Rio+20 Dialogues: Are we felling forests to fuel our future?
Forests are an important source of energy for rural and urban households around the world. And many believe that renewable…
19 min readCosta Rican farmers beat climate change by protecting their soil
BOGOR, Indonesia (9 April, 2012)_Farmers toiling the slopes of Costa Rica’s Irazu volcano are using electric fences, improved pastures and…
4 min read
New tree-planting and water-use methods boost soil carbon to aid food security in Africa
LONDON, United Kingdom (30 March, 2012)_Innovative tree-planting techniques that amp up levels of soil organic carbon, an indicator of soil…
4 min read
The world’s kidneys: Why forests matter for World Water Day and Rio+20
BOGOR, Indonesia (22 March, 2012)_The fact that trees play a critical role in supplying clean water is a point yet…
6 min readMangroves being destroyed at “an alarming rate” yet not mentioned in Rio+20’s zero draft
BOGOR, Indonesia (14 March, 2012) _“Oceans” will be one of the key issues under discussion at Rio+20 with the aim…
6 min readRio+20’s sustainable development discussions must adapt to consider ecosystem services
BOGOR, Indonesia (14 March, 2012)_The invisible services that forests provide – such as recharging groundwater and preventing soil erosion– should…
6 min read
Indonesian communities coping with crisis depend on forests
BOGOR, Indonesia (29 February, 2012)_Six years ago, hundreds of homes and rice fields in a number of small villages in…
5 min read
US biofuel policy excludes Indonesian and Malaysian palm oil amid industry protests
BALI, Indonesia (27 February, 2012)_Palm oil industry experts in Indonesia and Malaysia — two of the world’s largest producers —…
4 min read
Rush to acquire African farmland risks countries bearing costs of global resource scarcity, says study
BOGOR, Indonesia (23 February, 2012)_ The recent rush to acquire farmland in order to meet rising global demands for food…
5 min read
Ethiopia pushes for green economy ahead of Rio+20 — forests a major player
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (16 February, 2012)_A green economy that prioritises forest conservation to boost development in one of Africa’s poorest…
4 min read“Unjustly condemned” slash and burn agriculture found essential for forest regeneration
BOGOR, Indonesia (16 February, 2012)_Slash and burn agriculture practiced by smallholder farmers results in the best regeneration of valuable tropical…
5 min read
Ignoring forests won’t bring Rio+20’s ‘future we want’
BOGOR, Indonesia (14 February, 2012)_In June 2012 around 40,000 participants are expected to attend one of the most important environmental…
7 min read