Last chance saloon for Madagascar biodiversity

Last chance saloon for Madagascar biodiversity Madagascar’s exceptional biodiversity is on the wane. The country’s new president should seize the opportunity to save it. The men lie perfectly still. Their beige and khaki gear do a good job of blending with the dusty ground; only their black, oversized cameras and lenses stick out. Every few seconds, salvos of shutter clicks reverberate around the camp, each … Continue reading Last chance saloon for Madagascar biodiversity

Illegal corn farming drives deforestation in Menabe, Madagascar

Deforestation within Menabe Antimena Protected Area, a large swath of unique dry forest ecosystem on Madagascar’s west coast, has increased dramatically in recent years. Slash-and-burn agriculture is the primary driver. Unlike in most places in Madagascar, it isn’t done for subsistence farming but to plant corn, a cash crop traded by a powerful local elite. Conservation groups have teamed up to organize raids that have … Continue reading Illegal corn farming drives deforestation in Menabe, Madagascar

Climate adaptation proves the bees’ knees for fishermen in Madagascar

In Kivalo, where cyclones, overfishing and rising seas threaten livelihoods, beekeeping offers an unlikely alternative to fishing. Read the full story here. Published in The Observer and Guardian Global Development, December 2018.   Photo ©Emilie Filou, mangrove reforestation in Kivalo. Continue reading Climate adaptation proves the bees’ knees for fishermen in Madagascar

Grassroot environmental activist wins ‘Green Nobel’

Ursula Sladek has taken on Germany’s coal and nuclear power companies to start a renewable energy cooperative. Her vision for a more sustainable future has been vindicated: she has won the 2011 European Goldman Prize for environmental grassroot activism. Read the full article here. Published in Sun & Wind Energy. Photo courtesy of the Goldman Environmental Prize. Continue reading Grassroot environmental activist wins ‘Green Nobel’

Nigeria state sets REDD pace for entire continent

The state of Cross River in Nigeria has managed to preserve large swathes of endangered rainforest despite lucrative – and sometimes intimidating – from loggers. It’s also laid the groundwork for a national-scale programme designed to earn carbon credits by saving trees, thus securing its spot in an elite network of states moving forward as UN talks stalk. Read the full story here. Published in … Continue reading Nigeria state sets REDD pace for entire continent

Can REDD work in the Congo Basin?

The Congo Basin is rich in forests and poor in cash, which makes it hard to resist offers of easy money from loggers.  Carbon credits could, in theory, help save the forests, but the region’s historically low rates of deforestation (and governance) make it difficult to prove you’re saving trees. Published in Ecosystem Marketplace. Continue reading Can REDD work in the Congo Basin?