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mongabay.com news - October 2007Successful relocation of villagers from wildlife sanctuary -- 09/29/2007The Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is located in India's Western Ghats mountain range. The sanctuary contains some of India's most celebrated and endangered wildlife, including the Bengal Tiger and Asian Elephant. Other mammals include the Guar, Sambar, Slender Loris, Chital, and Leopard. The sanctuary is also rich in bird species (nearly 300 have been recorded) and butterflies. As well, the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is one of twenty-seven reserves that are apart of Project Tiger: a program to save's India's last tigers and their habitats. In addition to containing some of India's richest biodiversity (recently India has applied for the Western Ghats to gain World Heritage status), the sanctuary was at one time home to thirteen villages that increasingly affected, and were affected by, their protected surroundings. In 2002 eleven of these thirteen villages were relocated to two towns outside of the sanctuary. 11 new species discovered in Vietnam's Green Corridor -- 09/29/2007 On September 26th, scientists from World Wildlife Fund announced the discovery of eleven new species: one snake, two butterflies, five orchids, and three other plants in Vietnam's biologically rich Green Corridor. The discoveries were made between 2005 and 2006. Environmentalists and palm oil producers should work together -- 09/25/2007 Environmentalists and palm-oil producers are increasingly at odds. Greens groups say palm oil is driving the conversion of tens of thousands of hectares of peatlands and lowland forest in Indonesia, putting wildlife at risk, increasing the vulnerability of forests to fires, and triggering large emissions of greenhouse gases. CO2 emissions cause ocean acidification, threaten sea life -- 09/27/2007 Human-induced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions could alter ocean chemistry to the point where it will violate U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Quality Criteria by mid-century if emissions are not significantly reduce, reports a team of scientists writing in the September 25, 2007 issue of Geophysical Research Letters. The commentary is the first to warn that atmospheric CO2 emissions will cause ocean waters to violate EPA water quality criteria. Carbon for forests will help Aceh recover from war, tsunami -- 09/18/2007 Carbon credits through forest conservation will play an important role in Aceh's recovery from decades of civil war and the devastating 2004 tsunami, which left more than 167,000 people dead and 500,000 homeless in the Indonesia province, said Aceh governor Irwandi Jusuf in meeting in San Francisco. Do Costa Rica's payments for environmental services work? -- 09/17/2007 While Costa Rica is now known as a world leader for conversation policies and ecotourism, the Central American country had some of the world's highest deforestation rates prior to establishing its reputation. Clearing for cattle pasture and agriculture destroyed much of the country's biodiverse rainforests in the 1960s and 1970s. Northwest Passage now open for business -- 09/15/2007 Melting sea ice has opened the Northwest Passage in the Arctic to navigation, reports the European Space Agency. The clearing allows direct access between the North Pacific and North Atlantic and could eventually be a cheaper shipping route that the Panama Canal. Arctic sea ice thickness only half of 2001 level -- 09/14/2007 Arctic sea is thinning and disappearing, report German researchers. An Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research expedition to the North Polar Sea found that large areas of the Arctic sea-ice are only one meter thick this year -- half the thickness found in 2001. The findings support concerns that large expanses of polar ice could soon disppaear from the Arctic during summer months. Bush aides say mankind responsible for global warming -- 09/14/2007 Dr. John Marburger, President George W. Bush's chief scientific advisor, said it is more than 90 percent certain that greenhouse gas emissions to blame for rising global temperatures, according to BBC News. Environmentalists announce support for carbon trading -- 09/14/2007 A coalition of environmental groups announced it will support the development of carbon trading policies that help protect tropical rainforests and other important ecosystems, noting that "conservation alone has proven no match for commerce." 