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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, September 21st 2024 - 09:01 UTC

Environment

  • Wednesday, June 26th 2024 - 08:45 UTC

    UNESCO calls on Australia for 'utmost priority' in protecting the Great Barrier Reef

    UNESCO did not recommend placing the reef on its endangered heritage list, but did ask Australia to update protection efforts by early next year.

    UNESCO has cautioned that the Australian Great Barrier Reef “remains under serious threat,” calling on the country to take immediate action to protect the world's largest coral system. “Urgent and sustained action is of utmost priority,” the United Nations' cultural organization said in a draft decision released this week.

  • Tuesday, June 25th 2024 - 08:23 UTC

    State of emergency declared in Mato Grosso do Sul due to Pantanal fire

    Mato Grosso do Sul Governor Eduardo Riedel declared an emergency situation in the state's municipalities affected by forest fires

    Brazilian authorities have declared a state of emergency for six months in Mato Grosso do Sul in a move to facilitate help against the fire in the Pantanal, a natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area, and the world's largest flooded grasslands, where flames reached 627,000 hectares this year, according to the Laboratory of Environmental Satellite Applications (Lasa) of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Experts believe the main cause for this phenomenon was the extreme drought coupled with human action, especially agricultural expansion.

  • Monday, June 24th 2024 - 08:46 UTC

    Excessive heat leaves over 1,300 Mecca pilgrims dead

    Most fatalities were unauthorized pilgrims who walked long distances in soaring temperatures to perform the rituals

    According to the latest report from Saudi Arabian authorities, 1,301 people died during this year's traditional pilgrimage to Mecca due to a scorching heat of about 52º C. ”Unfortunately, the number of fatalities reached 1,301, 83% of whom were not authorized to perform the 'hajj' (pilgrimage) and walked huge distances under the sun, without adequate protection and comfort,” the Saudi Health Ministry noted.

  • Saturday, June 22nd 2024 - 06:37 UTC

    BAS three winter stations celebrate the longest night in Antarctica

    Midwinter falls when the sun is at its furthest point and some of the frozen continent will be experiencing 24 hours of darkness on its shortest day.

    June 21st marks the longest night in Antarctica and a very special Midwinter’s Day with 47 people or ‘winterers’ living and working at British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) three winter stations: Rothera on the Antarctic peninsula, and King Edward Point and Bird Island on South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

  • Friday, June 21st 2024 - 09:06 UTC

    Safeguarding Oceans - theme for Albatross Day

    By Veronica Iriarte - On Wednesday we celebraed our fifth World Albatross Day! The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) announced “Marine Protected Areas – Safeguarding our Oceans” as the theme for this year’s World Albatross Day.

  • Tuesday, June 18th 2024 - 11:58 UTC

    State of Cetaceans 2024, ORCA report in oceans worldwide

    Many 2023 findings are from the Southern Ocean survey undertaken by ORCA, the Government of South Georgia, and the British Antarctic Survey

    Marine Conservation Charity ORCA’s “State of the Cetaceans 2024”, (*) report is a fascinating glimpse into how the world’s whales and dolphins are coping with human impacts on the ocean. It analyses the extraordinary 330,000 kilometers of marine surveys conducted by ORCA in 2023, recording 55,604 whales and dolphins in oceans worldwide from the Arctic to the Antarctic, the North and South Atlantic, and the Pacific to the Mediterranean.

  • Monday, June 17th 2024 - 09:46 UTC

    Uruguay better equipped in case of new drought

    Uruguay is better prepared this time around, Bouvier noted

    Uruguayan authorities are adopting contingency measures in case a new drought comes about in September as the La Niña phenomenon has been forecast to be bringing along a significant decrease in rainfall, it was reported in Montevideo.

  • Monday, June 17th 2024 - 09:31 UTC

    Rescued Magellanic penguins returned to the sea

    The animals were fitted with a subcutaneous microchip featuring each one's medical record, should any of them appear in another latitude

    Argentine environmentalists and scientists brought back to the sea a group of 14 Magellanic penguins that had been rescued from the beaches and treated at the San Clemente-based Mundo Marino Foundation for malnutrition, dehydration, hypothermia, and a high parasitic load.

  • Monday, June 10th 2024 - 09:10 UTC

    Antarctica tour companies working closely with IAATO in conservation measures

    Since its launch in 2022-23 season, data gathered through V-CaPS has contributed to improved protections for whales, implemented by all IAATO operators along the Antarctic Peninsula.

    Data collected by tour companies operating in Antarctica is bolstering conservation measures for whales and seals along the region’s Peninsula, according to a piece by Travel and Tour World news site.

  • Monday, June 10th 2024 - 07:00 UTC

    Japan has built a new 9,300 tons whaling fleet mother ship which is ready for the hunting season

    Built at a cost of US$ 47 million, the 9,300-ton Kangei Maru has a slipway to haul up to 70- ton fin whales, and can store up to 600 tons of meat.

    Japan has launched a brand new whaling fleet mother ship, the Kangei Maru, which can be anticipated will mean renewed frequent clashes with environmental groups that are also acquiring a new vessel to combat whaling in Antarctica waters.