In the state of Acre, a remote corner of the western Brazilian Amazon, lies the staple of the rubbertappers’ livelihoods, latex. This milky fluid is released when the rubber tree is cut and hardens once it’s exposed to the air. Latex has been a vital source of income for vulnerable forest communities for decades. However, up until the late 1990s, the combination of unclear … [Read more...] about What do condoms, safeguards, and sustainable development have in common?
Big Data Bridging the Environmental Information Gap
Availability of quality data is essential to solving environmental problems and monitoring impacts. Furthermore, ecosystem service analysis, which is used more and more to address environmental management challenges, is often data intensive, requiring information from multiple sectors, at different scales, and with spatial and temporal qualities. Unfortunately, collecting … [Read more...] about Big Data Bridging the Environmental Information Gap
Two ways governments put a price on forests
Forests are highly valued for the wood and other non-timber products they provide such as fruit, food, medicinal products, and countless other benefits with aesthetic and spiritual value. Forests also play an important role in protecting the soil, generating water and oxygen, and housing very rich biodiversity. Their value to humanity is immeasurable. These attributes of … [Read more...] about Two ways governments put a price on forests
Translocation: To move or not to move
New infrastructure often requires space, and many development projects have to destroy or modify habitats in order to make that space. Even with the most careful planning, the reality is that trees may need to be bulldozed and wildlife may be killed. To avoid this, it is a common practice to move- or translocate- plants and animals out of harm’s way, and re-plant or release … [Read more...] about Translocation: To move or not to move
Colombia advances in the Promotion of Non-Conventional Sources of Renewable Energy
May 13, 2015 marked the first year of the enactment of Law 1715 of 2014, which established the legal framework for the integration of non-conventional renewable energy (FNC) to the Colombian energy system in order to promote the development and the use of these sources. Colombia has a clean electricity generation matrix, and about 68% of its installed capacity comes from … [Read more...] about Colombia advances in the Promotion of Non-Conventional Sources of Renewable Energy