38 key global environmental indicators worsen - report -- 09/14/2007 Consumption of energy and many other critical resources is consistently breaking records, disrupting the climate and undermining life on the planet, according to the latest Worldwatch Institute report, Vital Signs 2007-2008. Rainforest countries form pact to push global warming solutions -- 09/13/2007 Eight tropical countries containing 80 percent of the world's remaining tropical forest cover have formed an alliance to have forest conservation included in a post-Kyoto agreement on climate change, reports the Financial Times. The "Forestry Eight", as the group is called, includes Brazil, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Congo and Indonesia. Apology for Whale Shooting given by Tribe -- 09/13/2007 The ninth of September saw a gray whale shot and killed by members of the Makah Tribe, off the coast of the Washington Coast, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. China urged to join sustainable soy efforts in the Amazon -- 09/12/2007 Brazilian soy crushers have urged China to join an alliance to promote sustainable soybean production in the Amazon, according to Reuters. Brazil, soon to be the world's largest producer of soybeans, recently formed the Global Roundtable on Responsible Soy Association as concerns grow that global demand for biofuels will level the Amazon rainforest. Environmentalists say demand from China is playing an important role in surging soybean production in the region. Arctic sea ice melts to all-time record low -- 09/12/2007 Sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean is presently 20 percent below its all time lowest extent and may decline further before winter, said scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder (NSIDC). 7.8 earthquake strikes Indonesia hours after 8.4 quake -- 09/12/2007 A second powerful earthquake struck Indonesia, just 12 hours after it was rocked by the strongest earthquake of 2007. Wind power takes a toll on migratory bats -- 09/12/2007 The danger of wind turbines to birds has long been known and well documented. Most recently several studies and articles have attempted to place the level of bird casualties in perspective: "More birds killed by cats than wind turbines". But lesser known--and lesser studied--is the effect wind turbines have on bat populations. Collisions between groups of bats and wind turbines have been observed at numerous turbines in America, Australia, and Europe. While these fatalities, sometimes killing hundreds of bats, have been seen for years, their cause remains unknown. Clean energy will improve health of the world's poor -- 09/12/2007 Clean energy will help people live longer and healthier lives reports a study published in The Lancet. The research recommends a switch from fossil fuels towards renewable energy and improved access to electricity for the world's poor. World needs a 10% meat diet to fight global warming -- 09/12/2007 Cutting world meat consumption by 10 percent would have a substantial impact on greenhouse emissions, say doctors writing in the health journal The Lancet. Global warming is killing trees in California parks -- 09/12/2007 A new study ties a 22 percent increase in mortality among trees in the California Sierra Nevadas to a temperature-driven increase in drought. Climate change did not cause extinction of Neanderthals -- 09/12/2007 Researchers in Europe have found evidence that rules out a "single climatic event" as factor in the extinction of Neanderthals. 16,306 species threatened with extinction -- 09/12/2007 16,306 of 41,415 species on the IUCN Red List are threatened with extinction, reports the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The total number of known extinct species now stands at 785, while a further 65 are only found in captivity or in cultivation. One in four mammals, one in eight birds, one third of all amphibians and 70% of the world's assessed plants on the 2007 IUCN Red List are considered at risk. Ebola outbreak in Congo kills 166 -- 09/12/2007 An Ebola outbreak has been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, reported the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday. 8.2 magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia, minor tsunami reported -- 09/12/2007 An 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia Wednesday at 6:10 pm local time. The epicenter was located 130 km (80 miles) southwest of Bengkulu, Sumatra and 620 km (385 miles) west-northwest of Jakarta at a depth of 30 km (18.6 miles). There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Bird flies 7,150 miles in a week -- 09/11/2007 The bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica baueri) makes the longest non-stop migratory flight of any bird species in the world, reports a new study. Flooding in India Leaves 3.5 million Homeless -- 09/11/2007 The Indian military has been evacuating thousands of people from Assam, a