Tropical forests
A new study finds that deforestation rates of 20 to 25 percent in the Amazon could cause a collapse of the hydrological cycle (Fundação de Amparo ‘ Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo/EurekAlert).
Logging concessions, if properly managed, could support wildlife such as jaguars (Wildlife Conservation Society/EurekAlert).
Activist groups are suing over the Trump administration’s decision to allow hunters to bring back trophies (Pacific Standard).
The costs of payment-for-ecosystem services strategies may be higher than anticipated, creating “conservation martyrs,” a new study finds (Michigan State University/Phys.Org).
Infectious disease researchers examine climate change data to understand the future of disease (Phys.Org).
Jaguars hemmed in by deforestation and livestock rearing in Paraguay’s Pantanal and Gran Chaco ecosystems (De Gruyter/EurekAlert).
Nonprofit leverages solar panels and machine learning to monitor forests (Gizmodo).
The director general of the Center for International Forestry Research discusses the state of the world’s forests (CIFOR Forest News).
India is still losing forest cover, despite assertions to the contrary (The Quint).
Other news
Research chimps allowed to retire (Science Magazine).
Symbiotic organisms like coral reefs recover slowly after damage (University of Bath/EurekAlert).
The 20 percent of Americans who eat the most meat contribute nearly half of the country’s diet-related emissions (University of Michigan/Phys.Org, Pacific Standard).
U.S. National Parks likely to see an increase in the numbers of bird species they house in response to climate change (Mother Jones).
Chevron won’t disagree with consensus that humans are causing climate change in lawsuit (Reuters).
Small-scale fishing methods are damaging the Philippines’ coral reefs, researcher find (University of British Columbia/EurekAlert).
Stepped-up restrictions on air pollution could save 153 million lives (Duke University/Phys.Org, The Washington Post).
An impact detection system could help wildlife cope with wind farms (Oregon State University/EurekAlert).
Documentary records the birth of a polar bear in Scotland wildlife park (BBC News, (The New York Times).
Every 500 meters (547 yards) in a car could lead to 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of melted ice from a glacier, new study finds (University of Innsbruck/EurekAlert).
Energy-related carbon emissions rise in 2017, breaking previous record (Reuters).
India is more vulnerable than any other country to climate change, new report finds (Reuters).
Heatwave in 2010 and 2011 killed 22 percent of carbon-siphoning seagrass in Western Australia’s Shark Bay (The Guardian).
New map allows climate comparisons between places and offers predictions for the next 50 years (University of Cincinnati/EurekAlert).
Biologist argues that laws should protect the most biologically rich waters first (The New York Times).
“Striking” footage of minke whale in Antarctica (Phys.Org).
Scientists reveal how sharks help keep coral reefs healthy (Phys.Org).
Deep reef zone holds unknown fish species, prompting “rariphotic” moniker (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute/EurekAlert).
The success of “rewilding” wolves in Yellowstone could be a model for other ecosystems (The New York Times).
The importance of “blue carbon,” trapped within marine and coastal communities, in climate change policy (CIFOR Forest News).
Climate change and overfishing could diminish deep sea creature populations more than previously thought (University of Oxford/EurekAlert).
Activists take oil companies to court in Guyana (The Guardian).
One hundred-fifty pilot whales strand in Australia; at least 135 are dead (The Guardian).
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch could be 16 times larger than thought — twice the size of Texas (Los Angeles Times).
Satellite monitoring improves the tracking of seasonal sea ice (Pacific Standard).
Environmental activists still face danger, with nine deaths recorded in 2018 so far (Inside Philanthropy).
Banner image of a gray wolf by the National Park Service (photo in the public domain).
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