Fifth of vertebrates face extinction: study

By David Fogarty; editing by Ron PopeskiWed Oct 27, 2010 7:00am EDT NAGOYA, Japan (Reuters) – About a fifth of the world’s vertebrates are threatened with extinction, a major review has found, highlighting the plight of nature that is the focus of global environment talks underway in Japan. The study by more than 170 scientists […]

Kenya issues one-week quit notice to Mau forest ‘invaders’ — PM reassures evictees

By NATION CORRESPONDENTPosted Friday, October 8 2010 at 10:35 Efforts to restore the Mau Complex were intensified on Friday when a one-week quit notice was issued to those who have encroached on the Maasai Mau Forest. The notice, according to Narok South DC Chimwaga Mongo, has been given to fresh encroachers who had gone deeper […]

Invasive species and climate change a ‘deadly duo’

By David Fogarty, Climate Change Correspondent, AsiaSINGAPORE | Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:25am EDT (Reuters) – Climate change is set to drive the spread of invasive plant and animals species, threatening forests, fisheries and crops, in a double blow to nature and livelihoods, a World Bank-funded report [UPDATE: Archived here: pdf] said on Friday. The […]

World needs urgent action to stop species loss: U.N.

By Chisa Fujioka; editing by David FogartyMon Oct 18, 2010 9:44am EDT NAGOYA, Japan (Reuters) – The world cannot afford to allow nature’s riches to disappear, the United Nations said on Monday at the start of a major meeting to combat losses in animal and plant species that underpin livelihoods and economies. The United Nations […]

Pakistan flood crisis blamed partly on deforestation

Years of illegal logging by the ‘timber mafia’ and the Taliban cleared forests, allowing raging floodwater to flow unimpeded, experts say. By Alex Rodriguez, Los Angeles TimesOctober 13, 2010 Reporting from Chail, Pakistan — People here remember when hundreds of Pakistani Taliban militants roamed through the forested ridges flanking the Chail River, armed not with […]

Video: Camera catches bulldozer destroying Sumatra tiger forest

WWFOct 12, 2010 A video camera trap installed by WWF and several of its partners has captured footage linking the destruction of a crucial Sumatran tiger forest to the expansion of palm oil plantations in Indonesia’s Riau Province. Videos and photos captured in May and June of 2010 – just released to the public for […]

Brazil to privatize large blocks of Amazon rainforest for logging

www.mongabay.comOctober 12, 2010 Brazil will auction large blocks of the Amazon rainforest to private timber companies as part of an effort to reduce demand for illegal logging, reports Reuters. The government will grant 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) of logging concessions by the end of the year, according to Antonio Carlos Hummel, head of […]

Critically endangered Kenya bird: Population estimated at 60-130 individuals

By John Platt Oct 5, 2010 04:00 PM One of the world’s most critically endangered birds, Kenya’s taita apalis (Apalis fuscigularis), has suddenly and inexplicably become much, much rarer, according to BirdLife International. The organization, which has funded research into the species through its Preventing Extinctions Program, says that field work conducted in 2009 and […]

1000 rare tortoises poached each week in Madagascar

www.wildmadagascar.org September 30, 2010 One thousand endangered tortoises are being illegally collected each week in southern Madagascar, reports WWF. The trade, driven by international demand for the endemic radiated tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) and the spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoids) as well as local consumption, is driving the slow-to-reproduce species toward extinction in the wild. Additionally, tortoise […]

Uganda forest being stripped for fuel wood

By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.com September 27, 2010 A new study in the open access journal of Tropical Conservation Science finds that the Kasagala forest reserve in central Uganda is losing important tree species and suffering from low diversity of species. Researchers believe that forest degradation for charcoal and firewood has put heavy pressure on this […]

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