tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:/xml/rainforests1 rainforests news from mongabay.com 2012-02-10T20:07:22Z tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9084 2012-02-09T20:59:00Z 2012-02-10T20:07:22Z Some toilet paper production destroys Indonesian rainforests, endangering tigers and elephants <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/12/0209wwf-report150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>American consumers are unwittingly contributing to the destruction of endangered rainforests in Sumatra by purchasing certain brands of toilet paper, asserts a new report published by the environmental group WWF. The report, Don't Flush Tiger Forests: Toilet Paper, U.S. Supermarkets, and the Destruction of Indonesia's Last Tiger Habitats, takes aim at two tissue brands that source fiber from Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), a paper products giant long criticized by environmentalists and scientists for its forestry practices on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The brands &#8212; Paseo and Livi &#8212; are among the fastest growing, in terms of sales, in the United States. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9083 2012-02-09T20:00:00Z 2012-02-09T22:46:48Z Tropical ecologist: Australia must follow U.S. and EU in banning illegally logged wood <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay/indonesia/150/kalbar_1083.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Australia should join the widening effort to stamp out illegal logging, according to testimony given this week by tropical ecologist William Laurance with James Cook University. Presenting before the Australian Senate's rural affairs committee, Laurance argued that the massive environmental and economic costs of illegal logging worldwide should press Australia to tighten regulations against importing illegally logged timber at home. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9082 2012-02-09T19:18:00Z 2012-02-10T16:16:11Z Humans drove rainforest into savannah in ancient Africa <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://www.mongabay.com/images/gabon/150/gabon-26730.JPG" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Three thousand years ago (around 1000 BCE) several large sections of the Congo rainforest in central Africa suddenly vanished and became savannah. Scientists have long believed the loss of the forest was due to changes in the climate, however a new study in Science implicates an additional culprit: humans. The study argues that a migration of farmers into the region led to rapid land-use changes from agriculture and iron smelting, eventually causing the collapse of rainforest in places and a rise of grasslands. The study has implications for today as scientists warn that the potent combination of deforestation and climate change could flip parts of the Amazon rainforest as well into savannah. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9081 2012-02-08T20:45:00Z 2012-02-08T20:54:12Z Green groups: government moving too slowly on protecting Canada's Great Bear rainforest Three environmental groups have submitted a letter to British Columbia Premier, Christy Clark, to ask the government to speed up the process of implementing the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement, which is meant to ensure 70 percent of old-growth forest is maintained. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9079 2012-02-08T18:11:00Z 2012-02-08T22:13:35Z Majority of protected tropical forests "empty" due to hunting <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/colombia_2156.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Protected areas in the world's tropical rainforests are absolutely essential, but one cannot simply set up a new refuge and believe the work is done, according to a new paper in Bioscience. Unsustainable hunting and poaching is decimating tropical forest species in the Amazon, the Congo, Southeast Asia, and Oceana, leaving behind "empty forests," places largely devoid of any mammal, bird, or reptile over a few pounds. The loss of such species impacts the whole ecosystems, as plants lose seed dispersers and the food chain is unraveled. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9066 2012-02-07T17:39:00Z 2012-02-07T17:39:25Z New rainforest and indigenous reserve established in Peru On February 4th, the Peruvian government and a small indigenous group created a new Amazon reserve, dubbed the Maijuna Reserve. Located in northeastern Peru, the 390,000 hectare (970,000 acres) reserve is larger than California's Yosemite National Park and over three times the size of Hong Kong. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9063 2012-02-06T18:25:00Z 2012-02-06T22:54:43Z Vampire and bird frogs: discovering new amphibians in Southeast Asia's threatened forests <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/Rhacophorus_vampyrus.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>In 2009 researchers discovered 19,232 species new to science, most of these were plants and insects, but 148 were amphibians. Even as amphibians face unprecedented challenges&#8212;habitat loss, pollution, overharvesting, climate change, and a lethal disease called chytridiomycosis that has pushed a number of species to extinction&#8212;new amphibians are still being uncovered at surprising rates. One of the major hotspots for finding new amphibians is the dwindling tropical forests of Southeast Asia. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9048 2012-02-02T23:58:00Z 2012-02-05T16:39:56Z Environmental news - month in review: setbacks for the palm oil industry, climate outlook darkens Here mongabay.com provides a quick review of forest-related news for January 2012. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9046 2012-02-02T21:35:00Z 2012-02-02T21:35:22Z Supernatural beliefs keep hunting sustainable on Indonesian island How do indigenous communities hunt without pushing target species to local extinction? In other words, how have communities retained sustainable practices over countless generations. One answer is given in a new study by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the Center for International Research in Agronomy and Development (CIRAD): supernatural beliefs. Looking at a community of indigenous people on the Indonesian island of Seram, researchers found that supernatural hunting beliefs ensured animals never vanished for good. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9045 2012-02-02T20:05:00Z 2012-02-02T20:30:12Z Fungus from the Amazon devours plastic Students from Yale University have made the amazing discovery of a species of fungus that devours one of the world's most durable, and therefore environmentally troublesome, plastics: polyurethane. The new species of fungus, Pestalotiopsis microspora, is even able to consume polyurethane in zero-oxygen (anaerobic) conditions, which would be important in eating plastics in the deep dark layers of landfills where little sunlight, water, or oxygen is found. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9044 2012-02-02T18:22:00Z 2012-02-05T13:39:30Z Photo of the day: super-abundance of life found in Amazon park <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/Baertschi-A-_7TP4584.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Surveying a little-explored park in the Peruvian Amazon has paid off in dividends: researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have cataloged 365 species that had not yet been recorded in Bahuaja Sonene National Park. The never-before recorded species included two bats, thirty birds, and over two hundred butterflies and moths. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9038 2012-02-01T17:36:00Z 2012-02-02T17:55:33Z New meteorological theory argues that the world's forests are rainmakers <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://travel.mongabay.com/costa_rica/150/costa-rica_0737.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>New, radical theories in science often take time to be accepted, especially those that directly challenge longstanding ideas, contemporary policy or cultural norms. The fact that the Earth revolves around the sun, and not vice-versa, took centuries to gain widespread scientific and public acceptance. While Darwin's theory of evolution was quickly grasped by biologists, portions of the public today, especially in places like the U.S., still disbelieve. Currently, the near total consensus by climatologists that human activities are warming the Earth continues to be challenged by outsiders. Whether or not the biotic pump theory will one day fall into this grouping remains to be seen. First published in 2007 by two Russian physicists, Victor Gorshkov and Anastassia Makarieva, the still little-known biotic pump theory postulates that forests are the driving force behind precipitation over land masses. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9035 2012-01-31T18:36:00Z 2012-02-02T02:00:58Z Forgotten species: the wild jungle cattle called banteng <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/banteng.SWD_1.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The word "cattle," for most of us, is the antithesis of exotic; it's familiar like a family member one's happy enough to ignore, but doesn't really mind having around. Think for a moment of the names: cattle, cow, bovine...likely they make many of us think more of the animals' byproducts than the creatures themselves&#8212;i.e. milk, butter, ice cream or steak&#8212;as if they were an automated food factory and not living beings. But if we expand our minds a bit further, "cattle" may bring up thoughts of cowboys, Texas, herds pounding the dust, or merely grazing dully in the pasture. But none of these titles, no matter how far we pursue them, conjure up images of steamy tropical rainforest or gravely imperiled species. A cow may be beautiful in its own domesticated sort-of-way, but there is nothing wild in it, nothing enchanting. However like most generalizations, this idea of cattle falls to pieces when one encounters, whether in literature or life, the banteng. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9033 2012-01-30T23:30:00Z 2012-01-31T17:55:25Z Rainforests store 229 billion tons of carbon globally finds new 'wall-to-wall' carbon map <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/12/0130whrc_biomass150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Tropical rainforests store some 229 billion tons of carbon in their vegetation &#8212; about 20 percent more than previously estimated &#8212; finds a new satellite-based assessment published in the journal <i>Nature Climate Change</i>. The findings could help improve the accuracy of reporting CO2 emissions reductions under the proposed REDD program, which aims to compensate tropical countries for cutting deforestation, forest degradation, and peatlands destruction. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9031 2012-01-30T20:12:00Z 2012-01-30T20:48:41Z Saving the world's biggest river otter <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/giantriverotterinterview.L93_Cierre.