China’s Demand For Resources News

The most important environmental and wildlife stories from the last year Also see our Top 10 HAPPY Environmental Stories of 2014 1. The Year of Zero Deforestation Pledges: In 2014,…

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…

Elephants in Tanzania. All photos by Rhett A. Butler Corruption in Tanzania is enabling large volumes of illegal elephant ivory to be smuggled out of the country, alleges a new…

Four commodities produced in just eight countries are responsible for a third of the world's forest loss, according to a new report. Those familiar with the long-standing effort to stop…

Shark fins are usually sliced off the animal while its still alive. Photo by: WildAid/Hilton. Shark fin demand has dropped precipitously in China in just a few years, according to…

Shipment of Malagasy rosewood intercepted in Sri Lanka in early April 2014. Courtesy of Sri Lanka Customs. Voluntary guidelines established by the Chinese government won't be enough to curb rampant…

Dead sea turtles confiscated by the Philippine National Police (PNP). Photo by: PNP-SBU/PIA. On Friday, eleven Chinese fishermen were caught by Filipino police with 555 marine turtles, 378 of which…

The Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang, has pledged $10 million [see note below] to combat poaching in Africa during a visit to the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa. The fund…

Aerial view of jungle river on the island of New Guinea. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Corruption, weak governance, and powerful timber barons are illegally stripping the forests of Papua…

Living whale shark. All photos courtesy of WildLifeRisk A four-year investigation by WildLifeRisk, a Hong Kong-based marine conservation group, has found that a single factory in China’s Zhejiang Province slaughters…

Elephants in Namibia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler The government of Hong Kong will destroy 28 tons of ivory confiscated from traffickers, reports CNN. The announcement, which comes just weeks…

Elephant in South Africa. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. A newspaper story about the impact of the ivory trade has gone viral in China, raising awareness among millions of Chinese,…

Great white shark in South Africa. China has banned shark fin and bird's nest soup from being served at official state banquets, reports Chinese state media. The move, announced Sunday…

Illegal elephant ivory. Courtesy of Interpol Raids in southern and eastern Africa yielded a stash of contraband linked to poaching and illegal logging, reports Interpol, which coordinated the operation. The…

Indonesia’s flag carrier won't transport shark fins any more Indonesia’s national carrier Garuda Indonesia has joined a growing number of airlines looking to curb the international shark fin trade by…

Two Chinese companies — China Power Investment Corporation and Anhui Conch Cement — will invest $17 billion in dams in North Kalimantan, Indonesia's newest province located on the island of…

As anticipated earlier in the week by conservationists, poachers enter Dzanga Bai and slaughter dozens elephants for ivory. Dozens of elephants have been slaughtered in the Dzanga Bai World Heritage…

Just 9% of the millions of tonnes of fish caught by China's giant fishing fleet in African and other international waters is officially reported to the UN, say researchers using…

Gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon Amazonian forest cleared in Ecuador, a mountain leveled in Peru, the Cerrado savannah converted to soy fields in Brazil and oil fields under development…

China's surging demand for disposable chopsticks is taking an increasing toll on the country's forests, reports Chinese state media. According to Bai Guangxin, chairman of Jilin Forestry Industry Group, China…

Forest elephant in Gabon More than 60 percent of Africa's forest elephants have been killed in the past decade due to the ivory trade, reports a new study published in…

Yesterday, the EU joined the U.S. and Australia in banning all timber that was illegally harvested abroad. The new regulation could have a major impact on where the EU sources…

Part 2 of 3PART 1: Overview | PART 2: Reflections of CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon This interview is an excerpt from The WildLife with Laurel Neme, a program that explores…

Guards from the Okapi Faunal Reserve with confiscated ivory from poachers. Credit: Okapi Conservation Project A key Congo wildlife reserve has lost 75 percent of its elephants in just 15…

Tiger bodies in freezer in Guilin Tiger Bear Farm. Photo by: Belinda Wright/WPSI. The number of tigers being captive bred in China for consumption exceed those surviving in the wild—across…

Heavy air pollution, smog and deposition of N in the city centre of Urumqi, China. Credit: Mr. Liu Xuejun Nitrogen deposited on land and water in China increased 60 percent…

The 3rd Annual New York Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (WFCC.org) runs from January 30 – February 2, 2013. Ahead of the event, Mongabay.com is running a series of Q&As with…

Indian rhino with its horn sawed off. A cut-off horn may help keep poachers away, but doesn't guarantee it. Photo: Rhett A. Butler. 668 rhinos were killed in South Africa…

Indian one-horned rhinos. Photo by Rhett Butler. Royal Malaysian Customs have just announced the seizure of 24 tons of ivory in Port Klang. This is the largest-ever seizure of ivory…

Photo by Rhett Butler. Malaysian authorities made their largest-ever ivory bust after uncovering 24 tons of "white gold" hidden in crates designed to look like stacks of sawn wood. The…