Washington (AFP) July 18, 2010 – Scientists studying the massive BP oil spill fear a decades-long, “cascading” effect on marine life that could lead to a shift in the overall biological network in the Gulf of Mexico. With some 400 species estimated to be at risk — from the tiniest oil-eating bacteria to shrimp […]
The Oriente – the East – is Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest region, home to unparalleled biological diversity, as well as the country’s oil patch and massive contamination left behind by decades of oil operations by Texaco (now Chevron). Amazon Watch’s Ecuador campaign team is on a brief field research mission in the Oriente, and today was […]
By JUSTIN GILLIS and LESLIE KAUFMANPublished: July 17, 2010 On the rocky beaches of Alaska, scientists plunged shovels and picks into the ground and dug 6,775 holes, repeatedly striking oil — still pungent and dangerous a dozen years after the Exxon Valdez infamously spilled its cargo. More than an ocean away, on the Breton coast […]
Coral reefs are suffering widespread damage in what is set to be one of the worst years ever for the delicate and beautiful habitats. By Richard Gray, Science CorrespondentPublished: 9:30AM BST 18 Jul 2010 The phenomenon, known as coral bleaching because the reefs turn bone white when the colourful algae that give the coral its […]
By Emily Beament, Press AssociationMonday, 19 July 2010 One of the UK’s most familiar birds of prey, the kestrel, has drastically declined in numbers, a survey of British birds reveals today. The latest Breeding Birds Survey shows that the number of kestrels, which are often seen hovering over roads looking for small rodents, plunged by […]
By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.com July 18, 2010 A new report by the United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) and the Nature Conservancy has found that mangrove forests are being lost at staggering rates worldwide: since 1980 one fifth of the world’s mangroves have been felled. Mangroves, which grow in saline coastal habitats, are disappearing four times […]
By Brad Johnson15 July 2010 As experts warned, Bobby Jindal’s “obvious” response to the BP oil disaster is failing. Since the beginning of May, Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) has pushed a crash effort to build artificial “barrier islands” from dredged sand to prevent BP’s toxic oil from reaching Louisiana’s fragile coastline. He and other Louisiana […]
Paris (AFP) July 13, 2010 – The Gulf of Mexico oil disaster is likely to cost far more than cleanup and compensation for lost income once damage to ecosystems is factored in, a top expert said Tuesday. In an interview coinciding with a UN-sponsored report on the link between business and biodiversity, economist Pavan […]
A new report by the Chatham House finds that illegal logging in tropical forest nations is primarily on the decline, providing evidence that new laws and international efforts on the issue are having a positive impact. According to the report, the total global production of illegal timber has fallen by 22 percent since 2002. Yet […]
Wildlife Toll Mounts In Gulf As Oil Hits Louisiana’s Largest Seabird Nesting Ground (AP) Biologists say oil has smeared at least 300-400 pelicans and hundreds of terns in the largest seabird nesting area along the Louisiana coast – marking a sharp and sudden escalation in wildlife harmed by BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The […]
