaments, roof tiles and decorative bricks, and a bronze crane and swan.

Two replica bronze chariots are also on display.

Caption: One of the replica bronze chariots on exhibition at the National Geographic Museum. All figures are life-size.

Photo by David Braun 

Caption: National Geographic Museum Director Susan Norton and her staff worked for more than two years to bring "Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor" to Washington, D.C. In this video she talks about the planning and challenges of moving and exhibiting 2,200-year-old artifacts.

Video by David Braun

The objects in the exhibition are drawn from 11 different collections in and near Xi'an, including the Museum of the First Emperor's Terra Cotta Army and Horses, Shaanxi Provincial Institute for Archaeological Research, the Zhouzhi Museum, Baoji Museum, Xianyang Museum, Lintong Museum, Fengxiang Museum, Chencang Museum, Xi'an Institute for Archaeological Research and Protection, Baoji Archaeological Excavation Team and Xianyang Institute for Archaeological Research.

Photo by David Braun

The Washington exhibition is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours on Wednesdays until 9 p.m. The National Geographic Museum is closed on December 25. The exhibition will be open to the public from November 19, 2009 until March 31, 2010.

Tickets are timed and dated and can be purchased online at the Buy Tickets page of the exhibition Web site www.warriorsdc.org, by phone at (202) 857-7700 and at the National Geographic Museum ticket booth located at the exhibition's entrance or at the National Geographic ticket office, 1600 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.

Caption: A standing archer. The warriors' hands are positioned to hold weapons, many of which were stolen during the rebellions that followed the emperor's death.

Photo by Wang Da Gang 

Caption: A detailed look at one of the terra cotta warriors found in the tomb of China's first emperor Qin Shihuang, located north of Xi'an in China.

Photo by Wang Da Gang

Photo by David Braun

The exhibition is co-organized by the Bowers Museum, Houston Museum of Natural Science and the National Geographic Museum, and is guest curated by Dr. Albert E. Dien, professor emeritus, Stanford University.Support for the exhibition was given by American Airlines; Amtrak; Washington, D.C.'s Loews Madison Hotel; P.F. Chang's China Bistro; The PIMCO Foundation; UPS; Viking River Cruises; and WTOP.

Terra Cotta Warriors Exhibition Fact Sheet

Emperor Qin Shihuangdi

In the long history of China, the First Emperor of the Qin dynasty stands out for his accomplishments and the controversy that surrounds his rule. He ruled a unified China for only 11 years, but many of his reforms have lasted as long as his warriors have stood guard -- more than 2,200 years.

Born in 259 B.C., Ying Zheng became king of the state of Qin at age 13. In 239 B.C. the king began to rule in his own name and shortly thereafter he sent his armies to conquer the surrounding states. By 221 B.C. a vast empire was under his control. He renamed himself Qin Shihuangdi (Chin She-hwong-dee), First Emperor of the Qin.

The emperor instituted a series of ambitious reforms, creating a centralized administration to consolidate his power. He is credited with unifying seven warring states; building an extensive network of roads; standardizing weights, currency and measures; establishing Qin writing as the official language, which became the basis of the written script now known as Simplified Chinese; beginning construction on the Great Wall of China; and pioneering the use of mass production.

In 210 B.C. Emperor Qin fell ill and died unexpectedly. He is believed to have been interred beneath a large man-made hill in an elaborate chamber that has not yet been excavated.

Records written nearly 100 years after Emperor Qin's death show that succeeding dynasties defined the Qin period as a time of draconian enforcement of harsh laws. However, recent discoveries of Qin laws indicate a less severe administration than previously imagined, and the emperor's reputation is being reevaluated. Regardless of how his legacy is ultimately judged, the impact of his rule and the grandeur of his tomb set a standard that has not been surpassed.

The tomb complex and pits

Photo by Wang Da Gang

As was customary, Emperor Qin began work on his tomb complex when he ascended the throne at age 13. After conquering the neighboring states, he expanded the plans in keeping with his new title of First Emperor. The tomb complex covers 19 square miles and includes a man-made earthen mound rising above his underground burial chamber.