state in northeastern India, after Monsoon rains flooded rivers. So far, 3.5 million people have been directly affected by the floods, in a state of 27 million. A total of 2,000 villages have been completely submerged by the floods, in some of the worst flooding in years. Land-clearing fires send smoke across Argentina, Paraguay -- 09/11/2007 Thousands of fires likely set for land-clearing are sending thick smoke over southern South America, reports NASA. Wolves push out coyotes in wilderness areas -- 09/11/2007 Coyote densities are more than 30 percent lower in areas they share with wolves, according to a paper published in the most recent edition of the Journal of Animal Ecology. The results show that wolves limit the range and number of coyotes in an area. Slash-and-burn undermines timber prices in Indonesia -- 09/10/2007 Illegal slash-and-burn activities undermined Indonesian timber prices this summer, reports the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). Better fine collection would cut illegal logging in the Brazilian Amazon -- 09/10/2007 Brazil needs to substantially increase the collection of fines in order to have any impact on slowing illegal logging in the Amazon rainforest, reports a new study from the Man and Environment Institute of the Amazon (IMAZON). Gray whale populations a fraction of historic level -- 09/10/2007 The current population of gray whales is one-third to one-fifth of the number found in the Pacific before industrial whaling began in the 19th century, reports a new study based on genetic analysis. Australia puts $100M toward protecting forest in Borneo -- 09/09/2007 Australian and Indonesian ministers signed a AU$100 million ($82M) deal to protect highly threatened forests on the island of Borneo, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Funds will go towards conservation and rehabilitation of degraded forests and peatlands. World's first sustainable tuna fishery certified -- 09/09/2007 The world's first certified sustainable tuna fishery was announced today, a move that could help save one of the world's most valuable fish -- and the fishing industry that relies on it -- from extinction. Indonesia misses reforestation target for 2007 -- 09/09/2007 Indonesia has missed its forest rehabilitation target by a wide margin due to lack of funds, reports the Jakarta Post. Carbon tax, not subsidies, will spur nuclear power -- 09/09/2007 A U.S. carbon tax, not government subsidies, should be used to spur investment in nuclear power, says The Economist. Two new species of salamander discovered in Panama -- 09/09/2007 Scientists have discovered two new species of salamanders from the mountainous Costa Rica-Panama border region. The findings, published by David B. Wake, Jay M. Savage, and James Hanken in the journal Copeia, push the number of salamanders known in the region to 24, making it a hotspot in terms of salamander biodiversity. Two-thirds of polar bears at risk of extinction by 2050 -- 09/07/2007 Two-thirds the world's polar bears could be threatened with extinction by 2050 due to melting sea ice, said U.S. government scientists Friday. U.S. Geological Survey scientists said that the United States (the north coast of Alaska) and Russian would likely lose all of their polar bear populations. The only bears expected to survive would be those in the northern Canadian Arctic islands and the west coast of Greenland. Overall, bears are forecast to lose 42 percent of the Arctic range they need to hunt and breed during summer months. Intel may power next generation of "$100 laptop" -- 09/07/2007 Intel is in talks to speed up the processor of the "$100 laptop" for children in developing countries, reports PC World. Felix Death Toll Washes Up on Coastline -- 09/07/2007 Nicaraguan and Honduran officials have announced that upwards of 100 people are confirmed dead, and another 120 still unaccounted for after Hurricane Felix made landfall earlier this week. Environmentalists may use Endangered Species Act to pressure gov't on global warming -- 09/07/2007 The addition of elkhorn and staghorn corals to the Endangered Species Act due to threats from climbing ocean temperatures, may be environmentalists' best weapon for levering the U.S. government into action on global warming, writes Mark Clayton of The Christian Science Monitor. Experts forecast large decline in Arctic sea ice -- 09/07/2007 Summer sea ice off Alaska's north coast will likely shrink to nearly half the area it covered in the 1980s by 2050, report scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The loss of ice would have a significant impact on mammals dependent on sea ice, including polar bear and walrus. Congress urged to protect big cats, endangered dogs -- 09/07/2007 Efforts to