rainforest

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Skyscraper Rising in Middle of the Amazon

Observatory is far from human settlement

(Newser) - At 1,066 feet, a tower rising in Brazil will be taller than New York City's Chrysler Building—or any skyscraper in South America—but it won't have any neighbors in sight. The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory, around 100 miles from the city of Manuas, is designed to...

'Lost Rainforest' Yields Bizarre Species

And remote Australian rainforest could hold even more

(Newser) - A rainforest sits atop Australia's Cape Melville mountain range, surrounded by granite boulders—some as big as cars or houses—piled in walls as tall as 300 feet, making it quite challenging to explore. Researchers from Queensland's James Cook University had to travel there via helicopter; once in,...

Ecuador to China Oil Barons: Amazon Rainforest for Sale

Indigenous groups not happy

(Newser) - Tree-huggers will be really displeased to hear this: Ecuador is planning to auction off more than 7 million acres of the Amazon ... to Chinese oil companies. Politicians pitched bidding contracts to oil company reps in Beijing on Monday, the Guardian reports. Needless to say, indigenous groups living on the land...

How Many Trees in the Rainforest? Brazil to Count

Census to inform policy decisions

(Newser) - Brazil doesn't know enough about its tropical forest, says its environmental minister—so it's going to take a census of its trillions of trees. Over the next four years, officials will travel the country, stopping at 20,000 locations, each about 12 miles from the next. There, they'...

Disney Dumps Rainforest-Killing Paper Makers

Environmental activists applaud the move

(Newser) - It took a lot of cajoling—including some activists chaining themselves to the gates of its corporate headquarters—but Disney has at last agreed to stop using paper from a pair of controversial Asian companies accused of depleting Indonesia's rainforests, the Guardian reports. "The Jungle Book will no...

Amazon Destruction Sinks to Lowest Level

But lawmakers are looking to ease tough restrictions

(Newser) - Brazil's Amazon rainforest lost an area about the size of Delaware in the year ended in July, but there's a silver lining to that stat: It's the lowest level of destruction since tracking began in 1988, reports the AP . The deforestation peaked in 1995, with the staggering...

Jagger Named Peru Rainforest 'Ambassador'

Becomes regional 'ally' in fight to protect ecosystem

(Newser) - Now that he's saving the rainforest, maybe Mick Jagger will finally get that long-elusive satisfaction. The Rolling Stone has been dubbed an honorary ambassador for tourism to a region of Peru's Amazon, AFP reports. "You are our ally. Your presence is a great support in our fight...

Much of World's Tropical Forests Managed Poorly

Out of nearly 2B acres, 10% is being managed sustainably

(Newser) - Large swaths of the world's tropical forests have been officially shielded from deforestation, but an international organization says that may not be enough. Much of the land kept for permanent use as forests isn't being managed sustainably—or being managed at all, according to a new report by...

'Zombie Ants' Found in Brazil
 'Zombie Ants' Found in Brazil 
Mar 6, 2011 2:14 PM CST

'Zombie Ants' Found in Brazil

Fungus takes over brain, forces ants to relocate

(Newser) - First, the fungus takes over the ant’s brain. Then, it uses “mind control” to force the ant to move to a new location—an ideal location where the fungus can grow and its spores can spread. Finally, the fungus kills the ant—and then grows out of its...

Threatened Spirit Bear's Best Hope: Photographers

'Canada's panda' symbolizes fight to preserve British Columbia's rainforest

(Newser) - Never heard of "Canada's panda?" Naturalists fighting to preserve the very rare bear's rainforest habitat in British Columbia want that to change. Only about 500 of the bears—a subspecies of black bear that has white fur—exist, and activists fear that a proposed pipeline through the Great Bear...

Pinocchio Frog Among Dozens of New Species

Discovered by expedition to 'Lost World' in New Guinea

(Newser) - Scientists on an expedition to a remote part of Indonesia known as the "Lost World" discovered over two dozen new species, including a "Pinocchio" tree frog with an inflatable nose and the smallest known member of the kangaroo family. The scientists say the finds, in a mountain range...