Providing for the emperor in the afterlife meant filling his tomb complex with a wide range of items to serve his needs. The emperor's tomb mound sits at the center of what was once a walled area. Outside the walled tomb area in pits three-quarters of a mile to the east are the warriors, standing ready to defend the emperor.

Photo by Wang Da Gang

The army faced east, towards a pass in the mountains through which enemies might approach.

There are four pits of varying sizes, three of which contain warriors, filled with an estimated 7,000 figures along with hundreds of horses, chariots and weapons.

Photo by Wang Da Gang

Pit 1 is the largest at 203 feet x 755 feet, roughly the size of two and two-thirds football fields, and was the first to be discovered. Ranks of terra cotta warriors, horses and chariots were placed in formation throughout this space.

Pit 1 was dug to a depth of about 15 feet, with walls of pounded earth dividing the interior into 11 corridors. The floors were paved with bricks. A framework of wooden pillars and beams covered with planks, matting and a plaster shell formed the roof. The whole area was covered with earth mounded about 6 feet above the original ground surface. Pits 2 and 3 were constructed in similar fashion.

Photo by Wang Da Gang

Photo by Wang Da Gang

The figures contained in the smaller Pit 2 are more varied. The ranks include cavalrymen, chariots and 160 standing and kneeling archers.

Pit 3 is even smaller and is the only one to be completely excavated. This pit was meant to serve as a command center for the underground army. It contains just 68 soldiers, most of them guards with a few officers stationed behind a single chariot, perhaps meant for the supreme commander.

Pit 4 is incomplete and contains no figures, suggesting that work ceased in the rebellions following the death of Qin Shihuangdi.

The warriors

Photo by Wang Da Gang

The average warrior is 6 feet tall and weighs 300-400 lbs.

Craftsmen sculpted individual facial features for each figure by hand. Many of the faces are thought to resemble the artists themselves or some real person or military figure. It is believed that no two faces are identical.

Originally, the soldiers were painted with pigments made from minerals mixed with either egg white or animal blood.

The legs and feet of each warrior are solid clay to support the weight of the figure. To create the torso, artisans built up coils of clay; the hands, arms and head were molded separately and then attached.

Photo by Wang Da Gang

When a figure was complete, a layer of fine clay was applied to the entire sculpture so individual details could be incised by hand. After this was completed, the statues were fired at high temperatures.

The warriors' hands are positioned to hold weapons, many of which were stolen during the rebellions that followed the emperor's death.

The warriors were discovered in March 1974 by a group of men digging a well along the Wei River near the city of Xi'an. The tomb complex of the First Emperor has since been dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World.

To date, only 1,000 figures have been excavated and restored.

All information is drawn from exhibition text and the "Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor" exhibition e-Guide, available for download at www.warriorsdc.org

More photos from the the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibition at the National Geographic Museum:

Photos by David Braun

 

Intelligent Travel: Sneak Peek--Terra Cotta Warriors at NG

BlogWild: Terra Cotta Countdown

National Geographic Magazine: Treasures from Ancient China

Air pollution in eastern China has reduced the amount of light rainfall over the past 50 years and decreased by 23 percent the number of days of light rain in the eastern half of the country, according to research published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres.

The results suggest that bad air quality might be affecting the country's ability to raise crops as well as contributing to health and environmental problems, according to researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).

"The study links for the first time high levels of pollutants in the air with conditions that prevent the light kind of rainfall critical for agriculture," says a news statement about the research released by PNNL.

This space image of eastern China shows the widespread nature of the pollution problem.

Image courtesy SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE

"People have long wondered if there was a connection, but this is the first time we've observed it from long-term data," said PNNL atmospheric scientist Yun Qian, who led the study. "Besides the health effects, acid rain and other problems that pollution creates, this work suggests that reducing air pollution might help ease the drought in north China."