protect many of the world's largest and most endangered wild relatives of cats and dogs recently moved a step closer to victory with a congressional hearing on the Great Cats and Rare Canids bill. Today's hearing was the first since the bill's introduction in 2004, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society and other environmental groups which support this legislative initiative. La Nina may be coming -- 09/07/2007 Scientists with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center are predicting that another La Nina event is on its way, according to the latest monthly El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion. Tree resprouting offers hope in former pastures of Brazil's cerrado -- 09/06/2007 Deforested landscapes in the Brazilian cerrado show hopeful signs of recovery even after long periods of intensive use, reports a study published in the journal Biotropica. Analyzing the natural reestablishment of native trees in former pastureland located in the dry woodlands of the Brazilian cerrado, a team of researchers found that while species richness was lower in older pasture, density and composition of regenerating trees did not change with pasture age. Education key to financial support for biodiversity -- 09/06/2007 On the coast of south-western Spain, Coto Donana National Park posses a unique wealth of wildlife; its proximity to Africa has allowed for several African species to mix with a wide variety of European: Egyptian Mongooses and the Greater Flamingo live alongside wild boar and Spanish Red Deer. The coastal and wetland park provides a continual respite for hundreds of species of African and European birds. As well, the park is home to several endangered species including the Spanish Imperial Eagle, the Andalusian toothcarp, the Sabine (a variety of juniper pine), and the world's most endangered cat, the Iberian Lynx. Billions of disappearing bees linked to virus -- 09/06/2007 Scientists have linked the disappearance of tens of billions of bees to a virus, reports a study published in the 7 September issue of the journal Science. Colony collapse disorder (CCD), in which colonies inexplicably lose all of their worker bees, has been blamed for the loss of 50-90 percent of colonies in beekeeping operations across the U.S. Toddlers have higher social cognition skills than apes -- 09/06/2007 Toddlers have more sophisticated social learning skills than their closest primate relatives, researchers report in the 7 September issue of the journal Science. Brazil's threatened Atlantic forest may be more resilient than thought -- 09/06/2007 The Atlantic forest of Brazil, one of the world's most threatened biodiversity hotspots, may have served as a critical refuge for biodiversity during the ice ages. The findings suggest that despite being reduced to just 8 percent of its original extent due to agriculture and urban expansion, the Atlantic forest may be capable of recovery. In other words, the Atlantic forest may be more resilient to change than previously believed. Second set of jaws help moray eels feed -- 09/06/2007 Moray eels have a unique way of feeding reminiscent of a science fiction thriller, researchers at UC Davis have discovered. After seizing prey in its jaws, a second set of jaws located in the moray's throat reaches forward into the mouth, grabs the food and carries it back to the esophagus for swallowing. Squid chasing drove evolution of whale sonar -- 09/06/2007 A University of California at Berkeley study argues that dolphins and other toothed whales developed sonar to chase schools of squid swimming near the ocean surface at night. Can remittances and globalization help the environment? -- 09/05/2007 Globalization and other economic trends appear to be helping the degraded forests of El Salvador recover, reports new research that evaluated the impact of global trade, land policy changes, and remittances on forest cover. The study, by Susanna B. Hecht of University of California at Los Angeles and Sassan S. Saatchi of the California Institute of Technology, used socioeconomic data, land-use surveys, and satellite imagery to document significant increases in the area of El Salvador covered by both light woodlands and forest since peace accords were signed in the warn-torn country in 1992. U.S. has 957 billion tons on government land -- 09/05/2007 Wednesday, U.S. government agencies announced the country has about 957 billion tons in coal reserves on federal lands. More than half the total lies in Montana and Wyoming. Additional reserves are found on private lands. Malaysia suffers big drop in shorebird populations -- 09/05/2007 Malaysia suffered a big drop in shorebirds, reports a new study by Wetlands International. The environmental group