Green Options » rainforest

Amazon Deforestation on the Rise Again

Joshua S Hill — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:14:50 +0000

With a constant need to look out for the planets ecosystems, it is always saddening to see that some governments simply are not. So when I saw the news that, over the past 12 months, deforestation in the Amazon rain forest had jumped 69%, I was literally shocked.

According to the National Institute for Space Research, or INPE, which monitors destruction of the Amazon, since August 2007 a total of 8,147 square kilometers (3,145 square miles) was destroyed within the Amazon. This is the first such increase in 3 years, and saw a 69% jump over the 4,820 square kilometers (1,861 square miles) felled in the previous 12 months.

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Park Manager in Peru Claims That Uncontacted Amazon Tribe is Not Threatened By Logging and Is Not Peruvian

Levi Novey — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:03:32 +0000

Several weeks ago, almost every major press outlet picked up the story of the photographs taken of an uncontacted tribe in the Amazon rainforest near the border between Brazil and Peru. Unfortunately, it seems that fewer members of the media have chosen to keep following the story.

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Live Greenwashing about Healthy Food: McDonald’s Lettuce Growing Billboard

Jennifer Lance — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:48:01 +0000

A 2007 McDonald’s billboard near Chicago featured growing lettuce plants stating, “Fresh salads”. Considering the short life span of such a billboard, McDonald’s reputation for rainforest destruction, and the fact their salads are not organic, fresh (they are prepackaged), or healthy, I can’t embrace this campaign. Still, using plants for advertising is definitely a unique idea. You can watch the billboard grow in this video.

Via: AzSustainability.com

Do Peru’s Mysterious Chavín de Huantar Ruins Provide Hints As to Why Some Civilizations Disappear?

Levi Novey — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:58:32 +0000

My family recently visited a place in Peru that we had wanted to visit for a long time. While not as famous as Machu Picchu, the Chavín de Huantar Ruins are quite fascinating in their own right. Most visitors after reading their guidebooks want to see a carved stone obelisk that sits at the center of underground passages in the “Old Chavín Temple.” Known as the “Lanzón,” the obelisk has various animal features, and is thought to have been worshiped as something of a nature god, or treated as an oracle by the people using Chavín. The outside of the Chavín Temple was decorated with carved stone heads, that likewise were anthropomorphic.

All of these mysterious features and others have lead archaeologists to believe that this was an important religious site to the Chavín culture, and also that the culture’s influence was widespread during its heyday from approximately 850 to 200 B.C. What is unclear though, is why the Chavín culture disappeared. I’m no archaeologist, but I did once work as a park ranger at Mesa Verde National Park. My experiences there give me some guesses as to why the civilization and culture might have disappeared at Chavín de Huantar.

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How Hidden Cameras Aid Conservation Efforts for Jaguars and Other Rare Animals

Levi Novey — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:55:59 +0000

As new camera technology becomes cheaper and better, rare animals in places like Peru’s rainforests may soon be photographed and documented more thanks to the efforts of wildlife biologists. These kinds of photographs are important because they can provide crucial evidence of where species of animals like jaguars roam, giving scientists, park managers, and conservation advocates the facts they need to argue for greater protection of specific habitats. It also gives conservation professionals knowledge of where to concentrate their efforts and research, and can likewise increase public awareness of interesting and endangered animal species.

In a paper published in the latest edition of Animal Conservation, researcher Mathias W. Tobler and several of his colleagues describe a study they conducted in an area of the rainforest in southeastern Peru. By experimenting with hidden “camera traps,” these scientists set out to inventory elusive, rarely seen large and medium-sized mammals that live in the Peru’s rainforests. What they discovered is both exciting and interesting.

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Has Research in a Peruvian National Park Revolutionized Conservation?

Levi Novey — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:00:09 +0000

In comparison to countries of the developing world, the United States is quite lucky when it comes to managing its parks and protected areas. Why? Except for a few rare exceptions, Americans currently are not dependent on the natural resources in their parks for their livelihood and survival.

In Peru, however, some people depend on resources they can find near where they live– and sometimes this means in or near parks. Without the support of these people countless opportunities to protect ecosystems, animals, plants, and cultures might be lost. Legal protections for parks generally go ignored by people who are in need and often such laws are challenging if not impossible to enforce in remote areas anyway. The key for conservation in Peru and elsewhere seems to rest upon finding a middle ground upon where communities choose to help protect natural resources, while also benefiting from the use of these resources in a sustainable manner.

