'Wrong type of trees' boost warming

The assumption that planting new forests helps limit climate change has been challenged by a new study.

The replacement of broad leaf species like oak with conifers has increased warming say researchers

Researchers found that in Europe, trees grown since 1750 have actually increased global warming.

The scientists believe that replacing broadleaved species with conifers is a key reason for the negative climate impact.

Conifers like pines and spruce are generally darker and absorb more heat than species such as oak and birch.

The authors believe the work has implications for current efforts to limit rising temperatures through mass tree planting.

Management issues

Europe's green canopy was dramatically thinned between 1750 and 1850, when the forested area diminished by 190,000 sq km.

Ironically the greater use of fossil fuels, particularly coal, slowed the timber rush, and from 1850 to the present day, Europe's forests grew by some 386,000 sq km and now cover 10% more land than before the industrial revolution.

However, the form and content of these new woods differed considerably from what went before.

In the distant past, these forests ran wild - but in the modern world, some 85% of Europe's trees are managed by humans. And over the past 150 years, foresters have adopted a scientific approach to woodlands - planting faster growing, more commercially valuable trees such as a Scots pine and Norway spruce.

The rapid re-forestation of great swathes of European has generally been seen as a good thing due to the trees' ability to soak up carbon, something that has become particularly relevant in recent decades.

But the new study questions the positive impact of all these new trees on the climate.

The research team reconstructed 250 years of forest management history in Europe - and found that the way forests are controlled by humans can lead to far less carbon being stored than would have been the case when nature was in charge.

Under human management, Europe's forests have expanded but store less carbon

Removing trees in an organised fashion tends to release carbon that would otherwise remain stored in forest litter, dead wood and soil.

Choosing conifers over broadleaved varieties also had significant impacts on the albedo - the amount of solar radiation reflected back into space.

"Even well managed forests today store less carbon than their natural counterparts in 1750," said Dr Kim Naudts who carried out the study while at the Laboratory of Climate Science and Environment in Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

Speaking to Science in Action on the BBC World Service, she said: "Due to the shift to conifer species, there was a warming over Europe of almost 0.12 degrees and that is caused because the conifers are darker and absorb more solar radiation."

The researchers say that the increase in temperature equates to 6% of the global warming attributed to the burning of fossil fuels. They say that is a significant amount and believe that similar impacts are likely in regions where the same type of afforestation has taken place.

Many governments have made planting trees a key part of their plans for dealing with climate change; China is building a "great green wall" of trees, set to cover around 400 million hectares when complete.

The authors suggest the world should look carefully at both the types trees that we are planting and the ways in which they are managed.

"We shouldn't put our hopes on forests to mitigate what is an emission problem," said Dr Naudts.

"Our results indicate that in large parts of Europe, a tree planting programme would offset the emissions but it would not cool the planet, especially not if the afforestation is done with conifers."

The researchers believe that consideration should be given to a programme of replacement. As the conifers are harvested, more broadleaved species could replace them.

The study has been published in the journal Science.

From BBC News

COP 21: Why does Paris climate change conference matter?

UK team geminates critically endangered Japanese birch

UK scientists have successfully germinated seeds from the critically endangered Japanese Birch, a species that has just 21 known trees remaining.

The seedlings are the first Betula chichibuensis seeds to be germinated by scientists in three decades

The seeds were collected last year during an expedition to a remote location in mountains near Tokyo.Experts suggest that the remaining wild population of Betula chichibuensis is too small to sustain itself unaided.The young trees will be shared with other arboretums in an effort to help conserve the threatened species.The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) forecasts a bleak outlook for the tree species in the wild.

In its Red List of Threatened Species, it observes: "The small population and restricted distribution... make it susceptible to natural disaster or disease.

"The species is also self-incompatible, requiring two individuals to be close enough to cross-pollinate one another, making seed production uncertain in small subpopulations."

It adds that there was also evidence of deforestation and habitat degradation in the area where the remaining trees are found, "presenting a threat to the survival of this species".

