$350,000 paid for permit to hunt endangered rhino

A permit to hunt and kill a extremely endangered African black rhino was sold for $350,000 at a closed-door auction in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday night.

The Dallas Safari Club in Texas says the money paid for the permit will help protect the species by removing an old aggressive rhino, and funding future conservation.

The Dallas Safari Club which described as being a "organization of hunters, conservationists, and wildlife enthusiasts,"

Chilean fishermen win backing in Bocamina environmental dispute

Chile's Supreme Court has ordered the operator of two coal power plants to ensure the facilities do not pollute the oceans or kill marine life.The judges sided with local fishermen and environmentalists in the Bio Bio region of central Chile. 

They argued that the Bocamina power stations were sucking in crabs, sardines and other species and pumping out warm, contaminated water.The two plants are operated by a subsidiary of Spain's Endesa.    

In March of last year, thousands of dead prawns and dead crabs washed up on a beach in Coronel city near the plants, about 530km (330 miles) from the capital, Santiago.Local fisherman connected the deaths of sea animals to operations at the nearby power station.




Bocamina is one of several energy and mining projects that has come under fire in recent years in Chile.The country will have to try to find a balance between the needs of its mining-dominated economy and environmental protection.

Honeybee shortage threatens crop pollination

In more than half of European countries, there are not enough honeybees to pollinate crops, according to new research by the scientists at Plos One.

                                   

Scientists believe that a boom in biofuels has sparked a massive increase in the need for pollination.The shortage is particularly severe in the untied kingdom (UK) which has only a quarter of the honeybees required.Researchers believe that wild pollinators including bumblebees and hoverflies are making up the shortfall.


Little is known about the number of wild pollinating species as they are not being monitored in the UK. The researchers believe this reliance on them could be hampering yields and putting UK crops at risk.

MPs concerned over environment budget cuts

Substantial cuts to the british government's environment department budget will hamper its future ability to cope with emergencies such as flooding, british MPs fear.They called on Environment Secretary Owen Paterson to clarify which policy areas faced the biggest cuts. 

Mr Paterson has said resources will be shifted to respond to changing needs.
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) budget has been cut by £500m since 2010 and must find £300m in savings by 2016.

Coastal and inland defence have been struggling to hold back the water

Prospect deputy secretary general Leslie Manasseh said: "They need to learn the lessons of the experiences of this winter, which have had such a devastating impact on so many people."Mr Paterson responded to this by saying that he had been assured that frontline services would be protected, and promised to keep £370m for vital new flood defences.

Antarctic rescue of Akademik Shokalskiy ship

A helicopter from a Chinese ship set down nearby, bringing in a crew to assess the landing situation.The aircraft left but then returned to begin ferrying the first passengers out to an Australian ice-breaker.The Shokalskiy has been trapped since Christmas Eve.

The reason why the icebreaker repeats scientific investigations made by Douglas Mawson and his team between 1911 and 1914. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority's (Amsa) Rescue Co-ordination Centre, which is overseeing the operation, had earlier said it was unlikely the rescue would go ahead on Thursday as hoped because of the sea-ice conditions.

Indonesians flee as fresh volcanic eruptions

Volcanic eruptions from Mt. Sinabung spewed lava and gas in across western Indonesia.

A rumbling volcano in western Indonesia that has been spewing lava and clouds of gas high into the sky let out a new, powerful burst Tuesday, prompting warnings for airplanes and triggering panic among villagers, officials said.

Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said airlines had been notified to avoid routes near the mountain

Happy New Year

Happy New Year readers I hope have enjoyed all the post I have written .In the next year I promise to post more and add more things. In the next year I will be put up environmental polls to talk about environmental issues such as pesticides