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New appointments, new policies don’t bode well for Brazilian Amazon by Jenny Gonzales [02/04/2019]
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– Jair Bolsonaro took office on 1 January. Since then, he has made appointments to his government, and there have been statements by people in his administration, that are causing grave concern among environmentalists.
– New Environment Minister Ricardo Salles has come out strongly for an end to the demarcation of indigenous lands, and in support of entrepreneurs and companies being allowed to self-regulate the environmental licensing process for major infrastructure and development projects.
– Salles also wants to hire a satellite firm to monitor Brazil’s forest fires, drought and deforestation. Brazil’s National Space Research Institute (INPE), a governmental agency, released a response explaining that it is already doing this work. While Salles plan isn’t clear, it could be a means of privatizing deforestation monitoring.
– Franklimberg Ribeiro de Freitas has been chosen to head Funai, Brazil’s indigenous affairs agency. However, some fear a major conflict of interest. Freitas was most recently a consulting advisor for indigenous, community, and environmental affairs with the Belo Sun mining company, where he sided against indigenous land rights.
NEWS
2018 was the fourth hottest year on record by Mongabay.com [02/07/2019]
– According to independent analyses of the latest global temperature data by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 2018 was the fourth hottest year on record for planet Earth.
– The average global temperature in 2018 was 1.42 degrees Fahrenheit or 0.79 degrees Celsius above the 20th-century average, NOAA scientists determined. The average sea surface temperature was 1.19 degrees Fahrenheit (0.66 degrees Celsius) above average, while the land surface temperature was 2.02 degrees Fahrenheit (1.12 degrees Celsius) above average — both the fourth highest marks on record.
– The strongest warming trends have been observed in the Arctic region and its continued loss of sea ice. At the same time, declines in the ice sheets of Greenland and the Antarctic are contributing to sea level rise, while increasing temperatures are leading to longer fire seasons and more severe extreme weather events.
What’s in a name? The role of defining ‘wilderness’ in conservation by John C. Cannon [02/07/2019]
– In a recent opinion piece published in the journal Nature, several ecologists question recent efforts to delineate areas of wilderness and intactness around the world to define conservation targets.
– They argue that it would be better to build broadly supported consensus that includes the perspectives of local and indigenous communities.
– But the leader of a team that recently mapped out the remaining wilderness on land and in the ocean said that identifying these areas and developing new targets that incorporate their conservation is critical because current international agreements do not prioritize their protection.
Conservation couture: Batik artisans make rhinos a fashion statement by Eni Muslihah [02/07/2019]
– Campaigners in Indonesia have blended rhino conservation with artisanal batik production to raise awareness about saving the critically endangered species.
– Under a program started by a conservationist, local batik designers are incorporating rhino motifs into the hand-dyed textiles, in the hope that this will get the public thinking about rhinos.
– There may be as few as 30 Sumatran rhinos left in the wild, following decades of poaching, habitat loss, and climate-induced forest fragmentation.
Ancient spirituality guides a Maya town’s conservation efforts by Jorge Rodríguez [02/06/2019]
– Guided by the teachings and beliefs of their ancestors, the indigenous residents of Concepción Chiquirichapa in southwestern Guatemala look to their local mountain, Siete Orejas, as a source of spiritual energy.
– Twenty-two altars exist on Siete Orejas in spots where the mountain’s energy dwells, according to Mayan belief. The town’s spiritual connection with the mountain has for the past 40 years motivated the community to restore and protect the mountain’s forests.
– Mongabay joined a local Maya spiritual guide in a fire ceremony on the mountain to ask for wisdom and the blessing of the Creator.
– This is the second part of Mongabay’s three-part profile of the Concepción community’s effort to restore the forest of Siete Orejas.
Fries with that shark? U.K. chippies found selling threatened species by Mongabay.com [02/06/2019]
– Researchers tested DNA from tissue samples collected from fish-and-chip shops and fishmongers in the U.K. and found that majority originated from the threatened spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), frequently sold under generic names like rock, huss, and rock salmon.
– The study also analyzed shark fins from wholesalers in the U.K., and found that many of them had come from the endangered scalloped hammerhead shark.
– Seafood should come with accurate, complete species information for consumers to make informed choices, the researchers write, instead of ambiguous, “umbrella” terms that cover multiple species.
RSPO should suspend membership of groups undermining Guatemala’s anti-impunity commission (commentary) by Doug Hertzler and Jeff Conant [02/06/2019]
– The journey toward sustainability must begin from a baseline of proven ethical intent — and a number of recent signs raise serious doubts about the ethical intent of a wide swath of industry players in Guatemala.
