· October, 2012

Stories about Environment from October, 2012

France : Mystery of Blue Honey Bees Solved

  7 October 2012

Vkarole writes [fr] that bees in Ribeauvillé, France (Alsace region) started to produce a mysterious blue honey. After an investigation, the beekeepers determined that the color came from a dye used by M&M's factory in the vicinity where a few bees would gather.

Preserving Southeast Asia's Peatlands

  6 October 2012

Peat swamp forests in Southeast Asia cover approximately 35 million hectares in the region. An inter-nation network was set-up to preserve the peatlands which play a ‘critical role in the economy and ecology of the region – providing timber and non-timber forest products, water supply, flood control and many other...

Mauritania: Destructive Gold Mining

From Mauritania, Ahmed Jedou writes [ar] about the the abuse of multinationals of gold mining in his country. Despite having the world's second largest gold mine, he says government corruption means Mauritanians benefit very little from the operation. Jedou also highlights the environmental impact of mining.

China: Golden Week Holiday Chaos

  3 October 2012

China's week-long National Day holiday has again brought chaos due to limited capacity, with news and images of blocked roads and littered tourist spots spreading across micro-blogs. Some suggest that it is about time to review the Golden Week Holiday policy.

Puerto Rico: Urban Gardens Instead of Trash

  2 October 2012

The blog Huertas urbanas [es] (Urban Garden) highlights different efforts on the island to promote agriculture, especially the urban gardens. Of special interest is the urban garden created for the residents of the Capetillo community in San Juan, whose land was transformed from a land dump to a community garden for the...

Brazil: Sany Kalapalo – Young, Indigenous and a Xingu Activist

  2 October 2012

Sany Kalapalo, a young indigenous from the Xingu region, is only 22 years old and is one of the more active voices against the construction of Belo Monte hydroelectric powerplant, in the Xingu river, in the Brazilian state of Pará. Meet her in the first part of this interview she gave to Global Voices Online.

China: Holiday Trash

  2 October 2012

Alia from Offbeat China collected some pictures from social media platforms showing the trash scenes in touristic sites as a result of 8-day holiday for the Mid Autumn Day and the National Day.

Peru: Monoculture Puts Iquitos Water at Risk

  1 October 2012

In this third and final post about the water problem in the city of Iquitos we focus on monocultures in the Nanay River and the controversy this issue causes between those who support this type of crop and those who advise avoiding it.

Amazon: Improving Public’s Perception of the Forest

  1 October 2012

InfoAmazonia is a platform that brings together organizations and journalists from nine countries of one of the most biodiverse areas in the world to freely provide news and reports of the endangered Amazon region. The website maps deforestation, fires, oil and mining, and calls for public participation through the submission...