Forests
Australian carbon traders defend troubled offset market against whistleblower claims
Policy upheaval and stark criticism of the quality of carbon offsets from a former official have thrown Australia’s ability to deliver on carbon targets into doubt
Prison, party mansions and a naval base among urban areas India claims as ‘forest’
The government has long used a broad definition of forests which is at odds with UN guidance and overstates India’s climate credentials
Amazon indigenous community restores giant freshwater fish and thrives
Through control of their territory, the Deni people sustainably manage stocks of pirarucu, boosting their numbers 425% in 11 years
India falsely claims forestry progress in ‘skewed’ report, experts warn
By counting plantations and urban parks as forests, the Indian government hides deforestation caused by industrial projects
Norway underpaid Indonesia for forest protection results, study argues
British research sheds light on why Indonesia might have cut ties with donors, finding that funds were inadequate to compete with palm oil sales
Haven of African elephants at risk, say park rangers decrying poor pay and conditions
Forest guards in Gabon say their salaries are often paid several months late and are threatening to go on strike
Five WWF Pakistan staff monitoring forest protection die in car crash
WWF Pakistan described the victims whose car plunged into a ravine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as “young and passionate environmentalists”
Hackers throw Indonesian palm oil seminar into chaos, fuelling blame game
As experts debated a controversial proposal to classify palm oil plantations as forest, their event in Jakarta was disrupted by swearing and pornography
Kenyan forest communities sidelined as government misses two billion tree target
Community groups say they are willing to restore forests but have been ignored by government and rely on international non-profits for funding
Donor nations commit $1.7bn to help indigenous people protect forests
The funding from US, UK, Germany, Norway and the Netherlands confronts the weakening of indigenous land rights in countries like Brazil
UK and EU must not abet the theft of indigenous territory in Brazil
Brazil’s indigenous people are anxiously awaiting a supreme court judgement on our land rights. Proposed new laws in the EU and UK will profoundly affect us too
Indonesia ends forest protection deal with Norway, raising deforestation fears
The announcement took the Norwegian government and campaigners by surprise and came days before a moratorium on new palm oil concessions lifted
On a mission: Evangelicals flock to the Amazon home of isolated tribes
On Brazil’s border with Peru, evangelical churches are multiplying, in a threat to uncontacted indigenous groups
A week of wildfires has left thousands homeless in southern Turkey
Experts say forest management and firefighting equipment is needed to prevent future disasters, as climate change brings hotter and drier conditions
DR Congo plans to lift logging moratorium amid forest protection talks
The government is ending a decade-old ban on new forestry concessions, to the horror of campaigners who say the move is incompatible with climate targets
‘Hot air’ carbon offset scheme undermines Colombia’s climate goal, experts warn
Colombia stands to lose $62m in carbon tax revenue and underperform its emissions targets due to flawed forest carbon credit projects, investigators claim
Norway pays Gabon $17m for forest protection despite deforestation spike
While proponents say results-based payments can support forest protection in the long term, critics say the Gabonese government has done little to earn the money
Brazil’s environment minister investigated for illegal logging cover-up
The Supreme Court authorised the federal police to investigate Ricardo Salles over suspicions of a ‘serious scheme’ to facilitate the export of illegal timber out of Brazil
US, UK and Norway launch $1bn initiative to protect tropical forests
The Leaf Coalition aims to mobilise $1 billion of public and private finance this year to cut emissions from deforestation and forest degradation
Pakistan explores debt-for-nature scheme to accelerate its 10 billion tree tsunami
Creditors could grant Pakistan debt relief in exchange for meeting nature restoration targets, under a proposed first-of-its-kind bond