So how have Peru and countless other countries tried to address this challenge? By inviting people who have a stake in national parks and other protected areas to participate in the creation of plans that will guide how these places are protected and utilized for economic gain. While sometimes extraordinarily successful, it’s not surprising that many of these management plans often fall short, and do not end up accomplishing their goals. The public participation processes used to make management plans are sometimes utilized by park managers as a manipulative means to have communities accept already decided upon objectives, or the goals agreed upon during the processes are not easily achieved or are poorly funded. But these failures might be a thing of the past, as researchers in Peru’s Cordillera Azul National Park have perhaps revolutionized conservation through an innovative strategy. It seems to have empowered communities in the buffer zones of the park and won their confidence and support.

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Safe Sex with Amazon Rainforest Condoms

Jennifer Lance — Tue, 13 May 2008 04:28:39 +0000

Last month, the Brazilian government began producing condoms using rubber from trees in the Amazon in an effort to preserve the world’s largest rainforest and cut dependence on imported contraceptives to fight AIDS. Brazil’s first government-run condom factory will produce 100 million condoms a year from latex harvested in the Chico Mendes Reserve, named after a conservationist and rubber tapper killed by ranchers.

Image: The Guardian

Ancient Land Bridge Could Absorb 170,000 Tons of Greenhouse Gases Over 40 Years

Gavin Hudson — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:00:09 +0000

Paso del Istmo is a 20 kilometer-long land bridge in Nicaragua. Conservationists believe that the narrow strip of tropical forest could absorb some 170,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases over the next 40 years. What’s more, carbon offsets might make these forests worth more as trees than as lumber.

For millennia, the land bridge has been a corridor allowing animal migration between North and South America. It now has some of the most highly concentrated biodiversity in Nicaragua. Conservation group, Paso Pacifico, wishes to permanently protect the land bridge from developers, but where could they find funding to make this dream a reality?

Enter the carbon offset company, CarbonFund. In league with Paso Pacifico and the Rainforest Alliance, carbon offsets offer the funding to make conservation of the Paso del Istmo land bridge a reality; and they’re not stopping at just conservation.

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10 Top International Environmental Headlines of the Week, no. 5

Gavin Hudson — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:31:26 +0000

Following, organized by region, are the top international environmental news for during the week of April 20 - 27. See an archive of top international environmental news here.

Asia

Working the land the natural way: Organic farming in China

It’s been almost four years since the project was launched, and of the nine households who have tried organic farming, only four are still at it. The others decided it just wasn’t worth it. Organic farming requires much more labor, the yield can be half or less of that of conventional farming, and besides, hardly anyone in Chengdu is eating organic. Our stock broker-turned-farmer estimates their customer base to be only 0.01% of Chengdu’s population.

Anlong farmer Gao Shengjian believes there’s a link between the use of pesticides and fertilizers on farms and the growing incidences of various diseases among the rural population.

Source: Crossroads China. Vote for this article in social media: StumbleUpon.

China down to 12 days worth of coal

China only has enough coal for 12 days of consumption, three days less than a month ago, state media reported Wednesday, sounding the alarm bells over the nation’s most important source of energy.

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10 Top Environmental Headlines of the Week, no. 4

Gavin Hudson — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:07:50 +0000

Following are the top international environmental news for during the week of April 13 - 20. See an archive of top international environmental news here.

Asia

Two “Extinct” Species Discovered

First there was Swinshoe’s softshell turtle, and then the Javan Elephant. Is this more commonplace than we might believe?

Frankly, no. Despite the occasional hubbub over an animal science has lost track of– say, the Coelacanth– we’ve witnessed something extraordinary. Swinshoe’s turtle was previously believed to be extinct in the wild, with only three remaining in captivity, and therefore every one of these 300-pound turtles is a critical find.

Continue reading: Environmental Graffiti. Hot in media: Stumble Upon.

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Top 10 Environmental News Headlines of the Week, no. 3

Gavin Hudson — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:06:59 +0000

Top international environmental news for during the week of April 6 - 13:

Europe — World’s first commercial tidal turbine installed (EcoGeek)

“The world’s first commercial tidal turbine has been installed in its home in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough.

Though it has yet to be turned on, it will be the first commercial power-producing tidal generator when it is (sometime later this year). The turbine has two 16 meter-wide rotors and will be able to run for 18-20 hours a day. The turbine was installed off the coast in an area known for fast moving waters, and because the rotors will only spin 10-20 times in a minute, it is unlikely to disturb marine life.”

