Stories about Environment from September, 2012
Peru: Activists Begin “Civic Crusade” in Defense of the Nanay River
In our first post in this tree-part series we briefly introduced some water-related issues in Iquitos, and later presented the controversy generated by the transnational Conoco Phillips and their exploration and search for hydrocarbons in the Nanay River basin. In this post we continue addressing the issue and discuss how organizations like the Water Committee are fighting this problem.
Guinea-Bissau: Impact of Tourism in the Bijagós Islands
Tourism doesn't always mean wealth and development for the Southern countries. The statement comes from a report [pt] on “Dynamics and impacts of the expansion of tourism in the Bijagós...
Africa: Mountain Gorilla Conservation Data
Over 5,000 days of Mountain Gorilla conservation data in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo: Fifteen years ago, ranger-based monitoring (or RBM for short) was initiated as a...
Peru: Hydrocarbons Exploration Threatens Iquitos’ Water
The amazonian city of Iquitos, strategically located on the banks of three rivers and blessed with a tropical weather with copious rainfall, shouldn't have problems with the drinking water supply. However, the reality is quite different. In this first part in a series of three posts we will look at how hydrocarbons exploration threatens Iquitos' water supply.
Japan: Citizens Respond to New Nuclear Power Policies
Individuals with vested interests in nuclear power have been named to lead a regulatory commission of the Japanese government that will play crucial role in determining whether to phase out nuclear power during the 2030s and how. While environmental groups welcome the government's statement of intent to end nuclear power, citizens are calling for commission members with a conflict of interest to be declared ineligible.
Malaysia: New Lacewing Species Discovered with Online Help
Malaysian photographer Guek Hock Ping blogged and posted photos of a lacewing species he found in Selangor, Malaysia. Readers saw it in his blog and Flickr page and eventually scientists...
Environment: World Rhino Day
22 September 2012 is World Rhino Day. Currently there are an estimated 4,800 black rhinos and 22,000 white rhinos in Africa.Current poaching levels could see both species extinct in the...
Iran: Bear's Torture Commemorated with Day Against Animal Cruelty
A video of a brown bear and her cubs being clubbed to death made a big impact on the Iranian public in 2011. Now animal rights activists commemorate the day they shared the video with a Day Against Animal Cruelty and the 'Brown Bear Awards'.
Mozambique: Photos of Bike-Taxis in Quelimane
A photo album by António Silva on Sapo illustrates the widespread use of bicycles as taxis in the flat city of Quelimane, in Mozambique, a place where there the lack...
Madagascar: How a Tiny Island Can Explain the Root of the Crisis
Lalatiana Pitchboule published a two-part detailed investigative report [fr] on what is at stakes when it comes to the appropriation of the tiny island of Juan de Nova (4.4 km2) off the west...
Japan: Fukushima Nuclear Cleanup Worker Dangers Revealed
A citizen media news video has revealed the dangerous conditions that cleanup workers in Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant are finding themselves in. The plant was damaged by last year's devastating earthquake and tsunami.
India: Hurrah For Hornbills – Defence Project Stalled in Narcondam
A proposal from the Indian Coast Guards to install coastal surveillance equipments in the Narcondamm Island in the Andaman Sea, has been stalled by the Indian government. This news, coming after months of intensive campaigning against the proposal, has been welcomed by birders, ornithologists, ecologists, conservation activists and wildlife enthusiasts.
France: Study Shows GM Corn Fed Rats Display Higher Tumors Levels
Guillaume Malaurie reports that [fr] a team of French researchers led by Pr. Gilles-Eric Séralini found that laboratory rats fed with a steady diet of Monsanto genetically modified corn displayed...
China: Cancer Villages
Shelley Jiang from Tea Leaf Nation blogs about the painful cost of development in China – the increasing number of cancer villages all over the country: Officially and unofficially, the...
Burkina Faso, Niger: Cholera Kills 80 after Floods
Bark Biiga writes on Fasozine [fr] that following the floods that plagued Niger and Burkina Faso, 80 people have succumbed to Cholera in the Western Region of Niger. The disease also threatens to...
Chile: Reforesting Patagonia through Social Media
Reforest Patagonia has managed to plant 100,000 native-species trees thanks to its creative social media donation campaign, ”Create Your Own Forest.” […] Reforest Patagonia’s main campaigning tool is its online platform, i.e....
China: The Million Tree Project
Jonah Kessel introduces a NGO called Shanghai Roots & Shoots which carried out the Million Tree Project in Kulun Qi of inner Mongolia by working with the national and regional...
Ecuador on Alert over Forest Fires
Ecuador is in a state of emergency due to forest fires that have been burning since June. As soon as the warning signal was given by citizens and authorities, the hashtag #incendiosforestales (forest fires) became a local trending topic in Ecuador.
India: Koodankulam Nuclear Plant Starts Amidst Protests
The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, India started operations recently despite protests to stall it. Police cracked down on some 8,000 people from nearby villages who assembled at the beach and stood in sea water to protest moves to load uranium fuel in one of the two reactors of the plant.
Zambia: Mining Proposal Threatens Lower Zambezi Ecosystem
Potential mining activity in Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park, part of a greater World Heritage Area, is threatening its ecosystem and that of the adjacent Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe.
China: Hulunbuir Grassland Destroyed by Coal Mining Activities
Hulunbuir Grassland, one of the most beautiful landscapes in inner Mongolia, is eroding as a result of coal mining near the surface of the ground. A Chinese blogger has pointed out that the mining activities are not only a destruction of the natural environment, but also a cultural invasion.
