Borax in Gold Mining?

          On Thursday, after my presentation on Gold Mining and Pollution in the Pantanal, someone asked whether all gold miners use Mercury in their mining operations. While industrial mining companies use other toxic chemicals to extract gold from quartz fragments, there is, in fact, a non-toxic option that artisanal miners can use: borax. Gold-mining with borax already occurs across thousands of mines in the Philippines, so it could easily make its way to South America. 

               Borax (Sodium Borate) is an inexpensive chemical commonly used in household cleaning products like detergents. Because it is inexpensive, it makes a good alternative to mercury in the gold mining process because impoverished small-scale miners have access to it.

               While mercury causes Gold flakes to conglomerate into pellets, borax functions by lowering the melting point of gold. Gold’s normal boiling point is over 1000 degrees, which is much higher than what a small-scale miner could feasibly reach with a cheap burner. However, Gold melts much more readily in the presence of borax, making it possible for miners to heat their centrifuged concentrate to produce molten gold. The process occurs in five steps: grinding, washing, mixing, heating and extraction. Gold ore is first crushed, then “washed” in the stereotypical gold pan, mixed with borax in a 1-to-3 ratio by volume, heated over a coal or acetylene fire, and removed once gold drops have accumulated.

The shining gold pellet and molten red borax that result from this process

This process makes no use of mercury, which makes it much safer for both the miners and the environment surrounding the mining operation. Borax is “environmentally benign,” so accidental releases of it during the mining process are a nonissue.

Source: http://www.geus.dk/program-areas/common/the_borax_method_2011.pdf

The Yellow Anaconda

Yesterday we talked briefly about snakes, so I thought I would do my final blog posting on the Yellow Anaconda, Eunectes notaeus. This nonvenomous snake is endemic to South America, which is why it is found in the Pantanal. The etymology of its name is fairly interesting; Eunectes derives from Greek and means “good swimmer,” and notaeus derives from the Greek word for dorsal. The latter makes sense, because the man who first distinguished the Yellow Anaconda from a related snake, Edward Cope, wrote this description: “dorsal scales are larger and in fewer rows.”

Yellow Anacondas grow to about 11 to 14 feet in length and can weigh up to 120 lb. There is sexual dimorphism; females grow longer than males and can reach lengths of 15 feet. Like their name suggests, they are mostly yellow with black and brown patterns.

Yellow Anacondas prefer aquatic habitats like swamps, so in the Pantanal we will probably find them right by the water. To feed, they use the techniques of “ambush predation” and “wide-foraging.” They tend to forage in shallow waters during the wet season, and in the dry season they resort to predation, targeting small birds. Yellow Anacondas can also eat fish, turtles, lizards, small mammals, and even caimans.

If you want to learn more about Yellow Anacondas, I found a cool BBC video about them; the link can be found here. 

-Gwynn Lyons

King of the Fishers

Hey everyone,
So one of my favorite types of birds is the Kingfisher. There are a lot of them up in Washington and I would see one in particular almost everyday driving to school sitting on the power lines above a creek on the lookout for fish. There are over 100 different species of Kingfishers around the world and about 5 of them reside in the Pantanal:

The Amazon Kingfisher

The American Pygmy Kingfisher

(does anyone else desperately want one as a pet now? But we must resist that exotic pet trade!)

Green Kingfisher

Green and Rufous Kingfisher

Ringed Kingfisher 

Photo Credit: Bob Siegel 

Kingfishers are in the order Coraciiformes and of the family Alcedines. Many people separate kingfishers into three categories based on DNA evidence: river kingfishers, who hunt mainly in rivers; water kingfishers, who hunt in lakes and marshes; and tree kingfishers, who mostly reside in the forest and eat more small mammals and insects. However there is some debate in if kingfishers should be separate into these three families or be considered a single family. 
 Kingfishers live from 6-10 years depending on the species and have a mostly solitary lifestyle. They come in a variety of colors and sizes but they all love fish! While fish is their main prey they also enjoy snacking on shrimp insects and tadpoles. Some animals find kingfishers very tasty, these include foxes, snakes and raccoons. 
As you can see from the picture a defining picture of all kingfishers are the long straight beaks that are also quite sharp. These beaks assist the kingfishers in dive-bombing into the water to spear fish near the surface to eat. 
Kingfishers normally reside in lowland freshwater areas (mmm sounds like the Pantanal!) as well as river estuaries. 
Kingfishers nest in tree hollows or holes dug into the ground along riverbanks. The kingfisher can dig small tunnels with their beaks and build a nest at the end of it. The giant kingfisher can dig tunnels up to 8 meters long! The female then lays about 4 eggs in her nest at the end of the tunnel or in a tree hollow. 
Lets hope that we will spot some of these colorful, interesting birds during our Pantanal Safari!

-Martell 

Sources:
http://animals.pawnation.com/kingfisher-5174.html
http://a-z-animals.com/animals/kingfisher/

Around the world in a few minutes?

Hey all! 

I thought I'd just put up a bit of information about UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which is what my thematic presentation is about. There are 981 sites that are currently on this list (check out this awesome website if you're interested in exploring your favorite country's sites!) http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/

It is definitely really fun to play around on the website - they have great videos, materials, justifications for inclusion on the list, and photographs. I'd highly recommend it if you're interested in taking a little trip to some awesome places around the world. It's fascinating to me to see which places are included on the list, and I definitely enjoyed making my presentation.

I thought I'd go through a few of the sites in Brazil for those of us obviously going on the seminar but also for those people who are thinking about traveling afterwards! Brazil has 19 sites.

