Brazil’s key deforestation drivers: Pasture, cropland, land speculation
80% of Brazilian deforestation between 2000-2014 resulted from new pasture creation, with 20% directly due to new croplands; however, land speculation drove the process.
Environmental headlines
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An island mapped for mines gets a reprieve after violent protests
KENDARI, Indonesia — A coil of barbed wire separated Southeast Sulawesi Deputy Governor Lukman Abunawas and his police escort from the angry crowd as he read out the statement they…
Tear down the dams: New coalition strives to enshrine rights of orcas
When Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914, triggering the First World War, Granny was out under the sea half a world away, catching salmon and communicating with her pod…
Bid to protect Borneo’s wild cattle hinges on whether it’s a new species
LAMANDAU, Indonesia — At the headwaters of the Belantikan River on the island of Borneo, an organization committed to protecting orangutans is extending its efforts to a slightly less charismatic…
Super variable California salamander is ‘an evolutionist’s dream’
The ensatina is a fairly common salamander. From southern British Columbia in Canada to northern Baja California in Mexico, it can be found lurking under logs in forests along the…
As Arctic neared 2019 winter max, Bering Sea was virtually ice-free
Though sea ice extent was up across much of the Arctic at winter maximum, the Bering Sea lost an ice area the size of Montana, and Greenland has been receiving winter rains.
Investors warn soy giants of backlash over deforestation in South America
The world’s leading companies involved in the soy trade are being challenged to come clean about their impact on the environment and to completely eliminate deforestation from their operations. The…
Invasive plants a fast-growing threat to India’s rhinos
On a gloomy afternoon in May 2018, conservation biologist Bibhab Talukdar was visiting Pobitora National Park in India's Assam state. As he rode an elephant into the grasslands at the…
Possible vaquita death accompanies announcement that only 10 are left
On March 13, scientists announced that around 10 vaquitas (Phocoena sinus) are left on Earth, just as the environmental group Sea Shepherd said it had found one of the porpoises…
Latam Eco Review: Bolivia’s Batman and Peru’s birdy cave drawings
A biologist known as Bolivia’s Batman, ground zero for Amazon deforestation in Peru, and camera traps showing the bird species from ancient cave drawings were among the top stories from…
Study identifies climate-resilient trees to help orangutan conservation
The IUCN has identified tree species that are resilient to deepening drought and fires brought on by climate change in Indonesian Borneo. The species will be used for government-backed forest…
AI and drone-based imagery improve power to survey cryptic animals
Koalas are Australian icons, known globally for their fuzzy ears, broad wet nose, and love of eucalyptus leaves. They are also cryptic, slow-moving creatures that live high in the leafy…
Europe, in bid to phase out palm biofuel, leaves fans and foes dismayed
JAKARTA — The European Commission has officially approved a measure to phase out palm oil-based biofuel by 2030. But while the move has angered major palm oil producers, it hasn’t…
In other news: Environmental stories from around the web, March 15, 2019
Tropical forests Norway and Ethiopia could build on their collaboration to address climate change through forest protection (allAfrica). Representatives from Liberia and the EU reaffirmed their pledge to stop illegal…
Indigenous Waorani, protesting ‘rushed’ hearing, shut down court with song
Indigenous Waorani women broke into song in an Ecuadoran court in Puyo on March 13, shutting down a high-stakes hearing in their lawsuit against the government. The women were protesting…
New maps show where humans are pushing species closer to extinction
Animals around the globe are losing ground to farming and ranching, and their numbers are dwindling at the hands of human hunters. But the question of where to direct precious…
Indonesia’s tuna fisheries seek out sustainability certification
JAKARTA — Indonesia is racing to certify its world-leading tuna fisheries as sustainable, drawn by the lucrative global market for eco-labeled seafood. The government has since 2014 rolled out a…
‘It is open season right now’: Martial law intensifies in the Philippines
“Maybe what happened to my brother will also happen to me,” says Joseph Paborada, Chair of the indigenous organization Pangalasag. It has been over six years since his brother Gilbert, the…
Sri Lanka’s new ‘green tax’ not a hit with drivers or environmentalists
M.K. Vijitha Perera had been looking forward to buying her first car. But now the 26-year-old says she’s had to shelve the idea, following the Sri Lankan government’s introduction of…
Local communities feared repression from WWF, investigation finds
Conservation nonprofit WWF has come under heavy criticism after an investigation was published last week by Buzzfeed News that the wildlife charity knowingly supported eco-guards who committed severe human rights…
Special series
Endangered environmentalists
- Arson attack in Indonesia leaves activist shaken
- For embattled environmental defenders, a reprieve of sorts in 2018
- 7 convicted of killing Honduran indigenous activist Berta Cáceres
Indonesias forest guardians
- Architects bring bamboo revival to Indonesian village
- Giant pines a tourist draw, cash cow for Yogyakarta farmers
- In West Papua, a development plan that doesn’t require clearing forest
Amazon infrastructure
- Brazil to open indigenous reserves to mining without indigenous consent
- Brazil to build long-resisted Amazon transmission line on indigenous land
- The hidden costs of hydro: We need to reconsider world’s dam plans
Asian rhinos
- Invasive plants a fast-growing threat to India’s rhinos
- Encounters with the Javan rhino (commentary)
- As extinction looms, can Javan rhinos survive in Ujung Kulon? (Commentary)
