Weekly Newsletter | | Other topics

News articles on Conservation

---

Mongabay.com news articles on conservation in blog format. Updated regularly.

Mozambique Gets World Bank Conservation, Tourism Project
(12/5/2005) More of Mozambique's natural ecosystems will be conserved, and thus draw more tourism to the country, thanks to a World Bank-funded project that aims to promote economic growth through sustainable use of natural resources.


Rainforests worth $1.1 trillion for carbon alone in Coalition nations
(11/29/2005) If a coalition of developing countries has its way, there could soon be new forests sprouting up in tropical regions. The group of ten countries, led by Papua New Guinea, has proposed that wealthy countries pay them to preserve their rainforests. The Coalition for Rainforest Nations argues that all countries should pay for the benefits -- from carbon sequestration to watershed protection -- that tropical rainforests provide.


Developing countries: pay us to save rainforests
(11/27/2005) At this week's United Nations summit on climate change in Montreal a coalition of tropical developing countries plans to propose that wealthy countries pay them to preserve their rainforests. The group of 10 countries, led by Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica, will argue that they should be compensated for the services rainforests provide the rest of the world.


Pantanal wetland in Bolivia threatened by port project says WWF
(11/20/2005) Plans for the construction of a commercial port and railway access line crossing Bolivia's Otuquis National Park -- a protected area and Ramsar site located in the heart of the world's largest wetland area, the Pantanal -- must be radically restructured so that it doesn't cause irreparable environmental damage and economic losses, warns WWF.


Mangrove forests protected areas from 2004 tsunami says new study
(11/18/2005) A study released in late October shows that areas buffered by coastal forests, like mangroves, were less damaged by the 2004 tsunami than areas without tree vegetation. Last week the FAO reported that 20% of the world's mangrove forests have disappeared since 1980.


Logging threatens Mayan ruin, forest in Guatemala
(11/13/2005) In the tropical forests of Guatemala, poor rural farmers and loggers are battling environmentalists, archaeologists, and Mel Gibson over the establishment of a 525,000-acre Mayan national park.


Conservation groups sue Bush administration over endangered species delays
(11/9/2005) A coalition of conservation groups filed a complaint late yesterday against the Bush Administration for delaying protection of hundreds of wildlife species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, leaving 283 plants and animals on a perpetual candidate waiting list. Since passage of the Act, at least 24 candidate species have gone extinct waiting for protection.


Mauritius PM blocks road threatening endangered forest
(11/7/2005) Work started last year to build a highway through Ferney Valley, primarily to service the island's lucrative tourism industry, but environmentalists say it would wipe out flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world.


Papua New Guinea adds 12 new protected areas
(11/4/2005) The government of Papua New Guinea announced that it will gazette 12 new protected areas covering some of the country's most biologically diverse forests, wetlands and coral reefs.


Avian flu vaccine under development with help of WCS
(11/3/2005) Avian influenza virus samples collected from wild birds in Mongolia by field veterinarians from the New York City-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have been selected by the World Health Organization to be part of a new human pandemic influenza vaccine currently in development. The samples, collected in the midst of an outbreak in August killing wild ducks, geese and swans in northern Mongolia have unique genetic characteristics which make them a valuable addition to a human vaccine based on a variety of strains of influenza.


Rainforest conservation worth the cost shows new study
(11/2/2005) The economic benefits of protecting a rainforest reserve outweigh the costs of preserving it, says University of Alberta research--the first of its kind to have conducted a cost-benefit analysis on the conservation of species diversity. "The traditional moral and aesthetic arguments have been made about why we should conserve the biodiversity in rainforests, but little has been done that looks at whether it makes pure economic sense to do so," said Dr. Robin Naidoo, who did his PhD at the U of A in biological sciences and rural economy. "We provide some good evidence from a strict economic side, that yes, it does."


Congo's Kabila calls for rainforest protection
(10/30/2005) The world's second largest rainforest stands a greater chance of being protected after Congo's president finally backed a largely ignored ban on new logging, conservation group Greenpeace said on Friday.


