Guardians of Genetic Diversity: Revive & Restore Spearheads Pioneering Biobanking Project

October 22, 2023 / activist360

Field biologists enter a restoration site for the endangered Preble’s meadow jumping mouse. Credit: Kika Tuff / Revive & Restore — *Field biologists enter a restoration site for the endangered Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei). Credit: Kika Tuff / Revive & Restore*

A Landmark Biobanking Initiative

In a pioneering effort to counter the escalating threats of biodiversity loss, Revive & Restore, in conjunction with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, has initiated the first agency-wide biobanking program for U.S. endangered species. This strategic effort intends to indefinitely preserve living cells from these species, thus conserving their invaluable genetic diversity. The technique used to conserve endangered species by storing their genetic material is known as cryopreservation.

“Biobanking gives us the chance to save irreplaceable genetic diversity,” explains Seth Willey, Deputy Assistant Regional Director at the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s Southwest Region. “If done right, it creates a marker-in-time and gives future recovery biologists options, like genetic rescue, that are only possible if we act now.”

Biobanking has three core applications:

Preserving Genetic Diversity: Cryopreserving cells help maintain the genetic diversity, which is crucial for future restoration projects.
Managing with Genomic Insight: Sequencing DNA from preserved cells can offer insights into wildlife management and restoration opportunities.
Genetic Rescue through Technology: By leveraging advanced biotechnologies, the stored genetic material can reintroduce genetic diversity, refine reproductive tools, and possibly recover extinct species.

The biobanking procedure consists of four phases:

Collaboration: Engage with field biologists for effective tissue sample collection.
Collection: Process collected samples either for primary cell culture or immediate cryopreservation.
Protection: Store frozen cell lines and tissue in a national repository for long-term preservation.
Application: Utilize these samples to construct a reference genome accessible to researchers for conservation activities.

Less than 14% of over 1,700 U.S. threatened or endangered species have cryopreserved living tissue. This initiative intends to change this, starting with the biobanking of 24 selected endangered mammals including the Mexican Wolf, Sonoran Pronghorn, Florida Bonneted Bat, and Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse.

Ryan Phelan, Executive Director of Revive & Restore, stated, “This is about creating a legacy of America’s natural history before it is lost.” The program has garnered support and participation from notable institutions like ViaGen Pets & Equine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, among others.

Furthermore, to assist field biologists in biobanking, Revive & Restore has introduced resources like sample collection protocols and visual aids available on their project webpage.

In short, this multi-institutional partnership is poised to significantly advance the preservation of U.S. endangered species, marking a significant stride in conserving America’s rich biodiversity.

Forest Whispers: Respecting Nature’s Kinship and the Hidden Dialogue of Trees

August 20, 2023 / activist360

Hawai’ian Kahuna Insights: Ancient Wisdom of the Islands

With the damage caused by the Lahaina inferno fresh in our minds, we went searching for Hawai’ian wisdom. We came across a very wise Hawai’i Kūpuna Elder, Kimokeo Kapahulehua. In this TikTok post, he shares sage advice that can benefit humanity, and protect our biodiversity.

@wisdom.keepers
Kimokeo Kapahulehua – Kūpuna Elder, Hawai’i Like / Follow / Share✨ @wisdom.keepers Uncle Kimokeo is a kūpuna elder born on the island of Kaua’i. He is dedicated to preserving and sharing his culture and traditions through his foundation @kimokeofoundation. He is a member of many canoe teams both in Hawai’i and around the world. 🌀For full interviews, community page and more join our WK Community on Patreon 🌀 ✨LINK IN BIO✨ #aloha #kupuna #elder #hawaii #wisdomkeeper #canoe #laka #mahalo #wisdomkeepers #native #indigenous #areyoulistening Film: @Jeremy Whelehan Music: Ynglingtal feat. Jhon Montoya WKTeam: @motherwaters @grandchildofthemoon Project: @wisdom.keepers Respect, Love & Gratitude. Hoomaikai me ka mahalo 💚🌿
♬ 【No drums】 Emotional space-like epic … – MoppySound

You cannot go to the forest and just take a tree.
You have to ask Laka.
She’s the goddess of the forest. That’s her child.
Why do you want to take her child without permission?
And as the canoe maker, and as…
He has to go up and tell Laka
“I’m going to take one of your child[ren], and I’m going to make it into a canoe.”
Laka will be very happy when you take her child and make it into many lives and serve many, many people.
We cannot just take.
We need to give.
So if you take one of her child[ren], maybe you should go plant?
And give back Laka 40 children.
Take the seed of the plant and take it right back to the same location because her children would like to be born with the parents, and the great grandparents, and the great great grandparents.
Don’t take her child from the forest to another forest because they will all grow better with their family.
Like us.
—Kimokeo Kapahulehua, Kūpuna Elder

Elder’s Wisdom is Backed by Science

Science suggests that trees can “communicate” with each other through a complex network of mycorrhizal fungi. This underground network allows trees to exchange nutrients, send warning signals about environmental changes, and share resources with one another.

Dr. Suzanne Simard, a professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia, is one of the primary researchers in this area. In her studies, she found that trees can transfer carbon, water, and nutrients to other trees in times of need. She discovered that mother trees recognize their kin and send them more carbon below ground. They reduce their own root competition to make elbow room for their kids.

