https://news.mongabay.com/list/boreal-forests/ Environmental science and conservation news Fri, 03 Jul 2026 19:09:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png https://news.mongabay.com/list/boreal-forests/ 32 32 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/canada-invests-1m-into-mining-exploration-on-indigenous-land/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/canada-invests-1m-into-mining-exploration-on-indigenous-land/#respond 25 Mar 2026 09:14:37 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=316256 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/canada-invests-1m-into-mining-exploration-on-indigenous-land/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-316256 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/local-communities-join-global-push-to-protect-european-arctic-us-peatlands/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/local-communities-join-global-push-to-protect-european-arctic-us-peatlands/#respond 05 Feb 2026 16:55:38 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313759 - At the same time, communities and organizations are leading research activities, preserving Indigenous knowledge and creating artistic spaces to raise awareness about peatland conservation.
- Although peatlands cover only about 3-4% of the Earth’s surface, studies show they contain up to one-third of the world’s soil carbon.
- Given that peatlands are overlooked and face growing risks, sources say a cross-regional approach is timely for advancing peatland conservation while helping communities become better prepared and more resilient to climate change and mining impacts.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/local-communities-join-global-push-to-protect-european-arctic-us-peatlands/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-313759 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/reindeer-numbers-may-fall-by-more-than-half-by-2100-as-arctic-warms-study/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/reindeer-numbers-may-fall-by-more-than-half-by-2100-as-arctic-warms-study/#respond 14 Nov 2025 14:22:41 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=309582 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/reindeer-numbers-may-fall-by-more-than-half-by-2100-as-arctic-warms-study/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-309582 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/why-swedens-forest-policy-matters-to-the-world-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/why-swedens-forest-policy-matters-to-the-world-commentary/#respond 07 Nov 2025 23:04:49 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=309137 - A recent government proposal encourages fertilization with nitrogen to speed up tree growth, which may work in the short term but eventually fails and is leached into waterways, altering ecosystems and being released back into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases.
- “If a country with some of the world’s largest intact boreal forests chooses to double down on short-term extraction, it will not only undermine the EU’s climate goals — it will send a dangerous signal to other forest nations, from Canada to Brazil, that soil and biodiversity can be sacrificed in the name of so-called green growth,” a new op-ed argues.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/why-swedens-forest-policy-matters-to-the-world-commentary/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-309137 https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/sweden-conservation-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/sweden-conservation-commentary/#respond 07 Nov 2024 16:40:47 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=289778 - The likely nomination of Sweden’s Jessika Roswall as EU Commissioner for the Environment this month could be a chance to change that narrative.
- “If she sees forests as more than just trees to exploit, Roswall could help instigate the long process of restoring Sweden’s battered reputation,” argues the Head of Conservation for BirdLife Sweden.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/sweden-conservation-commentary/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-289778 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2024/06/burning-wood-is-not-renewable-energy-so-why-do-policymakers-pretend-it-is/ https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2024/06/burning-wood-is-not-renewable-energy-so-why-do-policymakers-pretend-it-is/#respond 11 Jun 2024 21:38:26 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=283136 - On this episode of the Mongabay Newscast, reporter Justin Catanoso speaks with Rachel Donald about the single largest emitter of CO2 in the U.K., biomass firm Drax, which is trying to open two wood pellet plants in the state of California.
- Catanoso explains how years of investigation helped him uncover a complicated web of public relations messaging that obscures the fact that replanting trees after cutting them down and burning them is not in practice carbon neutral or renewable and severely harms global biodiversity and forests.
- “When those trees get ripped out, that carbon gets released. And that comes before we process this wood and ship it … then we burn it and don't count those emissions. This is just [an] imponderable policy,” he says on this episode.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2024/06/burning-wood-is-not-renewable-energy-so-why-do-policymakers-pretend-it-is/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-283136 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2024/05/the-narwhal-makes-waves-in-canada-for-environmental-journalism/ https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2024/05/the-narwhal-makes-waves-in-canada-for-environmental-journalism/#respond 07 May 2024 22:12:41 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=281719 - Gilchrist discusses what’s special about Canada’s natural legacy, the state of environmental reporting there, how she sees The Narwhal filling the gaps in historically neglected stories and viewpoints, and why something as universally appreciated as nature can still be a polarizing topic.
