Forest

Cameroon’s Baka people say they are part of the forest: that’s why they look after it

Cameroon’s Baka people say they are part of the forest: that’s why they look after it: The Congo Basin’s hunter-gatherer people have the secret to living well with the forest. While doing fieldwork in 2020, I remember walking with Indigenous elders Ferdinand Mbita and Félix Mangombe up the small, winding path into their forest in …

Which animals carry mpox? Our study identified African forest dwelling rodents as one source

Which animals carry mpox? Our study identified African forest dwelling rodents as one source: Mpox is a disease caused by the highly infectious monkeypox virus. It’s quite easily passed on from one person to another. But it originally came from infected animals. The virus was discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of pox-like infection were …

Forest fires are shifting north and intensifying – here’s what that means for the planet

Forest fires are shifting north and intensifying – here’s what that means for the planet: Fires have long been a natural part of forest ecosystems, but something is changing. Our new study shows that forest fires have become more widespread and severe amid global heating, particularly in the high northern latitudes such as Canada and …

Tropical forest loss from growing rubber trade is more substantial than previously thought – new research

Tropical forest loss from growing rubber trade is more substantial than previously thought – new research: Hevea brasiliensis is grown in the world's most biodiverse areas. dangdumrong/Shutterstock Over 4 million hectares of tree cover – an area equivalent to the size of Switzerland – may have been cleared to make space for rubber plantations since …

Big cats eat more monkeys in a damaged tropical forest – and this could threaten their survival

Big cats eat more monkeys in a damaged tropical forest – and this could threaten their survival: A jaguar in the jungle of southern Mexico. Mardoz/Shutterstock Monkeys are not usually a popular menu item for big cats. Primates are, after all, hard to catch: living in the canopies of large trees and rarely coming down …

‘Worthless’ forest carbon offsets risk exacerbating climate change

‘Worthless’ forest carbon offsets risk exacerbating climate change: In early 2023, the Guardian published an article suggesting that more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets are worthless. These credits are essentially a promise to protect forests and can be bought as a way to “offset” emissions elsewhere. Verra, the largest certifier of these offset credits, …