Posts Tagged ‘forests’
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A family affair
Last week, CI scientist Robin Moore spent two days traveling in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, one of Mexico’s most ecologically diverse regions. This is what he found. Bolitoglossa salamander in the Sierra Gorda. © Robin Moore I am not sure what it is that makes the Sierra Gorda feel so magical; whether it is the golden sunlight that filters through fern-laden trees to a carpet of soft moss on the forest floor; the knowledge that jaguars slink silently and invisibly through the dappled light, or uncovering cryptic salamanders lurking in the bromeliads that drip from the trees. Whatever it is, ... -
Remembering the Amazon
Maybe I'm getting to that 'past my prime' point in life where the 1990s does not seem like that long ago, but Brendan Borrell’s recent Washington Post article, "Amazon? Still Not Out of the Woods" really resonated with me. Frankly, I didn’t understand the importance of tropical forests' contribution to climate change until I began my work here at CI nearly a year ago. Before joining CI, I thought about the Amazon as Borrell suggests many did: a 1980s 'Protect the Rainforest' trend that drew the attention of celebrities like Sting and Phil Collins who staged protests and "helped put ... -
HFLD and REDD
HFLD – High Frequency Laser Disk? REDD – Really Exciting Doughnut Day? Nope. Good guesses, though. CI is an organization grounded in science and impacting policy, and in our effort to impact the global conversation about climate change, we sometimes throw around acronyms like they are common knowledge. Right now, the two inescapable catchphrases are REDD and HFLD – Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and High Forest Cover, Low Deforestation to those in the know. In basic terms, here’s what we’re talking about. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) was created by the United Nations in 2008. The program aims to implement ... -
30 million reasons to believe we can make a difference
There are times when working for an environmental organization is a soul-crushing experience. On miniscule budgets we battle against global obstacles so monumentally important that if we fail, the whole of humanity is in a heap of trouble. It’s not helped by the fact that so often we seem to be on a one-way street towards a rather bleak future – carbon dioxide emissions are getting worse, the oceans are being ravaged to feed our greed for cheap fish, the fresh water systems that keep billions of us alive are being undermined and the forests that provide us with medicines ... -
Conservation – at a great bargain
Sometimes, conservation solutions are beautifully simple. This is the case with CI’s pioneering conservation agreement with the government of Guyana. Here’s how it works: Before a logging company could lease 200,000 acres of intact Amazonian from the Guyanese government, CI stepped in to protect the land, and leased it for conservation. This unique conservation agreement comes at a great bargain, less than $100,000 a year. It’s an incredible value given the importance of the forest for both plant and animal species as well as people. Located deep within the Amazon wilderness, CI’s 200,000 acres of forest is part of the watershed ... -
Felt Here
The Obama Administration issued a new report on climate change, and it highlights many of the ways people in the U.S. are likely to be affected – sometimes literally in our own backyards. From droughts to hurricanes to sea level rise, it doesn't paint a very pretty picture. New York Times: U.S. Study Projects How 'Unequivocal Warming' Will Change Americans' Lives CI is working on many fronts to protect forests and slow climate change. Read about our key priorities here >> -
A “Green Wall” of Protection
On the Indonesian island of Java, forests are quickly disappearing. In the past few decades, much of the island’s forests have been converted into farmlands and residential areas. To restore and protect Java’s last remaining large tracts of rainforest, CI-Indonesia is helping to coordinate a groundbreaking "Green Wall" program designed to save this vital ecosystem and the direct human benefits it provides. "Green Wall" projects surround the rainforest, and include replanting trees, a tree adoption program, agroforestry, public outreach and community education. It shields rainforest from urban encroachment. The project also helps communities generate extra income from forest-friendly crops. Reforestation plants include mixture ... -
From burning to replanting in Madagascar
Diego Suarez is a picturesque natural harbor in northeastern Madagascar. Towering above it is Montagne de Francais, a large mountain covered in pristine forest, which shelters dozens of rare species and protects the region’s watershed. Uncontrolled demand for wood-based products and charcoal threatened to wipe out millions of acres of forest, and in turn threaten the health of local people by disrupting their -
Solomon Islands: A Model for Forest Conservation
A small island in the South Pacific is a treasure to behold. Tetepare Island in the Solomon Islands is the largest uninhabited island in the South Pacific. Legends and records suggest that the entire population left in the mid-1800s due to an outbreak of disease and headhunting occurrences among tribes. The pristine island harbors thriving rainforests, coral reefs and mangrove swamps, complete with nesting beaches for three species of turtle, including the critically endangered leatherback turtle. Descendants of the original inhabitants of Tetepare are now settled throughout the Western Province. For Tetepare’s landowners, the island and surrounding waters represent both an important cultural ... -
Making Forests Key to Climate Change: Road to Copenhagen
In December, thousands of scientists, policy-makers, and government leaders will gather in Copenhagen to agree upon an ambitious and effective international response to climate change. CI is already working toward that day. CI has committed to a major initiative designed to advance the science of climate change; to expand the debate about options for combating the increase of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere; and to ensure that international agreements incorporate healthy ecosystems – tropical forests primary among them – as a key element of any international climate plan. CI is working on many fronts, both directly with the U.S. Administration and Congress, ...
