October 2011 Blog Posts (25)

Take a look at these two photographs and play spot the difference. 

To my mind, the top photo shows a forest. It is dense and diverse, a home to hundreds of species of trees, hundreds of species of bird and mammals and reptiles and fish, and many thousands of other forms of life that it would take a lifetime to…

Ghana’s Forestry Commission (FC) has revealed that a Review Committee is being set up for upward review of the country’s Timber Rights Fee (TRF), popularly known as timber fees meant for the state.  Since 2005, the commission has not revised the TRF, necessitating the review.

TRF is rent that timber companies pay for their conces…

New research on the European Otter highlights the need for conservation strategies to factor in the impacts of climate change. The research suggests that climate change will affect the distribution of this fresh water species. The research suggests that protected areas could play a role in enabling otters to move into new habitats as the climate changes, but only if they are connected. Read more at:…

Article 1: 

The  world needs to secure its food resources

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 06/28/2011 7:00 AM

A | A | A |

Extreme weather, rapid population growth – an estimated world population of 9 billion by 2050 – and other aggravating factors, like the diversion of food crops to biofuel production, are steering the world into an uncertain era. Agricultural experts,…

Article 1: 

The  world needs to secure its food resources

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 06/28/2011 7:00 AM

A | A | A |

Extreme weather, rapid population growth – an estimated world population of 9 billion by 2050 – and other aggravating factors, like the diversion of food crops to biofuel production, are steering the world into an uncertain era. Agricultural experts,…

Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet project

Hamburgers, pizzas, french fries, and sugary drinks-in today's fast-paced world, these foods have become staples for many Americans. But this unhealthy diet has led to an increase in chronic health problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure. According to the U.S. Centers…

L’agriculture serait même la première phase par laquelle passer pour parler de développement humain durable. C’est une activité qui s’est toujours transmise de père en fils, de génération en génération. Les femmes ont toujours eu leur place et leur rôle à jouer en matière de développement durable et d’agriculture.

Mardi 4 octobre 2011. Bamako, capitale du Mali abrite le 3^e forum sur le développement durable. Cette année, l’accent est mis sur l’environnement, sa protection…

The Vice President of Ghana, H.E John Dramani Mahama has hinted that Ghana needs an agricultural revolution based on productivity growth and appropriate technology, in order to create jobs and also raise almost a million more Ghanaians out of poverty by 2015.

Mr. Mahama made this known in a speech read for him by…

Well worth checking out 'Earthrise, a new TV series exploring solutions to today's environmental challenges. It takes an upbeat look at ecological, scientific, technological and design projects the world over. 

Watch at the following times GMT: Friday: 1930; Saturday: 1430; Sunday: 0430; Monday: 0830, join our live web chats, submit your ideas and feedback and nominate your own environmental 'local hero'.

See…

Getting up close and personal with a mountain gorilla is a pretty humbling experience. You get so near that you are actually in range of their body odour - a pungent, sickly-sweet smell of old sweat. It is not far from the aroma we would radiate, if we had been roaming the forest all our lives sans shower gel. We have 98 per cent of the same DNA as the mountain gorilla.

Read more: …

The Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD), a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Ghana yesterday disclosed that since 2005, the Forestry Commission (FC) had not revised the country’s Timber Rights Fees (TRF) popularly known forest fees meant for the state.

TRF is rent…

A new policy brief focussing on the complex relationship between biodiversity and human health is free to download from:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/future_briefs.htm

The report explores the wealth of benefits for human health provided by biodiversity, which are being uncovered by scientists. Healthy ecosystems could help prevent the spread of…

Food price volatility featuring high prices is likely to continue and possibly increase, making poor farmers, consumers and countries more vulnerable to poverty and food insecurity, the United Nations' three Rome-based agencies said in the global hunger report released yesterday.  



Small, import-dependent…

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Science Symposium 2011, was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 5 October 2011, under the title “GBIF at 10: Reaping Benefits for Science and Society.” Once a year, the GBIF sponsors a Science Symposium in association with its Governing Board meeting and associated committees. The 2011 Symposium focused on the experience gained during GBIF’s first decade of work and the future of biodiversity informatics. Topics addressed during the…

The Indian Government has submitted a proposal to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to include three contentious but very important issues on 'unilateral trade measures', 'intellectual property rights' and 'equitable access to sustainable…