FSD 2010 - News

5th International Symposium-Workshop on Frugivores and Seed Dispersal (1985-2010)

The next Frugivores of the Month will surprise you on 1st January 2010

The New Year is celebrated differently around the year. In France, The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, and adopted later that year. Thus, worldwide, we now celebrate the New Year on 1st of January. Still, from the view point of Nature, a new life cycle starts when day length increases, during the Winter Solstice on December 21 or 22 each year in the Northern Hemisphere, and June 20 or 21 in the Southern Hemisphere. In other countries, it starts with the new moon that will be on 15th of January in 2010. For sure, for every culture on the planet, the new year or new moon is a period of rebirth, of holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time. The VIP Santa Claus and his Reindeers are living at Poles (tick the good one depending on your location); their habitat is also threatened by climate change, with consequences for transportation of presents and the dispersal of seeds. Therefore, Santa Claus, Reinders and their habitats, from Poles to Equator, need protection in 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity.