Studying primates in the wild has historically been a tough task. Alexander Piel knows the challenges too well. Since 2005, the biological anthropologist has been studying primates in countries like Tanzania, Madagascar, Kenya and Senegal. For one, the vastly diverse habitats made it difficult to track them: while some live in dense tropical forests, many […]
Tag: tropical forests
Andean eagles have managed to adapt to fragmenting habitats — for now
Even the greatest, most mobile predators aren’t immune to the shrinking of South America’s forests. The endangered black-and-chestnut eagle (Spizaetus isidori), one of the largest raptors on the continent, has been forced to change its behavior to survive in increasingly fragmented habitats and growing threats from humans. A new study in Global Ecology and Conservation […]
Darwin’s hypothesis that birds’ feathers get more colorful closer to the equator proved by researchers
If you’ve ever traveled to a tropical location, you’ve probably noticed that the birds’ feathers are brighter than in other regions of the world. The hue of a bird’s plumage appears to vary depending on latitude. Phys.org reported that three European scientists who went on expeditions to the tropics during the 1800s — English naturalist […]
Polly wants a future: Yellow-naped Amazon in illegal pet trade crisis
Chicks seized from the nest, birds dying in transit – the Yellow-naped Amazon’s wild population is being driven to the brink of extinction by the illegal pet trade. If we want to give this intelligent and resplendent bird a future, we need to act now – before it’s too late. The global popularity of the […]
‘Meaningless certification’: Study makes the case against ‘sustainable’ palm oil
JAKARTA — A new study on certified oil palm plantations and their links to past deforestation has sparked a debate over whether they can be considered sustainable if they’re established on once-forested land. The study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, analyzed highly detailed satellite images from 1984, the oldest available, to […]
Brazilian Amazon drained of millions of wild animals by criminal networks: Report
The Brazilian Amazon is hemorrhaging illegally traded wildlife according to a new report released Monday. Each year, thousands of silver-voiced saffron finches and other songbirds, along with rare macaws and parrots, are captured, trafficked and sold as pets. Some are auctioned as future contestants in songbird contests. Others are exported around the globe. Fish bound […]
NGOs reject new oil palm plantation in southern Cameroon
KRIBI, Cameroon — Alarm flashed through Cameroon’s conservation community in mid-September, when images of untidy rows of black polythene bags in a freshly bulldozed gash in the rainforest made the rounds of social media. It was soon confirmed that the pictures came from a forest concession adjacent to Campo Ma’an National Park, in the south […]
Why I support the California Tropical Forest Standard (commentary)
The Amazon is a rich, beautiful, and magical place. I’ve visited this vast region on several occasions to learn about the indigenous communities who live there and protect it, and to raise awareness of their struggle, as part of the organization I co-founded, REVERB. The indigenous leaders I met told me how deeply they depend […]