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 string of new human pathogens has been added recently to the popular pantheon of demonology. The Ebola virus is one of the deadliest among these. It resembles the influenza virus in the early stages of infection in terms of its effects, and rapidly induces fever accompanied by shock, diffuse …
THE world's last untouched natural nuclear fission 'reactor' is in the centre of a row between conservationists and a mining company. The reactor was formed naturally two billion years ago, VIken deposits of high-grade uranium ore went critical in what is now Gabon, in western Africa. A group of European …
A savage territorial has been sparked off between chimpanzees in the tropical forests of this central African country. Apparently, logging in Gabon's forested area, is responsible for this incident, informed Lee White, a field biologist for one Wildlife Conservation society recently. Gabon, which has an estimated 50,000 chimpanzees, has until …
The deadly ebola virus has struck again. It has already claimed 16 lives in Gabon and going by the widespread cases of haemmorhagic fever in the region, the World Health Organization has declared it an epidemic. Of the 18 confirmed cases reported in the first week of the outbreak, 11 …
This small republic on the west coast of central Africa stands as a test case for Africa's rainforests which are suffering the fastest rate of logging in the world. Gabon has nearly eighty five per cent of green cover which consists of some of the most diverse tropical forests in …
Lying at the heart of Africa's largest and last belt of rainforest is the Minkette equatorial forest, which is home to Gabon's pygmies. But environmentalists fear that it may soon become endangered with the onslaught of development. A few dozen miles from the northern Gabonese village of Evela - which …
At least 10 people died recently after a suspected outbreak of Ebola fever in the northeastern region of the country, according to officials of World Health Organization (wm). Ten out of 19 patients admitted to the hospital had shown symptoms of EboW which causes massive haemorrhaging, often leading to death. …
