Author: Richard Jeo

5 Endangered Rabbits to remember as we start the New Year

Happy Lunar New Year!

While it may seem that rabbits are common and abundant, surprisingly, nearly half of rabbit species worldwide are endangered.

Here are 5 endangered rabbits to remember this year. These beautiful and amazing species could easily disappear forever in our lifetime as they face habitat loss, climate change, poaching and a myriad of other threats. The trajectory of same threats and driving forces will likely determine the fate of our species as well.

I hope the New Year brings the inspiration for us all to face humanities problems and challenges with the gentle grace and peaceful determination of the Rabbit.


-The Sumatran Striped Rabbit is found only in the highland forests of Sumatra, Indonesia, and is considered to be one of the least know and may be the most critically-endangered rabbit species, with only around 300 individuals remaining in the wild. 

Image: https://news.mongabay.com/2012/06/forgotten-species-the-overlooked-sumatran-striped-rabbit/ 

-The pygmy rabbit is the smallest rabbit in North America, and is known for its unique burrowing behavior, as it creates its own underground burrow systems for protection and breeding. You can see this rabbit in Montana’s Centennial Valley: https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/centennial-valley/

Image :https://www.ndow.org/species/pygmy-rabbit/ 

-The Amani rabbit is found only on the Amami Islands of Japan. This species is endowed with oddly-shaped ears, a large body, and a distinctive black and white pattern on its fur. It is also known for its nocturnal habits and for being able to climb trees, which is an unusual behavior for a rabbit.

Image: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13054888 

-The Hispid Hare is found in the Terai region of Nepal and northern India. It is known for its reddish-brown fur, which is longer and coarser than that of other hares, as well as its long ears and hind legs.

Image: https://journalsofindia.com/hispid-hare/ 

-The Ili pika is a small mammal that is found only in the Tianshan Mountains of China. It is a type of pika, which is a small, rabbit-like mammal that is known for its high-pitched calls and its ability to store food in large piles called haypiles. Pikas are also included with hares and rabbits in the taxonomic order Lagomorpha. 

Image: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-china-blog-32079630 

The Coral Triangle

Map of the Coral Triangle.

The Coral Triangle, located in the western Pacific Ocean, encompasses the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and the Solomon Islands. It is known for having the world’s highest biodiversity of coral and fish species, with over 600 species of coral and over 3,000 species of fish. The region is considered to be a global center of marine biodiversity and is of significant importance for both marine ecosystems and the local communities that rely on the resources provided by the ocean for their food, income, and protection from storms.

However, the coral reefs in the region are facing significant threats such as overfishing, pollution, and climate change, which are causing declines in the health of the coral reefs and reducing the biodiversity they support. In order to protect and preserve the unique biodiversity of the region, as well as the livelihoods and cultural heritage of local communities, conservation efforts are needed.

Some of the key conservation efforts underway in the Coral Triangle include the creation of Marine Protected Areas, promotion of sustainable fishing practices, implementation of climate change adaptation measures, and the implementation of community-based management approaches. These efforts are aimed at ensuring the long-term health of the coral reefs and the biodiversity they support, and preserving the resources that are critical to the livelihoods and well-being of the local communities.

United Science Report 2019 on Climate Change

 Some details on the state of the climate © http://www.futureearth.org

See the high-level synthesis report of latest climate science information convened by the Science Advisory Group of the UN Climate Action Summit 2019. This report assembles the key scientific findings of recent work in the domain of global climate change research. Some topics in the report consists of the global climate in 2015 – 2019, Global fossil CO2 emissions, greenhouse gas concentrations, emissions gap, climate insights, and global framework for climate services.