The last remaining member of an uncontacted indigenous group in Brazil has died, officials say. The man, whose name was not known, had lived in total isolation for the past 26 years. He was known as "Man of the Hole" because he dug deep holes, some of which he used to trap animals while others appear to be hiding spaces. His body was found on 23 August in a hammock outside his straw hut. There were no signs of violence, reports BBC. The man was the last of an indigenous group whose other remaining six members were killed in 1995. The group lived in the Tanaru indigenous area in the state of Rondônia, which borders Bolivia. The majority of his tribe were thought to have been killed as early as the 1970s by ranchers wanting to expand their land. The "Man of the Hole" is thought to have been about 60 years old and to have died of natural causes. There were no signs of any incursions in his territory and nothing in his hut had been disturbed, officials said, but police will still carry out a post-mortem investigation. Under Brazil's constitution, indigenous people have a right to their traditional land, so those wanting to seize it have been known to kill them. The "Man of the Hole" had been monitored for his own safety by agents from Brazil's Indigenous Affairs Agency (Funai) since 1996. Read: Brazil: Suspect confesses to killing pair missing in Amazon In 2018, members of Funai managed to film the man during a chance encounter in the jungle. In the footage, he can be seen hacking at a tree with something resembling an axe. There had been no sighting of him since but Funai agents did come across his huts, which were built from straw, and the deep holes he dug. Some of them had sharpened spikes at the bottom and are thought to be traps for hunting animals, while others are believed to be hiding spaces he used when outsiders approached. Evidence found at his huts and campsites suggests he planted maize and manioc and fruits such as papaya and bananas.   There are about 240 indigenous tribes in Brazil, with many under threat as illegal miners, loggers and farmers encroach onto their territory, warns Survival International, a pressure group fighting for the rights of indigenous people.

A new study has showed many areas around New Zealand will become unsuitable for blue and sperm whales as global sea-surface temperatures continue to rise, with new modelling predicting they will be seeking refuge further south. Areas around New Zealand's southern and eastern offshore islands will likely become more suitable for these species, but the move will have a destabilizing effect on marine ecosystems. These changes will likely have a negative effect on tourism in areas such as New Zealand's Kaikoura, known for whale watching, as sightings become less frequent and less reliable, according to the study recently published in the international journal Ecological Indicators, Most of the tourists going on a whale watching tour in Kaikoura can spot whales from their boats, Nick Jiang, a tour operator in New Zealand's South Island, told Xinhua on Thursday. However, the chance of spotting a giant sperm whale is decreasing. Instead, killer whales, humpback whales and other smaller whales are much easier to be spotted, Jiang said. Selling boat tickets for whale watching in Kaikoura, TripAdvisor said on its website "You are almost guaranteed to spot a whale, as you'll receive most of your ticket price back if you don't." Most of the whale watchers' comments on TripAdvisor are positive, such as "well worth the money" and "a once in a lifetime experience." The international collaborative study between Massey University, the University of Zurich, the University of Canterbury, and Flinders University, has shed light on how climate change will impact the distribution of great whales in New Zealand waters. It used a complex modelling approach to project the regional range shift of blue and sperm whales by the year 2100, under different climate change scenarios. Read: Stranded whale out of French river, to be moved to saltwater The study showed a southerly shift of suitable habitat for both species, which "increases in magnitude as the ocean warms." The most severe climate change scenario that was tested generated a 61 percent loss and 42 percent decrease in currently suitable habitat for sperm and blue whales, mostly in New Zealand's northern waters. "Regardless of which of the climate change scenarios will be the reality, even the best-case scenario indicates notable changes in the distribution of suitable habitat for sperm and blue whales in New Zealand," said research lead Dr Katharina Peters of the University of Canterbury. Island nations such as New Zealand are extremely vulnerable to climate change impact on marine ecosystems because of their strong connection to the ocean, Peters said, adding sperm whales in New Zealand are critical for the tourism industry and local economy. Great whales, such as sperm and blue whales, are important ecosystem engineers. This means that they fulfill a multitude of tasks such as facilitating the transfer of nutrients from deep waters to the surface, and across latitudes via migration from feeding to calving areas. Their predicted future southward shift, driven by climate change, will impact ecosystem functioning and potentially destabilize ecological processes in the northern part of New Zealand, the study showed.   The study also highlighted habitats that may be suitable in the future for both whale species in New Zealand's South Island and offshore islands, which provides an opportunity for their increased protection in the future.

