Latest news with #Cardenas
MTV Lebanon
5 days ago
- Science
- MTV Lebanon
Peru's guano coastal birds face crisis as population drops over 75 percent
Scientists along Peru's central Pacific coast are sounding the alarm that more action is needed to protect seabirds, sea lions, and penguins as climate change, disease, and overfishing threaten their survival. Research shows the number of guano birds has dropped by more than three-quarters in the past three years to around 500,000, according to local biologists, down from a population of 4 million in 2022. These black-and-white coastal birds form an important part of Peruvian wildlife, producing large quantities of excrement used as a natural fertilizer. "We are very alarmed by this sharp decline," said Susana Cardenas, director of the Environmental Sustainability Center at Peru's Cayetano Heredia University in an interview with Reuters. She monitors marine life at the Punta San Juan reserve roughly 530 kilometers south of Lima. Breeding centers like the one Cardenas runs are helping to protect bird populations that she described as "golden egg-laying hens" because they were so fragile, yet valuable. Peru's state agency AgroRural counted 587,000 guano seabirds in June, spread across 22 islands and eight coastal points, that include cormorants, boobies and pelicans. That figure is down from an average of 4 million registered in recent decades by Peru's Agriculture Ministry. Scientists said that the sharp decline began with an outbreak of avian flu in 2022 that killed tens of thousands of birds, penguins, and sea lions. The El Nino weather phenomenon disrupted marine ecosystems the following year, and forced birds to migrate. Then in 2024, overfishing of anchoveta - a primary food source from the anchovy fish family - further depleted populations. At Punta San Juan, only 200,000 guano birds, 2,500 Humboldt penguins, and 11,000 sea lions remain, the research center found. The decline in bird numbers is hurting the guano fertilizer harvest, important for the local farming industry. This nutrient-rich fertilizer is collected every five years under government supervision and exported in controlled quantities. The last collection was in 2024, but with fewer birds, the "sustainability of this activity will be at risk," Cardenas added. Peru's Agriculture Ministry said in a response to a Reuters request for comment on the decline that it was developing a national plan for the repopulation of guano birds with various different conservation entities. In April, authorities allowed the biggest catch quota in seven years of anchoveta, used in fishmeal, citing larger populations. But biologists said that the anchoveta populations were still not large enough to sustain both fishing and the bird populations that depend on them. Sea lions and penguins that live in colonies along the Pacific coasts of Peru and Chile were also at risk from dwindling food supplies caused by changing weather patterns and overfishing. Humboldt penguins could be extinct in 100 years, Cardenas said, if protections failed to increase. "Their population is trending downward, especially in protected areas where growth is most needed."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Peru's guano coastal birds face crisis as population drops over 75%, scientists say
Peru's guano coastal birds face crisis as population drops over 75%, scientists say By Marco Aquino LIMA (Reuters) -Scientists along Peru's central Pacific coast are sounding the alarm that more action is needed to protect seabirds, sea lions, and penguins as climate change, disease, and overfishing threaten their survival. Research shows the number of guano birds has dropped by more than three-quarters in the past three years to around 500,000, according to local biologists, down from a population of 4 million in 2022. These black-and-white coastal birds form an important part of Peruvian wildlife, producing large quantities of excrement used as a natural fertilizer. "We are very alarmed by this sharp decline," said Susana Cardenas, director of the Environmental Sustainability Center at Peru's Cayetano Heredia University in an interview with Reuters. She monitors marine life at the Punta San Juan reserve roughly 530 kilometers south of Lima. Breeding centers like the one Cardenas runs are helping to protect bird populations that she described as "golden egg-laying hens" because they were so fragile, yet valuable. Peru's state agency AgroRural counted 529,400 guano seabirds in January, spread across 22 islands and eight coastal points, that include cormorants, boobies and pelicans. That figure is down from an average of 4 million registered in recent decades by Peru's Agriculture Ministry. Scientists said that the sharp decline began with an outbreak of avian flu in 2022 that killed tens of thousands of birds, penguins, and sea lions. The El Nino weather phenomenon