An Array of Utopian Flowers
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12 Reasons to Try Elliott Abrams in the International Criminal Court
Posted on February 15, 2019 | No Comments -
Ecological Amnesia: Life Without Wild Things
Posted on February 9, 2019 | No Comments -
Coup Redux in Venezuela: ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’
Posted on February 3, 2019 | 1 Comment -
Pushing Back Against the Venezuela Coup-Plotters
Posted on January 30, 2019 | 2 Comments -
Angels and Saints in Mosaic at Sicily’s Monreale Cathedral
Posted on January 13, 2019 | No Comments
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forest health Archive
Confronting Wildfire: Retrofit Communities, Not Forests
Posted on September 17, 2018 | 1 CommentAs California continues with massive wind-driven, high-intensity wildfires that often turn deadly, the governmental and institutional response has been to thin forests and "grind up vegetation" to fight fires. Naomi Pitcairn points to a movement by plant community and wildfire experts led by the Richard Halsey of the Chaparral Institute to focus on protecting vulnerable communities rather than trying to control nature, which now faces extreme heatwaves and droughts from an unpredictable greenhouse-gas-warmed climate.
An Orangutan’s Journey Though Palm Oil Killing Fields
Posted on December 8, 2014 | No CommentsThe film "Green" documents deforestation and orangutan extinction in the Indonesian rainforest. It is a silent film (without narration) presenting the treasures of rainforest biodiversity and the devastating impacts of logging and land clearing for palm oil plantations.
Protecting Greater Yosemite Ecosystem from Salvage Logging
Posted on July 13, 2014 | 1 CommentThe US Forest Service salvage logging plan ended up damaging the health of the Greater Yosemite Ecosystem far more than 2013's massive Rim Fire. Chad Hanson from the John Muir Project of the Earth Island Institute explains how wildfires can promote ecological health and survival of many plant and wildlife communities, despite the intense heat and scale of the blazes.
Yosemite: An Ecosystem Nourished By Wildfire
Posted on May 25, 2014 | 5 CommentsThough the Rim Fire of 2013 was the third largest conflagration in California's history, it improved the ecological health of the forest and the majority of the iconic landscapes of Yosemite National Park remained unscathed. A salvage logging plan approved by the US Forest Service put in danger the regenerating effects of the fire.
Peru: lllegal Gold Mining versus Biodiversity and Ecotourism
Posted on April 9, 2014 | 2 CommentsA gold rush that accelerated with the onset of the 2008 global recession compounds the woes of the Amazon basin, laying waste to Peruvian rain forest and spilling tons of toxic mercury into the air and water.
Asian Rosewood: Soaked in Blood
Posted on November 23, 2013 | 1 CommentDeep in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia grows a rare and beautiful tree whose wood is so highly prized that men will kill to possess it. In Thailand, environmental organizations and park rangers are fighting back against organized crime syndicates bent on logging it and smuggling it to the burgeoning Chinese market.
Genetically Engineered Eucalyptus Plantations Threaten US South
Posted on March 22, 2013 | 1 CommentArborGen, has applied to commercially sell hundreds of millions of freeze tolerant genetically engineered eucalyptus trees annually for vast plantations across Texas, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.
Papua New Guinea: Rainforest World of Sustainable River Guardians
Posted on January 9, 2013 | 4 CommentsThe Sacred Land Film Project captured a revival of a canoe ceremony with feasting, dancing and carving, honoring their sacred Ramu River. The region is part of the third largest intact rainforest ecosystem left on earth, where sustainable agriculture and forestry practices have allowed societies to thrive for thousands of years, now threatened by multinational logging interests and corrupt governmental entities.
Who Bombed Earth First! Organizer Judi Bari?
Posted on November 29, 2012 | No CommentsOscar-entry documentary chronicles the unsolved mystery of the car bombing of Old-Growth Forests Activists and their later arrest by the FBI for their own injuries. The film also illustrates the Redwood Summer movement to save the Headwaters Forest of Northern California and Judi Bari's victorious 1st Amendment lawsuit.
Howler Monkeys Among the Maya: Divine Patrons to the Artisans
Posted on November 15, 2012 | 1 CommentJohn Lloyd Stephens, who documented important Maya sites in Central America in 1839, described howler monkeys found at the ruins of Copán as "grave and solemn, almost emotionally wounded, as if officiating as the guardians of consecrated ground." Today, in sites such as Tikal, they remain standing guard over the ruins, sharing space with hundreds of tourists.
Edward Abbey: A Solitary Voice in the Wilderness
Posted on October 5, 2012 | 7 CommentsThe Monkey Wrench Gang is the wish-fulfilment dream of eco-Luddites everywhere. Civilisation violates the land, so Hayduke ("a good, healthy psychopath") and his pals violate civilization.
Ecuador: Battle Between Living Systems and Oil at Yasuní National Park
Posted on September 4, 2012 | 2 CommentsEcuador abandons a plan to preserve the most biodiverse region on Earth from oil exploitation, putting Yasuni national park at the frontline of a global battle between living systems and fossil fuels. Unable to raise sufficient financing, President Correa plans to move forward with oil drilling in this wild Amazonian region, putting wildlife and willfully uncontacted tribes at risk.
Do Forests Drink Water Meant for Humans?
Posted on May 9, 2012 | 1 CommentWesleyan University academics argue "unnatural" forests, resulting from fire suppression policies, deplete water supplies and should be cut back. We disagree.
Honduras: World Heritage Biosphere Trafficked Toward Destruction
Posted on December 12, 2011 | 8 CommentsDeforestation, the proposed damming of pristine rivers for hydroelectricity, and destruction of indigenous communities threatens the wildest and most biodiverse corner of tropical Central America: The Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve
Mountain West: Forest Death Affects Climate Moderation
Posted on October 4, 2011 | 3 CommentsPines of the Rockies are dying, wildfires racing across the Southwest deep into Texas, and Colorado's aspens have declined due to lack of water. Worldwide the problem stretches from Southern Africa, the Amazon, Siberia, Algeria, and Australia. Without forest, levels of carbon dioxide rises and the climate will continue to warm.
Rainforest Wilt: Drought in the Amazon Has Long-Term Effects
Posted on April 20, 2011 | 2 CommentsThe Amazon Rainforest experienced a devastating drought in 2010, increasing its emission of greenhouse gases, endangering its role as a global climate balance.
Destructive Progress: Brazil-Peru Transoceanic Highway
Posted on November 3, 2010 | 4 CommentsWith completion of the 3,400-mile Transoceanic Highway, the Amazonian state of Acre in Brazil now connects with the southern Pacific Coast of Peru, unleashing numerous impacts to the environment and indigenous people.
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