"Rain in eastern China--where most of the country's people and pollution exist--is not like it used to be."

Rain in eastern China--where most of the country's people and pollution exist--is not like it used to be, PNNL noted."China's dramatic economic growth and pollution problems provide researchers an opportunity to study the connection between air quality and climate."

Over the last 50 years, the southern part of eastern China has seen increased amounts of total rainfall per year. The northern half has seen less rain and more droughts. But light rainfall that sustains crops has decreased everywhere, PNNL said.

"Previous work has shown that pollution can interfere with light rain above oceans, so the [research] team suspected pollution might have something to do with the changes over land. Light rain ranges from drizzles to 10 millimeters [four tenths of an inch] of accumulation per day and sustains agriculture. (Compared to heavy rain that causes floods, loss of light rain has serious consequences for crops.)

"While the light rains have diminished, pollution has increased dramatically in China in the last half of the 20th century. For example, while China's population rose two and a half times in size, the emissions of sulfur from fossil fuel burning outpaced that considerably--rising nine times."

Air pollution contains tiny, unseen particles of gas, water and bits of matter called aerosols, the researchers explained. "Aerosols--both natural and human-caused (anthropogenic)--do contribute to rainfall patterns, but the researchers needed to determine if pollution was to blame for China's loss of rain and how.

Data Collected from 162 Weather Stations

"To find out, the team charted trends in rainfall from 1956 to 2005 in eastern China, which has 162 weather stations with complete data collected over the entire 50 years.

"From this data, the team determined that both the north and south regions of eastern China had fewer days of light rain--those getting 10 millimeters per day or less--at the end of the 50-year timespan.

"The south lost more days--8.1 days per decade--than the north did, at 6.9 days per decade. However, the drought-rattled north lost a greater percentage of its rainy days, about 25 percent compared to the south's 21 percent."

Said Qian, "No matter how we define light rain, we can see a very significant decrease of light rain over almost every station."

Pollution over Eastern China in 2002

Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC

To probe what caused the loss of rainfall, the researchers looked at how much water the atmosphere contained and where the water vapor traveled. Most parts of eastern China saw no significant change in the amount of water held by the atmosphere, even though light rains decreased. In addition, where the atmosphere transported water vapor didn't coincide with light rain frequency, PNNL said.

"These results suggested that changes in large-scale movement of water could not account for the loss of the precipitation. Some of pollution's aerosols can seed clouds or form raindrops, depending on their size, composition and the conditions in which they find themselves. Because these skills likely contribute to rainfall patterns, the researchers explored the aerosols in more depth.

"Cloud droplets form around aerosols, so the team determined the concentration of cloud droplets over China. They found higher concentrations of droplets when more aerosols were present. But more droplets mean that each cloud droplet is smaller, in the same way that filling 10 ice cream cones from a quart of ice cream results in smaller scoops than if the same amount were put in only five cones.

"This result suggested that aerosols create smaller water droplets, which in turn have a harder time forming rainclouds. The team verified this with computer models of pristine, moderately polluted or heavily polluted skies. In the most heavily polluted simulation, rain fell at significantly lower frequencies than in the pristine conditions.

"An examination of the cloud and rain drops showed that these water drops in polluted cases are up to 50 percent smaller than in clean skies. The smaller size impedes the formation of rain clouds and the falling of rain."

Qian said the next step in their research is to examine new data from the DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility in the central eastern Chinese city of Shouxian. The data was collected from April to December of 2008.

"This work is important because modeling studies of individual cases of pollution's effect on convective clouds have shown varying results, depending on the environmental conditions," said coauthor Ruby Leung. "The ARM data collected at Shouxian should provide more detailed measurements of both aerosols and clouds to enable us to quantify the impacts of aerosols on precipitation under different atmospheric and pollution conditions."

The work was supported by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research within the DOE Office of Science under a bilateral agreement on regional climate research with the China Ministry of Science and Technology.

Major China-based producers and users of palm oil have committed support for sustainable palm oil, "an important boost for efforts to halt tropical deforestation," WWF reported today.