Brazil Using Condoms to Protect Rainforest

Sustainable condom project to use Amazon rubber

(Newser) - Brazil has unrolled an ambitious plan to preserve vast areas of the Amazon rainforest by tapping its rubber trees to make sustainable condoms. Most "rubbers" are now made from cheaper synthetic materials, but officials of the Brazilian government—which buys 1 billion condoms a year—say the project will...

Deforestation Reveals Signs of 'El Dorado'

 Deforestation Reveals 
 Signs of 'El Dorado' 


lost city of gold found?
Jan 6, 2010 7:05 AM CST

Deforestation Reveals Signs of 'El Dorado'

Team spots evidence of massive Amazon civilization

(Newser) - The legends of lost cities that drew Spanish explorers to their doom seeking "El Dorado" in the Amazon may have been rooted in truth after all. Deforestation in Brazil and northern Bolivia has revealed signs, including roads and massive earthworks, of an Amazon civilization much bigger than anything previously...

That Line of Cocaine Is Killing the Rainforest: UK Cops
That Line of Cocaine Is Killing the Rainforest: UK Cops
TRUTH IN ADVERTISING
Dec 16, 2009 10:04 PM CST

That Line of Cocaine Is Killing the Rainforest: UK Cops

Law partners with Greenpeace in campaign aimed at greens

(Newser) - Cops the world over are looking for reasons to stop you from snorting cocaine, but a new campaign in the UK takes a new angle: It’s killing the rainforests. London’s Metropolitan Police—with the government’s backing—has teamed up with Greenpeace on this one, the Times reports,...

Climate Talks Near Deal to Save Forests

Plan pays people to preserve carbon-reducing landscapes

(Newser) - Negotiators in Copenhagen are putting the final touches on a sweeping deal that would compensate countries for preserving forests. A final draft of the agreement will be given to ministers today, the New York Times reports. A signed agreement, which could be one of the most significant accomplishments of the...

Warming Earth Down to Its 'Last Chance': Charles

Prince warns of catastrophe if world continues to balk at taking action

(Newser) - Prince Charles warned yesterday that the world's unwillingness to take action on climate change means disaster is looming, the Daily Telegraph reports. The prince, addressing the Nobel Laureates Symposium, said that although a "mercifully small—if vociferous—number" of people still reject the science of climate change, a far...

Princes, Celebs, Frog Team Up in Green Vid

Charles joined by sons, A-listers to promote project

(Newser) - Princes William and Harry are joined by a cast of superstars—and a belching digital frog—in a video helping their father promote environmental awareness, the Mirror reports. Harrison Ford, Robin Williams, Daniel Craig, and the Dalai Lama are among those appearing in the clip promoting Prince Charles’ Rainforests Project....

Climate Change Doom Looms for 85% of Amazon

Death of much of the rainforest is inevitable even under most optimistic scenario

(Newser) - Climate change may be a bigger threat to the Amazon rainforest than all the chainsaws in the world, the Guardian reports. New research predicts a global temperature rise of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit—widely believed to be the best-case scenario even if carbon emissions are slashed—would kill off up...

Save the Rainforest? Nature May Have It Covered

New jungle in the tropics might outpace deforestation

(Newser) - With all the talk of how much primeval rainforest disappears every year, it might come as a surprise to hear that much more new forest is springing up to replace it. Although new jungle taking over abandoned or destroyed farms in tropical nations is good for the planet—the UN...

Greenies Trip Up Jersey Boardwalk Plans

Use of Amazon wood contributes to global warming, activists insist

(Newser) - Tourists swarming New Jersey’s most popular shore this spring probably won’t notice the wooden planks underfoot, but officials and environmentalists have been fighting over them, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Wildwood's plan to import lumber from Brazilian rain forests—for a $3.5 million boardwalk renovation—has angered greenies...

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