Source: EcoGeek. Hot in media: Digg EcoGeek, Digg TimesOnline.

Africa — Tree-Nation (Tree-Nation)

“Tree-Nation is an ecological project with a focused objective: To plant 8 million trees in Niger, Africa to fight desertification! Large-scale plantation of trees will increase the land’s productivity and re-generate the soil.

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Natural Contraception, Brazilian-Style

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:20:51 +0000

Brazil’s health ministry has announced a plan aimed at reducing its dependence on imported goods, fighting AIDS, providing contraception and … preserving the Amazon rainforest. The highlight of the plan? Natex, a condom to be made from latex from Brazil’s rubber trees.

10 Top Environmental Headlines of the Week

Gavin Hudson — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:20:43 +0000

The top 10 headlines in international environmental news for the week of March 24 - 30.

1. World — Earth Hour 2008

As the clock struck eight in the evening, people across each time zone turned off their lights on March 29. It’s activism en mass and it’s called Earth Hour. The purpose: to inspire people to take action on climate change and to demonstrate that massive and immediate action is possible.

Earth Hour began as a city-wide voluntary blackout in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. This year, they’ve moved the date ahead two days and invited the world to join in. Even Google’s joined in. People from roughly 35 countries participated in this global event, which has become a yearly call to action. Read more: EcoWorldy, CNN.

2. Asia — Japanese Man Crosses Pacific with Wave-Powered Boat

A Japanese man named Kenichi Horie is attempting to be environmentally friendly by boating across the Pacific without sails and without fossil fuels.

How does he do it? With a wave-powered boat. Wave power has been discussed quite a bit recently, with a lot of applications including traditional grid energy generation. However, Kenichi is taking things to the next level by powering his ocean going vehicle with the very thing it bobs atop. Read more: Gas 2.0.

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NYC Phases Out Use of Tropical Hardwoods

Amy Stodghill — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:33:28 +0000

The city of New York will phase out the use of tropical hardwoods in construction and maintenance projects, and will focus on more sustainable alternatives.

New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, made the announcement last week during a UN conference on climate change. The city also released a report detailing the short and long term strategies they’ll use to reach this goal.

Prized for its durability and resistance to rot, tropical hardwoods are favored for things like boardwalks, park benches and ferry docks. However, since these woods are not always harvested responsibly, the demand contributes towards the decimation of tropical rainforests. Non-profit organization, Rain Forest Relief estimates that New York city is the largest purchaser of tropical hardwoods in North America, purchasing over $1m each year.

The city has pledged to reduce the use of tropical hardwoods immediately by 20% as part of the city’s greater sustainability initiatives as laid out by Bloomberg in PlaNYC.

Grow Your Own Rainforest… Sort Of

Gavin Hudson — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:41:38 +0000

Biotech company, ArborGen, is taking steps to eliminate the demand for rainforest logging. The plan: cultivate a half-dozen fast-growing, genetically modified tree species that can be harvested and sold for lumber cheaper than trees from the rainforest. The cost: a smooth $120,000 USD per square mile. The downside: it won’t change clear cutting for farming.

Largest Ever Debt Swap to help Costa Rica

Joshua S Hill — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 16:43:51 +0000

Under the watchful eye of the Nature Conservancy, Costa Rica and America have brokered the largest ever debt-for-nature swap in history. The deal, worth $26 million of Costa Rica’s US debt, will go to help revitalize some of the world’s richest natural treasures.

To be enacted on over the next 16 years, the US, in conjunction with Conservation International and the Nature Conservancy, will pool together to forgive $26 million of debt.

"This debt swap is unique in that it utilizes scientific analysis to determine the sites towards which the funds will be directed,” says Zdenka Piskulich, program director for the Conservancy in Costa Rica.

A debt swap is simply the forgiving of debts for a developing nation by one of its creditors. In exchange, along with any other agreements emplaced – in Costa Rica’s case, they must cooperate with Washington with counterterrorism and drug-enforcement – they must redirect what would have been debt payments towards environmental goals.

Though a small country in size its contents makes Costa Rica one of the most important environmental nations on the planet. It is home to some of the largest areas of concentrated biodiversity on the planet, including tropical forests, jaguars, quetzals, scarlet macaws, howler monkeys, tree frogs and much more.