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Charismatic, vocal, unpredictable, domestic, and playful are all adjectives that aptly describe the giant river otter (<i>Pteronura brasiliensis</i>), one of the Amazon's most spectacular big mammals. As its name suggest, this otter is the longest member of the weasel family: from tip of the nose to tail's end the otter can measure 6 feet (1.8 meters) long. Living in closely-knit family groups, sporting a complex range of behavior, and displaying almost human-like capricious moods, the giant river otter has captured a number of researchers and conservationists' hearts, including Dutch conservationist Jessica Groenendijk. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9021 2012-01-26T23:01:00Z 2012-01-27T22:29:43Z Big trees, like the old-growth forests they inhabit, are declining globally <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay/panama/150/panama_0200.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Already on the decline worldwide, big trees face a dire future due to habitat fragmentation, selective harvesting by loggers, exotic invaders, and the effects of climate change, warns an article published this week in <i>New Scientist</i> magazine. Reviewing research from forests around the world, William F. Laurance, an ecologist at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, provides evidence of decline among the world's 'biggest and most magnificent' trees and details the range of threats they face. He says their demise will have substantial impacts on biodiversity and forest ecology, while worsening climate change. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9004 2012-01-25T21:49:00Z 2012-01-26T23:00:41Z Logging of primary rainforests not ecologically sustainable, argue scientists <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/12/0125peak_timber150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Tropical countries may face a risk of 'peak timber' as continued logging of rainforests exceeds the capacity of forests to regenerate timber stocks and substantially increases the risk of outright clearing for agricultural and industrial plantations, argues a trio of scientists writing in the journal <i>Biological Conservation</i>. The implications for climate, biodiversity, and local economies are substantial. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8995 2012-01-24T02:57:00Z 2012-01-24T04:23:21Z Sumatran elephant population plunges; WWF calls for moratorium on deforestation The Sumatran elephant subspecies (<i>Elephas maximus sumatranus</i>) was downgraded to critically endangered on IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species on Tuesday, prompting environmental group WWF to call for an immediate moratorium on destruction of its rainforest habitat, which is being rapidly lost to oil palm estates, timber plantations for pulp and paper production, and agricultural use. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8988 2012-01-22T20:35:00Z 2012-01-22T20:36:18Z Featured video: music in Madagascar to protest illegal logging A new video highlights the plight of Madagascar's protected tropical forests, which are falling prey to illegal logging and foreign contractors. Featuring Razia Said, Malagasy singer and songwriter, the video shows concerts to raise awareness about illegal logging, especially near Maosala National Park. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8980 2012-01-20T00:30:00Z 2012-01-20T14:55:30Z Feared extinct, obscure monkey rediscovered in Borneo <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/millersgrizzledlangur.IMG_4246.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>A significant population of the rarely seen, little-known Miller's grizzled langurs (Presbytis hosei canicrus) has been discovered in Indonesian Borneo according to a new paper published in the American Journal of Primatology. Feared extinct by some and dubbed one of the world's 25 most threatened primates in 2005 by Conservation International (CI), the langur surprised researchers by showing up on camera trap in a region of Borneo it was never supposed to be. The discovery provides new hope for the elusive monkey and expands its known range, but conservationists warn the species is not out of the woods yet. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8983 2012-01-19T20:51:00Z 2012-01-19T22:03:57Z National Association of Music Merchants does 'disservice' to members by misleading them on illegal logging law, says letter <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/12/0119madagascar_3998_150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The National Association of Music Merchants is doing a 'disservice' to its members by misrepresenting the provisions and spirit of the Lacey Act, a law that aims to curb illegal logging abroad, states a letter published by a coalition of environmental groups. The letter, issued Thursday, urges the National Association of Music Merchants to reconsider its support for the RELIEF Act (HR 3210), introduced by Representatives Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), and Jim Cooper (D-TN) last October. The RELIEF Act would weaken key provisions of the Lacey Act aimed to ensure that illegally sourced wood products aren't imported into the United States. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8981 2012-01-19T19:37:00Z 2012-01-19T19:58:26Z Indonesia to set aside 45% of Kalimantan for conservation Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) on Thursday announced a regulation that would protect 45 percent of Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, according to a statement issued by his office. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8978 2012-01-19T17:38:00Z 2012-02-12T21:17:20Z Geology has split the Amazon into two distinct forests <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay/peru/150/peru_aerial_0495.