The stingrays of the Bay of Bengal, locally known as Shaplapata, are vital for conserving its biodiversity and the marine ecosystem, but it is now endangered due to its lucrative value on the market for the fishing community.   For the last 30 years, Md Rustom Ali Howladar, a fisherman from Porgola village of Pirojpur upazila in Bagerhat, has seen plenty of Shaplapata being captured by fishermen during his ventures to the sea. “Fishermen usually plant fish-hooks along the seashore to catch the large Shaplapata and smaller ones are often caught easily with fishing nets,” Rustom Ali said. The high price it fetches at markets in the coastal districts of Bagerhat, Barguna is the reason behind their interest in catching Shaplapata. Recently, one weighing 400kg was sold for Tk 52,000 at a wholesale fish market in Bagerhat’s KB Bazar through open auction. Given that the retail price per kg was Tk 300, the fish was sold to consumers at a total price of Tk 1,40,000 minimum, it is said.   “As there is a great demand for Shaplapata in the market and a typical large one can go for Tk 30-40,000 at the wholesale market, they are the big catch but even small ones are sold handsomely,” said some fishermen of the Bagerhat region. READ: Tomato cultivation: Bumper harvest and good price bring joy to farmers in Rajshahi

For years the rhythmic sound of handlooms woke up the residents of Manirampur. Not now. The weavers in this western region are losing the battle to keep the craft alive. They are facing extinction. Read: Jashore's daily caseload hits new high of 469 Manirapmpur Upazila in Jshore has been a popular hub for handloom industry.  About 80,000  handloom workers live in 78 villages of its 249 villages. Many of the workers are from the Bharatpur, Paralo and Muzgunni villages. Villagers here have been used to the sounds of Pitloom and Khatkhati (traditional loom equipment). But these are now falling silent. Abdur Rauf of Paralo village had once 60 to 70 Pitlooms and Khatkhatis in his house. Now he owns only 22 pitlooms. Abdullah, who lives next door, depends on weaving for livelihood but wants to leave this profession as well. People in this profession are moving away from this craft. Read: Residents of Jashore village along 'Indiapara' worried about spread of new variant The weaving industry at Jashore's Manirumpur is almost on death bed due to labour scarcity, lack of raw materials and other challenges. Besides, people in this profession are being beaten by modern technology. “Weavers no longer can earn their living through this profession”, said Abdur Rauf . A weaver gets Tk 40 as wage for weaving a two-yard towel or gamcha.   After working the whole day, he gets Tk 150-200 only which is not enough for his family.   Read: Fed up waiting for WDB, villagers in Jashore tackle waterlogging on their own That towel gets the owner a meagre profit of Tk 2. That is why they are quitting this profession, Abdur said with a sigh.   Weavers concede they are losing competition from their counterparts of Kushtia, Sirajganj and Pabna. “Our competitors have developed the industry with modern technology. They are making traditional handlooms even miserable,” he said. Loom owners are urging the government’s to support them to save this dying traditional craft. They believe with necessary raw materials, modern equipment, training and easy-term low interest loans can rejuvenate this cottage industry. Read: Jashore dairy farmers count losses as demand falls Prof. Mohammad Babul Akhter, Central Secretary for Education and Human Resources of Bangladesh Weavers League, said in order to keep the weaving community and the weaving industry alive in Monirampur, it is necessary to provide modern training to the workers, modern equipment and easy loans to this community. If the government is sincere in this regard, the people of the weaving community will be able to survive, he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday urged the people to protect the local species of fish from extinction by using advanced and modern fish farming methods.

State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock M Ashraf Ali Khan Khosru on Monday informed parliament that 64 species of fresh water fish in the country face extinction.