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RAINFORESTS

Rainforests of the world
What are tropical rainforests?
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About rainforests
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MADAGASCAR

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FISH

Fish conservation
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PHOTO BLOG

3D forest mapping with lasers reveals substantial climate impact of selective logging in the Amazon (09/07/2010)
Collared Puffbird in the place with the world's highest biodiversity (09/07/2010)
Peeking macaque (08/31/2010)
Gecko meet insect (08/30/2010)
Colombian cowboys on the move (08/29/2010)
Micro frog discovered in Borneo (08/26/2010)
Frog shadow in New Guinea (08/26/2010)

DATA

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MONGABAY INTERNATIONAL

Español
Cultivar caracoles para salvar los górilas más raros del mundo (09/05/2010)
La certificación de la madera no es suficiente para salvar las selvas (09/01/2010)
Las Libélulas de Borneo (08/14/2010)
La reforestación de bosque tropical húmedo captura más carbono que las plantaciónes (08/14/2010)
Fotografía conservacionista: captura de imágenes para salvar la mayor selva tropical tempalda del mundo. Entrevista a Amy Gulick (08/02/2010)

Português
146 barragens ameaçam a bacia Amazônica (09/09/2010)
Animação do Google Earth mostra plano brasileiro de transformar a Amazônia em uma "série de reservatórios estagnados" (09/09/2010)
28 mil milhões de USD prometidos pelos países ricos para combater as alterações climáticas (09/08/2010)
Frio inesperado pode ter matado milhares de peixes na Bolívia, envenenando rios (09/06/2010)
Extensão da moratória de soja na Amazônia (09/03/2010)

Français
Le Myanmar crée la plus grande réserve de tigres du monde, favorisant par la même de nombreuses espèces menacées du sud-est asiatique (08/29/2010)
La reforestation en forêts tropicales capture plus de carbone que les plantations (08/29/2010)
Des étudiants participent à un camp associant nouvelles technologies et protection de la nature (08/29/2010)
Onze nouvelles espèces découvertes en France (08/14/2010)
Espèces oubliées: l'escargot géant des bois qui n'a pas de nom (08/14/2010)

Bahasa-Indonesia
80% Ekspansi Pertanian Tropis antara 1980-2000 Korbankan Hutan (09/07/2010)
Pedagang Cina Takut Akan Peraturan Impor Baru Atas Kayu Ilegal (09/06/2010)
Penggundulan Hutan Jatuh Secara Signifikan di Tahun 2010, Menurut Data Pendahuluan (09/06/2010)
Dapatkah Perangkap Kamera Selamatkan Kehidupan Rimba di Seluruh Dunia? (09/06/2010)
Foto: Bunglon 'Tarzan' Ditemukan di Madagaskar (09/04/2010)

日本語
サラワク政府と警察と伐採業者は、「共謀して先住民族コミュニティを威嚇し攻撃している」と断言する新しいレポート (08/14/2010)
クロマグロ戦争―グリーンピースとシーシェパード、絶滅危惧種の保全を求め戦術をエスカレート (07/13/2010)
アマゾン熱帯林、減少の勢いが緩む一方、火災が増加 (06/15/2010)
ボルネオ島石炭火力発電所の建設予定地－写真が伝える楽園の美 (06/09/2010)
フカヒレスープ、ハワイで禁止される (06/06/2010)

中国
网站促使人们关注野生动植物及它们的栖息地 (09/05/2010)
更环保的棕榈油运抵美国 (08/13/2010)
艾丽.麦克弗森宣传食用非法犀牛角杰里米.昂斯 (08/13/2010)
尽管对木材的出口实施了禁令，但是在马达加斯加对雨林的砍伐仍然在继续 (07/13/2010)
欧盟设置了禁令要求在2012年停止交易非法木材 (07/13/2010)

Italiano
网站促使人们关注野生动植物及它们的栖息地 (09/05/2010)
更环保的棕榈油运抵美国 (08/13/2010)
艾丽.麦克弗森宣传食用非法犀牛角杰里米.昂斯 (08/13/2010)
尽管对木材的出口实施了禁令，但是在马达加斯加对雨林的砍伐仍然在继续 (07/13/2010)
欧盟设置了禁令要求在2012年停止交易非法木材 (07/13/2010)