The public statement, made at the 2nd International Oil and Fats Summit in Beijing on July 9, committed the companies to "support the promotion, procurement and use of sustainable palm oil in China,'"as well as "support the production of sustainable palm oil through any investments in producing countries." (The full text of the statement is at the bottom of this page.)

China is the world's largest importer of palm oil, accounting for one third of all global trade.

"Increasing demand for palm oil, which is used in everything from soap to chocolate bars, is causing considerable damage to fragile rainforest environments, threatening endangered species like tigers, and contributing to global climate change," WWF said.

Convoluted rows of oil palms march across a plantation in aerial view in Malaysia.

NGS photo by James P. Blair

Palm oil is the most produced vegetable oil in the world, with about 37 million tonnes produced per year around the world, according to WWF.

Palm oil producers and buyers signing the statement of support for sustainable palm oil included Wilmar International, IOI Group, KLK Berhad, Kulim Malaysia Berhad, Asian Agri., Premier Foods and Unilever. Oxfam International, TransAsia Lawyers, and Solidaridad China have also signed the statement.

"Given the massive of volumes of palm oil now being purchased, any move China makes towards using sustainable palm oil will have a big influence on protecting tropical forest resources in South East Asia and other areas," said WWF-China Country Representative Dermot O'Gorman.

NGS photo of a vendor selling palm ooil in a market in the Democratic Republic of Congo by W. Robert Moore

WWF and Unilever helped set up the international Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2004, with the aim of establishing global standards for sustainable palm oil production and promoting the use of products containing sustainable palm oil.

WWF-China first introduced sustainable palm oil to Chinese companies in 2004, and continues to encourage the country's buyers, producers, and traders to participate in RSPO, the Switzerland-based environmental organization said.

"Sustainable palm oil received a massive boost in November 2008 when Dr. Huo Jiangguo, President of China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs and Native Produce, attended the RSPO annual conference in Indonesia and announced that China supported the drive for more sustainable palm oil products."

"Industry in China acknowledges that sustainability is one of the key criteria of ensuring competence in the global market."

"Industry in China acknowledges that sustainability is one of the key criteria of ensuring competence in the global market," said Bian Zhenghu, vice president of the China Chamber of Commerce during his opening address to the forum. "The Roundtable encourages the entire industry chain to make a move towards sustainability, and also gives Chinese stakeholders a big opportunity to play a significant role achieving the aims of RSPO."

Statement of Support: Promotion of Sustainable Palm Oil in China

This Statement of Support is a non-legally binding expression of support by the signatories on the promotion of sustainable palm oil in China.

Recognizing that
• China is the largest consumer of palm oil which is an important and versatile raw material for both food and non-food products, including biofuel
• It is important that palm oil is produced in a sustainable manner as defined by the Principles and Criteria of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)
• Certified sustainable palm oil is now available in commercial quantities

The signatories of this Statement of Support commit themselves to
• Support the promotion, procurement and use of sustainable palm oil in China.
• Support the production of sustainable palm oil through any investments in producing countries that are consistent with the principles for sustainable palm oil production, national laws and China's guidelines for sustainable agriculture.

Further reading:

Clearing Land for Biofuels Makes Global Warming Worse (National Geographic News)

Biofuels Could Do More Harm Than Good, UN Report Warns (National Geographic News)

The slippery business of palm oil (The Guardian)

Backers Don't Buy 'Friendly' Palm Oil (Wall Street Journal)

Once a Dream Fuel, Palm Oil May Be an Eco-Nightmare (New York Times)

How the palm oil industry is Cooking the Climate (Greenpeace)

Why Biofuels Are the Rainforest's Worst Enemy (Mother Jones blog)

Slow Sales Of Sustainable Palm Oil Threaten Tropical Forests (WWF press release)

Cruel Oil: How Palm Oil Harms Health, Rain Forests0 and Wildlife (Center for Science in the Public Interest)

Rising demand for pangolins, mostly from mainland China, compounded by lax laws is wiping out the unique toothless anteaters from their native habitats in Southeast Asia, TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, said today.

