Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/298224
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 APRIL 2014 40 THIS WEEK Some days ago a bird turned up on Kemmuna that had a urry of birdwatchers ferrying over to spot it. It was a hoopoe lark (M: alwetta bumunqar). Now the hoopoe lark is neither big (not much bigger than a sparrow) nor impressively coloured (its sandy plumage actually makes it hard to spot in the dry scrub habitat it loves). No, what set the birders' hearts a utter was its rarity: the last hoopoe lark on record was seen – and shot by a socio-cultural hunter – almost 30 years ago. Hoopoe larks are widespread, if elusive, birds across the scrublands of North Africa but they don't usually migrate, so that little bit of sea between us and the African coast makes a very e ective barrier to birds who don't move much. But luckily for bird lovers and naturalists, unusual birds from the Maghreb do sometimes turn up here, and Kemmuna is one great place for birds of open countryside. It's quiet, largely undeveloped, remote and a Bird Sanctuary. May it always stay like that. For birds. For people. For ever. A happy Easter to all. Text Victor Falzon | Photo Raymond Galea 400. HOOPOE LARK Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us www.foemalta.org. You can also support us by sending a blank SMS donation on 50618070 (€4.66) or 50619223 (€11.65). GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 301: DITCH THE COTTON WOOL - Save waste in the bathroom; instead of removing make-up with disposable cotton wool balls, invest in a washable flannel This target relates specifically to known threatened species. IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species currently lists more than 19,000 species as being threatened globally. Threatened species include those species which are classified as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. Other categories used by IUCN to describe the conservation status of species include near threatened, least concern, extinct in the wild, extinct or data deficient. In addition many countries may have their own lists of threatened species. This target has two components. The first component deals with preventing further extinction, entailing that those species which are currently threatened do not move into the extinct category. Of the more 19,000 species known to be threatened globally, more than 3,900 are classified as critically endangered. Critically endangered species are considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. The second component deals with improving the conservation status of threatened species. An improvement in conservation status would entail a species increasing in population to a point where it moves into a lower threat status. Using the IUCN criteria a species would no longer be considered as threatened once it moved into the near threatened category. Though some extinctions are the result of natural processes, human action have greatly increased current extinction rates. Reducing the threat of human-induced extinction requires action to address the direct and indirect drivers of change and can be long term processes. However, imminent extinctions of known threatened species can in many cases be prevented by protecting important habitats or by addressing the specific direct causes of the decline of these species (such as overexploitation, invasive alien species, pollution and disease). As part of its national obligations Malta targets that by 2020, the risk of local extirpation of known threatened species is to be reduced, with 30% of the species of European Community Importance in the Maltese territory having a favourable or improved conservation status. Aichi Biodiversity Targets – Extinction prevented Malta-based game research comes first in European funding proposals A University of Malta research project was recently ranked first from over one thousand EU re- search proposals from all disci- plines in the Marie Curie strand of the EU's FP7 programme. The Au- toGameDesign project, directed by Prof. Georgios N. Yannakakis of the Institute of Digital Games, aims to investigate how machines can auto- matically design complete playable games that are novel and surprising to humans. The project will also in- vestigate the relationship between human and computational creativi- ty, placing Malta in a prominent po- sition on the world map of research into computational creativity. This project is not the only success of the Institute of Digital Games, which has secured around €1 mil- lion in funds for the development of game research in Malta over the past year. The institute is currently involved in four EU funded projects in the areas of game artificial intelligence and game design, participating as a partner in two ICT projects (C2Learn, iLearnRW) and leading two Marie Curie projects (Auto- GameDesign, Ref lect) around the areas of game artificial intelligence and game design. The projects investigate different uses for ar- tificial intelligence technology in the design of games that foster the creativity of students (C2Learn) and assist students with learning difficulties such as dyslexia (iLe- arnRW). Games developed from these projects are planned to be tested in Maltese classrooms across the country during 2015 and are ex- pected to have an immediate impact on current pedagogical approaches with respect to both creativity and dyslexia. Prof. Yannakakis stated, "it has been the ideal start for my team and the institute; securing those research funds allowed us to hire internationally renowned people in the areas of game artificial intel- ligence and game design and boost the impact of the institute's re- search internationally. The benefits of this effort are already visible as both the games we develop and the algorithms we introduce have been receiving several awards in top- notch conferences/competitions in the area" For more information log on to game.edu.mt Prof. Georgios N. Yannakakis