- She also details a legal battle her organization is involved in that could have significant implications for press freedom in Canada.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2024/05/the-narwhal-makes-waves-in-canada-for-environmental-journalism/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-281719 https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/tropical-forest-loss-puts-2030-zero-deforestation-target-further-out-of-reach/ https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/tropical-forest-loss-puts-2030-zero-deforestation-target-further-out-of-reach/#respond 04 Apr 2024 12:26:01 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=280650 - The few bright spots were Brazil and Colombia, where changes in political leadership helped drive down deforestation rates in the Amazon.
- Elsewhere, however, several countries hit record-high rates of forest loss, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bolivia and Laos, driven largely by agriculture, mining and fires.
- The report authors call for “bold global mechanisms and unique local initiatives … to achieve enduring reductions in deforestation across all tropical front countries.”
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/tropical-forest-loss-puts-2030-zero-deforestation-target-further-out-of-reach/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-280650 https://news.mongabay.com/2024/03/how-to-reward-tropical-forest-conservation-interview-with-tasso-azevedo/ https://news.mongabay.com/2024/03/how-to-reward-tropical-forest-conservation-interview-with-tasso-azevedo/#respond 22 Mar 2024 12:57:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=280166 - In an interview with Mongabay, one of the system’s creators, Tasso Azevedo, details the financial instrument, called Tropical Forests Forever.
- Countries that join the system will receive a fixed amount for each hectare of forest preserved or recovered, but the amount will be deducted if they allow deforestation.
- The Brazilian government estimates that $250 billion is needed to kickstart the operation.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2024/03/how-to-reward-tropical-forest-conservation-interview-with-tasso-azevedo/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-280166 https://news.mongabay.com/2024/02/bidens-new-sanctions-on-russia-should-include-timber-exports-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2024/02/bidens-new-sanctions-on-russia-should-include-timber-exports-commentary/#respond 26 Feb 2024 16:35:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=279202 - Timber represents more than half of all remaining U.S. imports of Russian goods: all of Russia’s vast forests are state-owned, and some are even under control of its military. Customs data show the U.S. has imported close to $2 billion of timber from Russian companies since the war began.
- “The U.S. should immediately bar Russian timber, pulp & paper imports, as the E.U. and U.K. have already done,” a new op-ed argues.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2024/02/bidens-new-sanctions-on-russia-should-include-timber-exports-commentary/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-279202 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/forest-conservation-off-track-to-halt-deforestation-by-2030-new-report/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/forest-conservation-off-track-to-halt-deforestation-by-2030-new-report/#respond 24 Oct 2023 07:36:11 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274565 - The Forest Declaration Assessment is an annual evaluation of deforestation rates against a 2018-2020 deforestation and forest degradation baseline compiled by civil society and research organizations.
- Much of the forest loss occurred in the tropics, and nearly two-thirds of it was in relatively undisturbed primary forests, while forest degradation, more than deforestation, remains a serious problem in temperate and boreal forests.
- Despite being far off the pace to achieve an end to deforestation by 2030, a goal that 145 countries pledged to pursue in 2021, more than 50 countries have cut their deforestation rates and are on track to end deforestation within their borders by the end of the century.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/forest-conservation-off-track-to-halt-deforestation-by-2030-new-report/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-274565 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/09/even-without-human-driven-deforestation-climate-change-threatens-some-forests/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/09/even-without-human-driven-deforestation-climate-change-threatens-some-forests/#respond 13 Sep 2022 11:30:30 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=260222 - The models displayed consistent risks to forests in western North America, drier tropical forests like the southeastern Amazon, and northern boreal forests.
- Researchers say their findings speak to the need to be careful when evaluating the role trees can play as a climate solution.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/09/even-without-human-driven-deforestation-climate-change-threatens-some-forests/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-260222 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/forest-fires-are-getting-worse-according-to-new-20-year-analysis/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/forest-fires-are-getting-worse-according-to-new-20-year-analysis/#respond 17 Aug 2022 19:35:09 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=259342 - The majority of all fire-caused tree cover loss in the past 20 years (nearly 70%) occurred in boreal regions. Although fires are naturally occurring there, they are now increasing at an annual rate of 3% and burning with greater frequency and severity and over larger areas than historically recorded.
