Survival International, a global movement for tribal peoples’ rights, has denounced mercury poisoning in Latin America in a letter to the UN Special Rapporteur for Health. The organisation highlights Venezuela, Peru and Brazil as countries that don’t comply with procedures to monitor the effects of mining on the environment. Mercury contamination, which commonly follows illegal
What makes environmental crimes even more dreadful is impunity. “Across the world environmental defenders are being shot dead in broad daylight, kidnapped, threatened, or tried as terrorists for standing in the way of so-called ‘development’,” said Billy Kyte, campaigner at Global Witness. “The true authors of these crimes – a powerful nexus of corporate and
The scale and speed at which China is urbanizing is unique. Over the past three decades, the country has experienced an unprecedented economic and social transformation as millions have been lifted out of poverty. More than 400 million of its citizens have moved from the countryside to cities. Every year 15 million Chinese flock to
The Antarctic ice sheets are melting more quickly than predicted and sea levels around the world could rise by 1.5 to 2 metres this century – double compared to some previous estimates. This has been met with concerns for 45 million displaced in coastal Chinese cities and major Australian population centres “slipping under the waves”,
About a century ago, over 100,000 tigers quietly and gracefully roamed the world’s forests and jungles. However, the populations of this feline dropped by 95 per cent in just a few years due to relentless poaching and habitat loss. Today, after a century of constant decline, tiger numbers are on the rise. The
Her rediscovery had been welcomed with real enthusiasm by biologists, environmentalists and all those who have nature close to their heart. Before the capture of the female Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) named Najaq, no individual had been encountered for over 40 years in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. The female rhino was captured by WWF thanks
Seychelles is finalising a multi-million dollar debt swap in exchange for its commitment to saving the ocean. The deal was initiated by environmental organisation The Nature Conservancy and the government of the western Indian Ocean nation in 2012. “This is the first example of a debt swap focused on marine conservation and ecosystem-based adaptation to climate
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef with its multi-coloured biodiversity, Madagascar’s rainforests with their lemurs, Tanzania’s natural reserves, and Szechuan giant panda sanctuaries in China. These and many others natural and cultural treasures are at risk due to human-related economic activities. A report carried out by WWF shows that at least 114 out of 229 World Heritage
In 2002, only 14 years ago, the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) held a not so enviable title: it was the world’s most endangered wild cat species. A few years have passed by and this elusive feline is not safe yet, but its future seems to be a little rosier. The 2015 census released by
The Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), hasn’t been sighted in the area of Eastern Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, for over 40 years. Its origins date back to the prehistoric era, descending from the megafauna that roamed the planet thousands of years ago. The sighting of the Sumatran rhino Until 2013, the animal was thought to be extinct in this