disrupted marine ecosystems the following year, and forced birds to migrate. Then in 2024, overfishing of anchoveta - a primary food source from the anchovy fish family - further depleted populations. At Punta San Juan, only 200,000 guano birds, 2,500 Humboldt penguins, and 11,000 sea lions remain, the research center found. The decline in bird numbers is hurting the guano fertilizer harvest, important for the local farming industry. This nutrient-rich fertilizer is collected every five years under government supervision and exported in controlled quantities. The last collection was in 2024, but with fewer birds, the "sustainability of this activity will be at risk," Cardenas added. Peru's Agriculture Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the bird populations' decline. In April, authorities allowed the biggest catch quota in seven years of anchoveta, used in fishmeal, citing larger populations. But biologists said that the anchoveta populations were still not large enough to sustain both fishing and the bird populations that depend on them. Sea lions and penguins that live in colonies along the Pacific coasts of Peru and Chile were also at risk from dwindling food supplies caused by changing weather patterns and overfishing. Humboldt penguins could be extinct in 100 years, Cardenas said, if protections failed to increase. "Their population is trending downward, especially in protected areas where growth is most needed." Solve the daily Crossword
The Star
5 days ago
- Science
- The Star
Peru's guano coastal birds face crisis as population drops over 75%, scientists say
Humboldt penguins travel in a group at the Punta San Juan reserve, where a decline in the population of guano birds, sea lions, and penguins has alarmed scientists, in Marcona, Peru June 21, 2025. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda LIMA (Reuters) -Scientists along Peru's central Pacific coast are sounding the alarm that more action is needed to protect seabirds, sea lions, and penguins as climate change, disease, and overfishing threaten their survival. Research shows the number of guano birds has dropped by more than three-quarters in the past three years to around 500,000, according to local biologists, down from a population of 4 million in 2022. These black-and-white coastal birds form an important part of Peruvian wildlife, producing large quantities of excrement used as a natural fertilizer. "We are very alarmed by this sharp decline," said Susana Cardenas, director of the Environmental Sustainability Center at Peru's Cayetano Heredia University in an interview with Reuters. Shemonitors marine life at the Punta San Juan reserve roughly 530 kilometers south of Lima. Breeding centers like the one Cardenas runs are helping to protect bird populations that she described as "golden egg-laying hens" because they were so fragile, yet valuable. Peru's state agency AgroRural counted 529,400 guano seabirds in January, spread across 22 islands and eight coastal points, that include cormorants, boobies and pelicans. That figure is down from an average of 4 million registered in recent decades by Peru's Agriculture Ministry. Scientists said that the sharp decline began with an outbreak of avian flu in 2022 that killed tens of thousands of birds, penguins,and sea lions. The El Nino weather phenomenon disrupted marine ecosystems the following year, and forced birds to migrate. Then in 2024, overfishing of anchoveta - a primary food source from the anchovy fish family - further depleted populations. At Punta San Juan, only 200,000 guano birds, 2,500 Humboldt penguins, and 11,000 sea lions remain, the research center found. The decline in bird numbers is hurting the guano fertilizer harvest, important for the local farming industry. This nutrient-rich fertilizer is collected every five years under government supervision and exported in controlled quantities. The last collection was in 2024, but with fewer birds, the "sustainability of this activity will be at risk," Cardenas added. Peru's Agriculture Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the bird populations' decline. In April, authorities allowed the biggest catch quotain seven years of anchoveta, used in fishmeal, citing larger populations. But biologists said that the anchoveta populations were still not large enough to sustain both fishing and the bird populations that depend on them. Sea lions and penguins that live in colonies along the Pacific coasts of Peru and Chile were also at risk from dwindling food supplies caused by changing weather patterns and overfishing. Humboldt penguins could be extinct in 100 years, Cardenas said, if protections failed to increase. "Their population is trending downward, especially in protected areas where growth is most needed." (Reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima. Additional reporting by Sebastian Castañeda and Carlos Valdez Reuters Television. Writing by Lucinda Elliott. Editing by Aurora Ellis)
