All articles tagged with #deforestation
The Colombian Amazon has become a major hub for illegal activities such as cocaine trafficking, gold mining, and cattle ranching, driven by expanding illegal roads and armed groups, leading to significant environmental destruction and complex criminal networks, with ongoing challenges in governance and peacebuilding efforts.
Panama's Darién National Park has successfully reduced illegal logging and deforestation by modernizing its ranger force, increasing patrols, and utilizing affordable technology like satellite imagery and cloud systems, demonstrating a promising model of co-investment in conservation that could be replicated globally.
Massive floods in Sumatra, Indonesia, caused over 700 deaths and were worsened by deforestation, climate change, and mismanagement of natural resources, with local leaders blaming illegal logging and plantation expansion for ecological destruction.
Brazil aims to position itself as an environmental leader by hosting COP30 in the Amazon, highlighting its renewable energy efforts and the importance of the rainforest in global climate stability, while facing ongoing challenges like deforestation, fossil fuel expansion, and political shifts that impact its environmental commitments.
A new study suggests that invasive Polynesian rats played a significant role in the deforestation of Rapa Nui, with a single pair of rats capable of destroying 95% of palm seeds within 47 years, challenging the traditional view that humans alone caused the island's environmental collapse.
Brazil's President Lula proposed a new initiative, the Tropical Forests Forever Fund, to support rainforest preservation in over 70 developing countries through a permanent trust fund, aiming to generate significant private sector investment, and defended Brazil's recent oil exploration activities near the Amazon, emphasizing pragmatic environmental and economic strategies.
A nonprofit report highlights that coffee farming in Brazil has led to significant deforestation, which in turn reduces rainfall and makes coffee cultivation more difficult, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and consumer awareness.
Australia's tropical rainforests are now releasing more carbon than they absorb due to climate change-induced factors like extreme temperatures and drought, threatening their role as carbon sinks and complicating global emissions reduction efforts, according to a study in Nature.
A new study shows that the Amazon's large trees are growing larger and more numerous, indicating greater climate resilience than previously thought, but ongoing deforestation and land use changes threaten this positive trend and the forest's ability to sequester carbon.
A study finds that deforestation in the tropics over the past 20 years has caused over half a million deaths due to heat-related illnesses, highlighting the direct human toll of forest loss and its contribution to regional warming and climate disruption.
The article highlights how American demand for tropical wood used in motor homes is driving deforestation in Indonesian Borneo, leading to the destruction of large rainforest areas and threatening local wildlife and ecosystems.
Brazil's President Lula signed a controversial environmental bill but vetoed key provisions that could have weakened environmental protections, including self-licensing and community consultation clauses, while allowing fast-tracking of certain projects. Environmental groups see the vetoes as progress, but face challenges in ensuring Congress upholds them amid political opposition and potential legal battles.
Brazilian lawmakers have passed a controversial 'devastation bill' that significantly weakens environmental protections, allowing for self-declared licensing and limiting indigenous land rights, sparking widespread criticism and legal concerns, with the president's veto uncertain.
A new satellite equipped with advanced radar technology, Biomass, launched from French Guiana, is providing unprecedented insights into remote rainforests and glaciers, helping scientists map forest structures and monitor deforestation and glacier movement more accurately, which is crucial for understanding carbon storage and climate change impacts.
The Oropouche virus, primarily spread by midges and mosquitoes, is causing concern due to a significant rise in cases, particularly in Brazil. The virus, which can cause severe symptoms like encephalitis and birth defects, may also be sexually transmitted, according to recent studies. Factors such as deforestation and viral reassortment are believed to contribute to its spread. Health organizations are urging increased awareness and preventive measures, though a global outbreak is not yet anticipated.