Indonesia to allow mining beneath rainforests

By Arti Ekawati & Fidelis E Satriastanti Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan on Tuesday defended a presidential decision to open protected forests to development, saying only underground mining activities would be allowed, thus minimizing damage to the environment. The regulation, which has reportedly been signed by the president, is yet to be issued, he said, adding […]

Thousands of tons of illegal timber in Madagascar readied for export

By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.comMarch 13, 2010 As the President of France, Nicholas Sarkozy, argues in Paris that more funding is needed to stop deforestation and mitigate climate change, a shipment of illegal rosewood is being readied for export in Madagascar by a French company with the tacit approval of the French government. The shipment of […]

11 Siberian tigers starve to death in China zoo

March 12, 2010 (AP) – Eleven rare Siberian tigers kept in small cages and fed only chicken bones have died of malnutrition at a cash-strapped zoo in China’s frigid north-east, state media have said. A manager at the Shenyang Forest Wild Animal Zoo in Liaoning province, however, said the animals had died of disease. Siberian […]

Climate change threatens migratory birds

By JAY ROOT, Associated Press Writer Jay Root, Associated Press Writer   – Thu Mar 11, 6:50 pm ET AUSTIN, Texas – Global climate change poses a significant threat to migratory bird populations, which are already stressed by the loss of habitat and environmental pollution, according to a report released Thursday. U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar […]

Alaska lawmakers line up against whale habitat as beluga population plummets

By Erika Bolstad | McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON — If there’s one thing Alaska’s congressional delegation can agree on, it’s a distrust of the Endangered Species Act and a belief it could ruin the state’s economy. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Democrat Sen. Mark Begich and Republican Rep. Don Young met Friday to express their concerns with […]

Large animals in India face extinction even in protected areas

By David DeFranza  on 03.11.10 India has had a system of wildlife sanctuaries since 1928. Now, there are more than 500 in the country ranging from dedicated tiger and bird reserves to more general areas intend to protect habitats rich in biological diversity. Unfortunately, according to a new study, even these efforts may not be […]

Seal pups beached in ice-free Gulf of St. Lawrence

Pups seen on Quebec shores, as far north as Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula Last Updated: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 | 1:24 PM ET The Canadian Press An exceptional lack of sea ice on the Gulf of St. Lawrence this winter has left seal mothers with few places to bear their young or to feed their pups. […]

Graph of the Day: Symptoms of Coastal Eutrophication, 1850s – 2000s

Period in which the symptoms of eutrophication and hypoxia / anoxia began in developed countries and how the symptoms are shifted to more recent years for developing countries (modified by N. N. Rabalais from Galloway and Cowling, 2002; Boesch, 2002). The occurrence of hypoxia in coastal areas is increasing, and the trend is consistent with […]

‘Revenge’ killing of two tiger cubs in Indian national park

Two tiger cubs have been found dead in mysterious circumstances at the Ranthambhore national park in the northwest Indian state of Rajasthan. Wildlife officials say it appears the cubs had been poisoned. An inquiry has been ordered. The bodies of the cubs have been sent for post mortems. Poaching and loss of habitat in India […]

World's nature ‘becoming extinct at fastest rate on record’

The world’s animals and plants are being killed off by humans faster than new ones can evolve, for the first time since dinosaurs became extinct, experts have warned. Speaking ahead of two next week on the state of British and European wildlife, Simon Stuart, from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, admitted that […]

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