Undercover photo courtesy TRAFFIC

"Illegal trade in Asian pangolin meat and scales has caused the scaly anteaters to disappear from large swathes of Cambodia, Vietnam and Lao PDR," TRAFFIC said a panel of experts had concluded.

The investigation was funded in part by Sea World & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund and the National Geographic Society's Conservation Trust. (A description of the research grant can be read at the bottom of this page.)

"China has a long history of consuming pangolin as meat and in traditional medicine," a TRAFFIC report on the investigation states. "Due to continual demand and the decreasing Chinese wild population, in the past few years pangolin smuggling from Southeast Asia has resulted in great declines in these producing countries' wild populations, as well."

Undercover photo courtesy TRAFFIC

Although the animals are protected under national legislation in all Asian range states, and have been prohibited from international trade through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 2002, this legislation is having little impact on the illicit trade, TRAFFIC said in a statement.

Watch this National Geographic video "What in the World is a Pangolin?"

Pangolins are the most frequently encountered mammals seized from illegal traders in Asia, and are highly unusual in not possessing teeth, TRAFFIC said.

"Pangolins, like the laws designed to protect them, lack bite," said Chris Shepherd, acting director for TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.

"Pangolin populations clearly cannot stand the incessant poaching pressure, which can only be stopped by decisive government-backed enforcement action in the region,"  Shepherd added.

Undercover picture of pangolins courtesy TRAFFIC

According to pangolin hunters and traders, there are so few pangolins left in forests throughout Cambodia, Vietnam and Lao PDR, they are now sourcing animals from their last remaining strongholds in Southeast Asia and beyond, TRAFFIC said.

"Recent large seizures back up these reports. They include 24 tonnes of frozen pangolins from Sumatra, Indonesia, seized in Vietnam this March and 14 tonnes of frozen animals seized in Sumatra this April. There have also been recent instances of African pangolins seized in Asia."

"Pangolins save us millions of dollars a year in pest destruction ... we cannot afford to overlook their ecological role as natural controllers of termites and ants."

"Pangolins save us millions of dollars a year in pest destruction," says Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. "These shy creatures provide a vital service and we cannot afford to overlook their ecological role as natural controllers of termites and ants."

Pangolin photo by Bjorn Olesen/TRAFFIC

The key to tackling the pangolin crisis is better enforcement of existing national and international laws designed to protect pangolins, better monitoring of the illegal trade, and basic research to find where viable pangolin populations still exist and whether ravaged populations can recover given adequate protection, according to TRAFFIC

The experts on pangolins consulted in the investigation included scientific researchers, government law enforcement officers from most Asian pangolin range States, CITES management and scientific authorities and animal rescue centres, who convened at a workshop hosted by Wildlife Reserves Singapore at the Singapore Zoo.

Watch this TRAFFIC video "Pangolins in peril":

National Geographic Grant

The National Geographic Conservation Trust contributed to the funding of the TRAFFIC investigation with a grant made in 2007.

Here is the project description:

Regardless of there being no legal trade permitted under national or international regulations, pangolins are the most numerous mammal species found in confiscated cargoes throughout Southeast Asia.

Photo of traditional medicines using pangolin body parts courtesy TRAFFIC

The majority of these shipments are bound for China, for use in traditional medicines and for consumption as wild meat and tonic food.

The bulk of the pangolins currently in trade are likely Manis javanica sourced from Malaysia and Indonesia, as populations in most other range countries have already been decimated.

Undercover photo of pangolin scales courtesy TRAFFIC

Middlemen in Singapore are likely to play a significant role in directing trade, but pangolins have been seized regularly in Malaysia, Thailand, Lao PDR and Vietnam en route to end-use markets.

However, very little is known of the actual dynamics of this trade, making focused interventions difficult.

TRAFFIC aims to examine and document the trade in detail and work closely with relevant authorities to take action to save pangolins from further illegal exploitation.