The jaguar is considered near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and is already on the US Endangered Species Act. Its population is in decline, and despite the subsequent stoppage of shooting the animal for its pelt, its natural habitat has slowly been eked away by land developers.

Logging, development, agricultural expansion, gold mining, overfishing and unregulated tourism are just a few of the dangers being placed upon Costa Rica’s natural habitats.

"The funding that is a result of this debt swap will also allow local communities, 80 percent of which live in The Amistad Region, to pursue sustainable and economically viable livelihoods, thus improving their lives and sustaining the biodiverse resources on which they depend," said Piskulich.

The $26 million is already designated to six areas of the country, chosen from a blueprint of conservation gaps that the Conservancy helped create for Costa Rica. These areas are the Osa Peninsula, Tortuguero, La Amistad, Maquenque, Zona Norte del Rincón de la Vieja and the Nicoya Peninsula,

These regions are specifically targeted to help endangered species and to halt the encroachment that is being made on the lush rainforests. The Osa Peninsula is where rain forest meets sea in the Southwest corner of Costa Rica and The Amistad region contains the largest untouched tract of rainforest in Costa Rica. Both regions are also home to animals such as the Baird’s tapir, Scarlet Macaw, the ocelot, and more than 500 species of bird.

“There’s a double benefit for these countries,” Claudia A. McMurray, assistant secretary of state for oceans, environment and science, said in a telephone interview. “They get some or all of their debt wiped out, and they get help in preserving an important natural resource.”

Costa Rica is known as a success story in Central America when it comes to environmental management, after the country’s deforestation stripped it of almost 80% of its forest cover. The country has made big steps towards replanting, and environmental groups are right behind them.

New York Times - U.S. Forgives Costa Rican Debt to Help Environment

Nature Conservancy

USAID - Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA)

Image courtesy of Nature Conservancy

One Third Of Borneo Rainforest Receives Permanent Protection

Michael dEstries — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 19:01:25 +0000

Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth's land surface; now they cover a mere 6% and experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. In fact, every minute across the world, nearly 150 acres are destroyed. Makes you pause and consider, doesn't it?

It came with great relief when I read today that nearly one-third of the Borneo Rainforest is receiving permanent protection. A tri-country declaration between Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia will conserve nearly 220,000 square kilometers of this rich diverse region. It's a welcome change: since '96, "deforestation across Indonesia has increased to an average of 2 million hectares per year and, today, only half of Borneo's original forest cover remains."

From the article,

The island is home to 13 species of primates, 150 species of reptiles and amphibians, over 350 species of birds, and around 15,000 species of plants, and continues to be the source of many new discoveries - more than 50 new species were discovered last year alone.

So there you have it! A little good green news to continue your day with. There's still a massive uphill battle to preserve the world's last remaining Rainforests; especially in South America where gas pipelines are the latest threat. However, with green initiatives receiving more awareness and the fragility of such ecosystems gaining recognitiion, I'm hopeful we can turn the tide of destruction before it's too late. Hit the article for more!

via Hippyshopper

World’s Largest Gas Pipeline May Run Through Amazon

Michael dEstries — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 15:30:55 +0000

So much for pristine wilderness. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is building momentum behind the Southern Gas Pipeline; a proposed 21-billion-dollar (U.S.) structure that would connect Venezuela's rich natural gas fields to Argentine markets. Unfortunately, such a pipeline would cross some very ecologically-sensitive areas, including Brazil's Amazon rain forest. Maria Eugenia Bustamante, co-director of AMIGRANSA, a Venezuelan environmental group, had this to say,

"This plan is a gigantic threat to fishing and farming communities, from the Gulf of Paria [between northeastern Venezuela and the island of Trinidad] all the way to the Great Savannah, which is part of the Canaima National Park."

Undaunted by any environmental impact, President Chavez still plans on pushing ahead with the pipeline. His main reasons are to stem regional gas shortages, unite the continent's energy networks, and 'sidestep economic dependence on the United States.' He stands behind his vision of a 'frightening energy crisis by 2020' in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay if something isn't done.

Ah yes, our continued reliance on fossil fuels. Will money truly hold us back from coming up with a cleaner and more efficient resource? Will we sacrifice everything we have before finally coming to this realization? If there's even a way, let's hope this pipeline is constructed with the environment in mind. It would be a shame to ruin some of the most unique and green locales on Earth.

Soure: National Geographic News