Malaysia pushes for coal plant in paradise – conservation links of the day for Nov 28, 2010
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2031862,00.html>Malaysia: A Coal Plant in Paradise Time.com There are worse places to be than in the eco-paradise of Sabah, a state on the northeast tip of Malaysian Borneo. To one side is the Coral Triangle, home to the world’s richest ocean diversity; to the other is the Heart of Borneo, a 22-million-hectare rain forest. In the middle is a vast swath of 1,100 palm plantations....
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...
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,...
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...
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
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...
Business revolution key to saving the planet – conservation links for Oct. 19, 2010
Save the Rain Forest…Voluntarily The Wall Street Journal BARIO, Malaysia—Until recently, this town was one of the most isolated places in Asia. Then developers cut the first muddy road to Bario last year. What happens next here and in other communities like it in Borneo will help determine whether the island’s dwindling rain forest can be saved—and whether a new approach to managing forests world-wide can succeed. Bario is in an...
Why biodiversity talks seemed destined for failure – conservation links for Oct 18, 2010
What are the prospects for the Nagoya biodiversity summit? The Guardian Shortly before the summit begins, I’ve finally got round to reading the draft declaration on biodiversity that will be discussed by the governments meeting at Nagoya in Japan. It’s 195 pages long. If it were a thesis about the causes and consequences of the decline of the world’s wild species, it would get a fairly high mark. As an action plan...
Walmart to buy more locally-grown produce – conservation links for Oct 15, 2010
Wal-Mart to Buy More Local Produce New York Times The local-and-sustainable food movement has spread to the nation’s largest retailer. Wal-Mart Stores announced a program on Thursday that focuses on sustainable agriculture among its suppliers as it tries to reduce its overall environmental impact. The greening of a timber giant The Australian HATING forestry and pulp giant Gunns Limited has long been a favourite pastime for many...
REDD talks fail – conservation links for Oct 11, 2010
REDD+ Partners Scrap Nagoya Plans, Set Sights on Cancun Ecosystem Marketplace Initially perceived as being one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal year for climate-change negotiations, the REDD+ Partnership has now canceled a key meeting set to take place on the sidelines of upcoming biodiversity talks in Nagoya, Japan. REDD+ Partnership co-chair Junya Nakano delivered the news at a Partnership meeting slated for discussing...
Mennonite sect drives massive deforestation in Paraguay – conservation links for Oct 5, 2010
Chaco deforestation by Christian sect puts Paraguayan land under threat The Guardian Hitler was said to have fled there, the Spanish conquistadores failed to penetrate it, and the only uncontacted tribe outside Amazonia lives within its borders. But now the vast Paraguayan wilderness of thorn trees, jaguars and snakes known as the Chaco is being transformed by a Christian fundamentalist sect and hundreds of Brazilian ranchers....
Extinct species reappear – conservation links for Sept 29, 2010
Deforestation Enriches a Few While Millions Pay the Price Jakarta Post Indonesia has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world, and the loss of government revenue associated with illegal deforestation has been estimated at $100 million in East Kalimantan alone. Corruption and deforestation fuel horrific trade in African primates The Ecologist In a remarkable and harrowing dispatch from Guinea-Bissau, Dawn Starin reveals...
Melting ice spawns walrus refugees – conservation links for Sept. 28, 2010
Old Trees May Soon Meet Their Match New York Times Flood-hit Pakistan seeks priority access to climate change aid AlertNet Walruses Swarm Beaches as Ice Melts National Geographic Revealed: the secret world of the panda...
Mammoth ivory puts elephants at risk – conservation links for Sept. 27, 2010
Ancient find poses threat to elephants The Sunday Times Mammoth tusks being used to launder elephant ivory? Sawawak to buy troubled Bakun dam The Borneo Post Do Sarawak taxpayers want to pay for this white elephant? Green SURF energy options consultant heads to World Bank Green SURF Fate of controversial coal plan remains...
