YANGON - The shady streets of Yangon, one of Asia's greenest cities, could have been changed forever by Cyclone Nargis, which knocked down many of its 100-year-old trees. People in Myanmar's biggest city fear the storm's 190 kph (120 mph) winds not only took lives but also ruined livelihoods, dealing a blow to an already fragile tourism industry.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - In a victory long-sought by bird conservationists, the European Court of Justice Thursday ruled that the spring hunting of the European turtle-dove and common quail on the island of Malta would not be allowed this year.
News By Anabelle E. Plantilla Between 2002 and 2006, Haribon implemented a forest conservation project supported by the European Commission and BirdLife International in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. With the active participation of the local government and the Sablayan Penal and Prison Farm (SPPF), forest conservation was integrated into the local planning process. Recently, BirdLife commissioned Karin Eberhardt to evaluate the project and this is her story.
News A 53 year old man from Hermigua has been arrested accused of causing a forest fire that has destroyed around 800 hectares close to the Garajonay national park. The blaze, which is almost now under control, is alleged to have been started accidentally as the detained man was burning stubble on his farm in Ibo Alfaro.
Melbourne - Two plants that were thought to have been extinct since the late 1800s have been rediscovered in far northern Australia, according to an official report released on Saturday. The state government's State of the Environment report said the two species were found on Cape York, in tropical far north Queensland.
''Forest Recreation and Tourism serving Urbanised Societies'' May 28 - 31, 2008 - Hämeenliaa, Finland
LA GOMERA, Spain - More than 150 firemen and four helicopters on Sunday battled forest fires on the small Canaries island of La Gomera, authorities said. Around 500 people were evacuated from their homes after the fires broke out on Saturday on the rugged and mountainous island in Spain's Atlantic archipelago, a popular tourist destination.
Killing PestLISBON - Portugal is struggling to contain a new outbreak of nematodes, microscopic worm-like organisms that are killing wild pine trees and threaten to spread abroad despite drastic measures to stop their advance.
News The moose population in Scandinavia has exploded, causing harm and danger in many places. There has been an increase of 30 times the moose population since the turn of last century, meaning there is now perhaps the largest moose population since the ice age, reports Norwegian Broadcasting Corp NRK. And many are worried about what the effects will be on the ecology, not to mention the rapidly increasing traffic accidents.
Research (in Approximation of Handicraft History) Edited by Gömöri János Preface "Tree is eternal beauty" - said Leo Tolstoy and he was quite right. In our denaturating world both the green trees and the wood materials yield connections in space and time.
Nature protection: Commission sends final written warning to Hungary over bird protection laws, closes Finnish wolf hunting case The European Commission is sending Hungary a final written warning for not putting in place national measures for implementing an EU environmental law on the protection of wild birds. The Commission is also closing a case against Finland on the granting of permits for wolf hunting because it considers that Finland has complied with a 2007 European Court of Justice ruling.
The first full week of April is observed as Forest week in Bulgaria. The tradition started in 1925 when at the initiative of the Bulgarian Foresters’ Society a tree-planting day was held. Since then the first full week of April has been dedicated to the noble activity of afforestation.
News By MATTHEW BROWN , BILLINGS, Mont. - The U.S. Forest Service has bought a pair of flying drones to track down marijuana growers operating in remote California woodlands. Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey, who oversees the Forest Service, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the pilotless, camera-equipped aircraft will allow law enforcement officers to pinpoint marijuana fields and size up potential dangers before agents attempt arrests.
News The first-ever Asia-Pacific Forestry Week will be organized 21-26 April 2008, in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is expected to be the largest and the most important forestry-related events in the region in 2008.
News Bruno Manser Fonds releases over 10,000 photos by environmentalist hero Bruno Manser On April 19th over 10,000 of Bruno Manser's photographs will be made available to the public on-line. The pictures are rare documentation of the nomadic Penan peoples from the Malaysian state of Sarawak in Borneo. Swiss environmentalist Bruno Manser proved an unflinching and passionate advocate for the Penans in the 1990s as their territory was increasingly deforested by industrial logging companies.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/The New York Times April 17, 2008 - One of two wild bears in Switzerland has been shot and killed on government orders because it had lost its fear of humans, officials said. Environmental organizations expressed dismay, but government officials said they had no choice.
The public agency "Copenhagen Energy" has paid 10 million DKK (1,34 million euro) to a forest owner for groundwater protection. Copenhagen Energy gets 5 million cubic metres of drinking water annually from a well 60 kilometres outside Copenhagen, Denmark. This quantity is sufficient for covering the annual water consumption of 100,000 persons.
7-9, 2008 Join a thousand international participants in Amsterdam for the best global sustainability networking opportunity of the year.