- Fires are not naturally occurring in tropical rainforests, but in recent years, as deforestation and climate change have degraded and dried out intact forests, fires have been escaping into standing tropical rainforests. GFW findings suggest fires in the tropics have increased by roughly 5% per year since 2001.
- Researchers say there is no “silver bullet” solution for forest fires, but experts call for more spending on planning and preparation.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/forest-fires-are-getting-worse-according-to-new-20-year-analysis/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-259342 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/weve-crossed-the-land-use-change-planetary-boundary-but-solutions-await/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/weve-crossed-the-land-use-change-planetary-boundary-but-solutions-await/#respond 04 Aug 2022 19:25:09 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=258868 - Scientists calculate we must retain 85% of tropical and boreal forests, and 50% of temperate forests, to stay within Earth’s “safe operating” bounds, but the number of trees worldwide has fallen by nearly 50% since the dawn of agriculture.
- From 2001 to 2021, forest area roughly half the size of China was lost or destroyed across the planet; in 2021, tropical forests disappeared at a rate of about 10 football fields per minute.
- Despite these losses, solutions abound: Some of the actions that could bring us back into the safe operating space are securing Indigenous land rights, reforestation and landscape restoration, establishing new protected areas, redesigning food systems, and using finance as a tool
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/weve-crossed-the-land-use-change-planetary-boundary-but-solutions-await/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-258868 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/how-unsustainable-is-swedens-forestry-very-qa-with-marcus-westberg-and-staffan-widstrand/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/how-unsustainable-is-swedens-forestry-very-qa-with-marcus-westberg-and-staffan-widstrand/#respond 17 Jun 2022 20:25:08 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=257443 - However, the truth on the ground is that the industry relies heavily on clearcutting natural forests, many of which are quite old, and replanting those with monocultures of trees, some of which are non-native.
- “Only 3% of Sweden’s forestry doesn’t involve clear-cutting. That should be pretty shocking to anyone who hears it, given Sweden’s reputation as a leader of so-called green practices,” two top conservation photographers tell Mongabay in a wide-ranging interview.
- This is made possible in part by the Swedish forestry model, which allows companies to police their own practices. Further, these companies claim the cutting of old growth forests and replanting with tree monocultures is not only carbon neutral, but ‘carbon negative,’ which is not supported by science.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/how-unsustainable-is-swedens-forestry-very-qa-with-marcus-westberg-and-staffan-widstrand/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-257443 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/2021-tropical-forest-loss-figures-put-zero-deforestation-goal-by-2030-out-of-reach/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/2021-tropical-forest-loss-figures-put-zero-deforestation-goal-by-2030-out-of-reach/#respond 28 Apr 2022 11:27:31 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=255219 - Deforestation rates remained persistently high in Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to the world’s two biggest expanses of tropical forest, negating the decline in deforestation seen in places like Indonesia and Gabon.
- The diverging trends in the different countries show that “it’s the domestic politics of forests that often really make a key difference,” says leading forest governance expert Frances Seymour.
- The boreal forests of Eurasia and North America also experienced a spike in deforestation last year, driven mainly by massive fires in Russia, which could set off a feedback loop of more heating and more burning.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/2021-tropical-forest-loss-figures-put-zero-deforestation-goal-by-2030-out-of-reach/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-255219 https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/glasgow-declaration-what-countries-are-leaders-in-reducing-deforestation/ https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/glasgow-declaration-what-countries-are-leaders-in-reducing-deforestation/#respond 05 Nov 2021 20:03:20 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=249038 - The 127 signatories account for about 90% of global tree cover and 85% of the world’s primary tropical forests. The Glasgow Declaration thus represents a much larger constituency than the 39 countries which signed the New York Declaration on Forests in 2014. That latter effort failed badly in its ambition to halve deforestation by 2020 — forest loss rose substantially in signatories’ territories.
