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PROTECTED TROPICAL FORESTS
In 2001, protected tropical forests entered a global wildfire study spanning 24 years. 23 years later, more than 4 million hectares had been destroyed by fire, twice the size of Wales, with annual losses roughly 9 times higher after 2016Millions of hectares of protected tropical forests were lost to wildfires between 2001 and 2024. Wildfire destruction inside protected area...
In the 1980s, the richest closed-canopy mangroves covered 77,643 sq km globally. 43 years later, they had grown to 88,772 sq km, helping turn decades of mangrove loss into a net global gainMangroves are far more than trees growing along tropical and subtropical shorelines. They form complex coastal ecosystems that provide habi...
In 1970s, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin & his wife Paula bought barren land in Hawaii and turned it into 19-acre forest with 3,000+ palmsW.S. Merwin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, transformed a barren plot of land in Hawaii into a thriving palm sanctuary. Initially focused o...
In the 1990s, a predatory flatworm was released in Samoa to control giant African snails; it later drove native island snails toward extinctionBiological control efforts introduced the New Guinea flatworm to Pacific islands. This predator began hunting native land snails, pushing t...
In 1998, over 1,000 truckloads of orange peels were dumped in a barren Costa Rica pasture, 15 years later it turned into a dense forestIn a groundbreaking initiative in Costa Rica, researchers turned orange waste into a remarkable tool for land restoration. This organic byp...
Over 2 years, across Miami-Dade, more than 9,000 trees reveal a hidden journey of heat: Mature canopies can pull temperatures down by 10°F, turning scorching streets into cooler urban spaces for residentsTrees offer significant cooling benefits to urban areas. FIU researchers found that tree canopy coverage can reduce temperatures by ten deg...
In 1976, a Pulitzer-winning poet moved from New York to Maui; he helped turn 19 degraded acres into a rare palm forestPoet W.S. Merwin dedicated over forty years to transforming degraded land in Maui into a thriving palm forest alongside his wife Paula. Tog...
In 1990, Guatemala launched an ambitious mahogany restoration program in Petén to combat deforestation. Years later, it produced Central America's largest natural forest and transformed the province into a global conservation modelGuatemala's 1990 mahogany restoration program changed the future of the country's forests. Instead of losing more rainforest, the Maya Bios...
Meet South Florida teenager Theo Quenee who turned his rooftop into a mangrove nursery after Hurricane IrmaHurricane Irma's devastation prompted Theo Quenee to rescue hundreds of mangrove seedlings. He transformed his home's roof into a nursery, ...
Scientists found ants have been running tiny 'Dairy Farms' for 35 million years, and the sweet reward explains whyAnts and aphids share an ancient mutualistic relationship for nourishment and protection. Ants herd aphids, receiving sugary honeydew and p...
Scientists spent 10 years searching for East Asia's tallest tree—what they found was extraordinaryResearchers found East Asia's tallest tree, a Taiwania fir, standing 84.1 meters high. This discovery followed a decade-long scientific exp...
In 1992, Douglas Tompkins began buying Chilean wilderness; decades later, much of it became the 994,000-acre Pumalín National Park, larger than YosemiteDouglas Tompkins bought vast tracts of land in Chile for conservation. He created Pumalín National Park, a reserve larger than Yosemite. Lo...
From a 1937 garden planting to an ecological crisis: One Miconia tree now spreads 8.9 million seeds, endangering Queensland's iconic rainforestsToday, a single mature Miconia tree can produce over 8.9 million seeds in one season. What began as a 1937 garden introduction in tahiti ha...
In 2011, an Australian woman climbed 60 meters into a forest tree and refused to touch the ground for 449 days; 170,000 hectares were later protectedMiranda Gibson lived in a tree for 449 days to protect a forest. She stayed in the Observer Tree, breaking Australia's previous record. Gib...
Scientists discover rising heat leaves trees struggling to turn sunlight into energy: 57 million hectares of tropical forests already affected; Heat waves goes beyond photosynthesis limitsRising global temperatures are pushing millions of hectares of tropical forests beyond the heat levels where trees can efficiently carry ou...
Wayanad Landslides: The hills are alive, but have a warningWayanad faces escalating ecological crises and deadly landslides. Recent disasters highlight unscientific development and policy conflicts....
Hawaii, in the late 1800s, planted Leucaena trees for fodder and fuelwood, but scientists now say the invasive trees have replaced native habitats that evolved nowhere else on EarthHawaii's idyllic image belies a significant ecological challenge: Leucaena, an introduced shrub, now covers 10% of the islands. Brought for...
Chile in the 1970s planted millions of Monterey pine and eucalyptus trees for timber, but scientists now say many native forests have been replaced, while streams and wildlife have declinedChile's biodiversity hotspot has witnessed a dramatic native forest decline since 1960, replaced by fast-growing pine plantations. Driven b...
COP30: 53 countries endorse new global fund to pay nations for preserving tropical forestsWorld leaders launched the Tropical Forests Forever Facility at COP30 in Brazil, a new initiative to channel finance for tropical forest pr...
- To prevent collapse of tropical forests, protect their shape
New York, April 1 (IANS) Fires on the edges of tropical forests and their alteration by land use makes these hot ecosystems lose their shap...