Growing hope

During 2014, a team led by researchers from the University of Oxford Botanic Gardens, in conjunction with the University of Tokyo, embarked on an expedition to collect seed samples from the threatened birch trees.

Part of the team was Dan Luscombe, a dendrologist from the Forestry Commission's Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest.

He told BBC News: "I guess we got little lucky in terms of being there at the right time.

"It is found in a very, very remote location and it is not an easy place to get to. It has got very, very low viability so we were very lucky that we were able to collect a lot of seeds... as birch seeds shatter and shed everywhere, so once it has done that you will never find it." (BBC News)

READ MORE HERE

UN report: 'Decisive year' for world's forestry

The world's forests face a "decisive year" as nations prepare to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals and gather for key climate talks.

The removal of the world's tree cover remains a concern but deforestation rates are slowing, says the UN report

In a UN report on forests, senior official Jose Graziano da Silva called slowing deforestation rates "positive".

But he added that "this positive trend needs strengthening" as the report showed that an area the size of South Africa had been lost since 1990.

The report was published at the World Forestry Congress in South Africa.

"The contribution of forests to the wellbeing of humankind are extraordinarily vast and far-reach," said Mr Graziano da Silva, director-general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

"Forests play a fundamental role in combating rural poverty, ensuring food security and providing decent livelihoods."

He added that forests were also key components in the natural world's ability to provide environmental services, such as clean air and water, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.

The UN's Global Forest Resource Assessment 2015, compiled and published by the FAO, reports that an estimated 129 millions hectares of of forest (an area almost equivalent in size to South Africa) has been lost since 1990.

The assessment, which covered 234 countries and territories, reported the biggest losses of forest cover occurring in Africa, South America and South-East Asia.

However, globally, the study said that the net annual rate of forest loss had slowed from 0.18% in the early 1990s to 0.08% during the period between 2010 and 2015.

While the area of natural forests (which account for an estimate 93% of the globe's forest cover) continued to decrease, the planted forest area had seen an increase, the report observed.

FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment Team leader Kenneth MacDicken said: "The management of forests has improved dramatically over the past 25 years.

"This includes planning, knowledge sharing, legislation, policies - a whole range of important steps that countries have implemented or are implementing," he added.

Asia dominate the list of the top 10 nations that have reported the greatest forest area gain between 2010 and 2015, however there are honourable mentions for the US and France.

Biodiversity concerns

Forests are also hotspots for biodiversity, providing a home for half of the world's terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects.

Despite recent progress in increasing the area offered conservation protection status, the FAO warned that the threat to biodiversity continued.

Mr Graziano da Silva cautioned: "We will not succeed in reducing the impact of climate change and promoting sustainable development if he do not preserve our forests and sustainably use the many resources they offer us."

Nations report the greatest annual forest loss (2010-2015)

1. Brazil 984,000

2. Indonesia 684,000

3. Myanmar 546,000

4. Nigeria 410,000

5. Tanzania 372,000

6. Paraguay 325,000

7. Zimbabwe 312,000

8. DR Congo 311,000

9. Argentina 297,000

10. Venezuela 289,000

    (Unit: hectares)

From BBC News

Rare Sumatran orangutan born at Chester Zoo

A rare species of Sumatran orangutan has been born at Chester Zoo.

The tiny new arrival is extra special because the species is facing extinction in the wild.

The baby orangutan hasn't got a name yet but it will be joining a family of four older brothers and sisters.

Sumatran orangutans are from Indonesia and lots of their homes are being destroyed as forest are chopped down for wood.(CBBC newsround)

Keepers at the zoo said they were doing their early morning checks when they spotted the tiny newcomer in the arms of its mother, 28-year-old Subis.

Sumatran orangutans are found only on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia where it is estimated that less than 6,500 remain.

The species has come under threat due largely to the destruction of its habitat for logging, wholesale conversion of forest to palm oil plantations and hunting, say the zoo.

Tim Rowlands, curator of mammals, said: "Subis herself was born here in 1986 and has since had four other young, but this is the first Sumatran orangutan to be born here at the zoo in just under three years so the team is absolutely thrilled.

