Main content

Episode 20

Episode 20 of 30

Saving Species reports the work of a Biologist who believes the Pika, a small mountain mammal, is being wrongly blamed for the degradation of grassland on the Tibetan plateau.

20/30 The Pika is a small mammal that lives in the high altitude grasslands in mountain ranges from Japan, through central Asia and North America. Andrew Smith and his team of field biologists from Arizona State University has studied the Pika for many years on the Tibetan Plateau. It's in Tibet, he claims, they are wrongly blamed for the degrading of the grasslands by the Chinese. We have been to see Andrew Smith and have a reply from the Chinese Academy of Science.

Also in the programme: Kelvin Boot reports the status of polar plankton from a meeting (about plankton) in Plymouth.

And the Curlew - the piping call of which contributes to the soundscape of uplands in summer and estuaries in winter, are seriously in decline in Ireland, SW Scotland and Wales. By how much and why we will find out.

Presented by Brett Westwood
Produced by Mary Colwell
Editor Julian Hector.

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Thu 6 Oct 2011 21:00

Broadcasts

  • Tue 4 Oct 2011 11:00
  • Thu 6 Oct 2011 21:00

The Open University

Get closer to the species with The Open University