forest ecosystem News | Environmental XPRT

Biodiversity does not always improve resistance of forest ecosystems to drought

Due to climate change, parts of the world will face droughts that will affect forest health. Scientists from INRA, in collaboration with WSL1 (Switzerland) and European colleagues, studied the resistance of forests to drought according to the diversity of tree species. Contrary to what was commonly accepted by scientists, species diversity does not systematically improve tree resistance to ...

Sep. 30, 2014

By INRA - French National Institute of Agronomical Research

Biodiversity and forest ecosystems in Europe

Forests offer much more than Sunday walks, clean air and water, wild birds and mushrooms. In addition to being home to numerous species, forests are vital to the overall health of our environment. The European Environment Agency's (EEA) new short assessment provides an overview of their state and their main threats. Fifth in the series of '10 messages for 2010', the EEA's assessment on forest ...

Apr. 6, 2010

By European Environment Agency (EEA)

Take note of tropical forest ecosystems to combat drought

We must take notice of the hydrological ecosystem services of tropical forests to avoid "mega-droughts" and devastating wildfires in Amazonian forests, says Brazilian conservation biologist Carlos Peres. The severe droughts of 1997, 1998, 2005 and 2010 changed the general view that tropical forests can resist fire destruction because of the moisture stored underneath heavy canopies, Peres says. ...

Feb. 8, 2011

By SciDev.Net

Payment for forest ecosystem services: a case study in Finland

Tourists would be willing to pay for increased biodiversity and reduced clear-felling in forests, a recent Finnish case study suggests. In a survey of over 900 visitors to Lapland, most stated that they felt landscape quality and biodiversity were important, and that they would be happy to pay their share for preserving these qualities. Forests provide numerous ecosystem services. In addition to ...

Oct. 10, 2013

By European Commission, Environment DG

Payment for forest ecosystem services: a case study in Finland

Tourists would be willing to pay for increased biodiversity and reduced clear-felling in forests, a recent Finnish case study suggests. In a survey of over 900 visitors to Lapland, most stated that they felt landscape quality and biodiversity were important, and that they would be happy to pay their share for preserving these qualities. Forests provide numerous ecosystem services. In addition to ...

Oct. 10, 2013

By European Commission, Environment DG

Climate change is fueling forest disturbances

Climate change is already altering the environment. Long-lived ecosystems such as forests are particularly vulnerable to the comparatively rapid changes in the climate system. A new international study published this week in Nature Climate Change shows that damage from wind, bark beetles, and wildfires has increased drastically in Europe’s forests in recent years. Europe’s forests ...

Aug. 4, 2014

By Wageningen University and Research Centre

Europe`s water information at your fingertips

Forests cover over 30 % of the earth's surface. They are one of the most important 'storehouses' of biological diversity on land and play a key role in regulating our planet's climate. Their importance and the wide array of threats on world's forests are in the spotlight during the World Forest Day 21 March and the UN International Year of Forests 2011. Forests around the world provide us ...

Mar. 22, 2011

By European Environment Agency (EEA)

The economic case for repairing damaged and degraded ecosystems

Restoring lost and damaged ecosystems-from forests and freshwaters to mangroves and wetlands-can trigger multi-million dollar returns that generate jobs and combat ...

Jun. 5, 2010

By CSRwire - Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire

Climate change damages Europe’s forests

Climate change is here, it’s happening now, and for the last few decades it has been demonstrably bad news for many of Europe’s forests. An international team of researchers say in a report from the European Forest Institute that climate change is altering the environment, and it is long-lived ecosystems like forests that are particularly vulnerable to the comparatively rapid changes ...

Aug. 5, 2014

By Climate News Network

World-First REDD+ Academy Launched in Indonesia

The world's first REDD+ Academy designed to energise efforts to combat deforestation by creating financial value for carbon stored in forests, was launched in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, bringing together 83 representatives from Asia-Pacific governments, Indonesian parliamentarians and members of the media. The REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) Academy is a new ...