Wildlife conservation can be a 'win win' choice of land use -- new book
(10/12/2005) Experts from East and Southern Africa have some grass roots ideas for tackling the immense challenges Africa faces at the wildlife / domestic animal / human health interface-- and they hope the West is listening.


Great White Shark swims 12,400 miles, shocks scientists
(10/6/2005) A female great white shark tagged in waters off South Africa has completed the first known transoceanic trip for an individual shark, traveling farther than any other shark known, more than 12,400 miles (more than 20,000 kilometers) to the coast of Australia and back again, according to the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other organizations in the most recent edition of the journal Science.


Python explodes after swallowing 6-foot alligator in Florida Everglades
(10/5/2005) The National Park Service released photos that show the carcass of an American alligator that was almost swallowed by a Burmese python.


Conservation agriculture holds promise for food production in Africa
(10/4/2005) Conservation agriculture holds considerable promise for farmers in sub-Saharan Africa because it can control soil erosion, reverse land degradation, give more stable yields and reduce labour and fuel needs, FAO said today on the eve of the Third World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in Nairobi .


Gorillas use tools - photo documentation
(9/29/2005) For the first time ever, scientists have observed and photographed wild gorillas using tools, in one instance employing a stick to test the depth of a pool before wading into it, according to a study by the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other organizations. Up to this point, all other species of great apes, including chimpanzees and orangutans, have been observed using tools in the wild, but never gorillas.


Cocaine destroying rainforest parks in Colombia
(9/28/2005) Cocaine is killing the great nature parks of Colombia. Government spraying of coca plant killer is driving growers and traffickers out of their usual territory into national parks where spraying is banned. Here they are burning thousands of acres of virgin rain forest and poisoning rivers with chemicals.


Gabon sets aside 10 percent of country as protected parks
(9/24/2005) In a move that sets a new standard in African conservation, the nation of Gabon, which contains some of the most pristine tropical rainforests on earth, announced today that it will set aside 10 percent of its land mass for a system of national parks. Up to this point, Gabon had no national park system. The Gabonese government has been working closely with The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) on conservation issues for the past ten years. The announcement is a major victory for Africa's wildlife.


Palm oil plantations decimating orang-utans says report
(9/23/2005) UK company demand for palm oil, a vegetable oil found in one in ten products on supermarket shelves, is driving the orang-utan towards extinction, new research reveals. The `Oil for Ape Scandal', published today by Friends of the Earth and the world's leading orang-utan conservation groups, concludes that without urgent intervention the palm oil trade could cause the extinction of Asia's only great ape within 12 years.


Climate change could have significant impact on health of Australians
(9/22/2005) The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) are calling for a national response to one of the world's most significant environmental threats -- climate change and its effect on human health.


New York City to dim lights to protect migrating birds
(9/21/2005) New York civic leaders on Tuesday said the lights of buildings above the 40th floor will be turned off after midnight in the fall and spring migration seasons to save birds. Since 1997, more than 4,000 migratory birds have been killed or injured from colliding into skyscrapers, bird experts said.


Conservation scientists want $404 million to save disappearing amphibians
(9/20/2005) Yesterday conservation scientists proposed a $404 million effort to preserve declining global amphibian poplations. The strategy would call for funding from governments, private institutions and individual donors to finance long-term research, protect critical habitats, reduce the trade in amphibians for food and pets, and establish captive breeding programs.


Builder of rainforest canopy walkways believes conservation can be profitable
(9/20/2005) This month's issue of The Ecological Finance Review details Greenheart Conservation Company, a for-profit company that designs, builds and operates conservation based canopy walkways (canopy trails) and other nature-based attractions around the world. Operating on the premise that conservation can be economically viable, Greenheart believes that is has already become a "model of how to shift gears from an industrial to a green economy." Greenheart has developed or is developing canopy walkways in Peru, Nigeria, Madagascar, Ghana, Brazil, Guyana, the United Kingdon, and Canada.