– Palm oil is the fastest growing agribusiness industry in Guatemala. Along with mining and hydroelectric projects, it is a major cause of land grabs that displace indigenous communities. Palm oil companies have been heavily involved in Guatemalan President Morales’ campaign to stop the U.N. Commission Against Impunity.
– In order to responsibly address the unfolding political crisis in Guatemala, the RSPO should postpone the certification processes of all Guatemalan palm companies until GREPALMA and its members end their campaign to sabotage the U.N. Commission Against Impunity and desist from undermining the rule of law in the country.
– This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
Urbanization in Asia provides a window of hope for tigers, study finds by Mongabay.com [02/06/2019]
– The transition to cities by Asia’s human population is likely to affect the continent’s remaining tiger populations, according to a new study.
– Depending on policy decisions around migration, urbanization, education and economics, the trend toward urbanization could provide more space for tiger numbers to rebound.
– A team of researchers modeled five different “socioeconomic pathways” for the continent, showing that a focus on sustainable living could result in fewer than 40 million people living within the tiger’s range by the end of the century.
– But that number could also balloon to more than 106 million people if countries veer away from international cooperation and poor management of urbanization.
Gorilla radio: Sending a conservation message in Nigeria by Linus Unah [02/06/2019]
– The Cross River gorilla, the rarest great ape subspecies with only 300 individuals believed to survive in the wild, is found only in highland forests along the Nigeria-Cameroon border.
– A 2014 survey of people living near Cross River gorilla habitat found that while the majority understood that gorillas are endangered and killing them is illegal, few supported measures to protect the gorilla or its habitat.
– The Wildlife Conservation Society is working to build support for conservation via an educational and entertaining radio program called “My Gorilla My Community.”
Police charge Indonesian politician’s brother in deforestation case by Ayat S. Karokaro [02/05/2019]
– Police in Indonesia have charged the brother of a provincial deputy governor with clearing a protected forest to make way for an oil palm plantation.
– Musa Idishah was questioned by investigators, but released pending the investigation.
– His brother, North Sumatra Deputy Governor Musa Rajekshah, previously ran the company at the center of the investigation, and has also been linked to another corruption scandal.
– Oil palm plantations are a major driver of deforestation on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where they are often carved out of ostensibly protected forests.
Asian banks give billions to firms linked to deforestation, study finds by James Fair [02/05/2019]
– According to a recent analysis and report, financial backing for palm oil, pulp and paper and other industries associated with forest loss in Southeast Asia is estimated to have topped $60 billion over the past five years.
– Many Asian banks, the biggest funders of palm oil and similarly damaging activities, have no standards that restrict the harm their clients cause.
– The Forests and Finance campaign may extend its scrutiny to include the soy sector, a significant factor in the loss of rainforest and grasslands in South America.
Audio: Good news from Mexico monarch reserve despite looming deforestation, mine threat by Mike Gaworecki [02/05/2019]
– On today’s episode, we talk with Mongabay contributor Martha Pskowski, who recently traveled to central Mexico to report on threats to monarch butterflies in their overwintering grounds.
– Tourists typically arrive in droves to see the butterflies at the reserves set up in their overwintering grounds, and right now is a particularly good time to see the butterflies, as Mexico’s national commissioner for protected natural areas has announced that, after years of declines, the number of monarchs spending their winter in Mexico is up 144 percent from last year.
– As Pskowski found on her recent reporting trip to two different monarch butterfly reserves in the Mexican states of Michoacán and the State of Mexico, the annual arrival of the monarchs is a major component of the local economy, but the butterflies still face a variety of threats to their survival once they reach their overwintering grounds.
Conservation groups press world leaders to protect 30% of the planet by Mongabay.com [02/05/2019]
– Thirteen nature conservation organizations are urging world leaders to back a plan to protect 30 percent of the world’s surface and oceans by 2030.
– Recent research has shown that less than a quarter of the world’s wilderness still remains.
– The group released a statement as negotiators were meeting in Japan to begin drafting a plan to meet that goal.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative could increase alien species invasion by Shreya Dasgupta [02/05/2019]
– China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative could introduce alien invasive species into several countries, threatening their native biodiversity, warns a new study.
– Researchers looked at the risk of invasion of more than 800 alien invasive vertebrate species and found that there were 14 invasion hotspots — areas that have both high introduction risk with the movement of people and goods, and conditions that would allow the invasive species to thrive.