"To watch Subis cradling her new arrival is a truly wonderful sight and we just hope that the pair help us to raise a little more awareness of their cousins in the wild that face enormous threats on a day-to-day basis. Sadly, without continued conservation work the Sumatran orangutan could become the first great ape to become extinct in the wild." (home.bt.com)

Along with orangutans other species are being threatned in Sumatra. Rhinos, tigers, elephants among others, are victims of the palm oil world's demand. Palm trees are being massively logged off shrinking these are others animals' habitat and  preventing them from a free healthy life in the wild. Palm oil is more and more an important ingredient in tooth paste, soaps and in almost everything that foams and even in various food like frying oils. Cosmetics and cleaning products are two other uses for palm oil. Due to its importance to industry these animals' habitat is being destroyed and therefore in a while they'll have nowhere to go. They´ll die or will be killed by humans who see their properties invaded by famished animals.

'Three trillion' trees on Earth

There are just over three trillion trees on Earth, according to a new report.

Experts say there are around 3,040,000,000,000 trees on Earth

The figure is eight times as big as the previous best guess, which counted perhaps 400 billion at most.

The new total of 3,040,000,000,000 trees represents roughly 420 trees for every person on the planet.

A team from Yale University in America carried out the research and collected information from over 400,000 forest plots around the world.

Humans are removing about 15 billion trees a year, it is estimated

The new number will now help with a wide range of research - everything from studies that look at animal and plant habitats to climate issues.

What is clear from the study is the influence humans now have on the number of trees on Earth.

The team estimates we are removing about 15 billion trees a year, with roughly only five billion being planted back.

From CBBC Newsround

Madagascar's lemurs cling to survival

The famous lemurs of Madagascar face such severe threats to their survival that none of them may be left in the wild within 25 years.

Deforestation and hunting in Madagascar are taking a devastating toll on lemurs

That stark warning comes from one of the world's leading specialists in the iconic animals.

Deforestation and hunting are taking an increasing toll, according to Professor Jonah Ratsimbazafy, director of GERP, a centre for primate research in Madagascar.

"My heart is broken," he told the BBC, "because the situation is getting worse as more forests disappear every year. That means the lemurs are in more and more trouble."

So far 106 species of lemur have been identified and nearly all of them are judged to be at risk of extinction, many of them critically endangered.

The habitats they depend on - mostly a variety of different kinds of forest - only exist in Madagascar.

"Just as fish cannot survive without water, lemurs cannot survive without forest, but less than 10% of the original Madagascar forest is left," said Prof Ratsimbazafy, who is also a co-vice chair of the Madagascar primates section of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

"I would believe that within the next 25 years, if the speed of the deforestation is still the same, there would be no forest left, and that means no lemurs left in this island."

A form of slash-and-burn agriculture known as 'tavi' sees trees felled and undergrowth scorched

The pressure to clear the forests comes from a rapidly growing but extremely poor population seeking to open up new farmland. At least 92% of people in Madagascar live on less than the equivalent of $2 a day.

A form of slash-and-burn agriculture known as "tavi" sees trees felled and undergrowth scorched to make way for fields of rice and other crops.

Video of one recent forest clearance shows an apocalyptic scene of an entire hillside of charred stumps and smouldering vegetation.

In one supposedly protected area I visited in eastern Madagascar, a sign announcing a prohibition on tree felling stood ignored amid new plantations of banana palms and maize.

Conservationists have long argued that slash-and-burn farming is needlessly damaging, leaving the soil unproductive after a few years, and that more intensive forms of cultivation would allow more forests to be left standing.

The government of Madagascar has recently confirmed that as much as 10% of the country is now earmarked in some way for wildlife - from national parks to what are called protected areas - but the rules are often not enforced at a local level.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

Earth 'entering new extinction phase' - US study

The Earth has entered a new period of extinction, a study by three US universities has concluded, and humans could be among the first casualties.

Climate change and deforestation are among the reasons we may be facing an extinction event

The report, led by the universities of Stanford, Princeton and Berkeley, said vertebrates were disappearing at a rate 114 times faster than normal.

