Do elections spur deforestation? It’s complicated, new study finds

Sections of the Amazon Rainforest are set on fire by farmers to be cleared for agriculture.Ahead of the presidential election in Brazil last October, deforestation in the Amazon reached its highest level in 15 years. Was this an anomaly, or part of a pattern? Are elections and deforestation somehow linked? To answer these questions, a group of researchers examined deforestation and election data from 55 countries in the tropics between […]

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Climate change lawsuits take aim at French bank BNP Paribas

One of Europe’s biggest banks is facing two ambitious new lawsuits that claim it finances some of the worst contributors to environmental destruction and climate change. French bank BNP Paribas is being sued by a group of environmental and human rights advocacy groups that allege it provides financial services to oil and gas companies as […]

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Indonesian palm oil billionaire gets 15 years for corruption

JAKARTA — A court in Indonesia has sentenced palm oil billionaire Surya Darmadi to 15 years in prison for his role in the biggest corruption case in the country’s history. The Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court ruled on Feb. 23 that Surya had conspired with the elected head of Indragiri Hulu district in Sumatra, Raja Thamsir Rachman, […]

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Western monarch populations reach highest number in decades

A monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus).The population of western monarch butterflies reached its highest numbers since the year 2000, with more than 335,000 butterflies counted at their California and Arizona overwintering sites during the 26th annual Thanksgiving Western Monarch Count. “We can all celebrate this tally,” Emma Pelton, a conservation biologist at the Xerces Society and western monarch lead said in […]

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Indonesia and Malaysia assail new EU ban on ‘dirty commodities’ trade

Palm oil estate workerJAKARTA — The governments of Indonesia and Malaysia, two of the world’s largest palm oil producers, have intensified their criticisms against European Union trade policies, which they deem to be discriminatory toward palm oil. Indonesia’s and Malaysia’s outcry has sown doubts over the two countries’ commitments to combat deforestation, with palm oil being a contributor […]

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Canopy bridges connect forests, wildlife, and international researchers

Roads and highways wind through forests worldwide, forming an expanding network that connects humans but can hurt animals. Animals are hesitant to cross roads, and for those that move only through the treetops, such as arboreal mammals, a road can represent an impassible barrier. “For arboreal animals, the barrier effect is profound. They will not […]

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Indigenous communities threatened as deforestation rises in Nicaraguan reserves

It’s hard to know exactly what’s happening to the environment in Nicaragua. Data on everything from mining to deforestation to biodiversity loss is nearly impossible to get from the government. Hundreds of journalists and environmental defenders have been arrested or fled the country, including much of the newsroom of La Prensa, Nicaragua’s oldest newspaper. And […]

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