In The News

Global Rosewood Crisis: EIA

August 24, 2019
Rosewood, or Hongmu, refers to 29 species that produce durable beautiful wood used for antique furniture reproduction. “The insatiable demand for scarce hongmu resources has caused the expansion of supply chains from Southeast Asia to new frontiers in Africa and Central America,” reports Environmental Investigation Agency. “Prior to the surge in international demand, domestic markets in Africa...

Wave of Fires Hits Brazil: Folha de S. Paulo

Fabiano Maisonnave and Phillippe Watanabe August 22, 2019
More than 70,000 fires have broken out in Brazil for this year, representing an 83 percent increase over the same period last year, according to the National Institute for Space Research, reports a team for Folha de S. Paulo. More than 60 fires are burning indigenous and other protected lands, with large swaths of vegetation lost. “The fire outbreak is often associated with deforestation,” report...

China Revises Conservation List: Sixth Tone

Li You August 10, 2019
China is reviewing its list of protected wildlife and plans to expand the number of species under protection. The draft includes more than 700 terrestrial species of which 185 will receive priority protection. “While animals with first-level status receive greater protections and cannot be captured without a permit from a national-level wildlife department, animals with second-level status can be...

The Amazon Belongs to Everyone: Project Syndicate

Danielle Hanna Rached July 23, 2019
Leaders often reject advice on how to manage development or resources within their national borders, yet the effects of pollution or resource depletion can have global consequences. Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro contends that the Amazon is Brazil’s to exploit. “His promotion of the rainforest’s development and attacks on environmental regulation have led, for example, to the expansion of...

Plant Trees for the Climate Crisis: Guardian

Damian Carrington July 6, 2019
The most cost-efficient way to tackle climate crisis – temperature spikes, rising seas, flooding and droughts – is planting more trees. A research team suggests that 1.2 trillion more trees could be added to about 10 percent of Earth’s land without disrupting agriculture. “New research estimates that a worldwide planting programme could remove two-thirds of all the emissions that have been pumped...

Europe’s Heat Wave: BBC

Rob Picheta June 30, 2019
A heat wave is spreading across Europe with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius, or 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and other nations reported records. Spain’s meteorological agency reported a mass of tropical wind is coming in from Africa, and the high temperatures are disrupting business and recreation activities. “French authorities have taken a number of...

1 Million Species at Risk: National Geographic

Stephen Leahy May 6, 2019
Humans, their growing numbers and development, are overwhelming the world’s other 8.5 million species. “Without a global societal transformation that focuses on protecting nature, one million species may be pushed to extinction by human activities in the coming years – with serious consequences for human beings and the rest of life on Earth – according to a landmark United Nations report on the...