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.
Nigerian biologist Iroro Tanshi rediscovered the short-tailed roundleaf bat, believed extinct since the 1970s, in Nigeria's Afi mountain wildlife sanctuary. Her work combats deforestation, hunting, and wildfires threatening bat populations.
Tony Parkes, a retired investment banker, dedicated 30 years to restoring the Big Scrub rainforest in New South Wales, Australia. He rallied scientists, landowners, and volunteers to revive an ecosystem reduced to 1% of its original size, leaving a lasting legacy of ecological recovery.
Dr Tony Parkes AO, a prominent Australian rainforest conservationist, has passed away at 96. A former merchant banker, Parkes dedicated his later life to environmental science, co-founding Big Scrub Landcare (now Big Scrub Rainforest Conservancy) and pioneering the use of genome science in restoring endangered ecosystems. His legacy includes planting millions of trees and significant contributions to conservation.
A Cooxupé investe em desenvolvimento educacional com programas de formação cooperativista, bolsas de estudo e ações ambientais para cooperados, colaboradores e comunidades, fortalecendo a gestão e sustentabilidade no campo.
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.
An expedition to Puncak Jaya in West Papua, Indonesia, reveals the drastic shrinkage of the 'eternity glaciers', with the largest losing 95% of its area since 2002, highlighting imminent planetary destruction due to climate change.
Ulster Wildlife embarks on a 100-year restoration project to revive Northern Ireland's rare temperate rainforests, with 30,000 native trees planted in Lenamore Wood, supported by Aviva's £38 million funding across the UK.
The Wuzhishan Rainforest Children's Choir from Hainan, China, performed at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome for International Tea Day. This marks their fourth international performance in three years, promoting local culture and fostering global friendships.
Scientists discovered fossils of an intact temperate rainforest near the South Pole dating back 90 million years to the Cretaceous period. The findings, including a 3-meter root network preserved in mudstone, suggest Antarctica was ice-free and supported dense vegetation with an average annual temperature of 12°C due to higher atmospheric CO2 levels.
Top oil and gas companies are making billions in 'unearned war profits' due to the Iran conflict and soaring oil prices. Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, and Aramco reported massive profit surges, while consumers face higher energy bills. This crisis may accelerate the shift to green energy.
Scientists discovered fossilized amber beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, proving Antarctica was once a warm rainforest. This finding challenges perceptions of the continent and impacts climate history simulations.
A new report highlights that increasing extraction of rainforest resources for minerals, biofuels, and pulp is pushing biomes like the Amazon towards a breaking point. Compounding pressures from cattle ranching, agriculture, and logging are exacerbated by mining's extensive environmental footprint, including pollution and infrastructure development. The analysis by Profundo, commissioned by Rainforest Foundation Norway, urges a reduction in consumption from forest regions.
The Queensland man's escape triggered a month-long manhunt that ended when he was found at a remote campsite near a rainforest.
A habitat-destroying invasive species is taking over Vanuatu's forests, but one village is fighting back and earning an income for its people at the same time.
The pace of tropical forest destruction slowed in 2025 after record losses the year before but remained at worrying levels equivalent to 11 football fields per minute, researchers said Wednesday. The world lost 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of tropical primary rainforest last year, down 36 per cent from 2024, said researchers from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the University of Maryland. “A drop of this scale in a single year is encouraging – it shows what decisive...
Global tropical rainforest loss fell by 36% in 2025 to approximately 43,000 sq km, largely due to Brazil's strengthened environmental policies and law enforcement in the Amazon. The decline also reflects cooler La Niña conditions reducing fires, though researchers warn that climate change and an incoming El Niño pattern could increase fire risk later this year. Brazil recorded its lowest deforestation since 2002 at 5,700 sq km, while world leaders remain far off track from their COP26 pledge to halt forest loss by 2030.
