https://news.mongabay.com/list/rainforests/ Environmental science and conservation news Fri, 17 Nov 2023 04:37:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png https://news.mongabay.com/list/rainforests/ 32 32 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/calls-for-fsc-to-drop-canadas-paper-excellence-over-ties-to-deforester/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/calls-for-fsc-to-drop-canadas-paper-excellence-over-ties-to-deforester/#respond 16 Nov 2023 03:15:02 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275487 - They are now calling on the Forest Stewardship Council, which certifies millions of hectares of Paper Excellence-managed forests as well as 42 of the company’s mills, to cut ties with it.
- APP was in 2007 “disassociated” from the FSC and remains barred from membership due to “destructive forestry practices”; its control of Paper Excellence should lead to the same outcome for the Canadian company, activists say.
- Both companies have denied allegations of controlling ties — despite the fact that Paper Excellence’s sole shareholder is the son of the APP chair and previously directed APP’s China business, among other revelations.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/calls-for-fsc-to-drop-canadas-paper-excellence-over-ties-to-deforester/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/why-has-deforestation-reached-record-levels-in-bolivia-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/why-has-deforestation-reached-record-levels-in-bolivia-commentary/#respond 15 Nov 2023 22:38:58 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275483 - Last year for example, Bolivia lost more primary forest than any previous year on record, almost double the amount during the Morales presidency.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/why-has-deforestation-reached-record-levels-in-bolivia-commentary/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/as-colombias-coca-economy-crashes-new-opportunities-and-threats-arise/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/as-colombias-coca-economy-crashes-new-opportunities-and-threats-arise/#respond 15 Nov 2023 21:12:34 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275446 - While minor compared to the deforestation caused by clearing for pasture, coca cultivation still affects local communities through contamination of soil and water, violence and crime — yet remains a vital source of livelihood for more than 230,000 families.
- Over the past year, the rural economy in Tibú and other coca-producing regions of Colombia has collapsed due to an overproduction of the crop; coca paste, often used as a substitute for cash here, has seen its value drop by 40%, leaving locals struggling to make ends meet.
- Amid the crisis, there are calls for seizing the opportunity to transition farmers away from coca and toward more sustainable economies — though the reality is that many farmers are also turning to far more destructive activities, like illegal gold mining.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/as-colombias-coca-economy-crashes-new-opportunities-and-threats-arise/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/forests-hold-massive-carbon-storage-potential-if-we-cut-emissions/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/forests-hold-massive-carbon-storage-potential-if-we-cut-emissions/#respond 14 Nov 2023 17:31:25 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275415 - Nearly two-thirds of this potential lies in conserving and letting existing forests mature.
- The authors say that restoring deforested areas through community-driven approaches such as agroforestry and payments for ecosystem services is essential.
- Planting trees can’t replace cutting fossil fuel emissions, as climate change threatens forests’ carbon uptake.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/forests-hold-massive-carbon-storage-potential-if-we-cut-emissions/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/how-the-u-s-financial-system-props-up-illegal-logging-and-mining/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/how-the-u-s-financial-system-props-up-illegal-logging-and-mining/#respond 14 Nov 2023 16:09:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275406 - The FACT Coalition, a group advocating for a fair tax system in the U.S., recently made the case that more attention needs to be paid to “financial secrecy” in conservation circles fighting climate change, deforestation and pollution.
- Weak regulation of shell companies, financial institutions and the real estate market make it too easy for environmental criminal activity to hide illicit funds in the U.S., the coalition said.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/how-the-u-s-financial-system-props-up-illegal-logging-and-mining/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/shell-affiliate-accused-of-violating-indigenous-rights-in-carbon-credit-contracts/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/shell-affiliate-accused-of-violating-indigenous-rights-in-carbon-credit-contracts/#respond 14 Nov 2023 14:42:29 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275364 - The company attempted to double its forest area with six projects on Indigenous lands to offset the emissions of large global polluters.
- At the Alto Rio Guamá Indigenous Territory in the state of Pará, Indigenous people allege that the carbon credit-generating company pressed communities to sign blank sheets of paper; Funai’s legal office received an offer of 50 million reais ($10.1 million) in advance for the signatures of Kayapó communities.
- Negotiations were led by a former Lava-Jato prosecutor who had also worked for Indigenous causes; after Indigenous rights violations were reported, Carbonext requested that the contracts be annulled; the Federal Prosecutor’s Office says the company may be investigated for possible damage and violations to the Indigenous communities involved.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/shell-affiliate-accused-of-violating-indigenous-rights-in-carbon-credit-contracts/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/what-does-oil-palm-require-to-reach-international-markets/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/what-does-oil-palm-require-to-reach-international-markets/#respond 14 Nov 2023 14:00:47 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275300 - Author Timothy J. Killeen is an academic and expert who, since the 1980s, has studied the rainforests of Brazil and Bolivia, where he lived for more than 35 years.
