Neon pink insect in Mexico
I spotted this neon pink planthopper in Punta Laguna outside Cancun the day after COP16 ended.
Not far from climate talks in Cancun, nature actually exists
While I spent most of my time in Cancun locked away in hotels and conference halls, this week the blog will feature some nature photos from sites in and around Cancun, Mexico.
This set includes shots of the lagoon at Punta Laguna, a 5,000-hectare reserve located between Nuevo Xcan and Tulum, the famous archeological site. The lagoon is surrounded by tropical forest, which is rich with wildlife: howler monkeys, spider monkeys, tayra, armadillo, coati, ocellated turkey, parrots and parakeets, and puma tracks.
Urban Ecology in Jakarta
It never fails to cheer me up to see an unusual species in an unusual place. Among all the doom and gloom in conservation it is nice to see a species beat the trend. For a while I have been fascinated by the Tree Sparrow (see my blog on the Church Bird of Borneo), a species in decline in its native Eurasia, but abundant here in Indonesia where it was introduced. I observe them regularly from behind my desk that looks out over our...
Forest carbon offsets under California’s AB-32
The Tropical Forest Group, a forest policy organization, has released a briefing on California’s AB 32 Regulations, as it relates to the reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) mechanism. Briefing Note on Proposed CA AB 32 Regulations An editorial by John O. Niles of the Tropical Forest Group can be found at: Can RED Hot California Heat Up A Sedated Cancun? (12/07/2010) In his concession speech after the...
The unmissable Shoebill
A shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) in Uganda. This swamp-loving large bird is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss, hunting, and nest disturbance. Researchers estimate that there are around 5,000-8,000 left in the wild. Populations in the Sudan still need to be determind, however. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of Uganda’s...
Activism: the great bluefin tuna boycott
Note: mongabay.com does not endorse the action below, but believes its readers may be interested in taking action or discussing the issue in comments. Bluefin tuna. Photo by: NOAA. The Center for Biological Diversity has launched a bluefin tuna boycott after the fish’s regulatory body, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), failed to drastically limit the catch this year. The group has also...
What a face!
A Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) makes a face. Listed as Critically Endangered the Sumatran orangutan is largely threatened by habitat loss to plantations, such as wood pulp and palm oil, and logging. After losing their forests, many orangutans, such as this one, are now housed in rehabilitation centers. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of...
Activism: petition against oil exploration near award-winning marine reserve
Note: mongabay.com does not endorse the action below, but believes its readers may be interested in taking action or discussing the issue in comments. Leather back sea turtles are one of four marine turtle species in the Seaflower MPA. Photo by: Tiffany Roufs. The Providence Foundation has created a petition against oil exploration near, and perhaps even inside, Seaflower Marine Protected Area in the Colombian Caribbean. The park...
Hairy elephant-relative with baby
This bizarre animal, resembling a rodent, in Kenya is a southern tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus). Although the size of rabbit, the hyrax is actually closely related to the elephant and belongs to the Afrotheria clade that includes not only elephants, but manatees, sengis, tenrecs, and aardvarks. Four species of hyrax survive today. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of...
Find the chameleon playing dead
Somewhere in this photo is the horned leaf chameleon (Brookesia superciliaris) playing dead. Native to Madagascar, Brookesia chameleons are among the world’s tiniest reptiles. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. To learn more about Brookesia chameleons, including just how small they really are, and see more photos: Brookesia chameleons. If you can’t find the chameleon, it is revealed...
Activism: CREDO joins the fight against the Belo Monte dam
Note: mongabay.com does not endorse the action below, but believes its readers may be interested in taking action or discussing the issue in comments. Credo, the progressive for-profit cell phone company, has thrown its hat in the ring in the environmental activists’ battle against the Belo Monte dam, joining International Rivers, Amazon Watch, and James Cameron. Credo now urges its activists to sign a petition, which states in...
