The Dutch government will exclude palm oil from “green energy” subsidies as growing evidence suggests that palm oil is often less sustainable than advertised. (original article)
Amphibian extinction rates may be higher than previously thought, according to new DNA analysis that found more than 60 unrecognized species in the Guiana Shield of South America. (original article)
Forest fires in the boreal forests of Canada are an important source of greenhouse gas emissions reports a new study published in the journal Nature. (original article)
Agricultural expansion — not shrimp farming — is driving the rapid destruction of the world’s mangrove forests, reports a new study published in the Journal of Biogeography. (original article)
In a world where many animals are under siege, the Amur tiger — popularly known in the West as the Siberian tiger — offers an encouraging message: the population of the huge cat is showing signs of recovery. (original article)
In a world where many animals are under siege, the Amur tiger — popularly known in the West as the Siberian tiger — offers an encouraging message: the population of the huge cat is showing signs of recovery. (original article)
I have to post pictures of my compost, if only for the pleasure of bragging about how beautiful it all is.
I piled it up in the wheelbarrow and went around the house putting it around my plants and shrubs (do I put it around trees too?) and for the first time, I felt like a real gardener.
The San Francisco Bay Area was struck by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake at 8:04 p.m. local time. The quake was centered at a depth of 5.7 miles about 9 miles from downtown San Jose. (original article)
An inquiry by The Wall Street Journal prompted the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an environmental body that runs a widely accepted “green” labeling system for forestry products, to revoke certification for a Singapore-based Asia Pulp & Paper Co. (APP) project on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. (original article)
IBM today announced a silicon wafer recycling system that could help ease the refined silicon shortage that has driven up production costs of solar energy panels. (original article)
The common practice of adding nitrogen fertilizer is believed to benefit the soil by building organic carbon, but four University of Illinois soil scientists dispute this view based on analyses of soil samples from the Morrow Plots that date back to before the current practice began. (original article)
The southern Canadian Rockies are still home to the most diverse assemblage of carnivores in North America, but a new report released today by the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCSC) says booming development there could threaten them without careful planning and the implementation of conservation safeguards. (original article)
Every year as much as one-third of Madagascar, one of the planet’s most biodiverse islands, goes up in flames. Now a new tool gives scientists the ability to monitor and track Madagascar’s fires in real-time through the Internet. (original article)
New Zealand scientists have found a treatment for a disease blamed for the death of millions of amphibians worldwide, according to a report from BBC News. However, at best, the cure would only be applicable to captive populations. The disease is killing many amphibians in apparently pristine habitats. (original article)
As the world’s only sea-feeding lizard, Galapagos Marine Iguanas have long held a unique place in the animal kingdom. While most of their life is spent on land, these lizards forage the seas for their staple food: algae. Now, new research has provided this species with another distinction: although the Galapagos Marine Iguana is mute, it recognizes and utilizes the alarm call of the Galapagos Mockingbird. This is the first instance of a non-vocal species eavesdropping on another species’ calls. Both the iguana and mockingbird fall prey to the Galapagos hawk, so by recognizing the mockingbird’s warning the iguanas gain important information on avoiding predation. (original article)
China will spend $14.4 billion to clean up one of the country’s largest and most polluted lakes, according to a report in the International Herald Tribune. (original article)
While much of the world is seeing an urbanization trend, U.S. housing density around national forests is expected to rise by 2050, reports a study from the U.S. Forest Service. The shift could put more people at risk of devastating forest fires and increase pressure on forests and the services they provide. (original article)
About 60 percent of Chinese cities still regularly suffer from air pollution and have no centralized sewage treatment facilities, according to a report by China’s environment watchdog, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA). (original article)
A brightly coloured tropical frog under threat of extinction is the focus of a new research project hoping to better understand how environment and diet influence its development and behaviour. (original article)
Indonesia could more than double its tax revenue by protecting forests and selling the resulting carbon emission credits instead of timber and palm oil, a University of Michigan researcher told Bloomberg. (original article)