Monday 2 April 2007

Conservation Conversations 7


Troglobites Halt Australian Mining Project

Troglobites are animals that have become so adapted life underground in cave systems, they are largely unpigmented and can only survive in total darkness (even a brief exposure to UV in sunlight may kill them). These animals, from a range of animal types, frequently fail to develop eyes and often become reliant on the sense of touch. They feed on organic matter that accumulates deep under ground in rock fissures. Plans for a £5bn development by a Rio Tinto subsidiary for an iron ore mine (http://environment.guardian.co.uk/conservation/story/0,,2046503,00.html) near Pannawonica have been initially blocked by the Environmental Protection Authority after concluding that 5 of the 11 troglobite species would be killed by mining activity. The actual organisms involved here are largely arthropods and are only a few millimetres long (making them the smallest environmental 'protesters'). The company will appeal to the State's Environment Minister who can also take social and economic (in addition to environmental) factors into account. Specialist biologists regard troglobites as being invaluable in evolutionary studies.

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A Chilling Suggestion From BORIS

'BORIS' is the acronym for the Swedish Childhood Obesity Treatment Register. Academics, from Stockholm's Karolinska Institute...