– These hotspots include areas in North Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
– Other researchers say the study doesn’t include many other kinds of invaders, such as insects and pathogens, which can have major financial impacts on ecosystems, agriculture and livestock.
Tech prize encourages solutions to threats from invasive species by Sue Palminteri [02/04/2019]
– The second round of the Con X Tech Prize offers 20 awards of $3,500 each, plus the chance to win the $20,000 grand prize, to help beginning inventors develop their ideas for solving conservation problems into prototypes.
– The challenge particularly encourages interdisciplinary teams to generate technological ideas to address the threats to economies and ecosystems from invasive species, though it welcomes submissions to help other conservation challenges as well.
– Teams must submit their proposals by March 13, 2019 to the Conservation X Labs Digital Makerspace.
New appointments, new policies don’t bode well for Brazilian Amazon by Jenny Gonzales [02/04/2019]
– Jair Bolsonaro took office on 1 January. Since then, he has made appointments to his government, and there have been statements by people in his administration, that are causing grave concern among environmentalists.
– New Environment Minister Ricardo Salles has come out strongly for an end to the demarcation of indigenous lands, and in support of entrepreneurs and companies being allowed to self-regulate the environmental licensing process for major infrastructure and development projects.
– Salles also wants to hire a satellite firm to monitor Brazil’s forest fires, drought and deforestation. Brazil’s National Space Research Institute (INPE), a governmental agency, released a response explaining that it is already doing this work. While Salles plan isn’t clear, it could be a means of privatizing deforestation monitoring.
– Franklimberg Ribeiro de Freitas has been chosen to head Funai, Brazil’s indigenous affairs agency. However, some fear a major conflict of interest. Freitas was most recently a consulting advisor for indigenous, community, and environmental affairs with the Belo Sun mining company, where he sided against indigenous land rights.
Exit the dragons: Mexico tackles trafficking of endangered lizards by Pablo Hernández Mares [02/04/2019]
– The tree-dwelling lizards of the Abronia genus, native to Mexico and Central America, are traded internationally, often illegally, to supply the exotic pet market.
– Customs officials have found them hidden in socks, concealed in car trunks or squeezed into the double-depth of a portfolio.
– Mexico in 2016 recommended that all 29 Abronia species be listed in the CITES Appendix II, which would impose restrictions on their international trade, but legal traders say this will drive illegal trafficking of the lizards even deeper underground.
Indonesia’s anti-graft agency arrests Borneo politician over mining permits by Indra Nugraha [02/04/2019]
– Supian Hadi, the head of East Kotawaringin district, is the latest politician to be charged with corruption over the issuance of licenses in the natural resource sector.
– Rather than catch him in the act of taking a bribe, anti-graft investigators used other means to build a case against Supian. They say they have evidence he took bribes in exchange for granting mining permits.
– The anti-graft agency started investigating Hadi after receiving a complaint from the public about his alleged corruption.
France pledges to stop ‘deforestation imports’ by 2030 by Carinya Sharples [02/01/2019]
– The French government has adopted a national strategy to combat unsustainable imports known to be key drivers of deforestation.
– The European Union is a major importer of agricultural products such as soybeans, palm oil, beef, cocoa and rubber, which are said to drive almost 80 percent of all deforestation.
– Pressure is growing on the EU to take action, as the deadline for its goal to at least halve gross tropical deforestation by 2020 rapidly approaches.
Wetland forests: What are they worth? (commentary) by Dr. Sam Davis & Lucia Ibarra [02/01/2019]
– The wetland forests of the Southern United States are a valuable, yet vulnerable, national treasure. Their tangled branches, ancient butted roots, and swampy mystique conceal rare and beautiful wildlife and are deeply ingrained in the cultural heritage of the region.
– Wetland forests provide vital ecosystem services for people living in the U.S. South. These benefits include protecting communities from the worst impacts of hurricanes and flooding, supporting a vibrant recreation economy, improving property values, providing opportunities for ecotourism, filtering water, treating waste, supporting pollinators, growing food and forest products, and even cooling the worst of the South’s sticky hot summers.
– Just a few hundred years ago, the swamps of the South were drastically different. They stretched over the landscape where tree plantations, farms, and cities have now replaced them. The forested wetlands of the Southern US and the myriad benefits they provide are crucial to the health and wellbeing of the region, which is why we should work to protect them.
