By Alex Felsinger •
March 9, 2009
Bilbies were nearing extinction when conservationists enrolled four of the little marsupials in breeding program in 2005. Luckily, the program has worked, with the population exploding to 42 bilbies.
Two men, Peter McRae and Frank Manthey, are largely responsible for saving the species. Nicknamed the Bilby Brothers, they pushed to have the four little marsupials placed in an enclosure in Currawinya National Park. It was nothing but an experiment.
By Gavin Hudson •
February 1, 2009
Scientists succeeded for the first time in achieving the holy grail of conservation: bringing to life an extinct animal through cloning. For seven minutes.
Just seven minutes after Spanish and French scientists brought the Pyrenean ibex back from extinction, the young animal died of lung complications also common to other cloned animals. And so an extinct species blinked into life for an instant and then flickered out again.
The success, albeit brief, is spurring scientists and conservationists alike to imagine some wild possibilities. Can extinct species–say, the dodo or even the wooly mammoth–be brought back into their natural habitats through cloning and if so should they?
By Gavin Hudson •
October 19, 2008
This article is part of EcoWorldly’s week-long spotlight on Politicians You Can Believe In. To read more, subscribe to our RSS feed, or scroll through our recent posts.
Connie Hedegaard is a Danish blogger, journalist, and politician. She serves as Minister of Climate and Energy in Denmark, one of the countries leading the world in forward-thinking renewable energy policies.
Denmark benefits as alternative energy leader
Denmark is an exemplar of successful sustainable energy policy. Today, around 20% of Denmark’s energy is supplied by wind power. Not only is the country energy independent, its energy consumption hasn’t risen since the ’70s, despite 50% economic growth, according to Flemming Hansen, former Minister of Transport and Energy.
