Saving the Wildlife of Madagascar

sea-maid submitted, created time 3 months 1 week (www.time.com)

When you're on the lookout for lemurs — the unusually cute and endangered group of primates found only on the African island of Madagascar — it helps to have good eyes (lemurs are small), sharp ears (they rustle the trees) and a keen nose (they have an unmistakable smell).

It is hard to say how long the lemurs will be around. Madagascar is what conservationists call a biodiversity hotspot. All hotspots worldwide take up about 2% of Earth's landmass, but they are home to half its species

1 comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: Kyoto protocol economics carbon credits carbon lemurs encroachment ecology Madagascar Wildlife conservation deforestation habitat loss primates endangered species

U Oregon says that old growth forests should count double in forestry accounting

sea-maid submitted, created time 3 months 3 weeks (www.sciencedaily.com)

Contrary to forty years of conventional wisdom, a new analysis suggests that old growth forests are usually "carbon sinks" -- they continue to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and mitigate climate change for centuries.

However, international treaties, such as the Kyoto Protocol, do not take the age of forests into account when considering forest preservation. Researchers from the University of Oregan have proposed that old growth forests should count more in carbon accounting.

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: international treaties environmentalism kyoto protocol politics old growth trees old growth trees forests organic carbon global climate change carbon dioxide