More about pangolins from TRAFFIC:

The full report, "Proceedings of the workshop on trade and conservation of pangolins native to South and Southeast Asia" can be downloaded at http://www.traffic.org/species-reports/traffic_species_mammals51.pdf

There are four species of pangolin in Asia; Thick-tailed pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), Philippine pangolin (M. culionensis), Sunda pangolin (M. javanica) and Chinese pangolin (M. pentadactyla).

All pangolins in illegal trade are wild-sourced as they cannot be captive bred on a commercial scale.

Photo of pangolin courtesy TRAFFIC

In the wild, pangolins breed slowly, producing just one young at a time, making populations particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation.

TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. TRAFFIC is a joint programme of IUCN and WWF.  

Undercover photo of pangolins courtesy TRAFFIC

Rhinos are falling to poachers at the rate of two to three per week in some areas as Asian demand for their horns escalates, according to a report to the 58th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Standing Committee this week in Geneva.

Photo of white rhino poached for horn by Martin harvey/WWF-Canon

Poachers in Africa and Asia are killing an ever increasing number of rhinos to meet a growing demand for horns believed in some countries to have medicinal value, says the briefing to the international wildlife trade regulation body by WWF, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and their affiliated wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC.

"Illegal rhino horn trade to destinations in Asia is driving the killing, with growing evidence of involvement of Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai nationals in the illegal procurement and transport of rhino horn out of Africa," the briefing states.

NGS photo of knives made with rhino horn on sale in Yemen by Steve Raymer

Rhino poaching is also a problem in Asia. About 10 rhinos have been poached in India and at least seven in Nepal since January alone--out of a combined population of only 2,400 endangered rhinos.

"Rhinos are in a desperate situation ...This is the worst rhino poaching we have seen in many years and it is critical for governments to stand up and take action."

"Rhinos are in a desperate situation," said Susan Lieberman, director of the Species Programme, WWF-International. "This is the worst rhino poaching we have seen in many years and it is critical for governments to stand up and take action to stop this deadly threat to rhinos worldwide.

"It is time to crack down on organized criminal elements responsible for this trade, and to vastly increase assistance to range countries in their enforcement efforts."

"Increased demand for rhino horn, alongside a lack of law enforcement, a low level of prosecutions for poachers who are actually arrested and increasingly daring attempts by poachers and thieves to obtain the horn is proving to be too much for rhinos and some populations are seriously declining," said Steven Broad, executive director of TRAFFIC.

NGS photo of slices of rhino horn sold in Japan as aphrodisiacs by Steve Raymer.

The situation is particularly dire in Zimbabwe where such problems are threatening the success of more than a decade's work of bringing rhino populations back to healthy levels, the briefing said.

"For example, earlier this week a park ranger arrested with overwhelming evidence against him for having killed three rhinos in the Chipinge Safari Area, was acquitted without any satisfactory explanation for the verdict.

"Similarly, in September 2008, a gang of four Zimbabwean poachers who admitted to killing 18 rhinos were also freed in a failed judiciary process."

Firm International Action

The briefing concludes that governments need "an accurate and up-to-date picture of the status, conservation and trade in African and Asian rhinoceroses, as well as the factors driving the consumption of rhinoceros horn, so that firm international action can be taken to arrest this immediate threat to rhinoceros populations worldwide."

"Rhino populations in both Africa and Asia are being seriously threatened by poaching and illegal trade," said Jane Smart, director of IUCN's Biodiversity Conservation Group. "IUCN and its African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups are working hard to gather data and information on rhinos so that CITES parties can make informed decisions and ensure that rhinos are still here for generations to come."

The 58th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee is being held in Geneva from July 6 -10 . This issue will be further discussed at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, which will be held in Doha, Qatar March 13-25, 2010.

CITES is an international agreement between 175 governments that aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

A rare white-naped crane has hatched at the Smithsonian's National Zoo Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia.

