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Global health advocates often argue that the tropical diseases that plague many countries, such as malaria and dengue, can be conquered simply with more money for health care – namely medicines and vaccines. But a new paper is a reminder that ecology also has a pretty big say in whether pathogens thrive or die off. Using a statistical model, researchers predicted that countries that lose biodiversity will have a heavier burden of vector-borne and parasitic diseases. Their results appear this week in PLoS Biology. "The general logic is that the more organisms you have out there, the more things there are that can interrupt the life cycle of disease, and the less concentration you'll have of any vector," says Matthew Bonds, a researcher at Harvard Medical School and the lead author of the paper. But plants, mammals and birds are disappearing fast – one-third of the world's species are now threatened with extinction, according to the United Nations. And when the creatures that prey on mice, mosquitoes or other vectors of disease go, parasites and other disease-causing agents discover it's a lot easier to survive. Scientists have already shown that's one reason for the explosion of Lyme disease in the Northeast United States. A 2002 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that if you have a rich community of tick hosts, like squirrels, mice and other small mammals, the disease is diluted among them. But if the habitat is degraded, and ticks carrying Lyme have only white-footed mice as hosts, the disease risk to humans can rise dramatically. Learn more about the A2A region and its wildlife, and support our efforts to protect A2A biodiversity.
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The St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences, in partnership with the Raisin Region Conservation Authority, is pleased to host its 20th annual international River Symposium on the St. Lawrence River Great Lakes Ecosystem. The meeting theme highlights the connection between the St. Lawrence, Great Lakes and their watersheds, and the challenges and successes of empowering communities to participate in the restoration and protection of these connected ecosystems.The Institute is currently calling for Sessions and Session Chairs, with a submission deadline of January 16th.
The Capital pleased to announce the launch of the report “Identification and Characterization of Ecological Corridors Adjacent to Gatineau Park.
http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/sites/default/files/pubs/eng09795_va_ident._corridors_basse_resolution_20121212.pdf This report provides detailed information about existing connections between Gatineau Park and other natural areas in the region. In developing the report, the NCC received valuable scientific and technical advice from an independent committee of experts, while benefitting from the data provided by municipal and regional partners and the input of multiple stakeholders. Our hope is that this information-based tool will add value to land use planning decisions that are ultimately made by private individuals and enterprises or by local and regional authorities. In 2008, we, along with 14 partnering organizations, received a grant from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Species-at-Risk Fund to conduct research on the Gananoque River, which is located within the bottleneck of the A2A habitat pathway.
After a lot of hard work, the third phase of that project is now online. Once again, we'd like to thank our partner organizations and local volunteers, who played an integral role in implementing the project. To learn more about the project and our other work, visit our Research & Projects page. Learn more about how you can support our valuable work in this region. Thirty researchers from across the A2A region met on April 27-29, at the Queen's University Biological Station, to discuss how an A2A strategic plan might support current and future research on the landscape. Attendees came from Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ontario Nature, Queen's University, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, the U.S. Wildlife Conservation Society, and many others.
Our keynote presenter was Silvia Strobl, from MNR, who talked about the Sustaining What We Value project, a collective effort of communities in South Frontenac, Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Counties, in Ontario, to involve residents in identifying and protecting cultural, social, environmental and economic values. Other discussion topics included: research priorities and gaps, mapping, organizational challenges, partnership opportunities and future initiatives. It was a productive weekend! Special thanks to the Queen's University Biological Station for hosting us, all the volunteer facilitators and note-takers, and the researchers who travelled to contribute their knowledge and expertise. Researchers will receive a copy of the proceedings within the next two months. (We'll also send a summary to A2A members — sign up here if you'd like to receive that information.) If you have any questions about the Apr. 27-29 workshop proceedings or future workshops, get in touch with workshop chair Bryarly McEachern. Great news from one of our partners: This spring, the Indian River Lakes Conservancy in the St. Lawrence Valley bought a parcel of wetlands and shorelines around Grass Lake, using a major grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (The group now owns more than 1,500 acres.)
North Country Public Radio ran a short segment on the news, talking to founder and treasurer Mark Scarlett. Listen to it (using NCPR's built-in player) to learn more about the Indian River Lakes Conservancy's work, the landscape it protects and its exciting future in the region. As NCPR reports, the new land parcel could serve as part of a key wildlife corridor between the Adirondacks, in New York, and Algonquin Park, in Ontario. After months of hard work, we've launched the first stage of our new website! We hope you'll find it easy to navigate and bursting at the seams with information about A2A — the region, our efforts, our partners, and more.
We also hope you'll find it easier to connect with us, whether you're a landowner, researcher, one of our valuable members, or you want to help out by taking action, donating or volunteering. (We'd love to hear from you!) A few highlights: > If you're a landowner, check out our resources page to learn about tax incentives, property donations, and more > For quick information about A2A, read through our FAQs and contact us if you have any other questions > We've won an award! Check it out. > Ever heard of Alice the Moose? Learn how she changed the way we look at connectivity of the A2A landscape. > Get the latest news about A2A's projects right here, on our new blog, and follow us on Twitter. We'd love to hear feedback on the new website. If you've got any constructive criticism, words of encouragement or questions, get in touch with us! Workshops are a tool that A2A uses to bring together organizations and researchers with the goal of creating an open forum in which to share ideas, research and other information.
The first of many workshops will be held from April 27-29, 2012 and is primarily geared towards researchers and holders of scientific data relevant to A2A. The workshop is by invitation only; however, any persons who wish to come to this or any future workshop put on by A2A may contact workshop chair Bryarly McEachern for more information. The Algonquin-to-Adirondacks (A2A's) Speakers' Forum and Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday, February 25th, starting at 9:00 a.m. at the Rockport Community Hall, in Rockport, Ontario.
All A2A members and the general public are invited to attend. We start with the Speakers' Forum, featuring Phil Chadwick (aka Phil The Forecaster) discussing Tom Thompson's art and the weather story it tells about Algonquin Park and Dr. Jochen Jaeger, a road ecologist who will present on wildlife road mortalites. Dr. Jaeger's presentation is called "Roads and Wildlife Corridors: 10 Lessons About Restoring Landscape Connectivity." The AGM will follow the Speakers' Forum. Refreshments will be served. Memberships are available at the door, or renew online here. |
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