Rainforests
Amazon deforestation has a regional, not just local impact: study
It’s been well-documented that local temperatures rise in an area after the forest has been cleared. There’s no canopy to block the sun from hitting the soil directly and no trees to absorb moisture to stave off extreme heat. But could deforestation have a more regional impact, too? A new study found that deforestation in […]
Lifted sanctions on gold, oil could slow conservation efforts in Venezuela
Last month, the U.S. agreed to lift some sanctions on Venezuela in exchange for a roadmap to presidential elections, tentatively scheduled for the second half of next year. The deal required months of secret negotiations with the Nicolás Maduro regime, and involved easing restrictions on some of Venezuela’s largest industries, including oil and gas and […]
Indigenous Dayak ‘furious’ as RSPO dismisses land rights violation complaint
JAKARTA — An Indigenous community in Indonesian Borneo that has waged a decades-long legal battle against a palm oil giant has slammed a decision to absolve the company of allegations of land rights violations. The Dayak Hibun community in Sanggau district, West Kalimantan province, had brought a complaint in 2012 to the Roundtable on Sustainable […]
For 1st time, Indonesia government recognizes ancestral forests in Aceh — but only some
JAKARTA — The Indonesian government has recognized community claims to ancestral forests in the Sumatran province of Aceh for the first time in history. In September, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry issued legal recognition to 22,549 hectares (55,700 acres) of ancestral forests in Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra. These forests are managed […]
Report: Half of plantations in Indonesia’s palm oil heartland are illegal
JAKARTA — Nearly half of oil palm plantations in Indonesia’s Riau province, the heartland of the commodity’s production, is illegal, according to a new report. The report was published by a coalition of NGOs based in Sumatra called Eyes on the Forest (EoF). Using spatial analysis of Riau’s palm oil landscapes, based on government maps […]
Indonesia opens carbon trading market to both skepticism and hope
JAKARTA — Indonesia has just launched its first carbon emissions trading market in a bid to fight climate change. The Southeast Asian country is one of the world’s top 10 greenhouse gas emitters, with a bulk of its emissions coming from the burning of coal to generate power. To fight climate change, Indonesia has pledged […]
New electric-blue tarantula species is first found in Thailand mangroves
Researchers have described a new electric-blue species of tarantula from Thailand. The vibrant tarantula (Chilobrachys natanicharum) was known from the pet trade but hadn’t been seen in nature by scientists. Researchers say it’s the first known tarantula species found in Thailand’s mangroves. A team from Khon Kaen University in Thailand, led by Narin Chomphuphuang along […]
Plan to bring Mennonite farmers to Suriname sparks deforestation fears
Foreign land developers have spent the past several years working to bring Mennonite farming communities from across Latin America to Suriname with the plan of starting a series of agriculture projects — a major threat to conservation efforts in the country’s part of the Amazon Rainforest, environmentalists say. Investors from Argentina and the Netherlands launched […]
‘Wasn’t us,’ fire-hit Indonesia claims as Malaysia chokes on poor air quality
JAKARTA — A diplomatic spat has once again flared up between Southeast Asian neighbors Indonesia and Malaysia, sparked by smoke from forest fires in the former that have reportedly crossed over into the latter. Air quality in parts of Malaysia have worsened in recent days, with the national environmental department recording unhealthy air quality in […]
Indonesia’s peatland restoration claims in question as fires flare up
JAKARTA — Swaths of tropical peatland that were supposed to have been restored and protected from burning are among the fire-hit areas in Indonesia’s ongoing dry season, raising questions about the government’s claims of success in peat restoration. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry said more than 300 companies had restored some 3.7 million hectares […]