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RECENT NEWS

Frogs and friends at risk from booming global wildlife trade
(09/08/2010) Alejandra Goyenechea, International Counsel at Defenders of Wildlife and Chair of the Species Survival Network's (SSN) Amphibian Working Group, spoke with Laurel Neme on her 'The WildLife' radio show and podcast about the global amphibian trade. In her interview, Alejandra Goyenechea discusses the benefits of frogs and the many threats – such as habitat loss, climate change, pollution, invasive species, disease, and overexploitation – to their survival. Did you know frogs indicate environmental quality, like canaries in a coal mine? Or that many have medicinal properties, like the phantasmal poison dart frog which produces a painkiller 200 times the potency of morphine?

Linking satellite and socio-economic data helps explain deforestation, disease trends
(09/08/2010) To better understand what leads to environmental changes on Earth, Stanford's Eric Lambin combines remote satellite data with on-the- ground conversations with local residents. This in-depth knowledge may lead, for example, to less deforestation.

The role of wildlife conservation in human health
(09/07/2010) Livestock farming is an important traditional way for communities in sub-Saharan Africa to build and maintain wealth, as well as attain food security. Essentially, the transfrontier or transboundary conservation areas (TFCA) concept and current internationally accepted approaches to the management of transboundary animal diseases (TADs) are largely incompatible. The TFCA concept promotes free movement of wildlife over large geographic areas, whereas the present approach to the control of TADs (especially for directly transmitted infections) is to use vast fences to prevent movement of susceptible animals between areas where TADs occur and areas where they do not, and to similarly restrict trade in commodities derived from animals on the same basis. In short, the incompatibility between current regulatory approaches for the control of diseases of agro-economic importance and the vision of vast conservation landscapes without major fences needs to be reconciled in the interest of regional risk-diversification of land-use options and livelihood opportunities. An integrated, interdisciplinary approach offers the most promising way to address these issues—one where the well-being of wildlife and ecosystems, domestic animals, and Africa's people are assessed holistically, with a "One World – One Health" perspective.

Ecuador's tallest waterfall to be destroyed by Chinese dam
(09/07/2010) San Rafael Falls, Ecuador's tallest waterfall, is threatened by a Chinese-funded hydroelectric project, reports Save America's Forests, an environmental group.

Could forest conservation payments undermine organic agriculture?
(09/07/2010) Forest carbon payment programs like the proposed reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) mechanism could put pressure on wildlife-friendly farming techniques by increasing the need to intensify agricultural production, warns a paper published this June in Conservation Biology. The paper, written by Jaboury Ghazoul and Lian Pin Koh of ETH Zurich and myself in September 2009, posits that by increasing the opportunity cost of conversion of forest land for agriculture, REDD will potentially constrain the amount of land available to meet growing demand for food. Because organic agriculture and other biodiversity-friendly farming practices generally have lower yields than industrial agriculture, REDD will therefore encourage a shift toward from more productive forms of food production.

Despite pledge to crack down, illegal logging continues in Madagascar's rainforest parks
(09/06/2010) Despite government assurances that it would crack down on the rosewood trade, illegal logging continues in Madagascar's rainforest parks, according to new information provided by sources on the ground.

Peru's rainforest highway triggers surge in deforestation, according to new 3D forest mapping
(09/06/2010) Scientists using a combination of satellite imagery, airborne-laser technology, and ground-based plot surveys to create three-dimensional high resolution carbon maps of the Amazon rainforest have documented a surge in emissions from deforestation and selective logging following the paving of the Trans-Oceanic Highway in Peru. The study, published this week in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that selective logging and other forms of forest degradation in Peru account for nearly a third of emissions compared to deforestation alone.

'Snakes on a plane' trafficker gets 6 months in jail
(09/06/2010) Notorious wildlife trafficker Anson Wong has been fined 190,000 Malaysian ringgit ($61,000) and sentenced to 6 months in jail for attempting to smuggle 95 boa constrictors, reports the Malaysian Star.

Facing moratorium and criticism in Indonesia, Sinar Mas looks to Liberia for new palm oil opportunities
(09/05/2010) Singapore's Golden Agri-Resources, a holding of the embattled Sinar Mas Group, said it will form a partnership with the government of Liberia to establish a 220,000-hectare plantation in the West African nation, reports the Jakarta Globe.