- Chronicling the efforts of nine Amazonian countries to curb deforestation, this edition provides an overview of the topics most relevant to the conservation of the region’s biodiversity, ecosystem services and Indigenous cultures, as well as a description of the conventional and sustainable development models that are vying for space within the regional economy.
- Click the “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon” link atop this page to see chapters 1-13 as they are published during 2023 and 2024.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/what-does-oil-palm-require-to-reach-international-markets/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/palm-oil-cultivation-in-colombia-ecuador-peru-and-brazil/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/palm-oil-cultivation-in-colombia-ecuador-peru-and-brazil/#respond 13 Nov 2023 16:53:12 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275306 - Mongabay has begun publishing a new edition of the book, “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon,” in short installments and in three languages: Spanish, English and Portuguese.
- Chronicling the efforts of nine Amazonian countries to curb deforestation, this edition provides an overview of the topics most relevant to the conservation of the region’s biodiversity, ecosystem services and Indigenous cultures, as well as a description of the conventional and sustainable development models that are vying for space within the regional economy.
- Click the “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon” link atop this page to see chapters 1-13 as they are published during 2023 and 2024.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/palm-oil-cultivation-in-colombia-ecuador-peru-and-brazil/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/deforestation-in-the-brazilian-amazon-falls-22-in-2023/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/deforestation-in-the-brazilian-amazon-falls-22-in-2023/#respond 11 Nov 2023 00:21:47 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275286 - INPE’s analysis of satellite imagery found that forest clearing in the Brazilian Amazon totaled 9,001 square kilometers, an area approximately the size of Puerto Rico.
- INPE’s estimate is preliminary. Final data for the “deforestation year” is expected to come out in the second quarter of 2024.
- Nevertheless, the data is seen as a sign that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s efforts to curb deforestation is having an effect after a period of rising forest loss under Jair Bolsonaro.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/deforestation-in-the-brazilian-amazon-falls-22-in-2023/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/in-borneo-the-power-of-mama-fight-indonesias-wildfires-with-all-woman-crew/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/in-borneo-the-power-of-mama-fight-indonesias-wildfires-with-all-woman-crew/#respond 10 Nov 2023 16:11:22 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275277 - Farmers have long used fire in cultivation, and the risks to health and environment have grown significantly as deforestation and drainage have made peatlands particularly susceptible to fire.
- In 2022, women from the Indonesian part of Borneo formed “the Power of Mama,” a unit to fight hazardous wildfires and their causes.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/in-borneo-the-power-of-mama-fight-indonesias-wildfires-with-all-woman-crew/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/amazon-deforestation-has-a-regional-not-just-local-impact-study/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/amazon-deforestation-has-a-regional-not-just-local-impact-study/#respond 10 Nov 2023 08:00:46 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275189 - Researchers analyzed satellite readings of surface temperatures at 3.7 million different data points across the Amazon where forest loss had occurred between 2001 and 2020.
- They found that localized deforestation had a strong impact on regional warming.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/amazon-deforestation-has-a-regional-not-just-local-impact-study/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/we-just-want-to-be-left-in-peace-in-brazils-amazon-soy-ambitions-loom-over-indigenous-land/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/we-just-want-to-be-left-in-peace-in-brazils-amazon-soy-ambitions-loom-over-indigenous-land/#respond 09 Nov 2023 23:56:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275205 - The destruction is trickling into protected areas too, including Capoto/Jarina Indigenous Territory, home to Brazil’s most famous Indigenous leader.
- Indigenous advocates blame land speculation on the back of plans to pave a stretch of the MT-322 highway, which runs across the Capoto/Jarina and Xingu Indigenous Park.
- Indigenous people worry the road will ease access into their territories, opening them up to land-grabbers, wildcat miners and organized crime groups.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/we-just-want-to-be-left-in-peace-in-brazils-amazon-soy-ambitions-loom-over-indigenous-land/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/oil-palm-in-the-pan-amazon/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/oil-palm-in-the-pan-amazon/#respond 09 Nov 2023 11:09:44 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275123 - Author Timothy J. Killeen is an academic and expert who, since the 1980s, has studied the rainforests of Brazil and Bolivia, where he lived for more than 35 years.
- Chronicling the efforts of nine Amazonian countries to curb deforestation, this edition provides an overview of the topics most relevant to the conservation of the region’s biodiversity, ecosystem services and Indigenous cultures, as well as a description of the conventional and sustainable development models that are vying for space within the regional economy.
- Click the “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon” link atop this page to see chapters 1-13 as they are published during 2023 and 2024.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/oil-palm-in-the-pan-amazon/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/agriculture-in-the-pan-amazon-swine-and-poultry-adding-value-to-farm-production/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/agriculture-in-the-pan-amazon-swine-and-poultry-adding-value-to-farm-production/#respond 08 Nov 2023 23:14:42 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275112 - Author Timothy J. Killeen is an academic and expert who, since the 1980s, has studied the rainforests of Brazil and Bolivia, where he lived for more than 35 years.