Oct. 31, 2014

By United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

A walk in the woods on May 22 - International Biodiversity Day

Forests are some of the most important ecosystems in Europe, and are home to many thousands of species. Although the amount of forest cover is stable across Europe, it is declining worldwide, and the rich variety of life on Earth is also following this downward trend. On 22 May, International Biodiversity Day, the European Environment Agency invites you to explore and enjoy biodiversity in ...

May 22, 2011

By European Environment Agency (EEA)

Quebec Moves Forward to Protect Boreal Region as Large as France

Mathew Jacobson, manager of the Pew Environment Group's International Boreal Conservation Campaign in Quebec, issued the following statement today in reaction to the Quebec government's introduction of legislation to protect half of northern Quebec – nearly 600,000 square kilometers, an area about the size of France – from all industrial activity. The legislation is a part of ...

Apr. 17, 2012

By The Pew Charitable Trusts / The Pew Environment Group

Sustainable packaging coalition announces final agenda for spring meeting 2012

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition has announced the final agenda for its Spring Meeting 2012, the group’s largest annual event and one of the longest running sustainable packaging conference. The SPC’s eight annual Spring Meeting will be held April 23-25, 2012 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, ON. The meeting is generously hosted by SPC member companies BASF Corporation, Be ...

Mar. 19, 2012

By CSRwire - Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire

Adaptive management needed to maintain forests’ ecosystem services under climate change

Forests may need to be converted to more drought-tolerant mixtures of tree species to prevent significant die-off under climate change, predicts a new study which modelled German forests. The researchers indicate that climate change is likely to lead to significant forest damage, which could be reduced through adaptive management. Protecting forest goods and services under the uncertain ...

Jul. 4, 2013

By European Commission, Environment DG

UNEP Sasakawa prize open: US $200,000 for innovative green project

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and The Nippon Foundation today officially launched the 2011 UNEP Sasakawa Prize to find the most innovative environmental project in the developing world - with a cash prize of US$ 200,000 awaiting the winner. The UNEP Sasakawa Prize is awarded every year to a grassroots organisation judged to have made an outstanding contribution to the ...

Jul. 29, 2010

By United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Biodiversity offsetting cannot compensate for ‘old growth’ habitat loss

‘Biodiversity offset’ schemes, which aim to compensate for the loss of unspoilt habitats to development, could lead to an overall loss in biodiversity, a recent study warns. Furthermore, the researchers highlight the considerable time needed, often hundreds of years, to fully recreate an ecosystem. Biodiversity offsetting aims to replicate an ecosystem that has been lost to human ...

Sep. 18, 2014

By European Commission, Environment DG

Microorganisms in the Ground Don’t Slack Off in Winter

It is known that soil microorganisms can maintain some activity during the cold winter months. Scientist at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Umeå University in Sweden have now shown that the microorganisms in frozen soils are much more viable than previously anticipated and also has large potential for growth. In northern forest ecosystems, there is a great deal of ...

Nov. 18, 2010

By ScienceDaily

Japan and ADB putting in place flood management system in Southwest Tajikistan

Japan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are helping communities in southwest Tajikistan to be prepared when floods and other disasters strike. The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), through ADB, will provide a $3 million grant to enable 130 flood-prone villages in Khatlon province to anticipate and cope with floods and other disasters. The villages are situated in the five districts of ...

Sep. 10, 2008

By Asian Development Bank

Caney Creek Mitigation Bank in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana Now Supplying Mitigation Credits

Resource Environmental Solutions, L.L.C. (RES), announces the approval by the New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of a new wetland mitigation bank serving south-central Louisiana. The Caney Creek Mitigation Bank, located approximately 8 miles west of Mamou, Louisiana, will reestablish over 492 acres of bottomland hardwood and ...

Sep. 5, 2012

By Resource Environmental Solutions, LLC

The 2015 Eye on Earth Alliance`s Competition Now Open

The Eye on Earth Alliance has launched its Data Innovation Showcase competition for bloggers, citizen scientists and designers. Participants stand to win a trip to Abu Dhabi and present their work at the 2015 Eye on Earth Summit, running 6-8 October. The Blogging Competition challenges writers to create a 750-1000-word inspirational piece on the theme 'A better world through knowledge and ...

Jul. 15, 2015

By United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Subscribe to our eBulletins