July 1, 2011, at 12:44:40 AM | Print this Post 
Forest Fragmentation is a cause of considerable concern in present times as industrial activities have forced their way through forests, leaving behind small dispersed patches. The threat of degradation looms large as these small reservoirs of biodiversity are easy prey to environmental threats. Fragmentation also results in breaking-up of many lifecycle processes for thousands of species.
This article by Laxmi Goparaju explains about forest fragmentation, its negative impacts on regional biodiversity and ecology, and how to diminish the same.
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. . . → Read More: Save Forests: Avoid Forest Fragmentation
June 22, 2011, at 05:00:10 AM | Print this Post
Demand for everyday products, from hamburgers to cookies to soap, is now the biggest threat to tropical forests, according to a new study released June 13 by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The report, “The Root of the Problem: What’s Driving Tropical Deforestation Today?” concludes that large international businesses producing items such as palm oil, beef and timber have become the most destructive drivers of deforestation – a shift from the past when local populations were thought to be responsible for much of the damage to rain forests.
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. . . → Read More: Global Demand for Food Products Threatens Tropical Forests
June 13, 2011, at 04:48:20 AM | Print this Post
Woods Hole, Massachusetts – One helpful action anyone can take in response to global warming is to plant trees and preserve forests. Trees and plants capture carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, thereby removing an important greenhouse gas from the atmosphere and storing some of it in their woody tissue. Yet global warming may affect the capacity of trees to store carbon by altering forest nitrogen cycling, concludes a study led by Jerry Melillo of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), published in ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’.
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. . . → Read More: Global Warming May Affect the Capacity of Trees to Store Carbon
June 8, 2011, at 05:31:35 AM | Print this Post
Delhi / Nairobi / World – Investing an additional US $ 40 billion a year in the forestry sector could halve deforestation rates by 2030, increase rates of tree planting by around 140 per cent by 2050, and catalyze the creation of millions of new jobs, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
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June 6, 2011, at 12:02:44 AM | Print this Post
Geneva – European forests may be expanding by around 7,000 hectares a year but many are still under threat from ‘fragmentation’ as a result of felling, fires and conversion to agricultural land, according to experts with the United Nations.
These isolated and fragmented forest systems are not only more vulnerable to climate change, they are less able to support wildlife, stabilize soils and supply sufficient water to the cities, companies and communities that rely on such ecosystem services.
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. . . → Read More: Green Corridors Needed to Reconnect Fragmented Forests in Europe
May 30, 2011, at 01:39:56 AM | Print this Post
India: Forests and Economy
A growing population, rising disposable income levels and the availability of a wide range of products and services – are all precursors to a society ready to enter into a ‘consumption mania’.It would not be completely wrong to say that India is currently going through the very same transition witnessed by developed countries in the past. The liberalization of Indian economy which began in 1992 had fueled growth in all major sectors and India emerged as a hot-spot destination for foreign investment. A strong economy backed by a growth rate of over 8% has . . . → Read More: World Environment Day 2011: Forest Issues and Challenges in India
May 28, 2011, at 08:02:46 AM | Print this Post
International experts gathered at the Smithsonian Institution for a meeting organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) to discuss the development of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, tailored after theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Examples from Australia, South Africa, the United States and Venezuela of how ecosystems could be listed were discussed and the proposed criteria refined. How to make sure the Ecosystems Red List is compatible with the Red List of Threatened Species was a key focus of the discussion.
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. . . → Read More: IUCN to Prepare Red List of Ecosystems
May 24, 2011, at 12:20:34 AM | Print this Post
In an interview with ThinktoSustain.com, Dr. Blessing J. Karumbidza and Mr. Wally Menne – who recently conducted a study on a CDM tree plantation by a Norwegian company in Tanzania - discuss the sustainability and viability issues of such tree plantations being used as carbon emission offset projects under Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol, and their impact on local communities and rural economies.
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May 23, 2011, at 02:54:57 AM | Print this Post
This study by Timberwatch, authored by Blessing J. Karumbidza and Wally Menne, documents the tree plantation project at Idete in the Mufindi district of Iringa province in southern Tanzania, and concludes that in an African context, such monoculture tree plantation model is non-sustainable from many points of view, even with market-based mechanisms such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification in place.
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May 19, 2011, at 07:01:36 AM | Print this Post
Zurich, Switzerland - South Pole’s Asorpar Reforestation Project in Colombia is proof that a sustainable approach, with a focus on biodiversity, can bring substantial financial returns. The project just issued its first 128,900 VCUs and will generate up to 1 million € for the project owner in 2011 alone. The positive revenue flow ensures project longevity and additionality and will inspire others to take a similar approach, especially in Central and South America where plantation projects exceed 95% of the forestry sector (FAO State of the World’s Forests Report 2010).
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. . . → Read More: Forestry Carbon Credits Issued to a Columbian Reforestation Project
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