– This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
Indigenous peoples unite in fight to heal the Salish Sea by Lauren Crothers [02/01/2019]
– Indigenous communities on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border have called for a moratorium on a proposed port terminal in British Columbia and for a cumulative environmental assessment to be carried out.
– The communities fear an increase in ship traffic will be the final nail in the coffin of a local orca population that is already under severe stress.
– The Lummi Nation, on the U.S. side of the border, faced a similar fight in 2016, when they succeeded in blocking the construction of a coal port in Washington state.
How a Mayan town restored its sacred cloud forest and water supply by Jorge Rodríguez [02/01/2019]
– Guided initially only by knowledge inherited from their ancestors, the people of Concepción Chiquirichapa in southwestern Guatemala began conserving their forest four decades ago.
– The participation of local people has been key to converting pastureland on the Siete Orejas mountain into a green and leafy forest that sustains the area’s economy and water supply.
– The sustainable use of forest resources is central to the town’s approach. People can gather food, natural medicine, and leaf litter for use as fertilizer, so long as they do not harm the forest.
– This is the first part of Mongabay’s three-part profile of the Concepción community’s effort to restore the forest of Siete Orejas.
In other news: Environmental stories from around the web, February 1, 2019 by Mongabay.com [02/01/2019]
– There are many important conservation and environmental stories Mongabay isn’t able to cover.
– Here’s a digest of some of the significant developments from the week.
– If you think we’ve missed something, feel free to add it in the comments.
– Mongabay does not vet the news sources below, nor does the inclusion of a story on this list imply an endorsement of its content.
Latam Eco Review: Seeing red over pink dolphins and flamingos by Mongabay.com [02/01/2019]
The most popular stories published recently by our Spanish-language news service, Mongabay Latam, featured endangered pink Amazon river dolphins, the world’s rarest flamingos, palm oil plantations in Nicaragua, impunity in Peru, and mansions in Colombia. Mercury and accidental capture endanger Amazon river dolphins The Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) was recently categorized as endangered in […]
Haiti’s first private nature reserve seeks to protect rare plants and animals by Shreya Dasgupta [02/01/2019]
– On Grand Bois, an isolated mountain in southwestern Haiti, researchers and conservation groups have carved out the island nation’s first ever private nature reserve.
– The new reserve overlaps with the Grand Bois National Park declared by the Haiti government in 2015, and covers about 5 square kilometers (2 square miles) of mostly primary forest, offering protection to several rare species found nowhere else on Earth.
– With the first private reserve created on Grand Bois, which will be managed with the help of local communities, the conservationists now plan to both build a network of private nature reserves and assist the government in managing other protected areas.
Study finds palm oil industry mimics Big Tobacco on health issues by Hans Nicholas Jong [02/01/2019]
– A study published in the WHO Bulletin has likened the palm oil industry’s tactics to those of the tobacco and alcohol lobbies to obscure the direct and indirect health impacts of the commodity.
– The study found mixed messages in the scientific literature about the health impacts of palm oil, not least because several studies have been authored by an industry lobby group.
– The indirect health impacts were clearer, and included illnesses caused by smoke from the slash-and-burn clearing of forests for palm plantations.
– The researchers called for a multipronged approach to address these impacts, while acknowledging that replacing palm oil with other vegetable oils in the same volumes would require far more land.
Arson attack in Indonesia leaves activist shaken by Fathul RakhmanIndra Nugraha [02/01/2019]
– Murdani, the head of a local chapter of Indonesia’s largest environmental NGO, was the victim of an arson attack on his home over the weekend. No one was hurt, but his property was badly damaged.
– Murdani believes he was being watched in the months leading up the attack. He had received threatening text messages linked to his advocacy work.
– Murdani thinks his advocacy against sand mining on his native island of Lombok might be the reason he was targeted.
Octopus farming unsustainable, unethical, and unnecessary, scientists warn by Mongabay.com [01/31/2019]
– With efforts underway around the globe to develop commercial octopus farming operations, scientists from Australia, Spain, and the U.S. have penned an article, published in the journal Issues in Science and Technology this month, warning of the severe impacts octopus aquaculture would have on animal welfare and the environment.
– Some 550 different aquatic animal species are currently raised in captivity in about 190 countries, accounting for as much as half of the seafood market in many industrialized countries. Spain is leading the charge to farm species like the common octopus, Octopus vulgaris, employing a variety of experimental aquaculture practices while the Spanish Institute of Oceanography carries out and publishes major research on octopus farming.
– Even if a sustainable diet for captive octopus could be found, farming the cephalopods would still be unethical, researchers argue.
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