follow us on twitter

biodiversity

  • Field Notes | Trouble in the forest, seen through the eyes of orphan bonobos

    05.22.13

    To the bonobos, the signals are clear: pressure on their rainforest habitat is on the rise. It's visible in the rise of orphan arrivals at the Lola-ya-Bonobo sanctuary near Kinshasa. If nothing is done, various economic and demographic pressures on the Congo Basin forest could wipe out our closest relatives and release the equivalent of 1 billion tons of carbon in the atmosphere, by 2030.

  • Field Notes | Green gold for Gabon?

    11.08.12

    True or False? "Artisanal miners are poor exploited human beings who are forced to dig for minerals under unbearable circumstances.  They should be liberated." "Artisanal miners are illegal and do not contribute any revenue to the state. They need to be registered and controlled." Beyond the black and white stereotypes, there may be a third way of dealing with artisanal and small scale mining in protected areas, argues Kirsten Hund. What if Gabon could produce environmentally and socially responsive gold?

  • Field Notes | What It Takes, Part III: Sharing Revenues from Conservation

    09.11.12

    In this third of four "benefit sharing" examples, we learn about villagers who traded part of their crop harvest for a share in park proceeds in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

  • Field Notes | Finding Balance: Our future, our forests

    06.25.12

    The United Nations Forum on Forests partnered with a multimedia firm to produce a compelling story line about forests that goes beyond simple conservation. Combing through 10,000 photographs and dozens of hours of footage (much of it drawn from last year's International Forest Film Festival), they set out to communicate the difficult balance between livelihoods, economic growth and environmental goals that sustainable development seeks to achieve.

  • Field Notes | What experts mean by "SFM"

    06.05.12

    An effort by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests to clarify the concept of Sustainable Forest Management, or SFM, has yielded 8 accessible and concise fact sheets. Use these as reference material -- or to challenge what you think you know about forests.

  • Field Notes | What would it take to slow Sumatra's "forest transition"?

    05.30.12

    A trip, from Padang to Pekanbaru, in Sumatra, Indonesia, offered glimpses of contrasting land uses (from small-scale agroforestry to massive pulp and paper and oil palm plantations) and food for thought: Will the "great sucking sound" coming from fast-growing global commodity markets leave room for diverse and resilient landscapes and communities? What chance does wildlife have of surviving what is known as the "forest and land use transition"?

  • Knowledge | Social Impact Assessment of Forest Carbon Projects (toolkit)

    02.14.12

    Are land-based carbon projects good for local people, biodiversity, and ecosystem services? This PROFOR-supported activity produced a user-friendly Manual on how to conduct cost-effective and credible social and biodiversity impact assessments. Background case studies and toolkits are available on this page.

  • Knowledge | Establishing a Network of Controlled Delivery Units for Forest Law Enforcement

    01.18.12

    To develop a forest law enforcement community of practice able to conduct international controlled delivery operations that would help bring timber and wildlife smugglers to justice. and reduce international trade and trafficking in illicit forest p