The findings echo those in a report published by Duke University last year.

One of the new study's authors said: "We are now entering the sixth great mass extinction event."

The last such event was 65 million years ago, when dinosaurs were wiped out, in all likelihood by a large meteor hitting Earth.

"If it is allowed to continue, life would take many millions of years to recover and our species itself would likely disappear early on," said the lead author, Gerardo Ceballos.

Pollination by bees could disappear within three generations, the report warns

The scientists looked at historic rates of extinction for vertebrates - animals with backbones - by assessing fossil records.

They found that the current extinction rate was more than 100 times higher than in periods when Earth was not going through a mass extinction event.

Since 1900, the report says, more than 400 more vertebrates had disappeared.

Such a loss would normally be seen over a period of up to 10,000 years, the scientists say.

The study - published in the Science Advances journal - cites causes such as climate change, pollution and deforestation.

Given the knock-on effect of ecosystems being destroyed, the report says benefits such as pollination by bees could be lost within three human generations.

Extinction may be more gradual than when the dinosaurs died, the report says

Stanford University professor Paul Ehrlich said: "There are examples of species all over the world that are essentially the walking dead.

"We are sawing off the limb that we are sitting on."

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says at least 50 animals move closer to extinction every year.

Around 41% of all amphibians and 25% of mammals are threatened with extinction, it says.

Most at risk: the lemur

According to the IUCN, the lemur faces a real struggle to avoid extinction in the wild in the coming years.

The group says that 94% of all lemurs are under threat, with more than a fifth of all lemur species classed as "critically endangered".

As well as seeing their habitat in Madagascar destroyed by illegal logging, lemurs are also regularly hunted for their meat, the IUCN says.

What were the five mass extinction events?

Last year, a report by Stuart Pimm, a biologist and extinction expert at Duke University in North Carolina, also warned mankind was entering a sixth mass extinction event.

But Mr Pimm's report said the current rate of extinction was more than 1,000 times faster than in the past, not 114, as the new report claims.

The new report's authors said it was still possible to avoid a "dramatic decay of biodiversity" through intensive conservation, but that rapid action was needed.

From BBC News

Koalas in Australia's Victoria region could be culled

The state government of Victoria may soon cull a colony of koalas living in a popular Australian tourist destination.

It doesn't seem fair! They're so cute! Isn´t there another solution?
Maybe they could plant more trees or transfer some Koalas to another area where they may be lacking...

The Victorian government says Cape Otway koalas face starvation because of "overpopulation"

The Victorian government euthanised about 700 koalas at Cape Otway in the state's south, in 2013 and 2014.

It said they were starving because of a population boom that could not be sustained by local woodland.

But critics angry with the latest move say the problem is too few trees, not too many koalas.

Despite some bush regrowth, the koala density at the cape remained high and sick koalas might be euthanised, the state government said on Monday.

Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning said it would carry out a "koala health assessment" of the "overabundant koala population" in the Manna Gum woodland.

The assessment will be conducted by vets and animal health officers, said department spokesperson Mandy Watson.

Koalas will only eat the leaves of a few types of eucalyptus trees

"We are focusing our attention on private land in Cape Otway where koalas are most affected by over-browsing," she said.

"Any unhealthy koalas, which are deemed too sick to survive release, will be humanely euthanized to prevent further suffering," she said.

Development pressure

Koalas live in tall open eucalypt (gum tree) forests and will only eat a few of the hundreds of species of eucalypts that grow in Australia.

Australian Koala Foundation chief executive officer Deborah Tabart said the koala habitat should be protected so a cull is not necessary.

"I know they are not looking at planting trees, they are not looking at the long term," Ms Tabart told ABC TV.

"I never see this as an overpopulation of koalas; I see it as a under-population of trees."

In 2012, the koala was listed as "vulnerable" under Australia's Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

However, there is no specific law that protects koala habitat, which is under pressure from housing and commercial development.

From BBc Sci/Environment

Wildlife decline may lead to 'empty landscape'

Populations of some of the world's largest wild animals are dwindling, raising the threat of an "empty landscape", say scientists.