- Given the extent to which the New York Declaration missed its near-term numeric target on a national level basis, it’s worth breaking down the aggregate data to look at countries on an individual basis to see where forest loss declined and increased.
- Indonesia experienced the biggest decline in primary tropical forest loss, while Brazil saw its primary forest loss more than double from 4.65 million ha to 9.4 million ha. Canada experienced the biggest decline in the extent of tree cover loss, while Brazil also led the world in terms of increase in tree cover loss.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/glasgow-declaration-what-countries-are-leaders-in-reducing-deforestation/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-249038 https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/how-do-the-u-n-forest-declarations-compare/ https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/how-do-the-u-n-forest-declarations-compare/#respond 04 Nov 2021 05:03:47 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=248970 - The declaration came seven years after the New York Declaration on Forests, under which 39 countries pledged to halve natural forest loss by 2020 and end it by 2030. Those countries accounted for about 39% of both global tree cover and primary tropical forests.
- While the New York Declaration on Forests catalyzed global awareness for the importance of forests and the need to address deforestation, it missed the mark by a wide margin in terms of achieving its 2020 goal to reduce natural forest loss by 50%.
- The biggest new signatories are Russia (ranked #1 globally in terms of tree cover), Brazil (#2, thanks to the Amazon rainforest), and China (#6) which together account for 1.4 billion hectares of tree cover. Among tropical nations, after Brazil, the biggest new additions are Papua New Guinea (32 million hectares of primary tropical forest), Gabon (23 million hectares), and the Republic of the Congo (21 million hectares).
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/how-do-the-u-n-forest-declarations-compare/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-248970 https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/north-american-paper-excellence-domtar-industry-merger-sets-off-environmental-alarms/ https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/north-american-paper-excellence-domtar-industry-merger-sets-off-environmental-alarms/#respond 01 Sep 2021 14:12:17 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=246633 - The acquisition signals Paper Excellence’s expansion in North America, something that environmentalists say will threaten Canada’s boreal forest.
- This is because Paper Excellence is reportedly controlled by the owners of Indonesia’s Asia Pulp & Paper, which has a long track record of deforestation, forest and peat fires, and human rights violations.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/north-american-paper-excellence-domtar-industry-merger-sets-off-environmental-alarms/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-246633 https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/report-illegal-russian-lumber-flooded-europe-despite-timber-laws/ https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/report-illegal-russian-lumber-flooded-europe-despite-timber-laws/#respond 17 Dec 2020 12:58:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=237984 - The timber was exported to the E.U. by Russian conglomerate BM Group, led by tycoon Alexander Pudovkin, who was arrested last year along with two officials implicated in fraud and bribery in the case.
- Major timber accreditation body the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) was criticized for “greenwashing” BM Group’s timber export business.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/report-illegal-russian-lumber-flooded-europe-despite-timber-laws/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-237984 https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/eu-renewable-energy-policy-subsidizes-surge-in-logging-of-estonias-protected-areas-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/eu-renewable-energy-policy-subsidizes-surge-in-logging-of-estonias-protected-areas-commentary/#respond 07 Dec 2020 14:59:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=237632 - The Estonian government has issued logging permits for 82,000 hectares of forest – the equivalent to 115,000 football fields – which have been designated protected habitats under Natura 2000.
- “As a result, intolerable pressure is being exerted on the forests that cover half our country, with even protected forests being clear-cut,” writes the vice-chairman of the Estonian Fund for Nature.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/eu-renewable-energy-policy-subsidizes-surge-in-logging-of-estonias-protected-areas-commentary/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-237632 https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/photos-show-scale-of-massive-fires-tearing-through-siberian-forests/ https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/photos-show-scale-of-massive-fires-tearing-through-siberian-forests/#respond 23 Jul 2020 15:15:42 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=232892 - It’s estimated that fires have burnt more than 20.9 million hectares of land in Russia, and 10.9 million hectares of forest, since the start of 2020.
- The fires are being helped by unusually warm temperatures, including a reading of more than 38° Celsius (100° Fahrenheit) in the town of Verkhoyansk — the hottest on record inside the Arctic Circle.
