rainforest news stories on Newser

Amazon Destruction Sinks to Lowest Level

Polly Davis Doig — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:02:38 CST

Brazil's Amazon rainforest lost an area about the size of Delaware in the year ended in July, but there's a silver lining to that stat: It's the lowest level of destruction since tracking began in 1988, reports the AP . The deforestation peaked in 1995, with the staggering loss of 11,...

Jagger Named Peru Rainforest 'Ambassador'

Matt Cantor — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:57:54 CDT

Now that he's saving the rainforest, maybe Mick Jagger will finally get that long-elusive satisfaction. The Rolling Stone has been dubbed an honorary ambassador for tourism to a region of Peru's Amazon, AFP reports. "You are our ally. Your presence is a great support in our fight to protect our...

Much of World's Tropical Forests Managed Poorly

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:59:23 CDT

Large swaths of the world's tropical forests have been officially shielded from deforestation, but an international organization says that may not be enough. Much of the land kept for permanent use as forests isn't being managed sustainably—or being managed at all, according to a new report by the International...

'Zombie Ants' Found in Brazil

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 14:14:05 CST

First, the fungus takes over the ant’s brain. Then, it uses “mind control” to force the ant to move to a new location—an ideal location where the fungus can grow and its spores can spread. Finally, the fungus kills the ant—and then grows out of its head. Sounds...

Threatened Spirit Bear's Best Hope: Photographers

Rob Quinn — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:32:00 CDT

Never heard of "Canada's panda?" Naturalists fighting to preserve the very rare bear's rainforest habitat in British Columbia want that to change. Only about 500 of the bears—a subspecies of black bear that has white fur—exist, and activists fear that a proposed pipeline through the Great Bear rainforest...

Pinocchio Frog Among Dozens of New Species

Rob Quinn — Tue, 18 May 2010 05:33:30 CDT

Scientists on an expedition to a remote part of Indonesia known as the "Lost World" discovered over two dozen new species, including a "Pinocchio" tree frog with an inflatable nose and the smallest known member of the kangaroo family. The scientists say the finds, in a mountain range on the...

Brazil Using Condoms to Protect Rainforest

Rob Quinn — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 03:30:00 CDT

Brazil has unrolled an ambitious plan to preserve vast areas of the Amazon rainforest by tapping its rubber trees to make sustainable condoms. Most "rubbers" are now made from cheaper synthetic materials, but officials of the Brazilian government—which buys 1 billion condoms a year—say the project will reduce...

Deforestation Reveals Signs of 'El Dorado'

Rob Quinn — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:05:00 CST

The legends of lost cities that drew Spanish explorers to their doom seeking "El Dorado" in the Amazon may have been rooted in truth after all. Deforestation in Brazil and northern Bolivia has revealed signs, including roads and massive earthworks, of an Amazon civilization much bigger than anything previously believed...

That Line of Cocaine Is Killing the Rainforest: UK Cops

Will McCahill — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:04:00 CST

Cops the world over are looking for reasons to stop you from snorting cocaine, but a new campaign in the UK takes a new angle: It’s killing the rainforests. London’s Metropolitan Police—with the government’s backing—has teamed up with Greenpeace on this one, the Times reports, hoping to tap...