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| Query: Kingfisher | Result: 286th of 780 | |
Bismarck kingfisher, Alcedo websteri
| Resolution: 262x259
File Size: 11602 Bytes
Upload Date: 2008:01:28 20:28:17
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Human Thirst for Palm Oil Wipes Out Rare Forest Birds
An eighth of lowland forest on the island disappeared between 1989 and 2000, driven by a rapid and uncontrolled expansion in global demand for palm oil.
"The findings show that New Britain's endemic birds are being driven to extinction by our thirst for palm oil, which is widely used in foodstuffs and industry," said Stuart Butchart, BirdLife International's Global Species Program coordinator.
"After wiping out the lowland forests of Malaysia and Indonesia, companies are now moving eastwards, to New Guinea and Melanesia, where they now threaten a whole new suite of species," he said.
Bismarck kingfisher, Alcedo websteri, prefers lowland forest streams.
(Photo by Lukasz Lukasik
The findings, published in the journal "Biological Conservation" mean that the total number of Threatened or Near Threatened birds on the island will almost double to 21.
Conservationists now are calling for an effective system to protect the crucial lowland forests that remain on New Britain.
The research was conducted by scientists from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, BirdLife International, Conservation International, and the Institute of Environment and Sustainability, which is part of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. |
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