- There are concerns that the smoke from the Siberian fires will cause respiratory problems for people living in urban areas, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/photos-show-scale-of-massive-fires-tearing-through-siberian-forests/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-232892 https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/siberian-heat-drives-arctic-ice-extent-to-record-low-for-early-july/ https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/siberian-heat-drives-arctic-ice-extent-to-record-low-for-early-july/#respond 10 Jul 2020 14:08:39 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=232372 - The Siberian heat flowed over the adjacent Arctic Ocean where it triggered record early sea ice melt in the Laptev Sea, and record low Arctic sea ice extent for this time of year. While 2020 is well positioned to set a new low extent record over 2012, variations in summer weather could change that.
- The heat has also triggered wildfires in Siberia, releasing 59 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in June and drying out the region’s tundra. Some blazes are known as “zombie fires” possibly having smoldered underground all winter between 2019 and 2020.
- Also at risk from the rapid rise in warmth is civil and militaryinfrastructure, built atop thawing permafrost. As Siberia heated up this year, a fuel tank at a Russian power plant collapsed, leaking 21,000 tons of diesel into the Ambarnaya and Dadylkan rivers, a major Arctic disaster. Worse could come as the world continues warming.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/siberian-heat-drives-arctic-ice-extent-to-record-low-for-early-july/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-232372 https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/conservation-insights-from-an-enormous-aspen-clone-qa-with-ecologist-paul-rogers/ https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/conservation-insights-from-an-enormous-aspen-clone-qa-with-ecologist-paul-rogers/#respond 05 Jun 2020 14:36:16 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=231085 - In discovering that Pando might be dying, ecologist Paul C. Rogers came to realize that the problems troubling the famous giant were a microcosm of the problems troubling aspen forests across the Northern Hemisphere, and with them the highly biodiverse set of organisms they support.
- That sparked a collaboration among aspen researchers from eight countries, who propose a conservation strategy they’re calling ‘mega-conservation.’ It aims to protect common ecosystems distinguished by a species that, like aspen, supports uncommon levels of biodiversity while facing common threats.
- Mongabay spoke with Rogers about Pando, mega-conservation, and the wisdom of thinking like an aspen forest.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/conservation-insights-from-an-enormous-aspen-clone-qa-with-ecologist-paul-rogers/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-231085 https://news.mongabay.com/2019/09/the-thinning-fabric-of-earths-forest-cover-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2019/09/the-thinning-fabric-of-earths-forest-cover-commentary/#respond 24 Sep 2019 18:06:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=222820 - More and more of the world’s remaining forests are switching from healthy core to degraded, carbon-emitting edges, or isolated patches as intensive human use drives fragmentation, logging, over-hunting, fires, and a host of other pressures large and small.
- Decision makers mistakenly perceive that forest intactness is not as important or urgent as deforestation, or that it is too difficult to measure and monitor. We must lift these constraints, put better policies in place, and expend far more effort into halting the degradation of forests on the ground, in particular in those 20-30 countries where the most-intact forests are concentrated.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2019/09/the-thinning-fabric-of-earths-forest-cover-commentary/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-222820 https://news.mongabay.com/2019/04/trekking-the-boreal-forest-for-biodiversity-insider/ https://news.mongabay.com/2019/04/trekking-the-boreal-forest-for-biodiversity-insider/#respond 12 Apr 2019 23:59:55 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=217355 - Federal agencies and certifying bodies such as the Forest Stewardship Council have tried to improve the situation, but activists charge that they are unable to prevent forestry companies from cutting even the most valuable and the oldest forest tracts. I traveled there in 2011 to investigate their claims.
- These forest watchdogs have trained themselves to identify rare and endangered species of fungi and lichens, whose presence prevents cutting of those richest tracts, a successful but rugged tactic requiring long days of trekking, climbing, and lifting or turning of many logs.
- This post is insider content, which is available to paying subscribers.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2019/04/trekking-the-boreal-forest-for-biodiversity-insider/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-217355 https://news.mongabay.com/2019/01/new-space-lasers-offer-best-3d-look-at-global-forests-yet/ https://news.mongabay.com/2019/01/new-space-lasers-offer-best-3d-look-at-global-forests-yet/#respond 18 Jan 2019 10:00:43 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=214716 - In the last few months, NASA launched two sensors into space that will play a prominent role in monitoring forest biomass and structure over the next decade: the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) now attached to the International Space Station, and the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2).
