Forest Health Monitoring is a national program designed to determine the status, changes and trends in indicators of forest health on an annual basis. This program collects information from a wide variety of sources including ground surveys, aerial detection and remote sensing. Forest Health Monitoring data is utilized by researchers who use it in detailed investigations into specific issues, by managers who develop strategies to deal with forest health issues, and by the public at large in order to better understand the processes that drive these natural systems. Forest Health Monitoring provides an updated synopsis of the state of our nation's forested lands, and serves as the repository of records regarding forest condition over time.
Forest Health Monitoring
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Often called the "lungs of the Earth," the Amazon rainforest spans nine countries, but about 60% lies in Brazil. In recent years, disastrous fires, caused mainly by humans, have engulfed extensive tracts of this precious forest and killed its wild inhabitants in thousands. These fires have plundered the natural wealth of vast sections of the Amazon, making a mockery of millions of years of evolution.
The Amazon rainforest has incredible biodiversity. It is the world's most biodiverse ecosystem hosting around 10% of the global species. It is the birthplace of innumerable small rivers and streams that give rise to the mighty Amazon River that supports millions of human and animal lives in its basin area. About 3 million indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon also depend on the forest for their survival.
Forest fires, set up by potential land-invaders, advancing quickly on the Amazon forested part of Fazenda São Marcelo, they were successfully contained later on, in this 11,000 hectares forested conservation/reserved area. Image credit: Rafael Hoogesteijn/Fernando Tortato/Panthera
The rapid loss of the Amazon rainforest concerns the world, but the latest facts and figures are not encouraging. Implementing sound conservation strategies to protect the Amazon's umbrella species, the jaguars could be one of the ways to bring about positive change. Panthera scientists suggest strict monitoring of the rainforest's jaguar population and costly conservation interventions in areas with the greatest number of jaguars. They also recommend creating more protected areas, reducing meat consumption, promoting beef and wood certification, and improving cattle production.
Orcas have evolved to swim as far as 40 miles in one day to forage for food, exercise, and socialize. In addition to swimming, killer whales will dive several times per day to depths of 100 to 500 feet below the water's surface. They are naturally inclined to travel far and dive deep, which is part of the reason killer whales often struggle in captivity, where tanks can't grant the same range and the mammals sometimes develop boredom and stress due to repetitive activities.
Mothers carry their babies in utero for a 17-month gestation period, and they give birth every three to 10 years until becoming menopausal around age 40. They are exceptionally protective of their offspring, and often adolescent females are recruited to assist in caring for calves. Mothers will nurse their babies for up to two years, forming a bond so strong that if a mother dies, the mortality rate of her sons increases. Orcas are some of the affected mammals in the ocean due to pollution, and the contaminants make their way into breastmilk, increasing the mortality rate of all young to 50% within the first year.
Killer whales hunt in pods, similar to a wolf pack, which is how they earned the moniker "wolves of the sea." A pod is a family group of up to 40 individual orcas and they prey on a variety on animals, using different techniques to capture them. While resident pods will focus on fish, transient pods are typically on the hunt for larger marine mammals.
Orcas work cooperatively to herd fish into a compact area where they're easier to consume. If they're after penguins, sea lions, or other animals on the surface, the killer whales will slap their tails on the water, creating a large wave that sends their prey off ice floes and within reach. Pods of orcas can take down something as large as a blue whale by surrounding it, then chasing and biting at the mammal until it weakens enough to be ripped apart and eaten.
As social creatures, orcas value sharing their hunt and females will share all the fish they catch with their offspring. Males, however, will only give away about 15% of their catch, typically shared with their mothers.
The distinct black-and-white patterning of the orca - back body, white underside, white patches above and behind the eyes, and a saddle patch behind the dorsal fin - serves a unique purpose. Creatures looking down on the killer whale, from a perch like an ice floe, may not see it because the black back will blend in with dark ocean waters. The white belly can camouflage into light streaming from the sky toward the sea, which also makes the orca difficult to pick out from beneath. The effect allows killer whales to sneak up on unsuspecting prey.
