Brazil sees fall in deforestation rate

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell to 291 square miles (754 square kilometres) between November 2008 and January 2009, reports Mongabay.com.
This was a drop of 70% when compared to the same period 12 months earlier, said Brazil’s Environment Minister Carlos Minc.
A decrease in forest clearing had been expected.
Economic turmoil, which has reduced the availability of [...]

Deforestation in Vietnam continues to rise

Deforestation has increased by 55% during the past year in Vietnam’s Dak Nong province, reports the Vietnam News Agency.
A report in Mongabay.com said that at least 440 hectares (1,100 acres) of tropical forest were illegally logged in the central highland province, and protected areas were also being targeted.
Forest officials attribute the increase to high commodity, [...]

Indonesia favours palm oil over peatlands

The Indonesian government will allow developers to convert millions of hectares of land for oil palm plantations, reports Mongabay.com.
The decision threatens to undermine Indonesia’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from land use and fashion itself as a leader on the environment among tropical countries.
Gatot Irianto, head of research and development for the Agriculture [...]

Norway to pay Guyana to protect rainforests

Norway will provide financial support for Guyana’s ambitious plan to conserve its rainforests, reports Mongabay.com.
During a meeting in Oslo, Guyana President Bharrat Jagdeo and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg signedan agreement to establish a partnership to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD).
It is also understood that the leaders will also push for the [...]

Tropical tree offers mosquito repellent hope

Isolongifolenone, a natural compound found in the Tauroniro tree (Humiria balsamifera) of South America, has been identified as an effective deterrent of mosquitoes and ticks, reports Mongabay.com
It quotes researchers writing in the Journal of Medical Entomology, who said that derivatives of the compound have long been used as fragrances in cosmetics, perfumes, deodorants, and paper [...]

Gabon bans harvest of four hardwood species

Gabon has banned the harvest of four valuable hardwoods according to the International Tropical Timber Organization’s Tropical Timber Market Report, writes Mongabay.com.
Afo, douka, moabi, and ozigo are no longer permitted to be harvested, the ITTO publication states.
Producers will have to dispose of all stocks of these species by the beginning of April this year.
The ITTO [...]

High coffee prices ‘triggers Indonesian deforestation’

High coffee prices were responsible for a marked increase in deforestation on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, say researchers in a report in Mongabay.com.
But they added that law enforcement efforts could deter deforestation in protected areas, despite high pressure from agricultural expansion.
The study was assessing the effectiveness of conservation in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park [...]

Wildlife trade ‘creating empty forest syndrome’

The illegal trade in wildlife products around the globe risks creating an “empty forest” syndrome, a US researcher has warned.
Mongabay.com reports Elizabeth Bennett, from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), as saying that for many endangered species it is not the lack of suitable habitat that has imperiled them, but hunting.
She made her remarks during a [...]

Donors pledge $100m for tropical forest conservation

Donors meeting last week in Washington DC, US, pledged more than $100m (£50m) to the World Bank’s new initiative for conserving tropical forests, reports Mongabay.com.
In addition to the $100m in donations, the World Bank announced that more than 40 developing countries have asked to join the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility – the Bank’s foray into [...]

Forest diversity ’stems from specialisation’

The rich diversity of trees in tropical forests may be “the result of subtle strategies that allow each species to occupy its own ecological niche” rather than random dispersal, Mongabay.com reports.
Studying the traits of trees in Yasuni forest in Ecuador, Nathan Kraft and colleagues, writing in the journal Science, found evidence to support the theory [...]