Farms with just one or a handful of different crops encourage fewer species of pollinating and pest-controlling insects to linger, ultimately winnowing away crop yields, according to a new study.…
On Sept. 3, the Republic of Congo secured a stream of funding aimed at protecting forests and peatlands. The signatures of French President Emmanuel Macron and Congolese President Denis Sassou…
Tropical forests A rainforest in Mexico is home to a newly discovered antibiotic (Science Alert). Researchers call for a coordinated effort to stamp out cocaine trafficking and deforestation in Central…
A new report from the environmental organization Greenpeace warns that large companies are only deepening the world’s plastic crisis, even as they voice support for supposed solutions. “Due to public…
Watching a helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil) swoop through the canopy of a tropical forest sits atop the bucket list of many bird lovers. The prodigious bird cuts a striking silhouette…
Tropical forests An insect could help farmers battle invasive cacti in Kenya (Biographic). The world owes the Democratic Republic of Congo more money to protect its forests, the country’s president…
Elephant poachers are using logging roads to infiltrate some of the last remaining pristine forests in Central Africa, according to a study published in July. The study’s authors also revealed…
A new app aimed at tracking forest fires in Bolivia could shake up the way authorities and firefighters battle fires, allowing them to pinpoint their locations more accurately and safely.…
Tropical forests California has approved a scheme for companies to offset emissions by buying carbon credits aimed at stopping tropical deforestation (The San Francisco Chronicle). Leaders of many of the…
Plant and animal species living in wilderness areas are less likely to go extinct, a recent study has found. Defined as intact habitats that haven’t been affected by human use…
KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia — In July, I traveled most of the length of the proposed Pan Borneo Highway route with the goal of trying to understand the aims, possibilities and…
Cataloging the growing number of declining species or tracking the relentless rise of temperatures around the world today can make for some dark days for scientists in these areas of…
Tropical forests Deforestation in Brazil is affecting one of the country’s most biodiverse rivers (Biographic). A new “atlas” tracks infrastructure development in Indonesian Papua (CIFOR Forests News). A market for…
A planned highway network in the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo threatens the forests protected as part of the Heart of Borneo agreement made with Indonesia…
Tropical forests Indigenous hunting could help the sustainability of forests (The Revelator). Experts say that climate change has played a part in the exodus of people from Central America (Undark).…
A landmark pledge known as the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) aimed at stopping the loss and degradation of forests is falling short of its goals, according to a…
Tropical forests More than two-thirds of the world’s forests are at risk, according to a U.N. report (Down to Earth). Research suggests that we might be expecting trees to carry…
Tropical forests Côte d’Ivoire is trying to increase its vegetation cover by planting trees (Ecofin). Indonesia plans to move its capital to Borneo, which could damage rainforests (Fast Company). The…
This is the sixth article in our six-part series “Traveling the Pan Borneo Highway.” Read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four and Part Five. KOTA BELUD, Malaysia — Road building is…
This is the fifth article in our six-part series “Traveling the Pan Borneo Highway.” Read Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four. KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia — In March 2019, the…
This is the fourth article in our six-part series “Traveling the Pan Borneo Highway.” Read Part One, Part Two and Part Three. BATU PUTEH, Malaysia — They call it the…
This is the third article in our six-part series “Traveling the Pan Borneo Highway.” Read Part One and Part Two. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — When Baru Bian was a boy,…
Tropical forests The world’s largest butterfly is also one of the rarest (Mother Jones, Undark). More donors are rescinding their financial support of Brazil’s Amazon Fund as deforestation continues to…
This is the second article in our six-part series “Traveling the Pan Borneo Highway.” Read Part One. TELOK SERABANG, Malaysia — At the westernmost tip of Borneo sits a dense…
This is the first article in our six-part series “Traveling the Pan Borneo Highway.” MIRI, Malaysia — Tucked under the sweep of green that blankets parts of Malaysian Borneo is…
Tropical forests A free-trade deal between the United States and Brazil could be disastrous for the Amazon and forest communities, one commentator argues (The Hill). The continent of Africa emitted…
Tropical forests An anthropologist tried to fight off poachers’ dogs going after chimpanzees in Uganda (The Atlantic). Agri-giant Chiquita says it will take steps to protect biodiversity (Produce News). Lawmakers…
How we use the planet’s land, including forests, will make a huge difference in determining the path of climate change in the future, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate…
Tropical forests Climate change is contributing to a drought and famine crisis in Guatemala (The Guardian). Coastal settlements in Honduras face the threat of rising sea levels (The Guardian). Tanzania’s…
Gibbons living in southern Borneo have the largest territories of any of their close relatives, according to a new study. From a conservation perspective, those large ranges are a liability,…
