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California Mountain Lion Population Is Thousands Fewer Than Previously Estimated

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12 Jan, 2024

This post was originally published on Eco Watch

The first large-scale study of mountain lion numbers in California has been completed by scientists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW); the nonprofits Audubon Canyon Ranch and the Institute for Wildlife Studies; University of California, Santa Cruz; and University of California, Davis.

The population estimate of between 3,200 and 4,500 cougars is much lower than the CDFW’s decades-old estimate of roughly 6,000, reported the Los Angeles Times.

“That old figure was just a back-of-the-envelope calculation without much data to support it,” said Justin Dellinger, large-carnivore biologist and California Mountain Lion Project lead, as the Los Angeles Times reported. “The new, more accurate information we collected will be used to conserve and manage mountain lions more appropriately.”

The scientists used a variety of methods in gathering the population data — including setting camera traps, taking scat samples and tranquilizing the big cats and fitting them with GPS tracking collars. They followed their tracks through canyons, the Mojave Desert and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

A mountain lion walking in the snow. California Department of Fish and Wildlife

The more accurate and up-to-date population estimate is important for making land-use decisions that take into account the large mammals’ need for a wide geographic range to find prey and mate.

Mountain lions have the largest range of any carnivore in the western hemisphere — all the way from the Canadian Yukon down to southern Chile, the CDFW website said. The majestic panthers have become increasingly threatened as development and freeways have destroyed, fragmented and bisected their native habitat.

“Humans are the number-one cause of death for California mountain lions,” the Center for Biological Diversity website said. “Lack of connectivity due to decades of extending roads and development into mountain lion habitat, with little regard for the animals’ movement needs, is causing their demise. This has led to high levels of inbreeding and genetic isolation, about 100 car strikes annually throughout the state, and increases in human conflict.”

Dellinger said the greatest population density of cougars in the state is in northwest coastal forests, with the lowest numbers reported in the Sierra Nevada’s high desert, according to the LA Times. Dellinger added that there were no mountain lions in parts of the Mojave Desert or the Central Valley.

Nearly 40 million California residents are living within or next to cougar habitat.

The research team spent approximately $2.45 million over seven years and came up with three population estimates: two suggesting there are roughly 3,200 cougars in the state and the other saying the number is 4,511, Dellinger said.

Biologists who review the census report will decide which of the estimates is most accurate.

“There’s never been a study of this scale and over such a large and diverse geographical area with such a variety of habitats,” said Winston Vickers, one of the study’s co-authors and a UC Davis Wildlife Health Center veterinarian, as the LA Times reported.

While cougars are not listed as endangered, they were recently given extra protection in six regions of California by the state’s Fish and Game Commission. On April 15 there will be a vote on whether to list them under the Endangered Species Act.

A mountain lion kitten runs in the snow in California. California Department of Fish and Wildlife

If mountain lions are listed as endangered, no highways would be permitted to be built or expanded by the California Department of Transportation without adequate measures being taken to guarantee safe passage and habitat linkages, the LA Times reported. Large-scale commercial and residential development could also be limited or prohibited within their habitats.

The largest wildlife crossing in the world — the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing — is currently being built over a ten-lane portion of Highway 101 near Liberty Canyon.

“We look forward to getting mountain lions the protection that is clearly warranted and desperately needed,” said Brendan Cummings, conservation director for the Center for Biological Diversity, as reported by the LA Times.

The post California Mountain Lion Population Is Thousands Fewer Than Previously Estimated appeared first on EcoWatch.

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ABB receives EPD status for gearless mill drive ring motor

ABB receives EPD status for gearless mill drive ring motor

ABB has gained Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) status for its Gearless Mill Drive (GMD) ring motor — technology used to drive large grinding mills in the mining industry.

An EPD is a standardised document that provides detailed information about the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle. Based on a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, the EPD highlights ABB’s commitment to transparency, environmental responsibility and supporting customers in making informed decisions on sustainability in their supply chains.

ABB analysed the environmental impact of a ring motor across its entire life cycle from supply chain and production to usage and end-of-life disposal. The study was conducted for a ring motor of a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill with an installed power of 24 MW and was based on a reference service life of 25 years.

“Sustainability is at the core of our purpose at ABB, influencing how we operate and innovate for customers,” said Andrea Quinta, Sustainability Specialist at ABB. “By earning the Environmental Product Declaration for our ring motor, we emphasise our environmental stewardship and industry leadership for this technology. We adhered to the highest standards throughout this process, as we do in the ABB Ring Motor factory every day. This recognition highlights to the mining industry what they are bringing into their own operations when they work with ABB.”

The comprehensive LCA was conducted at ABB’s factory in Bilbao, Spain, and was externally verified and published in accordance with international standards ISO 14025 and ISO 14040/14044. It will remain valid for five years.

The ring motor, a key component of the GMD, is a drive system without any gears where the transmission of the torque between the motor and the mill is done through the magnetic field in the air gap between the motor stator and the motor rotor. It optimises grinding applications in the minerals and mining industries by enabling variable-speed operation, leading to energy and cost savings.

The full EPD for the ABB GMD Ring Motor can be viewed on EPD International.

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