Walking in the footsteps of jaguars, Jacob Dykes meets the conservationists determined to maintain the connectivity of the largest forest block in Mesoamerica The hot breath of the forest rises to the ridgeline of the Maya Mountain Massif in the distance. There, the sun lays lambent on the horizon, ready to drop. ‘When night starts to fall, you can quickly lose your way,’ says the forest ranger, his fingers tightening on the machete. Dressed in camouflage, he blends with the kaleidoscopic green; part of the jungle itself. ‘You got lost here once, right?’ says another voice. All around, the i ..read more

The UK relies heavily on forest biomass to boost its renewable energy production, but ‘renewable’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘green’ On the surface, chopping down trees, turning the wood into pellets and shipping them from the USA to the UK to be burned as fuel doesn’t sound like a great idea. But both the UK and the EU are betting big on so-called ‘forest biomass’ energy. What’s more, both consider it to be a carbon-neutral energy source, meaning that any CO2 emitted is balanced by CO2 captured and stored. However, many climate experts disagree. ‘Back in 2008, when the European Union develope ..read more

The world’s largest single organism is unprepared for the changes humans have wrought upon its ecosystem Tucked into the valleys of Fish Lake, Utah, lies a near-mythical stand of trees. Each trunk, though appearing distinct, makes up the same individual. ‘Pando’ – which translates to ‘I spread’ in Latin – covers 43 hectares and weighs more than 6,000 tonnes. This hulking ‘clonal’ stand of aspen is the largest living single organism on Earth, and although it has survived for millennia, today it’s under unprecedented pressure. Pando is formed of 47,000 genetically identical aspen stems that em ..read more

A new initiative to save mangrove forests in the Dominican Republic aims to protect coastal regions and sequester carbon Mangrove forests are hugely valuable ecosystems with an image problem. These small trees and shrubs, which grow in the brackish and saline water along tropical and subtropical shorelines, make a critical contribution to climate regulation and can sequester up to four times more carbon than most other tropical forests. They also provide a sheltered habitat for juvenile fish and endangered wildlife. Despite all this, mangrove forests everywhere are in decline. One of the rea ..read more

Archaeological work around Lake Malawi suggests that humans manipulated the environment with fire many thousands of years ago Fires naturally shape ecosystems. They can clear land of trees, recycle nutrients from dead vegetation back into the soil and provide conditions for seeds to germinate. According to new research conducted in the East African Rift Valley – the cradle of modern humans – our ancestors likely knew at least some of this and learned to manipulate ecosystems to their advantage. The research was led by Jessica Thompson, professor of anthropology at Yale University. Her team h ..read more

Can international pressure stop Bolsonaro’s trampling of the Amazon? Arms outstretched, thumbs pointed skyward, far-right populist Jair Bolsonaro was the vision of optimism in October 2018. During a divided time for Brazil’s young democracy, his victory appeased those tired of socialist policies and the deprivations of Brazil’s longest recession. But Bolsonaro’s victory would also leave the Amazon open to four years of industrial pressure. In 2020, Amazonian deforestation hit the worst level in a decade.  In 2009, Brazil signed its National Policy on Climate Change, committing to reduci ..read more

A study in Northern Minnesota is experimentally heating the air and soils of forest enclosures to show how our warming climate will drastically change the composition, distribution and function of boreal and temperate forests Take a road trip from Wisconsin up through Northern Minnesota. Head through the Superior National Forest, right up to the Canadian border. Gaze out your window and watch as maple-oak forests gradually give way to aspen, spruce and birch. This changing view occurs because Northern Minnesota sits at the transition between temperate forests in the southern US and boreal fo ..read more

The impacts of deforestation are wide ranging. But while some are well-known, a link with malaria is only just coming to light. Could appetites for deforestation-implicated products, such as coffee and timber, be driving malaria risk in vulnerable countries? It’s no secret that the developed-world’s demand for timber, soybean, beef, palm oil, tobacco, cocoa, coffee and cotton degrades tropical forests. However, evidence shows that deforestation – driven by commodities demand – increases malaria risk in tropical regions. ‘Deforestation has broad, global consequences, but we’re discovering the ..read more

To protect the forests that act as natural carbon reservoirs, researchers need to better understand how individual tree species respond to climate change Forest management is a key strategy for climate change mitigation: incentives such as the UN REDD+ policy framework, have emerged to safeguard forest areas acting as natural carbon reservoirs. However, to ensure that forests are managed effectively, researchers need a better understanding of how individual species behave over time, and how carbon storage in their biomass will respond to climate change. New research, led by Nadja Rüger of t ..read more

Recent research finds that climate change-induced drought is having a noticeable effect on the mortality rates of forests, even more so than recent bush fires Extreme heat, drought, and bushfires are inextricably linked in a destructive sequence. It is no coincidence that the year Australia experienced its hottest temperatures on record it also recorded rainfall levels at 40 per cent below average, and found itself battling the worst national bushfire season of all time. While the fires were devastating, ravaging vegetation and wildlife alike, ecologists pinned hope on the ability of many tr ..read more