- These two satellites, which in combination provide complete coverage of the planet, are equipped with lidar sensors that record forest structure in 3D, contributing to an ongoing wave of large-scale forest ecosystem measurements.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2019/01/new-space-lasers-offer-best-3d-look-at-global-forests-yet/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-214716 https://news.mongabay.com/2018/11/reforms-to-root-out-illegal-logging-in-ukraine-need-pms-backing/ https://news.mongabay.com/2018/11/reforms-to-root-out-illegal-logging-in-ukraine-need-pms-backing/#respond 28 Nov 2018 11:29:02 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=212730 - The London-based NGO Earthsight first revealed the potential illegalities in a July 2018 report, and since then, independent investigations from WWF Ukraine and the EU’s Technical Assistance and Information Exchange have corroborated Earthsight’s findings.
- A reform package that would allow for independent enforcement of Ukraine’s forestry laws and increased transparency has been approved by the country’s cabinet of ministers, but it still lacks the signature and public backing of Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2018/11/reforms-to-root-out-illegal-logging-in-ukraine-need-pms-backing/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-212730 https://news.mongabay.com/2018/08/earth-has-more-trees-now-than-35-years-ago/ https://news.mongabay.com/2018/08/earth-has-more-trees-now-than-35-years-ago/#respond 15 Aug 2018 20:03:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=209371 - The study, led by Xiao-Peng Song and Matthew Hansen of the University of Maryland, is based on analysis of satellite data from 1982 to 2016.
- The research found that tree cover loss on the tropics was outweighed by tree cover gain in subtropical, temperate, boreal, and polar regions.
- However all the tree cover data comes with an important caveat: tree cover is not necessarily forest cover.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2018/08/earth-has-more-trees-now-than-35-years-ago/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-209371 https://news.mongabay.com/2018/07/eu-demand-siphons-illicit-timber-from-ukraine-investigation-finds/ https://news.mongabay.com/2018/07/eu-demand-siphons-illicit-timber-from-ukraine-investigation-finds/#respond 17 Jul 2018 04:51:38 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=208407 - The London-based investigative nonprofit Earthsight found evidence that forestry officials have taken bribes to supply major European firms with Ukrainian wood that may have been harvested illegally.
- Earthsight argues that EU-based companies are not carrying out the due diligence that the EU Timber Regulation requires when buying from “high-risk” sources of timber.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2018/07/eu-demand-siphons-illicit-timber-from-ukraine-investigation-finds/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-208407 https://news.mongabay.com/2018/02/huge-gamble-scientists-urge-prioritization-of-intact-forests/ https://news.mongabay.com/2018/02/huge-gamble-scientists-urge-prioritization-of-intact-forests/#respond 26 Feb 2018 18:12:45 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=204116 - A new study discusses how intact forests are critically important for mitigating climate change, maintaining water supplies, safeguarding biodiversity and even protecting human health.
- However, it warns that global policies aimed at reducing deforestation are not putting enough emphasis on the preservation of the world’s dwindling intact forests, instead relying on a one-size-fits-all approach that may end up doing more harm than good.
- The researchers urge more inclusion and prioritization of intact forests in global commitments and policies aimed at curbing deforestation.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2018/02/huge-gamble-scientists-urge-prioritization-of-intact-forests/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-204116 https://news.mongabay.com/2018/01/study-reveals-forests-have-yet-another-climate-protection-superpower/ https://news.mongabay.com/2018/01/study-reveals-forests-have-yet-another-climate-protection-superpower/#respond 16 Jan 2018 18:24:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=202939 - As forests are cleared, emissions of these cooling reactive gases are reduced. The researchers estimate the loss of this function this may contribute 14 percent towards deforestation-caused global warming.
- The authors write that effective climate policies will require a “robust understanding” of the relationship between land-use change like deforestation and climate, and urge more research be done toward this goal.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2018/01/study-reveals-forests-have-yet-another-climate-protection-superpower/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-202939