GUARDIAN– Africa’s extensive network of national parks is failing to stem the decline of large mammals, according to a new study that highlights biodiversity loss across the continent.

Populations of large mammals such as zebra, buffalo and lion have declined by an average of 59% since 1970, according to the research, which collated data from parks including popular tourist safari destinations such as the Masai Mara in Kenya and the Serengeti in Tanzania.

The study warns that urgent efforts are needed to better protect the animals and secure the future of the parks, which draw millions of tourists each year and provide much-needed income.

Ian Cragie, a conservation scientist at the University of Cambridge who led the study, said: “Although the results indicate that African national parks have generally failed to maintain their populations of large mammals, the situation outside the parks is undoubtedly worse. Many species like rhino are practically extinct outside national parks.”

The team of scientists, including experts from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the United Nations environment programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge, compiled population records of 69 key species, including lion, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra and buffalo, inside 78 protected areas across Africa from 1970 to 2005. More than half the records came from aerial surveys, the most accurate but also the most expensive way to monitor.

The results show an average decline of 59%, though the results varied significantly from region to region. Eleven parks in west Africa were the hardest hit, with a decline of 85%. Mammal species populations across 43 protected areas in east Africa fell by more than half, while those in 35 reserves in southern Africa showed an increase of 25%. The scientists say they cannot break down the results to show the change in numbers in individual parks because of confidentiality agreements with data providers.

Read full article about Africa Failing to Conserve Large Mammals at Parks.

© COPYRIGHT GUARDIAN, 2010

Photo by Abby Martin

February 2010

PEACE REVOLUTION– A Wall Street Whistleblower Proves That Money Never Sleeps.

Vancouver documentary filmmaker Paul Verge brings us a revealing interview which exposes the (Who, What, When, Where, Why and How) of the recent economic decline, how it was legislated into existence, defended by corporate media and political “watch-dogs”; and allowed to drain America of nearly $200 Trillion Dollars… through a series of Ponzi-Schemes which could have been exposed years earlier… but weren’t.

Officially titled; 20/20 Hindsight: CENSORSHIP on the Frontline, this interview also includes solutions, documents and references, and asks only that you consider the information- think for yourself- and communicate with others in order to achieve a higher-level of awareness.

This presentation is offered commercial-free as a public service thanks to an international joint-venture between Divergent Films Canada, http://www.TragedyandHope.com and http://www.PeaceRevolution.org

A unique DVD / DVD-ROM offers the main feature (20/20 Hindsight: CENSORSHIP on the Frontline) with bonus features of: 1) Project Constellation (2006), 2) The Peace Revolution Podcast: The Million Dollar Education (2010), and 3) a DVD-ROM feature containing some of the most useful media files you’ll ever discover.

If you would like a dvd, you can donate $10 at http://www.PeaceRevolution.com ); or simply donate $10 to any of the independent media sites listed below; who have (since 2006) supported our work and are authorized to distribute our productions as our THANKS- to support their ongoing productions (and they keep the donation so their projects can grow as well!)

http://www.Meria.net

http://www.GnosticMedia.com

http://www.DeadlineLive.info

http://www.MediaMonarchy.com

http://www.CorbettReport.com

You are the nervous system of this planet… spread this everywhere.

Photo by J_D_R/Flickr

SALON– The U.S. today charged Bradley Manning with a variety of crimes relating to his alleged leaks of classified material to WikiLeaks, most prominently including the Apache attack video that spawned worldwide debate over the American occupation.  The 22-year-old whistle-blower faces 52 years in prison.  Marcy Wheeler has interesting analysis of the charges, including some contradictions with the account previously offered by Wired, and I’ll have more on this shortly, but for now, I just wanted to review the contemporary rules governing the Rule of Law in the U.S.:

* If you torture people or eavesdrop on Americans without the warrants required by the criminal law, you receive Look-Forward Imperial Immunity.

* If you shoot and kill unarmed rescuers of the wounded while occupying their country and severely wound their unarmed children sitting in a van — or if you authorize that conduct — your actions are commended.

* If you help wreck the world economy with fraud and cause hundreds of millions of people untold suffering, you collect tens of millions of dollars in bonuses.

* If you disclose to the world evidence of war crimes, government lawbreaking, or serious corruption, or otherwise embarrass the U.S., you will be swiftly prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and face decades in prison.

I hope those rules are clear because, as this all shows, Justice is Blind and We’re All Equal Before the Law.  In America — clearly — these are not mere slogans.  WikiLeaks said today, and I agree, that “if the charges against Manning are true, he will be the Daniel Ellsberg of our times.”  Ellsberg himself has said the same.  Perhaps Manning should have tortured people or criminally eavesdropped on Americans as he leaked these documents; then he could have availed himself of that sweet Presidential protective shield.  As was true for Ellsberg, the issue isn’t that Manning is being prosecuted; the issue is the extreme disparities in how such decisions are made and what that reveals about the objectives and priorities of those responsible for these decisions.

UPDATE:  The discussion over the charging documents at Marcy Wheeler’s blog reveals just how many important, unanswered questions there continue to be in this case.  That fact, combined with the obvious seriousness of this case, render absolutely inexcusable Wired‘s ongoing concealment of the Manning/Lamo chat logs except for the very heavily edited parts they selectively released.  Yet again, we find an outlet claiming it engages in “journalism” to be playing the lead role in concealing key facts.

Written by Glenn Greenwald

© COPYRIGHT SALON.COM 2010

(Video of Oscar Grant killing below)

ABC– The jury has found former BART officer Johannes Mesherle guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Mehserle was accused of murdering an unarmed man, Oscar Grant, on a BART platform on New Year’s Day 2009.

The jury begain deliberations Thursday around 8:30 a.m. They broke for a one-hour lunch just after noon. Around 2:10 p.m. they informed the court they had reached a verdict. The deliberations with the most recent jury panel totaled only seven hours over two days.

Mehserle sat stone-faced, looked forward and did not cry. His father was sobbing in the front row behind him. Mehserle put his hands behind his back minutes after the verdict was read, placed in handcuffs and taken away into custody. The judge had denied a request from the defense not to take Mehserle into custody immediately after the reading of the verdict.

The jurors sat serious and quiet as the verdict was read. Grant’s family was sitting in the second row behind the media in the packed courtroom. Grant’s mother, Wanda Johnson, was visibly upset, shaking out of shear frustration.

“The system has let us down, but God will never, ever let us down. Though the system has failed us, though we fight continually, but one thing I know, the race is not given to the swift or to the strong, but to the one who endures until the end. As a family and as a nation of African-American people, we will continue to fight for our equal rights in this society,” said Grant’s mother Wanda Johnson. “My son was murdered. He was murdered. He was murdered. He was murdered.”

Grant family attorney John Burris called the verdict a small victory, but also called it a “compromise verdict” and said it was a step backwards because “true justice” was not served.

Read full article about the Oscar Grant Verdict.

The killing of Oscar Grant was caught on this video.

© ABC, 2010

Photo by Abby Martin