A female white-naped crane chick, hatched May 23 at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center, is being raised by its grandparents. The chick's mother, a 20-year-old first-time parent, has been hand-reared by humans and is unable to care for the chick.

Photo by Chris Crowe, Smithsonian's National Zoo

"The two-week-old female chick is the most genetically important hatchling in the North American White-Naped Crane Species Survival Program," the zoo said in a statement. "The population has suffered from a lack of female hatchlings over the past few years, putting the population at risk of stagnation without adequate females to produce more offspring. This hatching gives a much needed boost to the captive population of the endangered species."

The chick's mother was sent to the Conservation and Research Center (CRC) earlier this year to breed. Neither the 20-year-old female crane nor her new mate had ever produced offspring and the CRC's bird staff have had great success in the past in breeding previously unsuccessful pairs of cranes, the zoo said.

"The Species Survival Plan---a cooperative breeding program among zoos that pairs animals in order to maintain genetically healthy populations---had determined from the birds' genetics that they were the perfect match.

"At first the birds seemed compatible, but when breeding season arrived, instead of displaying the elaborate courtship behavior that cranes exhibit before mating, they fought. Keepers suspect that the female crane imprinted on humans at an early age, causing her to exhibit inappropriate behavior and inciting aggression from the male.

A female white-naped crane socializes with her keeper, Chris Crowe. The 20-year-old female was brought to the Zoo's Conservation and Research Center to breed with the Zoo's male. When the birds failed to get along, Crowe slowly earned the female crane's trust---playing with her, sitting with her, adapting her to his presence and touch---and was eventually able to successfully artificially inseminate her without using restraint or anesthesia.

Photo by Mehgan Murphy, Smithsonian's National Zoo

"Since natural mating was not possible, staff decided to perform artificial insemination. Bird keeper Chris Crowe slowly earned the female crane's trust--playing with her, sitting with her, adapting her to his presence and touch--and was eventually able to successfully artificially inseminate her without using restraint or anesthesia.

"A few weeks later the female laid a fertile egg. But staff still had an additional obstacle to surmount. The breeding program currently contains more than enough male cranes and greatly needs female offspring to prevent the population from stagnating. Hence, they needed to determine the sex of a chick before it hatched."

The CRC has developed a technique that allows staff to penetrate the eggshell and extract blood without killing the embryo or introducing microorganisms that would later kill the embryo, the zoo explained. Genetic testing from the blood sample revealed the chick inside the shell was a female. She hatched successfully and is now being raised by the parents of her biological father.

White-naped cranes are large birds that typically stand 4 feet high and weigh about 12 pounds. They are mostly dark-grey with a white hind neck

Destruction of its native wetland habitat in northeast China has dramatically decreased white-naped crane populations in the wild to an estimated 5,000.

The CRC currently has 10 cranes; there are an additional 60 animals in the White-Naped Crane Species Survival Program.

Photos on this blog entry by Jackson Xu/FFI

Magnolias are blooming in gardens everywhere, but nearly half of the species of the famous flowring tree are now threatened with extinction in the wild, experts at Fauna and Flora International (FFI) warn.

Often described as the aristocrats of the plant world, magnolias produce large, beautiful flowers. But in the wild they are used as a source of timber, food and medicine for local communities, FFI said.

"Sadly almost half the known species of magnolia are now threatened with extinction," FFI Global Trees Campaign coordinator Georgina Magin said in the news release. "Most magnolias take a long time to start flowering and until then they are not reproducing, which means they are very vulnerable to over-exploitation. Without urgent action many of these gems of the forest could be lost forever."

Magnolias have been cultivated for centuries. Some specimens growing in Chinese temples are believed to be 800 years old and they are still very popular as ornamental plants in gardens, FFI said.

About two thirds of magnolia species are found in Asia, with more than 40 percent of these in southern China. Almost half of all wild Chinese magnolias are now at risk of extinction. One species, Magnolia sinica, is reduced to just 50 trees in the wild.

The remaining species are found in North and South America, where they are also dying out.