The threatened black rhino

About 60% of giant herbivores - plant-eaters - including rhinos, elephants and gorillas, are at risk of extinction, according to research.

Analysis of 74 herbivore species, published in Science Advances, blamed poaching and habitat loss.

A previous study of large carnivores showed similar declines.

Prof William Ripple, of Oregon State University, led the research looking at herbivores weighing over 100kg, from the reindeer up to the African elephant.

"This is the first time anyone has analysed all of these species as a whole," he said.

"The process of declining animals is causing an empty landscape in the forest, savannah, grasslands and desert."

The threatened mountain zebra

Prof David Macdonald, of Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, was among the team of 15 international scientists.

"The big carnivores, like the charismatic big cats or wolves, face horrendous problems from direct persecution, over-hunting and habitat loss, but our new study adds another nail to their coffin - the empty larder," he said.

"It's no use having habitat if there's nothing left to eat in it."

According to the research, the decline is being driven by a number of factors including habitat loss, hunting for meat or body parts, and competition for food and resources with livestock.

With rhinoceros horn worth more than gold, diamonds or cocaine on illegal markets, rhinos could be extinct in the wild within 20 years in Africa, said the researchers.

The consequences of large wild herbivore decline include:

• Loss of habitat: for example, elephants maintain forest clearings by trampling vegetation

• Effects on the food chain: large predators such as lions, leopards, and hyena rely on large herbivores for food

• Seed dispersal: large herbivores eat seeds which are carried over long distances

• Impact on humans: an estimated one billion people rely on wild meat for subsistence while the loss of iconic herbivores will have a negative impact on tourism

The biggest losses are in South East Asia, India and Africa.

Europe and North America have already lost most of their large herbivores in a previous wave of extinctions.

From BBC Science

Demand for rubber 'threatens forests'

The global demand for rubber tyres is threatening protected forests in Southeast Asia, according to a study.

Tropical forests are being cleared for rubber plantations, putting endangered birds, bats and primates at risk, say UK researchers.

By 2024, up to 8.5 million hectares of new rubber plantations will be needed to meet demand, they report in Conservation Letters.

This could have a "catastrophic" impact on wildlife, they warn.

Species such as the endangered white-shouldered ibis, yellow-cheeked crested gibbon and clouded leopard could lose precious habitat, said the team led by Eleanor Warren-Thomas, from the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia.

"The tyre industry consumes 70% of all natural rubber grown, and rising demand for vehicle and aeroplane tyres is behind the recent expansion of plantations. But the impact of this is a loss of tropical biodiversity," she said.

"We predict that between 4.3 and 8.5 million hectares of new plantations will be required to meet projected demand by 2024. This will threaten significant areas of Asian forest, including many protected areas."

Eight-point-five million hectares is about the size of the land area of Austria.

Biodiversity concern

Rubber is the most rapidly expanding tree crop within mainland Southeast Asia.

Concern has been growing among conservationists that switching land use to rubber cultivation can harm soil, water and biodiversity.

The banteng is found in the forests of Cambodia

The first review of the effects on biodiversity and endangered species found the problem was comparable to oil palm and was linked to the growing tyre market.

The study focussed on four biodiversity hotspots in which rubber plantations are expanding:

• Sundaland (Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and Bali)

• Indo-Burma (Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, most of Myanmar and Thailand, and parts of Southwest China, including Xishuangbanna and Hainan Island)

• Wallacea (Indonesian islands east of Bali and Borneo but west of New Guinea, plus Timor Leste)

• The Philippines.

It found that numbers of bird, bat and beetle species can decline by up to 75% in forests that have been converted to rubber.

Sustainability initiatives

The researchers, from UEA and the University of Sheffield, are calling on tyre manufacturers to support initiatives such as certification schemes.

Commenting on the study, Dr Matthew Struebig of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, UK, said certification standards for the rubber industry were key to protecting forests.

"There's a lot we can do as scientists and the public to make rubber production more wildlife-friendly," he said.

