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. …
Mancozeb and its main metabolite ethylene thiourea (ETU) may alter thyroid function; thyroid hormones are essential for fetal brain development. In Costa Rica, mancozeb is aerially sprayed at large-scale banana plantations on a weekly basis. The objectives of the study was to (1) evaluate urinary ETU concentrations in pregnant women …
Sao Paulo: The world's forests could hold 20 percent more carbon than previously thought, according to a study released on Tuesday. If correct, that extra 125 billion tonnes of carbon could lead to an increase in the number of forest-based carbon credits set to be offered in carbon markets around …
India is home to the largest number of bird species in the world. Preliminary findings of a recent global event — Great Backyard Bird Count — have put India on top of the list of 127 countries which sent their entries through pictures and videos. Final results of the four-day …
Sri Lanka is the highest user of agro-chemicals in the world. It uses 287 units of agro-chemicals per hectare, whereas Myanmar used only eight units and Bangladesh 144 units per hectare, World Health Organization Geneva Non-Communicable Diseases Director, Prof. Mrs. Shanthi Mendis, has declared. Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) General …
India ranks 69th in the Global Energy Architecture Performance Index 2014, that analyses how well energy systems in countries promote economic growth, sustainability and access to energy. The Index, prepared by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Accenture, analysed the energy systems of 124 countries before ranking them. Within …
Central American coffee industry officials say the region's arabica crop is weathering an outbreak of leaf-rust fungus, but try telling that to small-hold farmers like Graciela Alvarenga. Her 0.3 hectare (0.74 acre) plot in Honduras' El Paraiso region near the border with Nicaragua has been so hard hit, she now …
For countries with rich culinary traditions that date back to the Aztecs and Incas, Mexico and Peru have developed quite a taste for modern food fashions. Mexicans quaff more fizzy drinks than any other country; Peru has the highest density of fast-food joints in the world. Chile, one of the …
Forest protection policies potentially reduce deforestation and re-direct agricultural expansion to already-cleared areas. Using satellite imagery, we assessed whether deforestation for conversion to pasture and cropland decreased in the lowlands of northern Costa Rica following the 1996 ban on forest clearing, despite a tripling of area under pineapple cultivation in …
Three developing countries have recently toughened hunting regulations believing the changes will better protect vanishing species. Botswana has announced it will ban trophy hunting on public lands beginning in 2014, while Zambia has recently banned any hunting of leopards or lions, both of which are disappearing across Africa. However, the …
Across the world, countries are turning their backs on GM crops; perhaps the coalition in the UK could learn something from them Britain wants GM food to be grown commercially. After years of encouraging developing countries in Africa and elsewhere to grow them, but unable to allow its own farmers …
Divorce not only proves disastrous for children, but is also bad for the environment and contributes to global warming. Sounds ridiculous? Well, it’s not going by recent research findings. The Capital’s Additional District and Sessions Judge, Poonam A. Bamba says that this is true after her detailed research on this …
Costa Rica is poised to become the first Latin American country to ban hunting as a sport, after Congress on Tuesday provisionally approved reforms to its Wildlife Conservation Law. Lawmakers voting on the ban voted 41 in favor and five against, and a second vote expected in the coming week …
New Delhi With investors keen on acquiring land abroad for agriculture and mining, the government has taken the first step to smoothen land acquisitions in Latin American countries. Indian missions in the region have posted a handbook detailing various aspects of land acquisition on their websites. The handbook, prepared by …
New Delhi Cutting back on travelling, using renewable bio-fuels, thinking twice before firing up that laptop are among activities that can not just contribute to greening the planet but could get you also hefty discounts on trendy apparel and other major branded goods. Following international trends, stores in India are …
Kerala's plant biodiversity faces a severe threat from 89 alien invasive species, which were recorded in a survey commissioned by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board. Of these, 19 present a high risk; many were found displacing and destroying a large number of native species, causing environmental and economic loss. Around …
Egg-burying reptiles need relatively stable temperature and humidity in the substrate surrounding their eggs for successful development and hatchling emergence. Here we show that egg and hatchling mortality of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in northwest Costa Rica were affected by climatic variability (precipitation and air temperature) driven by the El …
Gene banks represent an overdue push to preserve crop biodiversity. It also needs conserving on farms. WITH a heavy clunk, the steel outer doors of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault closed on February 28th, shutting out a howling Arctic gale and entombing a tonne of new arrivals: 25,000 seed samples …
A growing number of national and regional governments are likely to use voluntary carbon credits to meet mandatory climate targets, a report by U.S. research company Ecosystem Marketplace said on Thursday. The report said about 20 government programs had engaged with the voluntary carbon market, despite doubts by some companies, …
TRANSfer Project published a first draft of its Handbook "Navigating Transport NAMAs". The purpose of the handbook is to provide practitioners in the transport sector around the world with practical step-by-step guidance on how to design and implement climate change mitigation actions in this complex sector. The final handbook will …
RESEARCH suggests that habitat loss, thought to be a major threat to amphibians across the world, might in some cases be protecting them from a deadly fungus. Amphibian species, which include frogs, toads and salamanders, have dwindled at an alarming rate since 1980s; a third of the world’s amphibian species …