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The common view of the Amazon is that it is one massive, unbroken forest. This impression is given by maps which tend to mark the Amazon by a large glob of green or even by its single name which doesn't account for regional changes. Of course, scientists have long recognized different ecosystems in the Amazon, most especially related to climate. But a new study in the Journal of Biogeography has uncovered two distinct forest ecosystems, sharply divided, caused by million of years of geologic forces. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8975 2012-01-19T02:02:00Z 2012-01-19T03:26:40Z Deforestation, climate change threaten the ecological resilience of the Amazon rainforest The combination of deforestation, forest degradation, and the effects of climate change are weakening the resilience of the Amazon rainforest ecosystem, potentially leading to loss of carbon storage and changes in rainfall patterns and river discharge, finds a comprehensive review published in the journal <i>Nature</i>. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8965 2012-01-17T23:13:00Z 2012-01-18T17:54:48Z New book series hopes to inspire research in world's 'hottest biodiversity hotspot' <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/telnov.interview.coastalvegetation.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Entomologist Dmitry Telnov hopes his new pet project will inspire and disseminate research about one of the world's last unexplored biogeographical regions: Wallacea and New Guinea. Incredibly rich in biodiversity and still full of unknown species, the region, also known as the Indo-Australian transition, spans many of the tropical islands of the Pacific, including Indonesia's Sulawesi, Komodo and Flores, as well as East Timor&#8212;the historically famous "spice islands" of the Moluccan Archipelago&#8212;the Solomon Islands, and, of course, New Guinea. Telnov has begun a new book series, entitled Biodiversity, Biogeography and Nature Conservation in Wallacea and New Guinea, that aims to compile and highlight new research in the region, focusing both on biology and conservation. The first volume, currently available, also includes the description of 150 new species. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8964 2012-01-17T19:49:00Z 2012-02-07T05:18:40Z Levi's new forest policy excludes fiber from suppliers linked to deforestation Levi Strauss & Company had issued a new policy that will exclude fiber from controversial sources from its products. The move will effectively bar Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) as a supplier, according to the Rainforest Action Network, a green group that is campaigning to reform APP's sourcing practices, which the NGO says come at the expense of rainforests in Sumatra. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8962 2012-01-17T18:39:00Z 2012-01-17T18:55:34Z Featured video: plight of orangutans highlighted with new rock song An Indonesian rock band, Navicula, is highlighting the plight of orangutans in their native country through a new song entitled, aptly, "Orangutan." The band has created a music video for the song, including footage of a documentary, Green: The Film that follows a starving female orangutan named Green. The band "dedicated the song to encourage people to do more in orangutan conservation, to protect this endangered species." Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8961 2012-01-17T14:24:00Z 2012-01-17T14:47:54Z Rainforests need massive finance, but REDD must be well-designed to succeed <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/12/0117roman150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>A proposed mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by protecting tropical forests has evolved considerably since it started to gain momentum during the 2005 climate talks in Montreal. Known then as 'avoided deforestation', the concept was simple: pay tropical forest countries to keep their forests standing. Since then, the concept has broadened to include activities beyond strict forest conservation, including reducing logging and fire, protecting carbon-dense peatlands, encouraging better forest management practices in existing forest concessions, and promoting reforestation and afforestation. A prominent voice in the discussion around REDD since its inception is the environmental activist group Greenpeace. Mongabay recently caught up with Roman Czebiniak, Greenpeace International's Political Advisor on Climate Change and Forests, for an update on the organization's position on REDD as well as recent developments in the forest carbon policy arena. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8952 2012-01-12T19:32:00Z 2012-01-12T19:39:25Z New frog trumps miniscule fish for title of 'world's smallest vertebrate' <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/smallestvertebrate.dime.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>How small can you be and still have a spine? Scientists are continually surprised by the answer. Researchers have discovered a new species of frog in Papua New Guinea that is smaller than many insects and dwarfed by a dime. The frog trumps the previously known smallest vertebrate&#8212;a tiny fish&#8212;by nearly 1 millimeter. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8944 2012-01-11T21:16:00Z 2012-01-12T22:17:03Z Borneo's most elusive feline photographed at unexpected elevation <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g94/troufs/Bay_cat_001-1.