“When mother trees are injured or dying, they also send messages of wisdom on to the next generation of seedlings.”
—Dr. Suzanne Simard, Professor, RPF, Leader of The Mother Tree Project, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia

These findings validate the guidance shared by Kūpuna Elder, Kimokeo Kapahulehua.

Further, planting trees in non-native environments can have diverse ecological consequences. Research has shown that non-native trees can impact local ecosystems by:

Changing soil properties
Loss of humidity
Introduction of invasive alien species and disease
Negative impacts on biodiversity
Higher risks of adverse effects of fires and stores

When non-native tree species become invasive, they can outcompete, displace native species, alter habitat structures, and even change the soil properties and nutrient cycling.

It’s Time to Listen to the Wisdom

Whether we choose to listen to the wisdom of our elders or to science, climate disasters that are increasingly common underscore the urgency of listening and acting upon this wisdom.

Sources:

Simard, S.W., Beiler, K.J., Bingham, M.A., Deslippe, J.R., Philip, L.J., & Teste, F.P. (2012). Mycorrhizal networks: mechanisms, ecology and modelling. Fungal Biology Reviews, 26(1), 39-60.
Source: Brockerhoff, E.G., Jactel, H., Parrotta, J.A., Quine, C.P., & Sayer, J. (2008). Plantation forests and biodiversity: oxymoron or opportunity? Biodiversity and Conservation, 17(5), 925-951.

Maui, Hawaii 023 Lahaina, Banyan Tree, Allie_Caulfield from Germany, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

UN goal of ending hunger by 2030 risks failure as global food crisis worsens

July 16, 2023 / activist360

*The ‘three sisters’ are staple foods for many Native American tribes. Marilyn Angel Wynn/Getty Images*

Pandemic and war in Ukraine have pushed 122 million more people into hunger since 2019, according to new report.

By David Henry, Forests News

The number of people facing hunger in the world has risen by more than 122 million since 2019 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine and weather shocks, according to a new United Nations report.

It is estimated that 691 million to 783 million people lacked sufficient food in 2022, affecting 9.2% of the global population compared with 7.9% in 2019, the year before the pandemic began, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2023 report, which is produced by five UN agencies.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) provide an annual update on the world’s progress towards ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition.

The 2023 report emphasized that the UN Sustainable Development Goal of creating a world free of hunger by 2030 risks failure if current trends continue. It is projected that almost 600 million people will be chronically undernourished at the end of the decade.

“The latest SOFI report highlights the urgent need to reverse the trends that undermine the world’s ability to achieve the goal of zero hunger by 2030,” says Éliane Ubalijoro, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF). “Trees, forests and agroforestry landscapes have a vital role to play in this process by helping address the interrelated challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change, food security, livelihoods and inequity.”

To help transform food systems, CIFOR-ICRAF is promoting the wide-scale adoption of agroecological approaches, including farmer-led strategies to increase tree cover and diversity across agricultural landscapes. And by providing evidence on how forests and trees contribute to people’s diets, it is raising awareness and influencing national policies to include forests and trees as part of national and local food systems.

‘’The SOFI 2023 report shows that in a world where regular crises become the new norm, increasing the resilience of agrifood systems is a priority,” says David Laborde, Director of the FAO Agrifood Economics Division (ESA). “Forestry has a key role to play in this system. The range of actions and opportunities is vast: from helping the regulation of water flows and mitigating the severity of heatwaves, to providing income diversification options and more robust integrated production systems.’’

While global hunger stabilized in 2022 alone, it continued to increase in some vulnerable countries, in particular in Africa. Seizing the opportunity provided by forests, either by rebuilding them in the Sahel region, or preserving their services in Central and Eastern Africa is part of reversing the hunger trend in these countries, Laborde says.

As it addresses five global challenges, CIFOR-ICRAF is committed to transforming food systems that are based on sustainable land management, equitable outcomes for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, as well as supply chains that rely on sound environmental practices and social inclusion.

Trees can make a major contribution to boosting the productivity of farming systems and the lives of rural communities, who provide most of the world’s food. CIFOR-ICRAF facilitates this process by helping farmers choose the right tree for the right place for the right purpose on their farms and then to manage them effectively.

“Agroecology enables farmers to grow food while preserving soil health and improving the resilience of food systems,” says Fergus Sinclair, Chief Scientist at CIFOR-ICRAF. “The world produces enough food to feed nearly twice the current population, yet millions of people are still hungry. A greater emphasis on agroecology, including reducing food loss and waste, would help policymakers tackle this worsening global food crisis.”

The 2023 SOFI report highlighted that agroecology has a role to play in ending hunger by the end of the decade while offering other benefits. At plot, farm and landscape scales, it can help increase farmers’ incomes, improve food security and nutrition, use water more efficiently and enhance nutrient recycling, as well as conserve biodiversity and provide other ecosystem services.

Agrifood systems will also need to be viewed beyond the traditional rural-urban divide, according to the UN agencies. Due to population growth, small and intermediate cities and rural towns are increasingly bridging the space between rural areas and large metropolises, creating both challenges and opportunities to ensure everyone has access to affordable healthy diets.