Global Trees Campaign

The Global Trees Campaign, a joint partnership between FFI and Botanic Gardens Conservation International, has been working to conserve some of these wild species.

Over the past two years they have been working with partners in Yunnan Province in southern China to increase the wild population of Magnolia sinica. They have already planted 400 nursery-grown saplings in a nature reserve and these are now being tended.

This is providing a much-needed lifeline for this endangered species, FFI noted. "Survival rates appear to be high so far and it is hoped this project could be used as a model to restore more of these glorious species in their natural habitats."

Photo by Jackson Xu/FFI

FFI photo by Zhao Chao

"With only about 100 cao vit gibbons remaining in the world, the recent birth of this baby has extra significance," Fauna & Flora International said today.

"This species is only found in one location in the world, on the international border between Vietnam and China," the UK-based conservation charity said in a news release. "This birth is a sign of hope for the species' long term recovery."

The gibbon was born in Bang Liang Nature Reserve in Guangxi province, China.

Fauna & Flora International's conservationists in Vietnam and China are working with local government and communities to reduce the threats to the population of cao vit gibbons, the world's second rarest ape species.

Gibbons have the longest arms of any primate, relative to body size, according to the FFI species profile about the cao vit gibbon. "Their hand-over hand method of swinging from branch to branch, known as brachiation, enables them to move at breathtaking speed. With its spectacular locomotion and haunting, bird-like calls, the cao vit gibbon is a real show-stealer." Watch the FFI video below to see and hear the cao vit gibbon.

They have also evolved a highly specialized diet of flowers, fruit and young leaves.

"The narrowness of its ecological niche, combined with its ostentatious behavior has, however, helped to precipitate the cao vit gibbon's sharp decline. Though no longer a significant factor today, hunters posed a serious threat to the gibbons in the past, easily locating them in the forest.

"Such pressures have been compounded more recently by environmental changes to which the gibbon is unable to adapt; livestock overgrazing, firewood collection and encroaching agriculture are all contributing to the ongoing loss and fragmentation of its traditional habitat, jeopardizing the cao vit gibbon's survival."

Watch this FFI video to see and hear the cao vit gibbons in their habitat:

Along with the Hainan gibbon, the sister species from which it has recently split, the cao vit gibbon is one of the two most endangered apes in the cao vit gibbon world, FFI says.

The species formerly ranged across much of China and Vietnam. Today only an estimated 110 individuals remain, confined to the karst limestone forest along the China-Vietnam border.

The species was considered extinct until an FFI-led team discovered a small remnant sub-population in Vietnam's Cao Bang Province in 2002.

FFI has been working to conserve the species since that first group was found. "We have established community groups on both sides of the border to patrol and protect the gibbon's habitat. In addition, by working with local people, we are identifying and implementing simple and cost-effective measures to relieve pressure on the forest, such as providing villagers with fuel-efficient stoves," the charity says.

"In fact, the cao vit gibbon is acting as a valuable flagship species, helping to secure protected area designation for the biologically rich, but threatened, karst limestone forest on which its survival depends."

Additional information:

Transboundary Cao Vit Gibbon Conservation Project (FFI)

25 Most Endangered Primates Named (National Geographic News picture gallery)

Extinction Risk for 1 in 3 Primates, Study Says (National Geographic News)

Image of Three Gorges Dam, May 2006, courtesy NASA Earth Observatory

Annual flooding behind the world's largest hydro-electric dam, the Three Gorges Dam in China, will be unlike that of the Amazon River or anything else found in nature.

As the reservoir of Yangtze River water rises and falls by as much as 100 feet every six months there will be a profound impact on the landscape over time, many environmental experts worry.

Among the concerns: The reservoir will contain factory toxins and raw sewage and sediment might cause the water level to rise higher than planned, threatening to flood a large city upstream and possibly even send water spilling over the top of the dam.

But perhaps the flooding phenomenon can also be put to good use, according to a wetlands expert at Ohio State University.