- Chronicling the efforts of nine Amazonian countries to curb deforestation, this edition provides an overview of the topics most relevant to the conservation of the region’s biodiversity, ecosystem services and Indigenous cultures, as well as a description of the conventional and sustainable development models that are vying for space within the regional economy.
- Click the “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon” link atop this page to see chapters 1-13 as they are published during 2023 and 2024.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/agriculture-in-the-pan-amazon-swine-and-poultry-adding-value-to-farm-production/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/lifted-sanctions-on-gold-oil-could-slow-conservation-efforts-in-venezuela/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/lifted-sanctions-on-gold-oil-could-slow-conservation-efforts-in-venezuela/#respond 08 Nov 2023 18:04:07 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275182 - Eased restrictions could allow neighboring countries with illegal mining, such as Suriname, Brazil, Guyana and Colombia, to launder gold through Venezuela’s new legal channels.
- Spills from oil and gas fields may continue as before given the government’s disregard for infrastructure maintenance, such as fixing pipes and replacing worn-down tanks.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/lifted-sanctions-on-gold-oil-could-slow-conservation-efforts-in-venezuela/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/mongabay-launches-africa-news-bureau/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/mongabay-launches-africa-news-bureau/#respond 08 Nov 2023 08:48:58 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275095 - The bureau will support original reporting on wildlife conservation, development pressures, natural resource industries, and climate change impacts in Africa.
- This expansion aligns with Mongabay’s efforts to provide credible independent journalism, make science accessible, elevate voices impacted by environmental change, and serve a diverse audience with free news in various languages and formats.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/mongabay-launches-africa-news-bureau/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/boost-for-sumatran-rhino-ivf-plan-as-eggs-extracted-from-bornean-specimen/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/boost-for-sumatran-rhino-ivf-plan-as-eggs-extracted-from-bornean-specimen/#respond 08 Nov 2023 07:50:56 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275142 - The donor rhino, known as Pahu, is a Bornean specimen of the Sumatran rhino, and her egg would greatly expand the genetic pool of a species believed to number as few as 40.
- Since 2012, three Sumatran rhinos have been born under Indonesia’s captive-breeding program, but all are closely related: a single captive male is the father to two of them and grandfather to the third.
- Conservationists say they hope to eventually fertilize Pahu’s eggs with sperm from captive Sumatran males, with one of the Sumatran females then serving as a surrogate to hopefully bring a baby to term.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/boost-for-sumatran-rhino-ivf-plan-as-eggs-extracted-from-bornean-specimen/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/ex-farc-members-aim-to-restore-1-million-native-trees-in-the-colombian-amazon/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/ex-farc-members-aim-to-restore-1-million-native-trees-in-the-colombian-amazon/#respond 07 Nov 2023 12:42:00 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275077 - Their goal, despite ongoing conflicts and danger, is to plant 1 million native trees to counteract deforestation from illegal mining, logging, ranching and coca cultivation.
- Those involved in the effort, many of whom were just children when they joined FARC, have already planted 125,000 trees; another 250,000 trees are ready in their cooperative nursery.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/ex-farc-members-aim-to-restore-1-million-native-trees-in-the-colombian-amazon/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/burn-now-pay-later-fines-trickle-in-from-indonesias-crackdown-on-forest-fires/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/burn-now-pay-later-fines-trickle-in-from-indonesias-crackdown-on-forest-fires/#respond 07 Nov 2023 09:59:10 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275074 - The case against PT Kallista Alam (KA) was supposed to set an example for how the government is cracking down on companies that allow burning in their concessions, but has instead highlighted the difficulty of collecting on the fines.
- KA has paid just $3.6 million of its total fine, and despite a 2021 regulation barring fine payments in installments, the company has been allowed to stagger its payments over time.
- The company is one of 22 sued by the government since 2013 for fires; 14 of these have been found liable and ordered to pay a combined 5.6 trillion rupiah ($353 million), but only one has paid in full.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/burn-now-pay-later-fines-trickle-in-from-indonesias-crackdown-on-forest-fires/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/drug-trafficking-imperils-national-park-and-indigenous-reserves-in-the-peruvian-amazon/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/drug-trafficking-imperils-national-park-and-indigenous-reserves-in-the-peruvian-amazon/#respond 03 Nov 2023 17:50:33 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274969 - During aerial reconnaissance, Mongabay Latam reporters observed clearings, trails and unauthorized airstrips in the park and Indigenous reserves.
- The NGO Global Conservation is beginning work to train members of Indigenous communities to monitor and enforce forest protection regulations.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/drug-trafficking-imperils-national-park-and-indigenous-reserves-in-the-peruvian-amazon/feed/ 0