Modern day expeditions face a collection dilemma as scientists consider ethics and endangerment A tray of Eriocnemis (a genus of hummingbird) specimens, Swedish Museum of Natural History - Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet,Stockholm,…
Enormous wood fiber concession appears in West Kalimantan, threatening critical habitat. Environmental groups cry foul, claiming impact assessments were not properly done before plantation company set up shop. A major…
Imitation can be obnoxious. For those with siblings, imitating your brother's or sister's every word was a surefire way to steadily drive them toward insanity. Annoying it may be, imitation…
Illegal logging road through the Murunahua reserve for isolated indigenous peoples. Image © Chris Fagan of Upper Amazon Conservancy (UAC). Forest-dependent peoples face grave threats from deforestation and other depredations,…
Study criticises Brazil’s dam construction, saying that more economically and ecologically viable alternatives already exist Dams are hugely controversial, especially in the Amazon Rainforest. Their proponents, flashing green credentials, have…
Sai Yok bent-toed gecko found on forested hill near Myanmar border, researchers think more species await discovery in biodiverse region A research team based in western Thailand has discovered a…
Patagonian toothfish, often sold as Chilean seabass. Photo by: U.S. FDA. For the first time, marine conservation group, Sea Shepherd, is employing their controversial methods to protect Antarctic and Patagonian…
How conservation groups stopped an oil and gas company from conducting seismic surveys inside Arabuko-Sokoke Forest In October this year, CAMAC Energy, an oil and gas exploration and production company,…
Lake Balbina, a man-made reservoir created to supply hydroelectric power to the city of Manaus in Brazil. Courtesy of NASA. Nearly 200 civil society organizations have called on world leaders…
While unpleasant car exhaust makes us wrinkle our noses, such human-made fumes may pose serious problems to insects searching for nectar. Researchers recently revealed that background odors make finding flowers…
It all went to hell when Jane Goodall started handing out bananas. Within a few years, the previously peaceful chimpanzees she was studying split into two warring tribes. Gangs of…
Known for his opposition to Chinese mine project, indigenous leader found bound and buried in Ecuador Days before José Isidro Tendetza Antún was supposed to travel to the UN Climate…
Rainforest in Costa Rica. A coalition of governments and organizations today pledged to restore 20 million hectares (50 million acres) of degraded forests and ecosystems across Latin America by 2020…
Reforestation project using native tree species in Borneo. Indonesia’s new government has ambitious reforestation plans. President Joko Widodo’s election campaign included a commitment to reforest 2 million hectares of degraded…
The Indonesian government has agreed on reference levels for measuring reductions in emissions from deforestation and forest and peatland degradation, reports Antara. The Forest Reference Emission Levels (FREL) will be…
Inspiration from the front lines of Ecuador’s Amazon: an interview with Patricia Gualinga Patricia Gualinga, Director of International Relations in the Sarayaku community government. Photo courtesy of Patriia Gualinga. Standing…
Protecting biodiversity may be crucial for successfully storing carbon in forests, scientists say. A recent publication on Oryx - The International Journal of Conservation suggests that biodiversity loss –especially through…
About one year ago today, I was pretty down. It was Thanksgiving night, and the Forest Heroes campaign, which I chair, had been running a big global campaign to persuade…
Last month Sabah set aside an additional 203,000 hectares of protected forest reserves, boosting the Malaysian state's extent of protected areas to 21 percent of its land mass. But instead…
Last month Sabah set aside an additional 203,000 hectares of protected forest reserves, boosting the Malaysian state's extent of protected areas to 21 percent of its land mass. But instead…
Indigenous group hopes the monument will help them protect an embattled Amazon reserve A still from the film, The Reunion, showing the Rostro Harakbut. A new short film documents the…
Deforestation in Malaysia for palm oil. Photo by Rhett Butler Singapore-based Musim Mas has established a new sustainability policy that it says will eliminate deforestation, peatlands conversion, and social conflict…
The Bahian mouse-colored tapaculo has only just been discovered by scientists in the heavily logged Atlantic Forest of southeast Brazil -- and it’s already believed to be endangered. Given the…
Experts say canal plans and impacts remain shrouded in mystery A volcanic island rises from Lake Nicaragua. Photo by Aaron Escobar/Creative Commons 2.0 "A big Christmas present"—that is how Paul…
White rhino in South Africa. Photo by Rhett Butler South African conservationist Ian Player has died at the age of 87. Player, the brother of professional Gary Player, had an…
Deforestation in Madre de Dios in 2005. Photo by Rhett Butler Deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon increased significantly last year, says a top official. Speaking to the press at U.N.…
A recent study examines the evolution of viper species in East Africa, highlighting the region's mountaintop forests as among the most biodiverse in the world and calling for their protection.…
Despite vast forest loss, the Anjouan scops owl is holding on in the Comoros Islands The Anjouan scops owl. Photo by: Alan Van Norman. The Anjouan scops owl—an elusive owl…
Reduced river flows below irrigation dams decimate freshwater dolphins Rare photo showing two Indus River dolphins in the wild. Photo credit: Albert Reichert, CC-BY.N The Indus River dolphin (Platanista gangetica…
No more than 75 Sumatran rhinos remaining in wild Nearing extinction, the Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) is running out of options. A native of Indonesia and Malaysia, the Sumatran rhino…
