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Archive for September, 2012
Illegal wildlife trading in internet’s deepest, darkest corners
Posted by Guardian: Nic Fleming on September 4th, 2012
Guardian: Bashful and skittish, the Kaiser's spotted newt is intriguing and beautiful. With only around 1,000 adults left in the wild in just four mountain streams in Iran, it is also critically endangered.
But the black, white and orange salamanders are openly on sale for as little as £65 on numerous websites. While these may have been bred in captivity, they are descended from rare individuals taken from the wild, and investigators have identified dealers who say their stocks come from Iran.
Two years...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Illegal wildlife trading in internet’s deepest, darkest cornersUnited Kingdom: Planning policy ‘needs stability rather than change’, says environmental group
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 4th, 2012
Telegraph: The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), a charity who work to protect "the beautiful and living countryside", has said the Green Belt planning rules need a period of stability to "bed down" rather than change.
The comments come following the Chancellor's appearance on the BBC's Andrew Marr show on Sunday where he called the current planning situation "ludicrous".
The Chancellor promised new changes in planning rules this week, saying economic recovery depends on stimulating development....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: Planning policy ‘needs stability rather than change’, says environmental groupStudy Questions Advantages of Organic Meat and Produce
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 4th, 2012
New York Times: Does an organic strawberry contain more vitamin C than a conventional one? Maybe — or maybe not. Stanford University scientists have weighed in on the “maybe not” side of the debate after an extensive examination of four decades of research comparing organic and conventional foods. They concluded that fruits and vegetables labeled organic were, on average, no more nutritious than their conventional counterparts, which tend to be far less expensive. Nor were they any less likely to be contaminated...
Swedish Island Community Stays Mining Plans
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 4th, 2012
Epoch Times: Protesters in Ojnareskogen forest on Gotland Island, Sweden, won a small victory in their battle to prevent a limestone quarry that they say will endanger fresh water and protected species. Forest clearing for the quarry was temporarily halted on Sept. 1, pending a Supreme Court decision. (Susanne Willgren/The Epoch Times) GOTLAND, Sweden--On Saturday, nature’s defenders won a small victory on the Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, where the struggle by environmentalists and locals to...
Peru’s environment minister hails ‘landmark’ mining reforms
Posted by Guardian: Jonathan Watts and Dan Collyns on September 3rd, 2012
Guardian: After a deadly wave of anti-mining protests, Peru's congress will vote on Tuesday on reforms aimed at restoring public confidence in the government's efforts to manage a lucrative and polluting rush for minerals that has made the country one of the fastest growing economies in South America.
There were 168 protests over natural resources in July, according to Peru's human rights ombudsman, La Defensoria del Pueblo, down from a peak of 293 in 2009.
Official figures shows 17 people have been...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Peru’s environment minister hails ‘landmark’ mining reformsEnvironmental politics: green shoots
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 3rd, 2012
Guardian: Greenery is on the agenda, all right – but for the wrong reasons. The reshuffle-cum-relaunch of the government is preceded by murmurs about how there might after all need to be a third runway at Heathrow, and perhaps also a builders' charter to bulldoze Britain's way out of recession. The days when the Cameronite pitch was Vote Blue, Go Green are forgotten. Over the past year, the prime minister has downgraded a big green speech to a few brief remarks, while his chancellor has roused the Conservative...
Firefighters battle California’s Angeles National Forest blaze
Posted by Reuters: Alex Dobuzinskis on September 3rd, 2012
Reuters: A 4,000-acre (1,620-hectare) wildfire in the Angeles National Forest in Southern California has forced the evacuation of some campsites as firefighters struggle to control the blaze, authorities said on Monday.
The fire amid dry chaparral was only 5 percent contained and heavy smoke was visible from miles away. Authorities said it was not threatening any structures.
The fire broke out on Sunday in the San Gabriel Canyon area of the 655,000-acre (265,000-hectare) Angeles National Forest. About...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Firefighters battle California’s Angeles National Forest blazeCanada’s Mackenzie River needs aid as climate “refrigerator”
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 3rd, 2012
Reuters: Canada's Mackenzie River basin needs better protection as a vast northern "refrigerator" slowing global climate change, experts said on Monday.
Canada's longest river also needs a unifying plan to oversee water quality, wildlife and oil pollution that would be similar to European Union directives governing rivers such as the Rhine or Danube, they said.
There is now a patchwork of government and local rules for the 1,800-km-long (1,100-mile) river that flows into the Arctic Ocean through a basin...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Canada’s Mackenzie River needs aid as climate “refrigerator”Wildfire in Southern California’s Angeles National Forest grows to 4,000 acres, chases out holiday campers
Posted by NBC News: None Given on September 3rd, 2012
NBC News: A wildfire in Southern California's Angeles National Forest that curt short weekend holiday plans for hikers and campers grew to 4,000 acres on Monday.
The fire, which broke out near a campground Sunday afternoon, was about 5 percent contained by Sunday morning, U.S. Forest Service officials said.
The Williams fire promoted the evacuation of about 12,000 visitors who had flocked to campgrounds for the holiday weekend, The Associated Press reported. It sent a towering plume of smoke that could...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Wildfire in Southern California’s Angeles National Forest grows to 4,000 acres, chases out holiday campersUN launches network for sustainable development
Posted by SciDev.Net: Jan Piotrowski on September 3rd, 2012
SciDev.Net: A network of universities, research centres and technical institutions to provide practical sustainable development solutions has been launched by the UN.
The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), launched last month (9 August), will work with governments, UN agencies, the private sector and civil society organisations to identify and demonstrate new approaches to sustainable development.
Poverty alleviation, social inclusion and environmental sustainability -- three of the major...