The impacts of haze on Southeast Asia’s wildlife
or several months until very recently, a gray pall of haze hung over Singapore, a result of uncontrolled wildfires and peatland hotspots in neighboring Indonesia. And as Anuj Jain from…
Articles by Jose Hong
Jose is currently studying European Social and Political Studies at University College London. He has always been a nature lover and is most happy on a shore at low tide, discovering the animals that lie beneath the sands.
Coming from Singapore, he knows he is blessed to have grown up in one of the world’s most biodiverse hotspots, and never fails to be amazed at the wildlife that manages to thrive and persist in his hyper-modern city-state.
It is nature’s ability to regenerate against the onslaught of modernity that fascinates him, and after graduating he wants to help find a middle path between development and conservation. To do this, he knows that engaging the public is crucial, which is why he strongly believes in effective environmental journalism.
He also writes for Singapore’s national news publications, and as a university student he was the deputy news editor of a London-wide student newspaper.
Giant clam = giant impact: study compiles how mega-clams impact seas
These charming bivalves of tropical reefs have myriad purposes, but just how many and to what extent are now more easily knowable The world’s biggest bivalves are the aptly named…
How a frog with a strange name is helping improve conservation in Brazil
Protecting the biodiversity of the Amazon basin is an immense undertaking, and to its credit the Brazilian government has a set procedure for doing so. However, there are gaps in…
False victories for sustainability – Amazonian Hydropower
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…
‘New normal’ approach to conservation comes under fire
New study faults adaptive 'Novel Ecosystems' concept with ignoring true values of biodiversity, restoration Over the past few years a new conservation approach known as the "novel ecosystems" concept has…
Armed conflict decimates tigers, rhinos, and swamp deer in Indian park
Endangered species have it bad enough, but in conflict zones, things get worse The human cost of war is horrendous. However, while most attention is focused on the suffering caused…
Towards the poles: tropical cyclones on the move
If you thought your relatively northerly or southerly location sheltered you from Mother Nature’s worst storms, think again For years we have known that the tropics are expanding towards the…
Invasion of the lionfish: new research finds the situation may be worse than we thought
Invasive predator can live in nearly freshwater environments, may threaten estuaries, rivers You may have recently read the controversial story on invasive lionfish research involving Dr. Zack Jud of Florida…
Attack of the killer vines: lianas taking over forests in Panama
Global warming may be spurring liana growth, hindering forest carbon storage in Central America A worrying trend has emerged in tropical forests: lianas, woody long-stemmed vines, are increasingly displacing trees,…
Size matters: small animals abundant in fragmented forests, large animals not
Study urges alteration of management practices Habitat fragmentation and hunting are both distinct critical issues facing forests today that require their own countermeasures. Yet, much research has chosen to conflate…
More is better: high bee biodiversity boosts crop yields
Scientists have discovered that blueberry plants visited by more diverse bee species increased their seed number, berry size and fruit set, and quickened their ripening time. They hope their findings…
Special series
Forest Trackers
- The Pantanal is burning again. Will it be another devastating year?
- Deforestation sweeps national park in Brazil as land speculators advance
- Drug trafficking threatens Indigenous Shipibo communities in Peru
- Fires rage in Bolivia’s Chiquitania region
Oceans
- Researchers express alarm as Arctic multiyear sea ice hits record low
- With coral cover halved, curbing climate change is only way to slow the loss
- Faroe Islands to evaluate traditional hunt after slaughter of 1,400 dolphins
- For sustainable global fisheries, watchdogs focus on onshore beneficial owners
Amazon Conservation
- Amazon, meet Amazon: Tech giant rolls out rainforest carbon offset project
- Rich countries may be buying illegal gold that’s driving Amazon destruction
- New study offers latest proof that Brazilian Amazon is now a net CO2 source
- With their land on the line, Indigenous Brazilians gather for landmark ruling
Land rights and extractives
- ‘On the map’: App shines light on 5,000 ‘invisible’ families in Brazil’s Cerrado and beyond
- As illegal logging route in Peru nears Brazil, Indigenous groups warn of calamity
- Vale told Brazil communities they were in danger. They say Vale wants their land
- With their land on the line, Indigenous Brazilians gather for landmark ruling
Endangered Environmentalists
- The Kichwa woman fighting drug traffickers and loggers in the Peruvian Amazon
- Rights groups demand end to Cambodia’s persecution of green activists
- With Indigenous rights at stake in Brasília, a territory is attacked in Paraty
- Brazil’s Bolsonaro vowed to work with Indigenous people. Now he’s investigating them
Indonesia's Forest Guardians
- From Flores to Papua: Meet 10 of Indonesia’s mangrove guardians
- Why I stand for my tribe’s forest: It gives us food, culture, and life (commentary)
- Reforesting a village in Indonesia, one batch of gourmet beans at a time
- Restoring Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem, one small farm at a time
Conservation Effectiveness
- Is planting trees as good for the Earth as everyone says?
- ‘Bad science’: Planting frenzy misses the grasslands for the trees
- A Malagasy community wins global recognition for saving its lake
- Scientists in Costa Rica are growing new corals to save reefs
Southeast Asian infrastructure
- Plantations and roads strip away Papua’s forests. They’re just getting started
- Indonesian farmers refuse to budge for train line through karst landscape
- UNESCO calls for closure of road running through World Heritage park in Papua
- Indonesia’s Gorontalo road runs into forest, swerves environmental checks