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Although known to science for 138 years, almost nothing is actually known about the bay cat (Pardofelis badia). This reddish-brown wild feline, endemic to the island of Borneo, has entirely eluded researchers and conservationists. The first photo of the cat wasn't taken until 1998 and the first video was shot just two years ago, but basic information remains lacking. A new camera trap study, however, in the Kelabit Highlands of the Malaysian state of Sarawak has added to the little knowledge we have by photographing a bay cat at never before seen altitudes. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8935 2012-01-10T17:24:00Z 2012-01-10T18:09:34Z Camera traps snap first ever photo of Myanmar snub-nosed monkey <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/Snub-nosed-monkey-low-res.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>In 2010 researchers described a new species of primate that reportedly sneezes when it rains. Unfortunately, the new species was only known from a carcass killed by a local hunter. Now, however, remote camera traps have taken the first ever photo of the elusive, and likely very rare, Myanmar snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri), known to locals as mey nwoah, or 'monkey with an upturned face'. Locals say the monkeys are easy to locate when it rains, because the rain catches on their upturned noses causing them to sneeze. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8932 2012-01-10T13:58:00Z 2012-01-10T17:17:00Z Colonization program remains important driver of deforestation in Brazil Government-subsidized colonization of the Amazon rainforest remains an important driver of forest loss in Brazil, but has mixed economic value, argues a paper published in <i>Biological Conservation</i>. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8931 2012-01-09T23:27:00Z 2012-01-17T01:55:08Z Extreme mouth-sewing protest in Indonesia leads to logging inquiry A protest in which 28 Indonesian sewed their mouths shut has led to an inquiry into a logging concession on Padang Island. The Ministry of Forestry has formed a mediation team to look into the controversial concession, reports Kompas. Around a hundred natives of Padang Island rallied for weeks against the logging concession held by PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP), which covers 37 percent of the island's total land. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8928 2012-01-09T22:38:00Z 2012-01-10T17:16:11Z As Amazon deforestation falls, food production rises A sharp drop in deforestation has been accompanied by an increase in food production in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, reports a new study published in the journal <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Science</i>. The research argues that policy interventions, combined with pressure from environmental groups, have encouraged agricultural expansion in already-deforested areas, rather than driving new forest clearing. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8927 2012-01-09T15:08:00Z 2012-01-23T21:16:59Z How lemurs fight climate change <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/Searching-for-elusive-lemurs,-SE-Madagascar.-Photo-by-Daniel-Austin.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Kara Moses may have never become a biologist if not for a coin toss. The coin, which came up heads and decided Moses' direction in college, has led her on a sinuous path from studying lemurs in captivity to environmental writing, and back to lemurs, only this time tracking them in their natural habitat. Her recent research on ruffed lemurs is attracting attention for documenting the seed dispersal capabilities of Critically Endangered ruffed lemurs as well as theorizing connections between Madagascar's lemurs and the carbon storage capacity of its forests. Focusing on the black-and-white ruffed lemur's (Varecia variegata) ecological role as a seed disperser&#8212;animals that play a major role in spreading a plant's seeds far-and-wide&#8212;Moses suggests that not only do the lemurs disperse key tree species, but they could be instrumental in dispersing big species that store large amounts of carbon. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8917 2012-01-03T16:00:00Z 2012-01-07T10:02:51Z Mouths are sewn shut in protest against deforestation in Indonesia Twenty-eight Indonesians have taken the extreme measure of sewing their mouths shut in a protest turned hunger-strike against a forest concession on Padang Island, reports the Jakarta Globe. Around a hundred protesters, mostly natives of Padang Island, have camped outside the Indonesian Senate building since December 19th to protest a logging concession held by PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) on their island, which lies off the east coast of Sumatra. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8913 2012-01-02T17:39:00Z 2012-01-02T17:59:36Z Ecuador makes $116 million to not drill for oil in Amazon <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/0913yasunifrog.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>A possibly ground-breaking idea has been kept on life support after Ecuador revealed its Yasuni-ITT Initiative had raked in $116 million before the end of the year, breaking the $100 million mark that Ecuador said it needed to keep the program alive. Ecuador is proposing to <i>not</i> drill for an estimated 850 million barrels of oil in the Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputinin (ITT) blocs of Yasuni National Park if the international community pledges $3.6 billion to a United Nations Development Fund (UNDF), or about half of what the oil is currently worth. The Yasuni-ITT Initiative would preserve arguably the most biodiverse region on Earth from oil exploitation, safeguard indigenous populations, and keep an estimated 410 million tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere. However, the initiative is not without its detractors, some arguing the program is little more than blackmail; meanwhile proponents say it could prove an effective way to combat climate change, deforestation, and mass extinction. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8899 2011-12-28T18:08:00Z 2011-12-28T18:44:01Z The year in review for rainforests <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay.s3.amazonaws.com/colombia/150/colombia_3765.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>2011 was designated as "Year of the Forests" by the United Nations. While there was relatively little progress on intergovernmental forest protection programs during the year, a lot happened elsewhere. Below is a look at some of the biggest tropical forest-related news stories for 2011. We at mongabay readily acknowledge there were a number of important temperate and boreal forest developments, including Britain's decision not to privatize its forests and the severe drought in Texas, but this article will cover only tropical forest news. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8898 2011-12-27T02:35:00Z 2011-12-27T15:08:33Z Our top nature pictures of 2011 <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay/animals/150/retf_171.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>My reporting for mongabay.com took me to six continents in 2011 and I managed to take photos on many of the trips. Overall I added more than 10,000 new photos to the travel section of the site. Below are some of my favorite pictures from 2011. Thank you for reading mongabay.com in 2011 and I wish you the best for 2012! Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8886 2011-12-21T20:26:00Z 2011-12-22T14:43:22Z New analysis supports claim that paper giant cleared part of its tiger sanctuary in Indonesia <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/11/1221ruj150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Asia Pulp & Paper (APP)'s supplier PT Ruas Utama Jaya has indeed cleared an area of forest it pledged to set aside as a tiger conservation reserve in Sumatra reports a legal analysis by Greenomics, an Indonesian environmental group. The Greenomics' analysis supports allegations originally set forth in a report published last week by Eyes of the Forest, a coalition of green groups, and seems to refute a press release issued by APP that called the deforestation allegations 'fiction'. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8881 2011-12-21T01:58:00Z 2011-12-21T02:49:59Z Indonesia grants exemption from logging moratorium for 3.6m ha of forest <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/11/1221tripa150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Indonesia exempted 3.6 million hectares of forests and peatlands from protected status under its two-year moratorium on forest concessions, according to a revised version of its moratorium map released near the end of climate talks in Durban. The new Indicative Map includes 10.7 million hectares of peatlands, down from 15.5 million hectares in the previous version of the map that defines areas off-limits for new concessions. Some 1.2 million hectares of previously unprotected "primary forest" has been added to the moratorium area, resulted in a net decline of 3.6 million hectares under the moratorium, according to analysis by Daemeter Consulting, an Indonesia-based forestry consultancy. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8879 2011-12-20T19:58:00Z 2011-12-20T20:10:31Z Camera trap videos capture stunning wildlife in Thailand <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/2.-Wildlfe-CameraTrap02-(small).150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>A year's worth of camera trap videos (see photos and video below) are proving that scaled-up anti-poaching efforts in Thailand's Western Forest Complex are working. Capturing rare glimpses of endangered, elusive animals&#8212;from clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa) to banteng (Bos javanicus), a rarely seen wild cattle&#8212;the videos highlight the conservation importance of the Western Forest Complex, which includes 17 protected areas in Thailand and Myanmar. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8873 2011-12-20T17:43:00Z 2011-12-20T17:46:32Z Philippines disaster may have been worsened by climate change, deforestation <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/611398main_20111216_washi3-MODIS-FULL.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>As the Philippines begins to bury more than a 1,000 disaster victims in mass graves, Philippine President Benigno Aquino has ordered an investigation into last weekend's flash flood and landslide, including looking at the role of illegal logging. Officials have pointed to both climate change and vast deforestation as likely exacerbating the disaster. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8872 2011-12-19T21:44:00Z 2011-12-19T23:14:10Z The other side of the Penan story: threatened tribe embraces tourism, reforestation <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/penan.bate.Kapor-Species-3-Weeks.