Forests sustain and protect us in a myriad of ways. They absorb carbon dioxide and provide us with oxygen, they harbour more than three quarters of terrestrial biodiversity, and they support the livelihoods of millions of people worldwide. But the world has lost 420 million hectares of forest since 1990. …
A hominin in the same genus as humans and an ape nicknamed "Laia" that might provide clues to the origin of humans are among the discoveries identified by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) as the Top 10 New Species of 2016. The list also includes a …
A worker for Sinopec's Addax Petroleum was missing after an oil tank exploded in Gabon, the company said on Sunday. Addax said the cause of the accident on Saturday, which occurred at the Obangue-East oil producing site, was unclear and that an investigation was underway. The accident injured six other …
Chikungunya and dengue infections are spatio-temporally related. The current review aims to determine the geographic limits of chikungunya, dengue and the principal mosquito vectors for both viruses and to synthesise current epidemiological understanding of their co-distribution. Three biomedical databases (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) were searched from their inception …
Legislation follows a string of U.S. actions to combat the illegal wildlife trade. In 2014, U.S. marines traveled to the West African country of Gabon to train rangers to fight ivory trafficking. In September 2015, the U.S. embassy in Costa Rica supported training of customs and border inspectors on how …
The central African state of Gabon, home to half of Africa’s endangered forest elephants, has impounded more than 200kg (440lb) of ivory in what may be its largest seizure ever. Gabon is seeking to promote ecotourism and has poured money into protecting its 50,000 forest elephants, prized by ivory poachers …
Anne-Marie Ndong Obiang has a machete attached to her belt, which she assures us is “for cutting off poachers’ fingers”. In her spotless forest-green camouflage uniform she does not appear to be joking. Working for Gabon’s National Parks Agency (ANPN) she has firsthand experience of the harsh conditions in the …
British troops have been sent to Gabon to tackle an increase in ivory poaching. The 12 Northern Ireland-based soldiers are on their way to the African country, which has seen widespread elephant killings for their tusks. Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba requested help in battling the international trade. Most of …
U.S. intelligence agencies are considering whether to provide information, analysis and possibly tactical lessons to African governments about how to attack wildlife poaching networks, according to a top official. “We are looking for opportunities” where “we can contribute,” Terrance Ford, the national intelligence manager for Africa in the office of …
The 2015 African Ecological Futures report, launched Tuesday, May 26 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, during the 50th Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the institution. This publication, jointly produced by the AfDB and the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), places …
GABON has submitted its new climate action plan to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the first African country to do so. This Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) comes well in advance of a new universal climate change agreement, which will be reached at the UN climate …
Nigeria and other countries of the Sub-Sahara African region have the world's worst access to electricity, the International Energy Agency, IEA, said in its latest report. The report said that the sub-region has 13 percent of the world's population, but 48 percent of the share of the global population without …
DAKAR – A lion has been spotted in Gabon for the first time in nearly 20 years, raising hopes the animals long feared extinct in the country could be returning, conservationists said on Thursday. Lions used to roam Central Africa in their hundreds in the middle of the last century. …
Elephants are worth 76 times more when they're alive than dead, according to a new analysis released this past weekend. The report follows on the heels of findings by WWF that the world has lost 50 percent of its wildlife over the past 40 years, with more than half of …
An Ebola outbreak blamed for 135 deaths in West Africa in the past month was not imported from Central Africa but caused by a new strain of the disease, a study in a U.S. medical journal said, raising the specter of further regional epidemics. The spread of Ebola from a …
A vaccine to combat malaria could become a reality by 2014. While currently there are no licensed vaccines against malaria or any other human parasite, a research vaccine against P. falciparum, known as RTS,S/AS01, is at an advanced stage. According to the WHO experts, the vaccine is currently being evaluated …
Central African countries have launched an ambitious coordinated plan to combat poaching in the region, in the face of escalating wildlife crime and accompanying violence. The $14m initiative, which includes cooperation between law enforcement agencies, joint country patrols around border areas, ramping up of investigations, use of informants, prosecutions and …
The central African nation of Gabon will burn its government stockpiles of ivory on Wednesday against the backdrop of a surge in the killing of elephants and rhinos across the continent to meet surging Asian demand. Conservation group WWF and TRAFFIC, which monitors the global wildlife trade, said in a …
The world's three biggest polluters joined in opposing a European Union (EU) proposal for talks aimed at drawing up a new climate treaty, dimming the chances of extending the Kyoto Protocol limiting greenhouse gases. J M Mauskar, the Indian government official leading his nation's delegation at United Nations climate talks, …
Malaria has been eliminated from over 40 countries with an additional 39 currently planning for, or committed to, elimination. Information on the likely impact of available interventions, and the required time, is urgently needed to help plan resource allocation. Mathematical modelling has been used to investigate the impact of various …