Is carbon protection the same as biodiversity protection?
(09/05/2010) Protection of forests for their carbon value through Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) schemes has been increasing in recent years. These schemes concentrate on preserving forest cover, and thus have great potential for the conservation of natural biodiversity. Some (REDD+) initiatives already specifically take biodiversity protection into account.

80% of tropical agricultural expansion between 1980-2000 came at expense of forests
(09/02/2010) More than 80 percent of agricultural expansion in the tropics between 1980 and 2000 came at the expense of forests, reports research published last week in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study, based on analysis satellite images collected by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and led by Holly Gibbs of Stanford University, found that 55 percent of new agricultural land came at the expense of intact forests, while 28 percent came from disturbed forests. Another six percent came from shrub lands.

Vultures rebound in Cambodia; only Asian country with rising population
(09/02/2010) The number of threatened vultures in Cambodia is on the rise according to a new survey by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other members of the Cambodia Vulture Conservation Project.

Crackdown on illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam
(09/02/2010) A sweep of restaurants in Vietnam's Lam Dong Province turned up hundreds of pounds of illegal wildlife products, reports the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

21% of Africa's freshwater plants and animals threatened
(09/02/2010) 21 percent of African freshwater plant and animal species are threatened with extinction, according to a five year assessment of 5,167 freshwater species by 200 scientists.

Chinese traders fear new import restrictions on illegal timber
(09/02/2010) The China Timber and Wood Products Circulation Association (CTWPCA) is seeking to establish a body to help importers navigate new environmental regulations in the United States and Europe that restrict trade in illegally logged timber, reports the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO).

Burger King drops palm oil supplier linked to Borneo rainforest destruction
(09/02/2010) Burger King announced it would no longer source palm oil from Sinar Mas, an Indonesian conglomerate, after an independent audit showed one of the company's subsidiaries had destroyed rainforests and carbon-dense peatlands in Borneo and Sumatra, according to a statement on the fast food chain's Facebook page.

Secret titanium mine threatens Cambodia's most untouched forest
(09/01/2010) Although the mining consortium, United Khmer Group, has been drawing up plans to build a massive titanium mine in a Cambodian protected forest for three years, the development did not become public knowledge until rural villagers came face-to-face with bulldozers and trucks building access roads. Reaction against the secret mine was swift as environmentalists feared for the impacts on wildlife and the rivers, local villagers saw a looming threat to their burgeoning eco-tourism trade, and Cambodian newspapers began to question statements by the mining corporation. While the government has suspended the roadwork to look more closely at the mining plans, Cambodians wait in uncertainty over the fate of one of most isolated and intact ecosystems in Southeast Asia: the Cardamom Mountains.

Morgan Stanley to underwrite coal mining on Borneo
(09/01/2010) Morgan Stanley, CIMB Securities, and Credit Suisse will underwrite the initial public offering of PT Borneo Lumbung Energi (Borneo Energy), a company that owns Asmin Koalindo Tuhup, a mining company that operates in Central Kalimantan in Indonesia Borneo, reports ANTARA.

NASA: surge in Amazon fires
(08/31/2010) The number of fire hotspots has surged in the Bolivian and Brazilian parts of the Amazon, reveals data and imagery from NASA.

Amazon deforestation falls significantly in 2010, according to preliminary data
(08/31/2010) Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is down significantly since last year, according to preliminary estimates released by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and Imazon, a Brazil-based NGO that tracks forest loss and degradation across the Amazon. Analysis of NASA MODIS data by Imazon found some 1,488 square kilometers of forest were cleared during the 12 months ended July 31, 2010, down 16 percent from the same period last year, when 1,766 square kilometers were deforested. Meanwhile analysis by INPE shows an even steeper drop from 4,375 square kilometers in August 2008 through July 2009 to 2,296 square kilometers in the current period, a decline of 48 percent. The discrepancy between INPE's and Imazon's estimates results from differences in how deforestation is tracked.

