Rhino poaching worldwide is on the rise, according to a new report [pdf] by TRAFFIC and IUCN. The trade is being driven by Asian demand for horns and is made worse by increasingly sophisticated poachers, who now are using veterinary drugs, poison, cross bows and high caliber weapons to kill rhinos, the report states. Since […]
The extraordinary forced relocation of illegal settlers from Kenya’s Massai Mau Forest Complex foreshadows the plight of climate refugees for the rest of the 21st century and beyond. Expect this kind of tragedy to be repeated many times in upcoming decades. In this case, settlers have defied Kenya law and encroached deeply into the forest […]
By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.com, November 25, 2009 Rhino poaching has hit a fifteen-year high, and the rising price for black-market rhino horn is likely the reason why. For the first time in a decade rhino horn is worth more than gold: a kilo of rhino horn is worth approximately 60,000 US dollars while gold is […]
NEW YORK (November 24, 2009) — The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced today a report revealing that the last remaining population of Siberian tigers has likely declined significantly due to the rising tide of poaching and habitat loss. WCS says the report will help inform Russian officials of what needs to be done to protect […]
Nairobi — Houses left behind by Mau settlers were demolished on Thursday in a clear indication that the government would not allow the evicted squatters to return to the forest. The Kenya Forest Service has also sent more rangers to the South Western Mau to ensure that the families that leave the country’s largest source […]
Tourism, tea and energy industries threatened after a quarter of huge Mau forest destroyed in 20 years By Xan Rice in Nairobi, www.guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 18 November 2009 22.48 GMT Several thousand people who had settled illegally in Kenya’s most important forest have left their homes at the beginning of an eviction plan designed to end […]
ScienceDaily (Nov. 18, 2009) — A shocking decline in the Russian Federation’s wild tiger population highlights the importance of eliminating trade in and demand for tiger parts, the International Tiger Coalition (ITC) recently said. The alliance of 40 organizations worldwide issued the statement upon news that Siberian tigers may have suffered a serious drop in […]
November 17, 2009 (NTVKenya) – Hundreds of squatters have continued to stream into makeshift camps claiming they have no alternative shelter. Earlier in the day a rift emerged between rift valley politicians over whom to blame for the current confusion. Hundreds of Mau squatters stream out of forest Technorati Tags: Africa,climate change,climate refugees,deforestation,poverty,Kenya,poaching
Cambridge, UK, 10 November 2009—The illicit trade in ivory, which has been increasing in volume since 2004, moved sharply upward in 2009, according to the latest analysis of seizure data in the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS). ETIS, one of the two monitoring systems for elephants under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered […]
By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.com, November 15, 2009 The International Commissions for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) ignored the advice of its scientists to end fishing of the Atlantic bluefin tuna. Instead ICAAT set a quota of 13,500 tons of fish, which is only a ten percent reduction from last year’s quota of 15,000 tons. […]
