Environment
Satellite images show deforestation toll of Indonesia mines
More than 700,000 hectares of forest in Indonesia have been cleared for mining since 2001, including large tracts of primary forest, a new analysis using satellite data has found. The TreeMap, a conservation start-up, used high-resolution imagery from several satellites and two decades of data from the long-running Landsat program… Read
Coral bleachings devastate Bali reefs as sea temperatures rise
Indonesian conservationist Nyoman Sugiarto has been working for 16 years to preserve coral on the reefs of Bali, but the frequency of mass coral bleachings he says is now devastating. Ninety percent of the corals Sugiarto had nurtured on the reefs near his village in Bondalem, in northern shore of… Read
EU resists calls to delay deforestation law, letter shows
The European Union has resisted calls from some industries and countries to delay its flagship policy to fight deforestation, a letter seen by Reuters showed. The deforestation law will, from Dec 30, require companies selling soy, beef, coffee, palm oil and other products in the 27-nation bloc to prove their… Read
Persistent heat wave in U.S. expected to shatter new records as it bakes West and swelters in East
A long-running heat wave that has already shattered previous records across the U.S. will persist, baking parts of the West with dangerous temperatures that will soar into the 100s and holding the East in its hot and humid grip throughout the week, forecasters said Sunday. An excessive heat warning —… Read
Brazil's Amazon sees worst 6 months of wildfires in 20 years
The Brazilian Amazon recorded 13,489 wildfires in the first half of the year, the worst figure in 20 years, according to satellite data. The total was up more than 61 percent compared to the same period last year -- an increase that experts say is the result of a historic… Read
Swelling deer herd hems in South Korean islanders
Under the light of a moon partially obscured by cloud, the eyes of a dozen deer glow uncannily in the dark on South Korea's island of Anma. They destroy crops and damage trees in their nocturnal wanderings, but by day the spot is deceptively peaceful, though the humans here must… Read
Planting giant cactus to stave off desertification in Brazil
Giant spiky cacti tower over farmer Alcides Peixinho Nascimento, 70, one of the residents of Brazil's unique Caatinga biome who is on a mission to plant native vegetation in a bid to halt desertification. "In the absence of laws, it is up to us to act," said Nascimento, who is… Read
Divers turn conservationists as corals bleach worldwide
A diver glides over an expanse of bone-white coral branches, recording the fish that dart between the ghostly arms extending from the sea floor off the Thai island of Koh Tao. Nannalin Pornprasertsom is one of a growing number of scuba divers learning conservation and citizen science techniques as coral… Read
'Breathing smoke': Brazil's Pantanal wetlands hit by record fires
Erica Cristina has been "breathing in smoke every day" since a large fire broke out across the river from the city of Corumba, the gateway to Brazil's Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetlands. The blaze, which filled the bar she owns with soot, is one of hundreds burning in the… Read
List of threatened species grows by 1,000, but conservation efforts bring hope for some animals
Over 45,000 species are now threatened with extinction — 1,000 more than last year — according to an international conservation organization that blames pressures from climate change, invasive species and human activity such as illicit trade and infrastructural expansion. The International Union for Conservation of Nature released its latest Red List of… Read
