Amazon rainforest hit by surge in small-scale deforestation, study finds

By Morgan Erickson-Davis 2 February 2018 (Mongabay) – A new study finds small-scale deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has been increasing over the past decade, with new hotspots emerging in Bolivia and Peru. The news somewhat dampens Brazil’s touted successes at combatting deforestation, with researchers saying the country’s forest monitoring system is not capable of […]

France’s bird population collapses due to pesticides – “The situation is catastrophic. Our countryside is in the process of becoming a veritable desert.”

20 March 2018 (AFP) –  Bird populations across the French countryside have fallen by a third over the last decade and a half, researchers have said. Dozens of species have seen their numbers decline, in some cases by two-thirds, the scientists said in a pair of studies – one national in scope and the other […]

Hundreds begin 95 km protest march against plans to mine bauxite in Ghana’s Atewa forest reserve

By Neil Nii Amatey Kanarku 19 March 2018 (Citi News) – Members of a group calling itself Concerned Citizens of Atewa Landscape are embarking on a six-day walk from Kyebi in the Eastern Region to Accra, in a bid to put pressure on government to preserve the Atewa forest reserve against any form of mining […]

Andes dams twice as numerous as thought are fragmenting the Amazon, with “huge ramifications for not only the rivers of the Andean region of the Amazon, but also for the ecology of the entire Amazon basin”

By Claire Asher 28 February 2018 (Mongabay) – The scale of hydroelectric development in the Andean Amazon is far more extensive than previously thought, with numerous headwater dams fragmenting river habitats, disrupting natural systems, and affecting the lives and livelihoods of 30 million downstream Amazon basin inhabitants, according to a new study published in Science […]

Tens of thousands of starfish wash up on British beach following extreme change in temperature

By Lewis Pennock 4 March 2018 (The Independent) – Thousands of dead starfish washed up on a British beach following the ‘beast from the east’ weather snap.The spectacular scene in Ramsgate, Kent, was described as “like the armageddon” by wildlife enthusiast Lara Maiklem, 47, who photographed the phenomenon.She estimated “hundreds of thousands” of starfish and […]

Video: Massive plastic debris field in ocean near Bali – “It’s the worst it’s ever been”

6 March 2018 (NBC News) – New video taken by diver Rich Horner off the tourist island of Bali show an abundance of plastic in the form of bags, bottles, and buckets. Experts are calling the influx of trash in the ocean a global threat. Stunning new video shows massive plastic debris in ocean

State ends Atlantic salmon farming in Washington

By Lynda V. Mapes 2 March 2018 (The Seattle Times) – Atlantic salmon net-pen farming will be phased out in Washington by 2025 under legislation passed by the state Senate on Friday after a tough floor fight and fancy parliamentary footwork. With at least six lobbyists in a last-minute campaign, Cooke Aquaculture Pacific worked hard […]

Arctic spring starts 16 days earlier than a decade ago and arrives sooner than lower latitudes

By Kat Kerlin 2 March 2018 (UC Davis) – Spring is arriving earlier, but how much earlier? The answer depends on where on Earth you find yourself, according to a study led by the University of California, Davis.The study, published in Nature’s online journal Scientific Reports, found that for every 10 degrees north from the […]

Environmental NGOs decry Brazil high court ruling on Amazon Forest Code – “With this amnesty, you create a climate that invites deforestation in the future. It creates the impression that if you deforest today, tomorrow, you are handed an amnesty.”

By Sue Branford 1 March 2018 (Mongabay) – In what many consider Brazil’s most important ruling ever about the environment, the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected, by a tight vote of 6 to 5, some of the most important charges of “unconstitutionality” brought against the New Forest Code – the Law of Native Protection (12.651/2012).The […]

Honduras energy company executive held for murder of dam activist Berta Cáceres

3 March 2018 (BBC News) – Police in Honduras have arrested an energy company executive on suspicion of masterminding the murder of a renowned environmental activist. Berta Cáceres was shot dead inside her home exactly two years ago, on the night of 2 March 2016. She had led protests against a dam project. The arrested […]

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