Could camera traps save wildlife worldwide?
(08/31/2010) It's safe to say that the humble camera trap has revolutionized wildlife conservation. This simple contraption—an automated digital camera that takes a flash photo whenever an animal triggers an infrared sensor—has allowed scientists to collect photographic evidence of rarely seen, and often globally endangered species, with little expense and relative ease—at least compared to tromping through tropical forests and swamps looking for endangered rhino scat . Now researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) are taking the utility of the camera trap one step further: a study in Animal Conservation uses a novel methodology, entitled the Wildlife Picture Index (WPI), to analyze population trends of 26 species in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. While the study found a bleak decline in species, it shows the potential of camera traps for moving conservation forward since it marks the first time researchers have used camera traps to analyze long-term population trends of multiple species.

Photos: 'Tarzan' chameleon discovered in Madagascar
(08/31/2010) Scientists have discovered a new species of chameleon in a small block of rainforest in Madagascar.

Cold snap may have killed millions of fish in Bolivia, poisoning rivers
(08/31/2010) Although the last few months have been some of the warmest worldwide on record, including 17 countries reaching or breaking all-time highs, temperatures have not been above average everywhere. Cold air from Antarctica has brought chilling temperatures to parts of South America, including Bolivia where millions of fish and thousands of caimans, turtles, and river dolphins have perished according to Nature Communications.

Coral reef survival depends on the super small, an interview with Forest Rohwer
(08/30/2010) If you take a teaspoon and dip it into the ocean what will you have? Some drops of lifeless water? Only a few decades ago this is what scientists would have said, however, the development of increasingly powerful microscopes have shown us a world long unknown, which has vital importance for the survival of one of the world's most threatened and most treasured ecosystems: coral reefs. A single milliliter of water is now known to contain at least a million living microbes, i.e. organisms too small to see without a microscope. After discovering their super-abundant presence, researchers are now beginning to uncover how these incredibly tiny life-forms shape the fate of the world's coral reefs.

Google Earth animation shows Brazilian plans to turn Amazon into 'series of stagnant reservoirs'
(08/30/2010) The decision last week by the Brazilian government to move forward on the $17 billion Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu river will set in motion a plan to build more than 100 dams across the Amazon basin, potentially turning tributaries of the world's largest river into 'an endless series of stagnant reservoirs', says a new short film released by Amazon Watch and International Rivers.

How best to balance economic growth and protection of the environment?
(08/30/2010) When people are hungry for an uncertain income, they will destroy everything. When people become poor due to a poor decision they were excluded from making, who should be responsible for that? Development is seen as the answer to poverty. However, many controversial developments have actually increased poverty, and while the investors in such schemes may benefit, the local people pay the price. This happened in Tundai, a fishing village in the ex-mega rice area near Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. When central government in the 1990s decided to convert the peat swamp forests into rice fields, the community had no voice or involvement in the decision. The project failed. Now over a million hectares of former lush forests have become a wasteland, and the people of Tundai have been thrust into poverty.

Rapid growth of palm oil industry tramples indigenous peoples' rights, says report
(08/30/2010) Rapid expansion of oil palm plantations across Southeast Asia have run roughshod over customary tenure systems, resulting in exploitation of local communities, conflict, and outright human rights abuses, reports a new assessment of the palm oil sector by the Forest Peoples Programme (FPP), an international indigenous rights group.

EU's biofuels target driving land grabs in Africa, says group
(08/30/2010) The European Union's renewable fuels target is driving land grabs in Africa that threaten the environment and local communities, claims a new report from Friends of the Earth (FOE).

A slow comeback for the endangered Eurasian otter in France
(08/29/2010) In the late 1970s, the fate of the Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra) in France was very gloomy. By just looking at the otter's range map, one could see that most of the country was left with vast regions devoid of a species that was once found in every region. Estimations barely reached 1,500 otters left in the wild for the whole country. Today, 2,000 to 3,000 individuals are believed to room in creeks and rivers mostly in the Massif Central, the Atlantic side (Bretagne) and western area, in particular in the wetland of Poitevin. The upward trend in population size is good news and a step towards reconstituting sustainable populations, however, the overall population is still critically low. By contrast, in the early 1900s otters were quite abundant in France with over 50,000 wild animals.

Snakes on a plane! Malaysian reptile trafficker busted at airport
(08/28/2010) A notorious reptile smuggler has been busted at Malaysia Kuala Lumpur International Airport after his luggage was found to contain 98 snakes and a turtle, reports the Malaysian Star.

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