TOP 100 CAMPING SITES
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| Afghanistan names its first endangered species For the first time, the government of Afghanistan has banned the hunting, harvesting or trading of 33 species, including the increasingly rare snow leopard (Panthera uncia), the paghman salamander (Paradactylodon mustersi), goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), and Himalayan elm tree (Ulmus wallichiana). "This is the first law within the current government that protects wildlife," says Peter Zahler, Assistant Director for Asia Programs for the Bronx-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which helped to create the list. [More] rss.sciam.com |
How Fertilizers Harm Earth More Than Help Your Lawn Dear EarthTalk: What effects do fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides used on residential lawns or on farms have on nearby water bodies like rivers, streams--or even the ocean for those of us who live near the shore? -- Linda Reddington, Manahawkin, NJ [More] rss.sciam.com |
Conflicted Conservation: When Restoration Efforts Are Pitted against Human Rights Even as industrial civilization reaches into the farthest corners of the globe to extract resources such as oil, timber and fish, environmentalists are striving to mitigate its deleterious effects on the biosphere. Projects to reduce pollution, prevent climate change and protect biodiversity, however, are drawing criticism that they could drive indigenous people off their lands and destroy their livelihoods.Conservationists have historically been at odds with the people who inhabit wildernesses. During the last half of the 20th century, millions of indigenous people in Africa, South America and Asia were ousted from their homelands to establish nature sanctuaries free of humans. Most succumbed to malnutrition, disease and exploitation, recounts anthropologist Michael Cernea of George Washington University. Such outcomes--coupled with the realization that indigenous groups usually help to stabilize ecosystems by, for instance, keeping fire or invasive weeds at bay--have convinced major conservation groups to take local human concerns into account. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) now describes indigenous peoples as “natural allies,” and the Nature Conservancy pledges to seek their “free, informed and prior” consent to projects impacting their territories. [More] rss.sciam.com |
Government Incentives Can Help Finance Energy-Efficient Home Improvements Dear EarthTalk: Since Obama took office, have any new incentives been put in place for homeowners looking to increase energy efficiency and reduce the overall environmental footprints of their homes? --Rob Felton, Little Rock, AK [More] rss.sciam.com |
How Fast Are Himalayan Glaciers Melting? The village of Brep in Pakistan doesn't exist in the same place anymore. That's because a torrential flood forced the community to move after a lake formed by glacial meltwater burst its bounds and leveled the town. Glacial lake outbursts have become a yearly occurrence across the high mountain region stretching from Afghanistan to Bhutan sometimes called the Roof of the World. [More] rss.sciam.com |