Forest, desertification, land degradation & biodiversity

Photo: Women tend a community nursery created as part of a completed ITTO project to assist forest landscape restoration in Togo. Credit: ODEF

A Landmark Project Aims at Reforestation in Togo

Income Opportunities for Women

By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN | TOKYO (IDN) – Togo in West Africa is the venue of a milestone project between Soka Gakkai, a global community-based Buddhist organization and the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). The two have signed a memorandum to launch a reforestation project offering income opportunities for women's groups in two rural areas of Togo.

The memorandum involving a donation of 10 million yen (US$93,300) for the initial one-year phase of the project was signed on July 1 at the Soka Gakkai (SG) headquarters in Tokyo. The project will kick off on September 1.

: Ramesh Jaura; SUSTAINABILITY; Poverty; 05 July 2020

Photo: The Porcupine caribou herd in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Credit: Peter Mather/petermather.com

ARCTIC: Protecting the Sacred Place Where Life Begins

Viewpoint by Nick Engelfried*

BELLINGHAM, Washington (IDN) – As the Trump administration neared the end of its first year in office in 2017, it seemed environmental activists had lost one of the most hard-fought battles in the movement's history. Thanks to a last-minute manoeuvre by Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Congressional Republicans succeeded in passing legislation allowing oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Some of the worst fears of environmental and Indigenous rights groups for what might happen under the administration appeared to be coming true.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 03 July 2020

UN Helps Conserve Migratory Waterbirds and Protect Biodiversity in 119 Countries

"Now Is the Time to Invest in and Step Up Action for Nature"

By Rita Joshi

BONN (IDN) – At least 40 per cent of the world’s economy and 80 per cent of the needs of the poor are derived from biological resources. These include diversity within species, between species, and between ecosystems. The richer the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity for medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses to such new challenges as climate change and disastrous viruses such as the COVID-19.

: Rita Joshi; SUSTAINABILITY; Forests, desertification, land degradation & biodiversity; 17 June 2020

Photo: Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) and eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei). Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

COVID-19 A Threat to Great Apes, Closely Related to Humans

Ramesh Jaura Talks to Ian Redmond

A tropical field British biologist and conservationist Ian Redmond has served as Ambassador for the UN Year of the Gorilla in 2009 and for the UNEP Convention on Migratory Species since 2010.

BERLIN | LONDON (IDN) – The fact that ecosystems and human health intersect has been repeatedly emphasized by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. "As we encroach on nature and deplete vital habitats, increasing numbers of species are at risk. That includes humanity and the future we want," he reiterated in a message on the International Day for Biological Diversity, observed on May 22, 2020.

: Ramesh Jaura; SUSTAINABILITY; Forests, desertification, land degradation & biodiversity; 10 June 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic Provides Opportunity to Revive the Oceans

Sustainable Actions Will Stimulate Fisheries and Tourism

Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona

The author is Former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, Former Chair of the UNGA Sixth Committee and the Former Co-Chair of the UN Ad Hoc Committee on BBNJ.

COLOMBO (IDN) – The well-being of oceans in the Asia-Pacific region is edging closer to a tipping point due to the unprecedented pace of marine pollution, overfishing and climate change in recent years. However, a new report released May 13 by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) suggests that "the temporary shutdown of activities as well as reduced human mobility and resource demands due to the COVID-19 pandemic may provide marine environments the much-needed breathing space for them to recover".

: Dr. Palitha Kohona; OPINION; 20 May 2020

Photo: Flamingos at Talawe Wetlands in Navi Mumbai. Source: TERI.

COVID-19 Lockdown Is A Much-Needed Break for Nature

Viewpoint by Siddharth S Edake

NEW DELHI (IDN) – Today, I can see the forests of the Aravali Biodiversity Park at the far end, under a light blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. The air is crisp and clear, and close to around 20 yellow-footed green pigeons locally known as hariyal, a rare sighting for Gurugram, are feasting on the fruits of the shehtut (Mulberry) tree in front of me. The sound of traffic is replaced by the chirping of birds and the tinkling of wind chimes as they sway in the light breeze. For a nature lover and environmentalist, this is as good as it gets in a metropolitan city in India.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 17 May 2020

Photo: Mozambican musician and environmental defender Feliciano dos Santos supports local communities in Niassa Province to develop their skills in sustainable natural resource management. He is founder and the executive director of the NGO ESTAMOS, and was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2008, for his use of music to promote the need of improving water and sanitation infrastructure in northern Mozambique. Credit: ESTAMOS/Mozambique.

Communities in Mozambique Inspired to Curb Deforestation

By Mariane Almeida and Sofia Barbeiro

The two writers are part of a team of Young Environmental Journalists covering Africa.

RIO de JANEIRO | LISBON (IDN) – In Mozambique's province of Gaza, 9,240 tons of charcoal are produced every year placing pressure on the region's natural resources. Wood burning for charcoal production has led to high rates of deforestation.

Unfortunately, what is happening in the Gaza province mirrors a nationwide trend. Data from the Global Forest Watch show that Mozambique has lost nearly 3 million hectares – or 10 per cent – of its forests since 2000.

: Africa & ME Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Forests, desertification, land degradation & biodiversity; 15 May 2020

Photo: "Wet market" in Indonesia. Credit: Kalinga Seneviatne | INPS-IDN

COVID-19 Could Lead to Better Protection of Biodiversity and Wild Animals

By Kalinga Seneviratne

This article is the 38th in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous articles.

SYDNEY (IDN) – A positive outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic could be a better understanding of protecting biodiversity and a global ban on the trade in wild animals for food. The belief that COVID-19 began at a "wet market" in Wuhan in China, where wild animals were being sold for human consumption, has led to the Chinese government banning the trade in wild animals and a growing international campaign for this to be made into an enforceable international law.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; COVID-19; 10 April 2020

Photo: CMS Executive Secretary Amy Fraenkel. Credit: Florian Keil.

Far from Being Our Enemies, Bats Need Protection Now More Than Ever

Viewpoint by Amy Fraenkel

The writer is the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) based in Bonn, Germany.

BONN (IDN) – As efforts are stepping up around the world to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), there are alarming reports that some communities and governmental authorities are targeting the wrong enemy: bats.

Not only will killing bats not stop COVID-19; it could also do irreparable harm to a mammal which poses no risk to human health in its natural environment, and which provides enormous benefits including pollination, seed dispersal and pest control.

: Opinion Editor; UN INSIDER; 08 April 2020

Photo: Mike Demotta is the curator for living collections at Hawaii's National Tropical Botanical Garden. Credit: ILO Photo/John Isaac

Hawaiian Culture and Native Plant: The 'Inseparable Bond'

By UN News

KAUAI, Hawaii (IDN) – The 17 goals agreed by the global community to reduce poverty and crate a sustainable planet are the responsibility of all people, wherever they are in the world, according to the United Nations. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a boundary-pushing blueprint for the future of the Earth and it is anticipated they will be realised by 2030. UN News joined the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on a visit to Hawaii where many people are already living aspects of the goals in their everyday work.