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Peru eyes Amazon for one of world’s most powerful dams
Posted by Mongabay: Brittany Stewart on May 18th, 2015
Mongabay: Peru is proposing a huge hydroelectric dam in the Amazon that, if built, will be one of the most powerful on Earth, do significant harm to the environment, and flood the homes of thousands of people.
The proposed mega-dam would be constructed at the Pongo de Manseriche, a spectacular gorge on the free flowing Marañón River, the main source of the Amazon River.
The dam’s reservoir would flood as much as 5,470 square kilometers (2,111 square miles) and drown the town of Santa Maria de Nieva in...
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Restoration of artificial swamps could be a key to restoring rainforest health in Sumatra
Posted by Mongabay: Brittany Stewart on April 6th, 2015
Mongabay: The term "artificial" has acquired negative connotations in recent years. However, a recent study in Sumatra's Harapan rainforest details not only the ecological benefits, but rather the necessity, of improving artificial wetlands found along waterways in this rainforest ecosystem.
Tropical forest streams across Southeast Asia are in a degraded state, especially where obstructed by logging roads, creating artificial ponds and swamps. The improvement of the quality of those artificial wetlands...
Could California be facing a mega-drought?
Posted by Mongabay: Brittany Stewart on October 13th, 2014
Mongabay: I moved to San Francisco six months ago and my umbrella hasn’t left its dusty sleeve yet. Scientists and politicians, everyone agrees: California is in deep trouble. As the state enters its fourth year of drought and the soil has never been drier. Some look at the sky with hope that El Niño will bring much needed rain. But most are starting to wonder if this is just the beginning. Are we entering a mega-drought that could last for more than a decade? Agriculture, one of California’s strongest pillars,...