WCS supports new primate protection agreement
(9/14/2005) The Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced today that a new international agreement signed last week in the Democratic Republic of Congo will play a key role in safeguarding and improving populations of the world's great apes, including gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans.


Virunga hippo population falling rapidly from poaching
(9/12/2005) A new aerial survey shows that the hippo population in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo will soon be extinct due to rampant poaching for hippo teeth and meat, WWF warned today.


Chernobyl environment and people recovering
(9/6/2005) Chernobyl's ecosystems seem to be recovering just 19 years after the region was badly contaminated with radiation from a nuclear meltdown according to a report backed by the United Nations.


Poverty decimates great apes
(9/5/2005) Fewer than 250 wild Sumatran orangutans may exist in fifty years, their habitat is disappearing and the devastation of the Asian tsunami has accelerated the rate of destruction. This is among the findings being announced at the launch of the first World Atlas of Great Apes and their Conservation by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, which reveals that it is not just humans that will benefit from a campaign to 'make poverty history'. For the other 6 species of great ape -- the eastern and western gorilla, chimpanzee, bonobo, Sumatran and Bornean orangutan -- it could literally save them from the cooking pot.


Rare asiatic cheetahs pictured in Iran
(8/30/2005) Researchers working in Iran made a suprising discovery that had nothing to do with nuclear weapons. Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) scientists, working in conjunction with Iran's Department of Environment (DOE) recently discovered that a remote camera set out to survey wildlife had photographed an entire family of extremely rare Asiatic cheetahs in an isolated region in the Dar-e Anjir Wildlife Refuge. The pictures show an adult female and her four youngsters resting in the shade of a tree, marking the largest-known group of these rare cats ever photographed in Asia.


Two big conservation annoucements expected at upcoming wilderness conference
(8/24/2005) The 8th World Wilderness Congress (WWC), convening from September 30 -- October 6, 2005 at the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage, Alaska, is a public forum expected to attract more than 1,000 conservationists and experts from 40 countries. Reporters are welcome to attend.


Wilderness Congress provides news angles for reporters
(8/23/2005) The 8th World Wilderness Congress (WWC), convening from September 30 -- October 6, 2005 at the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage, Alaska, is a public forum expected to attract more than 1,000 conservationists and experts from 55 countries. Reporters are welcome to attend.


Plan to move African wildlife to America would undermine ecotourism and African economies
(8/23/2005) A proposal to create a refuge for African wildlife in North America has come under harsh criticism from African conservationists according to a report from Sapa-AFP.


Aerial survey of African continent completed, results eagerly awaited
(8/22/2005) Dr. Michael Fay, a world-renowned conservationist and explorer famous for his 15-month, 2,000 mile walk through Central Africa's forests, will offer the first report on his latest expedition at the upcoming 8th World Wilderness Congress (WWC), convening from September 30 -- October 6, 2005 in Anchorage, Alaska.


Wilderness Congress Will Focus on Wildlands and People
(8/21/2005) The 8th World Wilderness Congress (WWC) will convene from September 30 -- October 6, 2005 at the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage, Alaska. The Congress is expected to attract more than 1,000 experts from 40 countries, including numerous high-profile and senior-level political and corporate speakers.


Sex sells sea turtle conservation in Mexico
(8/19/2005) Mexican authorities announced they will use posters of scantily dressed young women to promote the protection of endangered sea turtles. The promotion comes just weeks after some 80 protected Olive Ridley sea turtles were found chopped to pieces on Escobilla beach in Oaxaca, Mexico.


Avian flu, H5N1, identified in wild Mongolian birds
(8/18/2005) The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has positively identified the pathogenic form of avian flu--H5N1--in samples taken from birds last week in Mongolia by field veterinarians from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). It is the first instance of this viral strain occurring in wild migratory birds with no apparent contact to domestic poultry or waterfowl.


Humpback whale tracked migrating between ocean basins
(8/18/2005) For the first time ever, a genetic study has followed a single humpback whale from one ocean basin to another, adding to traditional notions of the migratory patterns of these majestic marine mammals in the process, according to researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), and New York University.


