Astroturf campaign by the Consumer Alliance for Global Prosperity suffers defeat
A campaign by the Consumer Alliance for Global Prosperity, a group that campaigns on behalf of Asia Pulp and Paper’s interests in the United States, failed to stop Kroger from banning APP’s paper products from its stores. Kroger, America’s largest grocery store, on Thursday said it would no longer sell Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) products due to concerns over deforestation. The move came after Greenpeace targeted Kroger,...
Saving nature in a post-wild world
Interview with Emma Marris, Author of Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World Guest post by the American Society of Landscape Architects. Emma Marris is author of Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World and has also written for Nature. Read her op-ed on the Anthropocene in The New York Times. In your new book, Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Nature World, you argue that “we are already...
How landscape design can protect New Orleans
Guest post by the American Society of Landscape Architects. Elizabeth Mossop. Image credit: Spackman Mossop + Michaels Since becoming the director of the School of Landscape Architecture at Louisiana State University (LSU), you focused on bringing the Delta Region back after Hurricane Katrina. You’re on the board of LSU’s Coastal Sustainability Studio, which features a great mix of scientists, engineers, and designers focused on...
Online liana research hub launches
The Liana Ecology Project has launched a web site that serves as a clearinghouse for information on liana and vine ecology, behavior, physiology, and more. The site includes a tool for individuals to contribute their work and has a database of 650 citations of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and graduate theses relating to...
‘Wildlife storytelling’ T-shirts benefit conservation projects
The The Tree Shirt House has launched a line of “wildlife storytelling” T-shirts made of 100% organic cotton. A portion of the proceeds from each shirt go toward various wildlife causes. Mongabay asked a few questions of The Tree Shirt House’s founders, Nicolas and Gabrielle. 1. What is your background and what led you to start your project? Nicolas and I had the typical expat life until the day we decided we were...
Final House vote on Brazil’s Forest Code likely delayed
Last week Brazil’s Senate voted in favor of the new Forest Code, which regulates how much forest a property owner is required to maintain. But before the new Forest Code becomes law, it must pass the lower house and then win approval by President Dilma Rousseff. With Congress going on recess this week, it now appears the vote will be delayed until after lawmakers return in February. Environmentalists are gearing up for a fight...
Malau Biobank launches consumer-facing site to fund rainforest rehabilitation
The Malau Biobank has launched a consumer-facing web site to fund conservation and rehabilitation of small patches of rainforest in a 34,000-hectare reserve in Malaysian Borneo. The site is available at protectmalua.com. The Malau Biobank originally launched as a vehicle for palm oil companies and other developers to buy biodiversity credits to bolster their conservation credentials. The project aims to restore a former logging...
One day only: free download of wildlife photography book
For today (Sunday Dec 11, 2011), photographer Uwe Skrzypczak is offering a free download of his book Wildlife Photography. Visit www.serengeti-wildlife.com to download your copy. If you have trouble downloading from that site, try this...
Climate and Land Use Alliance makes itself official
While it has been active for the a couple of years, the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA) officially unveiled itself today at climate talks in Durban. CLUA is a collaborative initiative of the ClimateWorks Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. It aims to “catalyze the potential of forested and agricultural landscapes to mitigate climate change, benefit people,...
It’s that time of year for spin from World Growth International
Regular Mongabay readers are probably familiar with World Growth International, the non-for-profit (*) advocate for industrial forestry that masquerades as a poverty alleviation organization. World Growth is headed by Alan Oxley, a lobbyist who served as Australian Ambassador to the GATT, the predecessor of the World Trade Organization, during the late 1980s. Oxley also heads ITS Global, which provides advisory and marketing services...
The Wall Street Journal needs to fact-check its anti-Lacey Act rant
On Friday the Wall Street Journal carried an anti-Lacey Act rant by Kim Strassel. The post contained the usual talking points pushed by Gibson Guitar Corp and the Tea Party groups that have turned its alleged illegal activities a cause-célèbre for anti-regulation types. But is also contained errors. First, the Environmental Investigation Agency is not a “murky British green outfit” but an NGO registered in both the U.S....
Does boreal deforestation help slow global warming?
A big fuss is being made about a new study published in Nature that suggests clearing of forests north of 45 degrees latitude cools climate — the opposite effect of deforestation in the tropics. But the findings aren’t much of a surprise — the same conclusions were reached in papers published in 2005, 2006, and 2007. In fact the same story seems to come out around this time — late November to early December...
RSPO meeting convenes in Malaysia
In a few hours the 9th annual meeting of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) [and 8th annual General Assembly] opens in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. There are several important issues to be discussed at the meeting, including recent grievances filed against a several RSPO members, greenhouse gas emissions accounting, and mechanisms for better incorporating small holders into the body. Mongabay.com is a media partner for the...
Reactivating the blog
The mongabay blog has been silent for the past three months but we’re going to make an effort to return to semi-regular updates. Expect to see more short commentaries that don’t really fit the format of the news section, photo posts, and guest posts.
Flowers’ power of seduction
Guest post by the American Society of Landscape Architects. This post is by Shannon Leahy, ASLA 2011 Summer Intern. According to this recent TED talk given by Jonathan Drori, life really is all about the birds and the bees, with a lot of help from flowers. Flowering plants, of which there are at least a quarter of a million known species, have evolved to develop fascinating traits in order to reproduce. Flowers are difficult to...
Carbon righteousness – how to ensure the poor benefit from REDD
The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has issued a new reports on REDD+: Carbon righteousness: how to lever pro-poor benefits from REDD+ This briefing discusses the opportunities and challenges involved in the creation of a new form of private property that can be bought and sold in domestic and international markets — the ‘carbon right’. It looks at how equity and fairness can be built into this new...
In search of rare carnivorous plants in the Philippines (video)
The Discovery of Nepenthes leonardoi: An intrepid journey to the Philippines reveals a spectacular new Nepenthes species on an unexplored mountain full of surprise… unchartered territory, little known tribes, newly discovered Drosera and a brand new Nepenthes.
1,000 new species discovered in New Guinea
Varanus macraei, a monitor lizard first described in 2001, lives on the island of Batanta. WWF calls it “one of the most spectacular reptile discoveries anywhere… with a mesmerising pattern of turquoise and blue.” Photo © Lutz Obelgonner. Scientists discovered more than 1,000 previously unknown species during a decade of research in New Guinea (slideshow), says a new report from WWF. Final Frontier: Newly Discovered...
If you love or hate crows
Guest post by the American Society of Landscape Architects Lyanda Lynn Haupt is an award-winning author, speaker, and naturalist based in Seattle. Her latest book, “Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness“, which David Sedaris called “completely charming and informative,” received the 2010 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award. Haupt blogs at The Tangled Nest. Your new book, “Crow Planet:...
Global tropical forest carbon map
Forest carbon stock from Saatchi et al. 2011. Click image to enlarge New global carbon map for 2.5 billion ha of forests (05/31/2011) Tropical forests across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia stored 247 gigatons of carbon — more than 30 years’ worth of current emissions from fossil fuels use — in the early 2000s, according to a comprehensive assessment of the world’s carbon stocks. The research, published in the...