attributes the 22 percent decline between 1983-1986 and 2004-2006 to destruction of habitat for aquaculture, agriculture, industry, housing and recreation. Researchers head to Congo to study Bonobo psychology -- 09/05/2007 Researchers have gone to the Democratic Republic of Congo to study the social behavior of bonobos -- a close relative of the chimpanzee -- in the Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary in Kinshasa. Apple introduces iPhone features on new iPod -- 09/05/2007 Apple introduced a new iPod with iPhone features, including a touch screen and Wi-Fi for wireless Internet capability. Big companies push energy efficiency -- 09/05/2007 Some of the world's largest companies are pushing green initiatives to improve energy efficiency in office buildings reports the Wall Street Journal. New Nebraska ethanol plants threaten Kansas water supplies -- 09/05/2007 Ethanol production is threatening water supplies in the American Midwest reports the Wall Street Journal. Rebels invade Congo gorilla sanctuary, park rangers evacuated -- 09/04/2007 Guerillas have invaded Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, causing park rangers to flee, and leaving critically endangered mountain gorillas at great risk, reports Wildlife Direct, a group that promotes wildlife protection through blogs by rangers and conservationists. Chupacabra story is a hoax; likely a Xolo dog breed -- 09/04/2007 An alleged chupacabra carcass found in Texas is likely a hoax to sell T-shirts say dog experts. The animal, described in an Associated Press report last week as "a cross between two or three different things", was found as road kill last month near the Texas town of Cuero. The woman who discovered the carcass has been using it to market chupacabra T-shirts. In lively Internet discussions dog breeders say the carcass appears to be a Xoloitzcuintle or Xolo, otherwise known as a Mexican Hairless dog, rather than the blood-sucking creature of legend. Felix: first time two Category-5 storms hit land in same season -- 09/04/2007 Hurricane Felix made landfall in Nicaragua around 7:45 a.m. Eastern Time as a Category 5 storm with top winds at 160 mph (260 km/h), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. $400/ton carbon tax needed to curb aviation emissions -- 09/04/2007 European Union proposals to reduce the climate impact of aviation will fail unless there is a substantial rise in carbon prices, concludes analysis by the Tyndall Centre, a UK-based climate research body. Friends of the Earth (FoE), an environmental lobby group, funded the study. Chinese demand takes toll on wildlife in Burma (Myanmar) -- 09/04/2007 If the market of Mong La is anything to go by, the remaining wild elephants, tigers and bears in Myanmar's forests are being hunted down slowly and sold to China. Loss of livestock breeds put food supplies at risk in poor countries -- 09/03/2007 A number of rare livestock breeds face extinction, a prospects the weakens genetic diversity and could be the food supply at risk in some parts of the world, warns a new report from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The group calls for the immediate establishment of genebanks to conserve reproductive material from the most threatened breeds. Industrial pollution acidifies ocean, threatens marine animals -- 09/03/2007 Ocean acidification, already a concern due to rising levels of carbon dioxide, is worsening due to nitric acid and sulfuric acid from industry, report researchers writing in this week's issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). Climate change drove human evolution -- 09/03/2007 Climate change appears to have been a significant driver of human evolution, report researchers writing in this week's issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). Investigation finds evidence of Borneo forest clearing for palm oil -- 09/02/2007 An Associated Press investigation found evidence of workers opening up rainforest land for new oil palm plantations in the heart of Borneo. Rare Chinese river dolphin sighting in doubt -- 09/01/2007 A prominent researcher is skeptical of last week's reported sighting of the baiji, the Chinese river dolphin declared extinct earlier this year, according to the New York Times. The sighting near Tongling city in Anhui Province -- widely reported in Chinese and Western media -- was captured on video. Legendary blood-sucking chupacabra found in Texas? -- 09/01/2007 Phylis Canion, a woman in Texas, believes she may have found the mythical blood-sucking chupacabra as roadkill near her ranch, reports the Associated Press. News index | RSS | News Feed Advertisements: Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing |
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