Increasing intensity of human land-use makes ecological communities progressively more similar to one another, leading to an overall loss of diversity. Ecological metrics used to quantify diversity loss could provide helpful conservation benchmarks. How does one estimate biological diversity? Answering this seemingly simple question has occupied many an ecologist’s time. With the rapid rate of […]
It’s probably safe to say that we know more about the physical state of the world’s forests than ever before. From satellites to drones to interactive apps, technological advancements in how we measure and monitor forests have been remarkable, and essential to reaching commitments for protecting forests—a crucial contribution toward meaningful action on climate change. […]
Less than a month after the endorsement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the United Nations General Assembly and in view of COP 21 of the UNFCCC, the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the Institute for Advances Sustainability Studies (IASS) held a conference on bioenergy and development. The conference brought together a unique […]
The fires raging across Indonesia, and the hazardous smoke they create, are causing even greater damage to the environment, wildlife and communities than first imagined. While much of the recent focus has been on Sumatra—and the spillover into Singapore and Malaysia—the province of Central Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo, faces a greater crisis. Once […]
The Indian tale about the blind men and the elephant is well known. The poet John Godfrey Saxe told it like this: It was six men of Indostan, to learning much inclined, who went to see the elephant (Though all of them were blind), that each by observation, might satisfy his mind. Each of […]
Bamboo and rattan bring a wealth of practical options, but countries are not tapping into the many economic-environmental benefits of these strategic forest resources. A new global initiative will address this, providing a knowledge base of practical information, tools and policy guidance designed to help countries meet their sustainable development goals and develop green economies. […]
Forget about finding the needle in the haystack. An even more complicated task might be counting all the hay on the farm. A new study documents the results of just such a search, undertaken across the globe, to count the number of tree species found in the planet’s tropical forests. By the authors’ estimate—all 143 […]
