Brazilian researchers from CENA-USP developed an isotopic mapping model using 800 Amazonian trees to trace illegal timber, enabling Brazil's Federal Police to identify wood origin with 92% accuracy. This forensic tool, based on stable isotope analysis, aims to combat deforestation and strengthen international timber regulations.
Brazilian researchers at CENA-USP developed an isotopic mapping model using 800 Amazonian trees to trace illegal timber by ruling out 92% of the rainforest. This forensic tool provides Brazil's Federal Police with a tamperproof method to combat deforestation and strengthen international timber trade regulations.
A successful voluntary agreement, the Amazon Soy Moratorium, which prevented deforestation-linked soy expansion since 2008, has effectively ended. A new analysis in Science predicts this collapse will cause an additional 1.4 million hectares of deforestation in Brazil over the next decade, releasing carbon emissions equivalent to Canada's annual output.
Ecosystems are often described using functional language, implying they have purposes they can fail to perform. This essay argues that ecosystems lack intrinsic ends and cannot truly "break down," challenging the "ecosystem services" framework and advocating for clearer thinking about environmental crises.
Colombia's Mavecure Mountains, a sacred site for Indigenous groups, offer a burgeoning tourism opportunity, shifting locals from harmful gold mining to sustainable tourism practices.