The Pantanal:

As you may know, the Pantanal is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which means that the World Heritage Committee is dedicated towards preserving its natural beauty and conserving the area in its untouched state. A lot of the information presented about the merits of the Pantanal is familiar to us, including the amazing flora and fauna of the area and the wide ranges of ecosystems it supports.

Rio de Janeiro:

Rio de Janeiro is a popular tourist location in Brazil, and it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site! It has great cultural value in terms of artistic inspiration and is recognized for this by UNESCO as well. Rio has a lot of natural factors that add to its beauty as well, including the Sugar Loaf mountain, the Corcovado mountain, the Copacabana Bay, and other features that have added to the outdoor beauty of the city!

Thanks Dr. Bob for your pictures (living vicariously through you for now!)

Brasilia:

Brasilia is the capital of Brazil, and it was designed to be very symmetric and have a harmonious overall design. The feel of the city is meant to be very urban and modern, so definitely check if out if you get the chance! 

Iguazu Falls:

The Iguazu National Park in Argentina/ Brazil contains one of the world's largest waterfalls, which extends over 2700 m. It also features some rare and endangered species like the giant otter and the giant anteater.

Iguazu Falls: Thanks Dr. Bob for the pictures!

Hope that for those on the trip who are planning to travel that this information is helpful!
-Nicole

Using Media to Educate Audiences about the Pantanal!

When I was just searching around for information about the Pantanal on Google, I stumbled upon the Brazilian telenovela entitled "Pantanal." As you could guess, it was set in the Pantanal region of Brazil, and it actually (unexpectedly) topped the Brazilian ratings at one point in time. In fact, 216 episodes were produced. It is considered to be one of the best ecological/ environmental telenovelas. Those of us who have watched telenovelas before (perhaps in Spanish class?) know that the genre often dramatizes everyday life.  

The Pantanal telenovela was actually set outdoors in a rural setting, introducing viewers to the Pantanal region that many people, even those who live in Brazil, are unfamiliar with. This is really an awesome example of using cultural and media outputs to be able to raise awareness about specific habitats and environmental issues that might otherwise be ignored by the general population. According to what I found online, the telenovela may have had some more explicit content as well. Interestingly it can also be categorized as a "supernatural" telenovela because it is based on a fantasy world wherein individuals can transform into various animals in the Pantanal.

I think this is actually a really awesome example of how very unexpected, non-traditional forms of media can be used to raise awareness about particular issues.

-Nicole

Ecotourism: A Double Edged Sword

Ecotourism is a topic that has come up on multiple occasions throughout the quarter. While it is not unique to Brazil, ecotourism plays an important role in the Pantanal and various ecosystems worldwide. Here I'll discuss some of the pros and cons of ecotourism and how it directly impacts the Pantanal.

Pros of Ecotourism:

• offers a source of income to the local communities - residents can benefit financially as tour guides, restaurant owners or workers, and as a range of other employees the tourism industry requires
• can raise global awareness over regional environmental issues and catalyze conservation efforts - as tourists bear witness to the environmental issues their vacation destination faces it cultivates a desire to help protect the region. "Environmental conservation is achieved through popular support and pressure."
• incentivizes residents to protect their ecosystem - when locals are shown that an endangered species is worth more alive than dead because of the revenue the animal generates via ecotourism, we have a win-win situation since not only are local communities being supported but the endangered species is facing a decreased threat posed by humans and the overall biodiversity of the region is conserved

Cons of Ecotourism:

• large ecotourism companies are taking the financially gain from the locals - ecotourism companies swoop in from abroad and take advantage of the opportunity to make a profit. They are taking the potential for financial gain from locals and redirecting it toward their own country.
• has the potential to damage and exploit local cultures - when local cultures are commercialized as a result of tourism it not only results in a divergence from the authenticity of the culture but it is often degrading to the people from that background
• can be detrimental to the habitat that is attracting tourists - with tourism comes trash, disturbed ecosystems, and trampled fauna as people encroach on an animal's territory. Also, animals who are consistently exposed to people often become desensitized to humans and human interactions. 

Examples In the Pantanal:

• pro - many Pantaneiros are starting to leave alone, and even protect, flagship species such as the Hyacinth Macaw and the Jaguar because they are beginning to recognize the financial gain to be had by using these animals to attract tourists
• con - many animals are being desensitized to human interaction; already social animals like the Giant River Otter and the Capuchin Monkey are being exposed to more and more human contact resulting in a lack of fear and change in behavior with respect to people. However, not all humans are as well intentioned as tourists and the lack of fear these animals are experiencing can lead to their capture or even death.

~ Megan

Sources:

http://ecohealth.wisc.edu/index.php/submenu-small-world-people/99-science-you-section/science-you-category/168-science-ecotourism-article

http://dbp.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Ecotourism

http://www.worldtourismforum.org/global/pros-and-cons-of-eco-tourism/

The Bush Dog

If you’re a dog person like me, then you’ll probably find these guys pretty cute!

 

It is the only living member of the genus Speothos, and its closest living relative is thought to be the maned wolf. It is also known in Brazil as the “cachorro vinagre” meaning “vinegar dog” for its fur, which is a reddish brown. The underside is usually darker, while there is frequently a lighter patch under the throat. The adults typically reach up to 22 – 30 inches in length, and weigh 11 – 18lbs. They usually hunt during the day in packs of their immediate family. There is one mating pair, and the rest of the pack help in protecting and raising the pups. They typically feed on small rodents such as capybaras, and their webbed feet means that they can catch anything that tries to escape into the water. They are very popular as pets among the locals, but unfortunately we’ll have to be pretty lucky to see them in the wild. They are considered near threatened and are very rare outside of Suriname, although their range covers most of Brazil. 

-Catie