Andes of South America are world's biodiversity champion says news study
(8/18/2005) The first full map of where the world's birds live reveals their diversity 'hotspots' and will help to focus conservation efforts, according to research published in Nature today (18 August).


1,000 wild orang-utans poached a year says WWF
(8/6/2005) The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), a leading conservation group, estimates that 1,000 orang-utans are poached annually from the wild, often for sale as pets for the wealthy. The organization says there are some 30,000 to 40,000 orang-utans left in the wild.


Spicy peppers keep elephants out of farmers' fields
(7/28/2005) Fiery chillies keep elephants out of crops and make a great sauce, say African entrepreneurs.


Zoologists to discuss latest in animal enrichment techniques
(7/27/2005) The Wildlife Conservation Society is hosting the 2005 International Conference on Environmental Enrichment where zoologists from 15 countries will gather to learn about the latest in animal enrichment techniques to keep animals healthy and stimulated.


In Fiji locals grow "live rock" for aquarium trade with university help
(7/26/2005) In a unique project that combines environmental conservation, economic development and drug discovery research, scientists and policy experts led by the Georgia Institute of Technology are collaborating with the villagers of Tagaqe and the University of the South Pacific to explore, protect and generate income for islanders from their shallow fringing coral reef.


Sea turtles protected in Costa Rica are killed in Nicaragua
(7/26/2005) Sea turtles that receive the highest protection in Costa Rica and other neighboring countries are dying by the thousands at the hands of unregulated - and unsustainable - commercial fishing in Nicaragua, according to a study by the Bronx Zoo based Wildlife Conservation Society.


How to Raise $1 Billion for the Environment
(7/20/2005) Our research indicates there are over 4000 ecological entrepreneurs attempting to start and run businesses that will resolve the globe's ecological challenges. Our anecdotal evidence suggests that each and every one of them is looking for the same $1 million to get off the ground.


Microchip implant saves endangered turtle from the cooking pot
(7/18/2005) An extremely rare "royal" turtle narrowly escaped a trip to a Chinese soup-pot, thanks to a tiny microchip implanted in its skin, according to experts from the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), who rediscovered the species four years ago in Cambodia.


Controlling Wildlife Trade Key to Preventing Health Crises, Study Says
(7/5/2005) According to a study by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, controlling the movements of wildlife in markets is a cost-effective means of keeping potential deadly pandemics such as SARS and influenza from occurring. The study appears in the July edition of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The cost of controlling the spread of diseases afflicting both human and animal populations has reached hundreds of billions of dollars globally.


Toad on brink of extinction, scientists race to study for bioactive compounds
(6/29/2005) Following the construction of a dam in Tanzania, the Kihansi Spray Toad sits on the brink of extinction. Scientists are racing to study the amphibian for bioactive compounds with potential medical applications.


Siberian tiger population stabilizes according to new census figures
(6/28/2005) Results of the latest full range survey indicate that tiger numbers in Russia appear to be stable, say the coordinators of a 2005 winter effort to count the animals, led by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society.


Ebola, SARS battle requires new look at humans, livestock, and wildlife relationships
(6/28/2005) The threat of potential pandemics such as Ebola, SARS, and avian influenza demands a more holistic approach to disease control, one that prevents diseases from crossing the divide between humans, their livestock, and wildlife, according to a report in the journal Foreign Affairs. This "One World, One Health" concept, as described by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) veterinary staff, calls for the integration of efforts to deal proactively with disease threats to human and animal health before they reach crisis levels.


Protectors of wildlife in war-torn Congo recognized with new Award
(6/1/2005) Abraham Prize Awarded to Families of Murdered Guards, Survivors of Poaching, Rebel Attacks; UNESCO World Heritage Site Parks Still Under Siege.



Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 | Page 10

home | archives | news | XML / RSS feeds


XML / RSS / Syndication options

mongabay.com features more than 250 RSS feeds to meet your specific area of interest

All mongabay.com news
Only rainforest news
Only Brazil news
Only Biodiversity news
Only Climate Change news
Only Madagascar news

more XML feeds