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>News about the Penan people is usually bleak. Once nomadic hunter-gatherers of the Malaysian state of Sarawak on Borneo, the indigenous Penan have suffered decades of widespread destruction of their forests and an erosion of their traditional culture. Logging companies, plantation developments, massive dams, and an ambivalent government have all played a role in decimating the Penan, who have from time-to-time stood up to loggers through blockades, but have not been successful in securing recognition of legal rights to their traditional lands. Yet even as the Penan people struggle against the destruction of their homelands, they are not standing still. Several Penan villages have recently begun a large-scale reforestation program, a community tourism venture, and proclaimed their a portion of their lands a "Peace Park." Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8870 2011-12-19T19:15:00Z 2011-12-19T19:44:48Z Photo essay: Lion-tailed macaques of India's Western Ghats rainforest <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/11/1219ltm_150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The rainforests of Western Ghats are home to some of the most wonderful creatures which are found only in these forests and no where else on the earth. The Lion-tailed Macaque Macaca silenus is the symbol of this endemic diversity of this biodiversity hotspot. Less than 2500 of these survive today making it one of the most endangered primates in the world. In 2008, a healthy population of 32 groups of these macaques were found in central Karnataka giving hope to the future of these Knights of the Western Ghats Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8869 2011-12-19T17:02:00Z 2011-12-19T17:45:20Z Featured video: documentary on logging mafia A new documentary, The Real Chainsaw Massacre, follows the corrupt and violent black market of illegal timber trading in Vietnam. The documentary highlights the efforts of undercover investigators with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) working to expose the lucrative trade of illegal logging from Laos to Vietnam. A trade that is not only decimating forests in Southeast Asia, but is imperiling biodiversity, harming locals, and often coupled with other illegal activities. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8866 2011-12-19T14:48:00Z 2011-12-19T17:29:53Z Is the Russian Forest Code a warning for Brazil? <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://travel.mongabay.com/brazil/150/brazil_0560.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Brazil, which last week moved to reform its Forest Code, may find lessons in Russia's revision of its forest law in 2007, say a pair of Russian scientists. The Brazilian Senate last week passed a bill that would relax some of forest provisions imposed on landowners. Environmentalists blasted the move, arguing that the new Forest Code &#8212; provided it is not vetoed by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff next year &#8212; could undermine the country's progress in reducing deforestation. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8863 2011-12-16T19:28:00Z 2011-12-18T02:46:02Z WWF: Asia Pulp & Paper misleads public about its role in destroying Indonesia's rainforests <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/11/1216wwfreport150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) continues to mislead the public about its role in destroying rainforests and critical tiger habitat across the Indonesian island of Sumatra, alleges a new report from Eyes on the Forest, a coalition of Indonesian environmental groups including WWF-Indonesia. The report, titled The truth behind APP’s Greenwash, is based on analysis of satellite imagery as well as public and private documentation of forest cleared by logging companies that supply APP, which is owned by the Indonesian conglomerate, Sinar Mas Group (SMG). The report concludes APP's fiber suppliers have destroyed 2 million hectares of forest in Sumatra since 1984. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8859 2011-12-15T23:15:00Z 2011-12-16T14:58:37Z REDD advances—slowly—in Durban <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/11/1214fao_tropical150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>A program proposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and degradation made mixed progress during climate talks in Durban. Significant questions remain about financing and safeguards to protect against abuse, say forestry experts. REDD+ aims to reduce deforestation, forest degradation, and peatland destruction in tropical countries. Here, emissions from land use often exceed emissions from transportation and electricity generation. Under the program, industrialized nations would fund conservation projects and improved forest management. While REDD+ offers the potential to simultaneously reduce emissions, conserve biodiversity, maintain other ecosystem services, and help alleviate rural poverty, concerns over potential adverse impacts have plagued the program since its conception. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/8854 2011-12-14T18:05:00Z 2011-12-14T18:19:46Z Photos: 208 species discovered in endangered Mekong region in 2010 <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/mekong.wwf.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Last year researchers scoured forests, rivers, wetlands, and islands in the vanishing ecosystems of the Mekong Delta to uncover an astounding 208 new species over a twelve month period. A new report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) highlights a number of the new species&#8212;from a new snub-nosed monkey to five new meat-eating pitcher plants to a an all-female, cloning lizard&#8212;while warning that many of them may soon be gone as the Mekong Delta suffers widespread deforestation, over-hunting and poaching, massive development projects, the destruction of mangroves, pollution, climate change, and a growing population. Jeremy Hance