The World’s longest snake
The reticulated python, the world’s longest snake, in Indonesia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler The reticulated python is the world’s longest snake and longest reptile. Adults can reach a length of 10 meters (33 feet).
Orangutan Awareness and Caring Weeks Collide
post by by Melanie J. Martin, special to mongabay.com Sumatran Orangutan in Gunung Leuser National Park. Photo by Rhett A. Butler in May 2010 The Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) and other conservation NGOs are celebrating November 7-13, 2010 as Orangutan Caring Week. The theme this year is “Back to Green,” which, according to OURF, implies returning orangutans to the wild while becoming more ecologically conscious. Meanwhile,...
UK drops rule to protect rainforests – conservation links for Nov 14, 2010
Guest column: Forest code must be fixed Financial Times The incoming government in 2011 will be very aware of the 20 per cent of the vote that Marina Silva of the Green Party won in the first round of the presidential election. EU rain forest rules may hit German rapeseed Reuters German oil mills fear supplies of rapeseed for biodiesel production may be disrupted by new European Union rules requiring feedstocks come from certified...
Journalists being killed in West Papua – conservation links for Nov 11, 2010
West Papua: Journalists become targets for ‘playing with fire’ Scoop Media Journalists are being killed or threatened with violence for reporting on business deals, the environment, and the West Papuan independence movement. Setback Seen for E.U. Plan on Biotech Crops New York Times BRUSSELS — An effort by the European Union to give power over biotechnology crops back to local authorities has run into serious legal problems. More:...
Certified palm oil is good for Indonesia
Editorial: Sustainability is the basic issue The Jakarta Post | Wed, 11/10/2010 9:51 AM | Editorial It would be misguided for Indonesian companies to boycott or quit the Kuala Lumpur-based Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), as demanded by several executives of the palm oil producers association (Gapkindo) and the government-sponsored Palm Oil Board. Such a move against RSPO, which opened its eighth annual conference and...
New lizard species discovered in Vietnamese restaurant – conservation links for Nov 9, 2010
New Self-Cloning Lizard Found in Vietnam Restaurant National Geographic You could call it the surprise du jour: A popular food on Vietnamese menus has turned out to be a lizard previously unknown to science, scientists say. What’s more, the newfound Leiolepis ngovantrii is no run-of-the-mill reptile—the all-female species reproduces via cloning, without the need for male lizards. Natural History Museum expedition could be...
Bloomberg: most people don’t care about climate change – conservation links for Nov 5, 2010
Bloomberg on Climate Change: “Most People Unfortunately Don’t Care” Time New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg was the belle of the ball this morning at a international climate change conference here in Hong Kong. He was here as the new chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a group of 40 cities worldwide committed to tackling climate change. Climate finance report will reveal those willing to scupper Cancun...
Did biodiversity deal actually happen in Nagoya? – conservation links for Nov 2, 2010
World Bank to account for nature BBC News The World Bank announces a programme to help nations properly account for the destruction of nature that their activities cause. Sustainable growth formula eludes many China cities Reuters BEIJING (Reuters) – Some Chinese cities are failing to meet the challenge of sustainable development, posing a risk to Beijing’s strategy of relying on mass urbanization to drive economic growth,...
A week of Papua: butterfly with eyespots
An unidentified butterfly in Indonesian New Guinea. We haven’t been able to identify this image. If you have ideas, please contact us. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. This week we’ll be posting photos from Rhett Butler’s (mongabay.com founder) recent trip to western New Guinea, one of the world’s most biodiverse and culturally diverse place in the world. To see more photos of...
The middle road to address deforestation in Indonesia – conservation links for Oct 28, 2010
A Middle Way The Jakarta Globe As much as big business is a threat to forests, it is also a likely source of lasting solutions. Governments generally have been ineffective in reducing deforestation, even inside many protected areas. Non-governmental organizations are largely powerless to act at the scales necessary, although they can influence public opinion. Small businesses such as local farmers are numerous, but lack power and...
Little progress at biodiversity talks – conservation links for Oct 26, 2010
Leading scientists accuse thinktanks of being logging lobbyists Open letter accuses two ‘independent’ groups of distorting facts and having close associations with multinational logging corporations. Industrial farming puts ecosystems at risk of collapse, warns Prince Charles The Guardian (UK) Farming methods must be low-impact, organic and low-carbon to protect natural resources for the long term. Nagoya summit shows...
Low carbon growth strategy documents for Indonesia
Earlier this year the Indonesian government released draft documents for low carbon growth strategies. While these documents are posted on the web, the file size is such that few people in Indonesia are able to download them. Therefore mongabay has posted reduced file size versions below. * Central Kalimantan Report – low carbon growth strategy (draft) [3.6 MB] * East Kalimantan – low carbon growth strategy (draft) [7 MB]...
A week of Papua: black-capped lory
A black-capped lory (Lorius lory) in Indonesian New Guinea. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. This week we’ll be posting photos from Rhett Butler’s (mongabay.com founder) recent trip to western New Guinea, one of the world’s most biodiverse and culturally diverse place in the world. To see more photos of...
GDP is poor indicator of well-being – conservation links for Oct 25, 2010
Disingenuity: The Worst of all Greenwashing Print Leadership In a presentation at Graph Expo 2010, I spoke about how greenwashing tends to fall into three categories: intentional, accidental, and just plain asinine. Fully aware that it may be a subset of both the first and third of these categories, I’d like to posit one more– “disingenuous.” Of the four, this is the most insidious, the most reckless, and the most dangerous. Wolves in...
Environmental crime costs billions – conservation links for Oct. 24, 2010
Borneo’s majestic rainforest is being killed by the timber mafia The Guardian Felling trees to meet British demand for garden furniture is devastating villages, livelihoods and food supplies, and threatening endangered species Solid Ground Needed for UN Forest Fix to Take Root The Jakarta Post Experts are at odds over whether Indonesia is prepared to implement United Nations-mandated forest protection projects to reduce carbon...
Papuan man in ceremonial dress in New Guinea
Dani man in traditional ceremonial dress in the Baliem Valley of Papua, Indonesian New Guinea. Photo by Rhett A. Butler in July 2010. More pictures from Papua
Photo: Redwood forest in Woodside, CA
Grove of young redwood trees in Woodside, CA. Photo taken today (Oct 23) by Rhett A. Butler
Opposition to geoengineering schemes grows – conservation links for Oct 22. 2010
At UN Convention, Groups Push For Geoengineering Moratorium Scientific American Delegates from 193 nations are meeting in Nagoya, Japan, this week. On their agenda is a proposal for a moratorium on field experiments in potential geoengineering solutions for global warming. Green: Putting a Value on Biodiversity New York Times A new report finds that forests, reefs and oceans account for 47 to 89 percent of the effective income of...
‘Super frogs’ in Australia – conservation links for Oct. 20, 2010
Nature, Forests and Indigenous Peoples Are Not for Sale [PDF] Bolivia Remarks from Evo Morales, President of Bolivia, on the concept of REDD. Toads evolve into super-invaders BBC News Scientists have identified a “runaway evolutionary effect” that could be speeding up the cane toad invasion in...
Plane view: rainforest destruction
Clear-cutting of rainforest as viewed from plane going from Cuzco to Boca Manu in Peru. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. To see more photos of deforestation in...