"It can range from agro-forestry - mixing rubber with other trees - to retaining patches of natural vegetation along rivers or in small conservation set-asides, as is done in organic farming in Europe.

"The onus is on the rubber industry to develop a certification standard that is credible, for the public to support that, and for scientists to help develop ways to manage the rubber crop in an environmentally friendly way."

The research is published in the journal Conservation Letters.

From BBC Science

Vietnamese push back on Facebook to save Hanoi's trees

Vietnamese are often wary of talking about politics for fear of running afoul of their communist government - but the garden gloves came off in a fight over Hanoi's beloved trees.

It's sometimes called the "Paris of Asia" on account of its wide boulevards and well-preserved French-influenced architecture. Hanoians are justifiably proud of their city's beauty - which is part of the reason why a government plan to axe hundreds of the city's trees resulted in a huge push back on Facebook.

A Facebook page set up to save the trees quickly garnered more than 50,000 fans. And following a massive outpouring of opposition by celebrities and ordinary people, the government reversed its decision and promised to replace trees that had already been felled.

But the victory was about more than just foliage. Speaking out against the government can earn Vietnamese a jail sentence, and it seems the outpouring over the capital's tree population pointed to a more general sentiment inside the country.

"To be precise it's not only this tree chopping but virtually every policy of the government is being complained about," said one Facebook user. "Many things are short-termish and unreasonable that are not to the people's liking and people have lost trust [in the government]."

Hung Nguyen of BBC Vietnamese says the nature of the campaign - or rather, the fact it was a nature campaign - allowed Hanoians to question their government.

Facebook users including model Ha Anh Vu posted pictures of themselves enjoying Hanoi's parks and trees.

"This is a rare example of civil society in Vietnam," Nguyen says. "Challenging the government or party is still something rare in Vietnam and can land people in jail quite easily. But this issue appears to be non-                                                                                            political which is why it got momentum on Facebook."

From BBC News Environment

Poor outlook for Borneo's mammals

Half of Borneo's mammals will see their habitats shrink by at least a third by 2080, according to a study.

The Sunda clouded leopard photographed in the Deramakot Forest Reserve in Sabah Malaysian Borneo

By then, twice as many mammals as now will be at risk of extinction, say conservationists.

Climate change, loss of rainforest and hunting is a threat to many rare mammals on the island.

But there is hope for species like the orang-utan if action is taken to focus conservation efforts on upland areas, scientists report in Current Biology.

Borneo is the world's third largest island, accounting for 1% of the world's land yet about 6% of global biodiversity.

The island has already lost over half its forests, a third disappearing in the last three decades.

A team led by researchers at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, UK, used modelling and satellite images to predict where rainforest will be lost over the next 65 years, based on predictions of climate change and changes in land use.

Working with institutes in Germany, Australia and Indonesia, they mapped the likely suitable habitat for each of 81 Bornean mammals.

They found that deforestation and climate change would lead to 30-49% of mammals losing at least a third of their habitat by 2080.

Endangered Bornean orang-utan photographed in a mining area in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo

This would put at least 15 carnivores, 8 primates and 21 bat species at risk of extinction by 2080, almost doubling the proportion of threatened mammals on the island, according to the research.

But there is hope that better forestry management for conservation outside existing reserves could curb this loss, said lead researcher Dr Matthew Struebig.

"Only a modest amount of additional land on Borneo (~28,000 km2, or 4% of the island) would be needed to safeguard many mammal species against threats from deforestation and climate change."

The logging industry had a major role to play in conservation, given that they manage much of the land, he added.

And since deforestation and climate change is likely to have the biggest impact on lowland forests, it made sense to target efforts to forests at higher elevations.

Special efforts are needed for species like the flying fox and otter civit that would be unable to adapt to higher altitudes, said Dr Struebig.

"It is not so much that species would be doomed, but more that their area requirements would unlikely be met in the land available for conservation," he explained.

Writing in the journal Current Biology, the researchers described the outlook as "pessimistic", but said improving conservation outside existing reserves could help meet biodiversity goals.

From BBC News