Reuters
5 days ago
- Science
- Reuters
Peru's guano coastal birds face crisis as population drops over 75%, scientists say
LIMA, July 25 (Reuters) - Scientists along Peru's central Pacific coast are sounding the alarm that more action is needed to protect seabirds, sea lions, and penguins as climate change, disease, and overfishing threaten their survival. Research shows the number of guano birds has dropped by more than three-quarters in the past three years to around 500,000, according to local biologists, down from a population of 4 million in 2022. These black-and-white coastal birds form an important part of Peruvian wildlife, producing large quantities of excrement used as a natural fertilizer. "We are very alarmed by this sharp decline," said Susana Cardenas, director of the Environmental Sustainability Center at Peru's Cayetano Heredia University in an interview with Reuters. She monitors marine life at the Punta San Juan reserve roughly 530 kilometers south of Lima. Breeding centers like the one Cardenas runs are helping to protect bird populations that she described as "golden egg-laying hens" because they were so fragile, yet valuable. Peru's state agency AgroRural counted 529,400 guano seabirds in January, spread across 22 islands and eight coastal points, that include cormorants, boobies and pelicans. That figure is down from an average of 4 million registered in recent decades by Peru's Agriculture Ministry. Scientists said that the sharp decline began with an outbreak of avian flu in 2022 that killed tens of thousands of birds, penguins, and sea lions. The El Nino weather phenomenon disrupted marine ecosystems the following year, and forced birds to migrate. Then in 2024, overfishing of anchoveta - a primary food source from the anchovy fish family - further depleted populations. At Punta San Juan, only 200,000 guano birds, 2,500 Humboldt penguins, and 11,000 sea lions remain, the research center found. The decline in bird numbers is hurting the guano fertilizer harvest, important for the local farming industry. This nutrient-rich fertilizer is collected every five years under government supervision and exported in controlled quantities. The last collection was in 2024, but with fewer birds, the "sustainability of this activity will be at risk," Cardenas added. Peru's Agriculture Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the bird populations' decline. In April, authorities allowed the biggest catch quota in seven years of anchoveta, used in fishmeal, citing larger populations. But biologists said that the anchoveta populations were still not large enough to sustain both fishing and the bird populations that depend on them. Sea lions and penguins that live in colonies along the Pacific coasts of Peru and Chile were also at risk from dwindling food supplies caused by changing weather patterns and overfishing. Humboldt penguins could be extinct in 100 years, Cardenas said, if protections failed to increase. "Their population is trending downward, especially in protected areas where growth is most needed."
USA Today
16-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 Arizona Cardinals training camp roster preview: TE Oscar Cardenas
We will preview every player on the Cardinals roster leading up to training camp. This is about TE Oscar Cardenas. The Arizona Cardinals report to training camp on July 22 and begin the process of preparing for the regular season, forming the roster and determining starting jobs and roles on the team. Leading up to the start of camp, we will take a look at every player on the offseason roster, their background, their contract, their play in 2024, questions they face and their roster outlook. This focuses on tight end Oscar Cardenas. Oscar Cardenas background, 2024 season Cardenas is an undrafted rookie the Cardinals signed following the 2025 NFL draft. He spent six seasons at UTSA. He played in 65 games, starting 40 and finished as the school's all-time leader among tight ends in catches (65), receiving yards (1,138) and receiving touchdowns (9). He was a three-time all-conference selection. In 2024, he was limited to eight games with an injury and finished the season with 13 catches for 141 yards and three touchdowns. Oscar Cardenas 2025 contract details, cap hit Cardenas signed a three-year deal with the Cardinals worth a little less than $3 million. He received a $10,000 signing bonus. He will make $840,000 in 2025, $50,000 of which is guaranteed. Questions he faces, roster outlook Cardenas faces the same question all rookies do, dealing with the adjustment from college to the pro game, only as an undrafted player, he doesn't have the team investment behind him. He is longshot for the roster and the practice squad isn't even a lock. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
