July in review: lizards, alligator-eating pythons, toads, and an Arctic heatwave

Many web sites typically experience a lull during summer months and this year is no exception for mongabay.

Slower traffic can produce some unusual distortions how articles in rank in popularity. Accordingly, three stories about herps topped the most popular list for July: a study on the unexpected intelligence of lizards, a 2005 post about a python that exploded after eating an alligator that was a bit too large, and the discovery of a “long-lost” toad in Borneo.

In more serious news, scientists reported that a heatwave in the Arctic is decimating sea ice. The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) predicted sea ice extent could hit a new summertime low this September.

But high temperatures weren’t limited to the Arctic: a number of areas in the United States — especially the south and east coast — experienced record heat.

The debate over the Amazon forest code continued in Brazil’s Senate, but satellite data showed signs that deforestation in the region is slowing after an alarming jump earlier this year. In other happy news, a “biocultural conservation corridor” initiative led by the Amazon Conservation Team moved ahead after winning $1.6 million in support from the Skoll Foundation. The project aims to prevent deforestation across 46 million ha (114 million acres) in the northeastern and southwestern sections of Brazilian Amazon by bolstering indigenous land management.

WWF — arguably the world’s best known environmental group — had a less happy month, finding itself the target of a critical report from Global Witness over its relationship with logging companies. Global Witness said WWF’s sustainable timber scheme, the Global Forest and Trade Network, lacks transparency and oversight, allowing loggers to greenwash their image. WWF disagreed, arguing that the program helps companies improve logging practices, thereby reducing the environmental impact of timber extraction.

Finally Lego, the Danish maker of toy building blocks, announced a new paper sourcing policy that will exclude packaging materials produced through the destruction of rainforests.